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The Quiet Struggle of Introverts
Mario Peshev
October 22, 2024
Welcome to The Smarter Brain, a curation of thought-provoking ideas and actionable reads to help you build better habits and become more productive.
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Cheers, The Smarter Brain Team
Estimated Reading Time: 2 mins
3 Ideas For Better Habits
The Quiet Struggle of Introverts
Author and speaker, Susan Cain, on the challenges introverts face in an extroverted world.
"Introversion—along with its cousins sensitivity, seriousness, and shyness—is now a second-class personality trait, somewhere between a disappointment and a pathology. Introverts living in the Extrovert Ideal are like women in a man's world, discounted because of a trait that goes to the core of who they are.
Extroversion is an enormously appealing personality style, but we've turned it into an oppressive standard to which most of us feel we must conform."
Source: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking The Power of Curiosity Over Worry
Journalist and author, Oliver Burkeman, on shifting our perspective on the future.
"Choosing curiosity (wondering what might happen next) over worry (hoping that a certain specific thing will happen next, and fearing it might not) whenever you can."
Source: Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals Mindfulness and the Art of Observation
Psychiatrist and author, Anna Lembke, on the power of non-judgmental self-awareness.
"Practicing mindfulness is something like observing the Milky Way. It demands that we see our thoughts and emotions as separate from us, and yet, simultaneously a part of us. Also, the brain can do some pretty weird things, some of which are embarrassing, thus the importance of being without judgment.
Reserving judgment is important to the practice of mindfulness because as soon as we start condemning what our brain is doing, eww, why would I be thinking about that, I'm a loser, I'm a freak - We stop being able to observe. Staying in the observer position is essential to getting to know our brains and ourselves in a new way."
Productivity Tools and Resources
The most effective way to schedule your workday
New research reveals the most productive way to schedule your workday, emphasizing a balance between focused work, collaboration, social connections, and downtime.
How to conquer unfinished projects and master the art of finishing
Explore the struggle of completing projects, comparing it to battling a "Project Hydra" that keeps growing new challenges. This article offers practical strategies for overcoming this cycle, such as defining clear goals, embracing a "good enough" mindset, and building a habit of finishing.
What We're Reading
The Journey newsletter by Vessal Jaberi is a free newsletter for entrepreneurs to 9-5'ers, startups and side hustlers who want to level up their mindset and their businesses.
Brain Food
Science: Australian researchers have identified a new, brain-based measure of chronic sleepiness that could be diagnosed in just two minutes, predicting whether someone is safe to drive, operate machinery, or even alert enough to sit an exam. (Source)
Have a productive week ahead, The Smarter Brain Team
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