Oversimplified: Volume 123
Oversimplified: Volume 123
The power of defaults, annual reviews, and one file to rule them all
Hey there đ
Happy new year! I took the last couple weeks off for the holidays, but now itâs full steam ahead. I couldnât be more grateful and pumped to share more stuff with all 1800+ of you in 2022. Feel free to reply to this email â Iâd love to hear from you.
Oversimplified is a digest of the best links I stumble upon each week, and any new pots from me. If this is your first issue, welcome! You can subscribe with the big blue button below:
âď¸ 2021 Year in Review
This is my third annual review in which I grab some coffee and reflect on the things that went well and didnât go well for me in 2021. As is always the case, lots to think about and improve on.
đ The Power of Defaults
In case you didnât notice, Iâm a sucker for Julianâs writing. Always excellent: âWhile network effects can indeed be very powerful, they are also one of the most misunderstood concepts in business strategy. Not all network effects are created equal and the most successful ones are just a means to an end.â
đ One File to Rule Them All
New year, new productivity habits? This thorough write-up is eerily similar to the workflow I use to manage daily tasks and scheduling.
đ Random Acts of X
This article from Ribbonfarm resonated in a big way: âThe very first example I encountered, sometime in the 90s I think, was ârandom acts of marketing.â That stuck with me because it seemed like such an apt description of the marketing efforts of most companies.â
đ An Annual Review Exercise
If youâre thinking about doing an annual review, check this out. Itâs one of the more complete and well-defined annual review processes that Iâve read about. I adopted a few aspects of this for myself.
đ Games That Buddha Wouldnât Play
No big insights from this â Just thought it was cool!
Food for Thought
âWorry, at its core, is the repetitious experience of a mind attempting to generate a feeling of security about the future, failing, then trying again and again and again â as if the very effort of worrying might somehow help forestall disaster. The fuel behind worry, in other words, is the internal demand to know, in advance, that things will turn out fine. But the struggle for control over the future is a stark example of our refusal to acknowledge our built-in limitations when it comes to time, because itâs a fight the worrier obviously wonât win.â â Oliver Burkeman
Until next time
As always, if you're enjoying Oversimplified, I'd love it if you shared it with a friend or two. If anything stood out, whether good or bad, I would love to hear about it. Reply to this email or tweet at me and letâs chat.
Until next time,
Conor