Choosing Your Life Pursuits: A Guide

Welcome to Effective Habits, a weekly newsletter where I share evidence-based strategies and tools to help you live a happy, healthy, and productive life.

Today at a Glance:

• Some Things I Think

• Viewing Water Outdoors Slows Heart, Lowers Blood Pressure

• How to Choose Your Life Pursuits

Some Things I Think
Morgan Housel

Lights, Camera, ...
In the tapestry of life, wisdom often weaves its most intricate patterns from the threads of paradoxes and ironies. The collection of thoughts by Morgan Housel you're about to explore offers a mosaic of such insights, challenging conventional beliefs while revealing profound truths. From the deceptively simple notion that the fastest way to wealth is through patience, to the eye-opening realization that success can blind us to the role of luck, these reflections invite us to rethink the narratives we live by. They remind us that in a world obsessed with instant gratification and surface-level understanding, the real riches lie in the slow, deep pursuit of genuine knowledge and meaningful connections.

Action!

1. Many beliefs are held because there is a social and tribal benefit to holding them, not necessarily because they’re true.

2. Nothing is more blinding than success caused by luck, because when you succeed without effort it’s easy to think, “I must be naturally talented.”

3. Social media makes more sense when you view it as a place people go to perform rather than a place to communicate.

4. The best measure of wealth is what you have minus what you want. (By this measure, some billionaires are broke.)

5. A lot of people seem to have a necessary level of stress, and when their life is going well they make up imaginary problems to fill the void.

6. There are two types of people: Those who want to know more and those who want to defend what they already know.

7. Most beliefs are self-validating. Angry people look for problems and find them everywhere, happy people seek out smiles and find them everywhere, pessimists look for trouble and find it everywhere. Brains are good at filtering inputs to focus on what you want to believe.

8. Nothing leads to success like unshakable faith in one big idea, and nothing sets the seeds of your downfall like an unshakable faith to one big idea.

9. Average performance sustained for an above-average period of time leads to extraordinary performance. This is true not just in investing but careers, relationships, and parenting.

10. A good bet in economics: the past wasn’t as good as you remember, the present isn’t as bad as you think, and the future will be better than you anticipate.

Viewing Water Outdoors Slows Heart, Lowers Blood Pressure
Kathleen Holder

Lights, Camera, ...
Research from UC Davis reveals that simply gazing at water outdoors can significantly lower heart rate and blood pressure, mirroring the benefits of "forest bathing." Dr. Richard Coss and his team found that even brief moments of looking at a swimming pool or natural waterway can foster relaxation and well-being. Interestingly, the more expansive the water, the stronger the calming effects. This finding highlights the evolutionary benefits of water perception and suggests potential applications for public health and landscape design to promote mental health.

Action!

• Spend a few minutes gazing at a body of water, such as a pool or natural waterway, to quickly reduce stress and help you restore a sense of calm.

How to Choose Your Life Pursuits
Sahil Bloom

Lights, Camera, ...
Choosing life pursuits is about optimizing the finite time you have for maximum fulfillment and success. Traditional advice to follow your interests and passions can be misleading, as interests may align with skills rather than true enthusiasm, and passion can be a nebulous concept. Instead, focus on your energy—what invigorates and motivates you. Energy-driven pursuits lead to deeper engagement, growth, and joy. By conducting a Pursuit Map exercise, you can identify activities that provide the most satisfaction and rewards, ensuring your days—and thus your life—are spent meaningfully. As Annie Dillard aptly put it, "How we spend our days is how we spend our lives.”

Action!

1. Create Your Map

   1. Construct a blank 2x2 matrix where the X-axis represents your competency level (from low to high), and the Y-axis reflects your energy (from draining to energizing).

   2. Define your current and potential pursuits broadly (e.g., consulting) or specifically (e.g., market research) and place them on this matrix.

   3. For existing pursuits, assess how they impact your energy and gauge your competency through self-reflection and feedback from others.

   4. For new pursuits, gather detailed insights from those experienced in these areas and experiment with small steps to evaluate your energy and assume a modest starting competency level.

   5. Place each pursuit on the matrix according to your findings.

2. Identify Your Zones

   1. Zone of Genius: Top-right quadrant where high energy meets high competency. This is your ideal area for most pursuits.

   2. Zone of Hobby: Top-left quadrant where high energy but lower competency reside. Spend significant time here, as pursuits often shift to the Zone of Genius with practice.

   3. Zone of Danger: Bottom-right quadrant where high competency but low energy pursuits sit. These can be tempting but draining; try to avoid or reframe them to be more energizing.

   4. Dead Zone: The bottom-left quadrant should generally be avoided unless there’s potential for a pursuit to become energizing with improved competency.

3. Align Your Time

   1. Aim to allocate your time predominantly to pursuits in your Zone of Genius, with the remainder in your Zone of Hobby. Minimize or eliminate time spent in the Zone of Danger and the Dead Zone.

   2. In a corporate setting, discuss your Pursuit Map with managers to align roles and responsibilities. As a leader, encourage your team to map their pursuits for better alignment. If you're independent, ruthlessly delegate tasks outside your Zone of Genius to optimize performance and satisfaction.

TOOL TIP

Digital Defense: A free online tool that provides you with a detailed guide of how to secure your digital life and protect your privacy. It’s extremely thorough and detailed, but also ranks each action item by its level of importance and complexity of implementation. If you care about staying secure online, this is your one-stop-shop guide for setting yourself up.

FUN FACT

Wearing a tie can reduce blood flow to the brain by 7.5 per cent. A study in 2018 found that wearing a necktie can reduce the blood flow to your brain by up to 7.5 per cent, which can make you feel dizzy, nauseous, and cause headaches. They can also increase the pressure in your eyes if on too tight and are great at carrying germs.

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Disclaimer: The information provided in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult a medical professional for advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We are not liable for any risks or issues that may arise from using this information.