Tim Urban's new book isn't about procrastination, but both topics beg the same question: What's Our Problem?
Hey hey, Nik here with Saturday's 4 Minute Read in case you missed it.
With the next US presidential election a year away, last week, I saw the first tweets for everyone to "stay calm and nice to each other." But it's a heated time in politics anywhere around the globe these days — and that's why we're launching into... Civil September!
This month, we'll look at some books that remind us we're all "one big family," like Bruce Lee used to say.
Here's the first one, along with more usual summary-goodness:
Let's look at what unites us rather than what divides us, shall we?
Hot Off The Press
What's Our Problem? by Tim Urban
If you're a fan of blogs, you might have heard of Wait But Why. Known for his cute drawings and funny tone, Tim Urban has been writing long-form blog posts about science, AI, the universe, procrastination, time, and even Elon Musk, on this blog for a decade. He never posted super regularly, but in 2016, he went completely off the grid — and down his biggest rabbit hole yet. The result is What's Our Problem? (A Self-Help Book for Societies). The book explains why everyone seems to be acting crazy these days, offering not just an explanation of how societies rise and fall but also tools and frameworks for better thinking and communication in a complex civilization. If you want to know why people are constantly yelling at each other on social media and how we can rise above the noise, check out this book.
Do you know why the Nobel Prize exists? It's because in 1888, Alfred Nobel opened the newspaper and saw his own obituary. "The Merchant of Death is dead," the newspaper celebrated — because Nobel had invented dynamite.
The obituary was a mistake but his feelings of regret when confronted with his legacy were not. As a result, even at his late age, Nobel completely turned his life around. He became a philanthropist, and he even introduced a prize the world knows to this day: the Nobel Prize.
That's The Power of Regret in a nutshell, according to Daniel Pink: "When feeling is for thinking and thinking is for doing, regret is for making us better," he writes in his latest bestseller, in which he explains an uncomfortable emotion we all experience.
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This book was written by the son of "7 Habits" Covey, and it's about how trust is not just the glue that holds relationships together, it's also the oil that keeps them running smoothly. Technically, this is a business book, showing you how to make workplace relationships more efficient thanks to trust, but I find the dynamics apply well beyond the working world. A great read and underrated classic, in my opinion.
Not sure she'll find the original 1740 edition just because she wears the right dress, but the attempt is honorable! 😁
That's all for now! Hope you have a good week ahead!
Happy reading, -Nik
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