How to be more productive
• I have posted about Cal Newport before. His book Deep Work is one of my favorites. The New Yorker just published his article about how to have a more productive year. (Yesterday he released a book called Slow Productivity).
• Here are a few cool lines from the article:
– Ideally, we want to prevent our days from devolving into nihilistic walkabouts from one random task to another. But this requires intention—and that, in turn, requires planning.
– Refer to your seasonal plan each Monday, when you outline a weekly plan for the days ahead.
– Each morning, you can consult your weekly plan to quickly configure a plan for the current workday.
– The real tyranny is being subjected to the whims of the most apparently urgent task, or of the loudest request in your in-box. With a strong scheduling methodology, you regain some say over how you spend your time.
– Any complete approach to productivity in 2024 must directly address non-stop messaging and calendars stuffed with calls and meetings… confine these support efforts to the same two hours every afternoon. The first hour will serve as office hours, during which she promises that her door will be open, her phone will be turned on, and a Zoom conference room will be activated—anyone can stop by physically or virtually to discuss anything he or she wants. The second hour will be divided into ten-minute chunks for prescheduled one-on-one meetings.
Syrup
• A friend recently asked what keto syrup we use at my house. Tons of new products use monk fruit, allulose, erythritol, and other sweeteners.
• But we use this old school Cary’s syrup; my wife has been eating it since she was a kid and she’s healthy and awesome. Flavor very close to the real thing, my kids don’t even care about real syrup anymore.
Keto Cookies
• Ok most of the baked desserts I make with low carb flours (almond, coconut, etc) turn out disappointing. But I have made three batches of these Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, adhering closely to the recipe (I am not usually great about this), and using allulose as the sweetener. They are excellent.
Dressing
• Also highly recommend this recipe; supposedly the precise ingredients of Chipotle’s Honey Vinaigrette.
More Protein
• Free article from Peter Attia on the possible false ceiling of protein gram ingestion in one sitting. Apparently we don’t ‘waste’ much of a 100 gram protein load.
• But it is very important to note that the protein source used in the study was casein (a milk protein), which takes a long time to get absorbed from the intestines. So if you eat 100 grams of protein from meat, eggs, or tofu, I am not sure you would utilize it all.
• A few years ago, I covered a study that compared 70 grams of protein to 30 grams in this review article.
Hit the Weights
• Dr. Gabe Mirkin is a long-time endurance athlete and plant-based eating advocate. This recent post recaps a few studies that found major benefits to health outcomes from resistance training, ie. pumping iron. The combination of aerobic training and weight training is even better!
• It doesn’t take much, remember the “minimum effective dose.” Here is a brief essay summary.
From Mirkin: Adults who perform 30-60 minutes per week of resistance exercise gain a maximum protection of a 17 percent reduced risk of heart disease and 15 percent reduced risk for death from heart disease, compared to people who do not lift weights (Br J Sports Med, 2022; 56:755–763). This report was based on randomized controlled trials of 2-6 months, since there were limited data on studies lasting longer than six months. Most of the trials limited resistance to no more than 40–80 percent of maximum effort, 2-3 days per week. The American Heart Association report is from heart specialists who reviewed the current literature on how resistance exercise helps to:
• lower high blood pressure
• lower high cholesterol and high triglycerides
• reduce high blood sugar levels
• reduce arterial stiffness
• increase strength and muscle size
• reduce body fat
• treat mental conditions such depression
• increase ability to do everyday tasks such as walking, lifting objects and using muscles
Yet only 2.8 percent of North Americans perform the resistance training of two days per week recommended by the 2018 Federal Physical Activity Guidelines (J Phys Act Health, 2021; 18:S37–S44).
Quotes
…Love that quote. Knew a pastor who knew Hebrew and Greek and studied Aramaic. According to him – the original quote is closer to “Blessed are those who have swords, the knowledge to use them, and make the choice not to – they will inherit the earth.” … “Meek” doesn’t seem like a worthy trait. But having power and the wisdom to use it judiciously – does.
– 21st Century Philosopher initials MB
I have landed the great whale. I can’t say I have fully digested this tour de force of the unconscious. It still goes on rumbling a bit, like an earthquake … Yahweh’s intention to become man, which resulted from his collision with Job, is fulfilled in Christ’s life and sufferings.
– Carl Jung describing his composition of the book Answer to Job
