What's up, everybody?
This week we lead off with a first for this newsletter -- a movie recommendation. A movie about work, natch, but a movie nonetheless. ;)
We also get some timely career advice from one of the world's most successful investors. And we close things out with a wellness trend that we are very here for: the four-day workweek.
Enjoy, and thanks for reading,
Aki & Usman
#1
#ShowsAboutWork #craft #grit #innovation
Growing up in New York, skateboarding always felt like a "west coast thing", and I never got into the sport. But I knew who Tony Hawk was. Everyone did, he was synonymous with skating: California cool, and hands-down the best skateboarder in history...the G.O.A.T. 🐐
So when I stumbled onto HBO Max's documentary on Hawk --"Until the Wheels Fall Off" -- I was intrigued. On some level it's what you'd expect: a story about a champion, and the off-the-charts focus and determination that it takes to win, over and over again. But on another, it's about evolution, learning, creativity, and longevity. The best parts were about Hawk adapting to his initial constraints (a small, scrawny body); about the incredible self-awareness he brought to learning new tricks; his relationship to his family; his ability to constantly reinvent himself and evolve his career. All of this over the course of not years -- but decades.
Find it; VPN it; sign up and quit after you see it. Just make sure and find a way to watch. 🛹
#2
#control
How to avoid the sting of inflation -- from Warren Buffet, one of the wealthiest people in the world? Granted, it's a bit rich.
But it's hard to argue with the simplicity of the logic from Buffet 👆🏻, who knows a thing or two about economic cycles, and about long-term success, too.
Whether we're "future-proofing", "recession-proofing", "inflation-proofing" -- it all strikes me as a hedge against change, and the fear that we feel when we're confronted by it. What I like about Buffet's advice is it reminds me that I have absolutely zero control over inflation; and a heck of a lot more control over the skills I choose to learn and get better at. ✌🏻
#3
#wellness
The article is about a 4-day workweek gaining surprising traction in different parts of Asia. But it's not just Asia: hardly a week goes by without news of 4-day experiments happening all over the world.
We highlight the trend not because we think it's inevitable, or around the corner; or easy to implement, for that matter. It's none of those things. But the fact that it's even a part of the work conversation makes us appreciate how far that conversation has come.
We're also excited to feature it as a rare form of systemic solution to burnout. This isn't about providing an in-house psychologist, or a subsidized subscription to a meditation app. But a potential change to the structure of work itself.
Thanks for reading and have a great weekend -- whether two or three-days long! 🙏🏻