--- ## Notes/Brainstorming ### **✨** In My Life - Got accepted into a hackathon - Got a new monitor, ### **🔗** Links to Thinks [You feel jealous](https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/when_you_feel_jealous_think_about_cultivating_compersion?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email) - [[Jealousy]] - [[Compersion]] [Thomas Oppong](https://medium.com/personal-growth/the-microlearning-principle-shorter-bite-sized-learning-improves-retention-by-up-to-80-1066f56b2b1) - [[Microlearning]] [[The Omnipresence of Work]] ### **🚀** Actionable Tingz - 1 hour of leisure - Been playing valorant again - Write of passage scholarship. Didn't get in, but got to dig through old writings, which was pretty insightful - Flies infestation - [[I'm starting to slowly become more angry]] ### **🤔** Food For Thought ### 😤 My Ramblings - First 6 hour conversation - Such an engaging conversation - I just had my eyes closed the entire time, it's fully immersing myself in the conversation and by listening. there were times where I would check my email or respond to someone, I began to lose sight of the conversation, but I'd realize how different my perception was when multitasking so I would switch back Italy - Crazy how I never recognized that side of her, but when the floodgate opened, they opened - Staying authentic op - Don't have to think too hard on what to say, you're just naturally ## Publishing Copy Welcome to another edition of _Weekly Wondering_, a sacred time where I share the resonating links, reflections and learnings from my past week to influence your next one ;) ### **✨** In My Life Wanting to invest in my systems and growth, I decided to get a new monitor. Expect speedier video production and updates for Fleeting Notes 😎 ### **🔗** Links to Thinks **Understanding jealousy** Whether it be relationships or people online, I'm no stranger to jealousy. But what better way to work on something than to better understand it first? [This article](https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/when_you_feel_jealous_think_about_cultivating_compersion?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email) explores the jealousy as well as its counterpart compersion, > the positive thoughts, emotions, and sensations derived from knowing of another person’s gratifying experience, even when this experience does not involve or benefit us directly. *Found by *Thomas Oppong's Newsletter, [Postanly Weekly](https://postanly.substack.com/)\* **Omnipresence of Work** Much like the name suggests, Lawrence's new post on the [omnipresence of work](https://moretothat.com/the-omnipresence-of-work/) spreads awareness on just that, but also the loss of individuality that comes from optimizing work, similar to David Perell's piece on [Microwaveable Efficiency](https://perell.com/essay/the-microwave-economy/](https://perell.com/essay/the-microwave-economy/): > In the case of teams, I worry that all these great tools and technologies are slowly turning us into avatars of productivity, while dimming down our personalities. Communication is no longer serendipitous; it is scheduled in 30 minute increments, which is just enough for a few minutes of small talk, then an overview of what needs to get done. Work is seamlessly distributed to profile pictures on a Slack channel, then collected in pieces by some future agreed-upon date on a shared calendar. But my takeaway wasn't related to the main point, but rather, a subtle jab towards my current character: > Inherent in any technological advancement is the need for deeply laborious work, ironically to create products that make life easier for its users. Humans and their ability to think become the source for labor, and it is commonly believed that this reduces people to mere task-completing drones, voiding them of any unique personalities or characteristics. It's the first time I've heard about workaholics being called shallow. I usually associate this lack of individuality towards people enslaved by social media, but in some sense we are on the same hyperfixated spectrum as people who just mindlessly consume content, albeit the intentions are entirely different. But is that necessarily a bad thing? I'm not sure. ### **🚀** Actionable Tingz **Winding down before bed?** As I found myself [swamped with responsibilities](https://twitter.com/johnmavrick_yt/status/1572502062520475650), I decided to prioritize my mental health and off-time more than ever. I don't always give myself time to wind down at the end of the day, but I decided to dedicate 1 hour before going to bed to pure unproductive work, A.K.A VALORANT 🤪 But I don't think it helped? Whenever I finished my game and my night routine, I found my mind more active than it traditionally would have been (probably because of dopamine or the competitiveness of my games, not too sure). So maybe instead, it's better to go on some activity that's truly mind-emptying like journalling, walking, or meditating. Time to get back on my nightly McDonalds runs 😎 If you have a night routine you find helpful in clearing your mind, I'd love to hear ;) ### **🤔** Food For Thought > Once you catch on to what clutter is, you’ll find it everywhere. Isn’t meaningless activity a form of clutter? How many of the power lunches, cocktail parties, social events and long evenings glued to the computer or TV screen have been clutter—activities that add nothing positive to your life? What about disorganized days, full of busyness with no sense of accomplishment? And what about items on your To Do list of tasks that never get done? > > - Either Your Money or Your Life, or Digital Minimalism, I can't remember lmao ### 😤 My Ramblings #### My first immersive 6-hour conversation I'm going to regret typing this up LMAO, but I think it's fun to reflect on events like these. They're ramblings for a reason 🤷‍♀️ Maybe I was being too pessimistic about my generation's deteriorating individuality. Enter B, someone I met last year while reaching out to other incoming first years at my university. Despite occasionally chatting and getting a sense of her maturity and kindness, she fit the role of someone you'd only spend time with due to a shared environment like school rather than their character. I didn't really think much of it, and they felt the same way. But on Friday, after a random encounter on a _social_ app, as we caught up I couldn't help but be intrigued by her underlying values in her profile. Unlike the average profile of just wanting to [party and cater to as many matches as possible,](https://johnmavrick.substack.com/p/weekly-wondering-8#%C2%A7my-ramblings) they were passionate about their future career path and finding someone to have meaningful experiences with. Somehow I ended up rambling about my disdain for social media, but instead of typing it all out, I asked to call and understand her thoughts on it. A short call solely pertaining to this topic. Or so I thought. It was the first time I had genuinely lost track of time while chatting with someone, as conversation naturally flowed from one stimulating topic to another. In a week full of routine and task completion, it was revitalizing to connect on so many levels and values I don't usually get to with other people. Usually I get to relate with someone else about a thing or two, but to have so many niche mindsets and passions reciprocated in succession was borderline overstimulating. Someone that I once viewed as like the rest was slowly establishing their like-minded, kindred soul. I had my eyes closed the entire time, fully immersing myself in the conversation, putting all my emphasis on the tone, meanings, and ideas shared. I engaged in deeply attentive listening, rarely getting distracted by my usual focus on productivity (I was supposed to be doing work during that time aaaa). There were times where I would check my email or quickly respond to someone else, but I just naturally felt compelled to redirect my attention back. As we explored the extremes of human emotion and nature, or ranted about our unconventional views, I couldn't help but just embrace this vivid trance. I've become accustomed to sharing my authentic self during these kinds of talks, but never found myself feeling so eager to selfishly go on about my inner world with someone on the other side fully understanding, trying to prove my worth and share my ideas. I never imagined how such a level of trust and vulnerability was possible. At times I would question if this was all just some cruel dream I would wake up from any second. But as we said good night, I laid there in awe comprehending all that happened. To go from acquaintance to a profound connection within a single call. To actually have someone I'm unconditionally comfortable being authentic with. If only moments like these were normalized, beyond the expressiveness of the night, in everyday conversation.