[UP 037] - Why this one evolutionary action slows us down from learning faster
PLUS Why January is an underrated time to up your social life
New year, new look and new style. More on that a little later.
But firstly a big Happy New Year!
I hope this year is full of progress on all fronts in your life. I hope it’s one you’ll be able to look back on with fondness and see great struggle that gave birth to great successes.
Here’s to your 2024.
And with that, here’s a look at our first lineup of the year:
🚀 Fail Fast, Learn Fast: We’ll learn how embracing mistakes leads to rapid mastery.
🌙 Lighting for Sleep: We’ll learn how to use different lights for optimal energy.
🤝 January Socials: We’ll look at some strategies for starting the year socially.
Shall we get started?
Embrace Mistakes, Master Faster: Learning Through Failure
He teaches his students to imagine they have a bag with one thousand beads. Every time they make a mistake talking to someone else in the language they take out one bead. When the bag is empty they will have achieved level 1 mastery. The faster they make those mistakes, the faster they will progress.
The above is taken from the book ‘Effortless’ by Greg McKeown and I love it.
The context here is about learning a language but we could apply this to anything we’re trying to master in life. It’s all about understanding and crucially, embracing this one paradox:
The faster we fail, the faster we progress.
And what’s more, when we do finally succeed after all of those failures, just one success can pay for and wipe away all of those past losses. Spectacularly so sometimes, when we’re talking in business terms.
Everyone knows that if you swing for the fences, you get more home runs and you strike out more. With baseball, that analogy does not go far enough – no matter how much you connect with the ball, you can only get 4 runs. The success is capped at 4 runs. But in business, every once in a while you step up to the plate, and you hit the ball so hard, you get 1,000 runs. When you have that kind of asymmetric payoff, one at-bat gets you 1,000 runs. It encourages you to experiment more. It’s the right business decision, and it’s better for your customers
Jeff Bezos
The idea that failure helps us learn is one that if you’re reading this newsletter you probably agree with.
But the thing is we get in our way from making this approach the default. And the reason I think that is simply because we’re scared of looking bad.
Seeking Approval and Messy Learning Don’t Mix
We want to be able to be able to be seen as good so we’re always accepted. It’s an old evolutionary trait. Safety is within the tribe. However, success, whatever that is on your terms, will often require us to do things that put us at odds with the tribe.
In the quest for success, through our many ugly failures, our safety in the tribe can be threatened.
We may be scolded, laughed at, mocked, and even shamed. This is what turns so many away from putting out their creative work.
We know our work is raw but we identify with it. We too feel raw. We seek to protect ourselves against criticism and against those out to tear us and our work down.
But all it takes to get out of this vulnerable state is a change of perspective, and here it is:
On the way to finding your success, you don’t need the approval of a tribe. You just need your own self-approval to keep creating.
Yes eventually of course you’ll need to take your newfound skills or creativity to the market and get paid for your efforts. You’ll want approval from your tribe then. I get it.
But on the way up? While your learning? While you’re metaphorically face-planting into the floor like a deer trying to walk for the first time?
Just. Keep. Going. You’re progressing.
The days will become weeks and the weeks become months. This is when you can look back and see all the progress you’ve made. Progress born out of failure.
Bang. We’re starting strong with this edition. But let’s now take stock of how we can sensibly put the brakes on after our long days.
Blue by Day, Orange by Night: Optimizing Light for Sleep
Got a New Year’s resolution? Maybe a couple? Good. Hope you’ve started day 1 well.
Mine? Sleep quality.
I’ve been making small adjustments over the last few months like getting more daylight exposure and having an eating curfew but there’s still more to go. I wanna crack those consistent 90s on my Oura.
This month I’m working on taking the necessary but painful step of banishing all electronic devices from my bedroom. All in the name of reducing blue light exposure. But then, a question popped into my mind - what about the light under which we read our physical books before bed? I know that ain’t blue.
This question then led me down the path of understanding the science behind different types of light and their impacts. Let’s have a look:
Blue Light vs. Orange Light
Blue Light: It's everywhere during the day, especially from the sun and our screens. Blue light's short, energetic wavelengths are perfect for keeping us alert and enhancing our mood. However, at night, this same light can be our sleep's enemy, disrupting our natural sleep-wake cycle.
Orange Light: Enter the gentle, calming orange light, just like a sunset on a desktop wallpaper. Its longer wavelengths don't disturb our much-needed melatonin production. Unlike the blue variety, orange light gently nudges to our bodies that it's time to relax and prepare for sleep.
So then, here’s a few little actions we can take to utilize these two light types to our advantage.
Practical Tips for Better Sleep
Morning Rituals: Get 15-20 minutes of natural sunlight, or stay out for 20-30 minutes if you’re having an overcast day. It's great for kick-starting the day.
Evening Adjustments: As the sun sets, it's time to switch gears. Warm, orange-hued lights in our living spaces can set the stage for a good night's sleep.
Reading Time: For those cherished moments with a book, consider a lamp with an orange or red bulb. It's perfect for reading and won't interfere with your journey to slumber.
Bedroom Environment: Aim for total darkness when sleeping. Keep it a blue-light-free sanctuary. Opt for warmer tones if you need a little light.
Seems obvious in hindsight but it’s good to understand the differences in terms of how they affect the body. Okay, let’s bring this home with a little bit on how to make January more memorable.
January: The Perfect Month for New Connections
As the festive sparkle of December fades, January often greets us with a return to routine and, for a lot of us a sense of post-holiday blues.
‘Oh yeh, I almost forgot, I have this life.’
But what if we view January not as a dreary return to the mundane but as a launching pad for new beginnings, particularly in our social lives?
Making New Connections Effortless
January is known for its resolutions and fresh starts and it’s this collective mindset of change and improvement that makes it an ideal time to explore new social avenues. Classes and group activities hit peaks of interest during this month, offering a perfect opportunity to meet like-minded individuals. So here’s how to leverage the January social momentum:
Sample Classes: Consider joining a class that aligns with your interests. Whether it’s a fitness class, a book club, or a cooking workshop, these settings provide a relaxed environment for social interactions. The shared interest ensures a common ground, making conversations and connections more organic.
Committing to a Course or Certification: If there's a skill or hobby you're passionate about, why not get serious about it? Committing to a course or pursuing a certification in January can not only open new career prospects but it could also connect you with others who share your enthusiasm. Again this can range in anything from photography to yoga.
The Social Advantage of Group Activities: Group activities have a unique way of fostering camaraderie. Engaging in a shared task or learning together creates a sense of teamwork and belonging. These activities can be particularly beneficial for those looking to expand their social circle in a more structured setting.
Online Communities: Don’t overlook online classes and communities. In today's digital age, online courses and communities can also be a great way to connect with others globally and there’s so many to choose from. I’ve certainly enjoyed being a part of a handful across the last two years. But you do get what you put in. It can take some work to get response rates when trying to connect.
Hopefully, some of these ideas have got you thinking. Let’s finish with the mindset to make this happen.
Making the Most of January Gatherings
Be Open to a Little Chaos: Expect the unknown. Embrace the spirit of January by being open to trying something completely new. This openness can lead to unexpected and enriching encounters. Give serendipity a chance.
Set Personal Goals: Have clear intentions about what you want to achieve – be it making new friends or just expanding your social circle. But then reverse engineer the process needed eg. 3 introductions per week.
Consistency is Key: Regular attendance is crucial. Consistency helps in skill acquisition but also allows for building and strengthening new connections over time. Yes sample around at first, but then settle into somewhere you feel comfortable.
In summary, January's unique atmosphere of change and renewal is ideal for kick-starting your social life. By joining classes, courses or group activities, you’re both enriching your skillset but also opening doors to new friendships and experiences. Killing two birds as I like to say.
And don’t forget to embrace that sense of failure along the way! You may even endear yourself to others quicker than you imagined if you do.
***
Thanks for reading as always. Share this with someone who may like some of what we’ve shared here today.
(And if you’re receiving this for the first time ‘Hey!’ You subscribed when we were on Beehiiv but didn’t receive any editions. But no hard feelings if you wish to unsub now we’ve moved. But you’ll have a better time if you stay. Yeh, just stay.)
I’m gonna go and get me a red lightbulb and journal on how to be a good teammate.
Have an excellent rest of the week ahead.
Always Forward,
Utkarsh
Extra Section
Gonna make a few changes now this year to the newsletter.
The big one is that we’ve moved of course. This new look and feel you’re seeing is because we’ve gone from Beehiiv to Substack. All the past editions have moved too. I’ll be posting here a little more regularly too (non-newsletter) so watch out for that too.
Rather than document the experiments I’m running in the newsletter, I’ll remove that part to keep it shorter. Instead, I’ll share more across my socials regularly. Will be ramping up slowly across the major platforms.
I’m gonna play with Substack’s native audio feature which allows me to record the newsletter into a podcast. Seems handy and another way for it to get consumed. Why not give it a try?
Alright, ciao for now. See you on the next one.