Welcome to the Constantly Curious, Edition #3 (5/4/2023)!

The idea here is simple: each week, I will curate the most interesting articles, tweets, videos, ideas, people or hacks that I’ve come across and send them (via this newsletter) directly to your inbox.

Last week, we crossed the 50 subscriber mark!

I’m excited to check off this first little milestone on this journey! Your time and attention is valuable, and that’s something I don’t take lightly…

“The journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step” - Lao Tzu

With that said, let’s get into it -

Valuable Tweet Thread I Came Across

Dan Go (@fitfounder) put this thread together, and it really hits all the major points regarding the importance of optimizing sleep and sleep quality. Prioritizing sleep is one of the biggest “hacks” you can explore. If you aren’t getting adequate, high-quality sleep, it’s unlikely that you’ll be optimally performing in all aspects of your life (gym, work, entrepreneurial passions, relationships, you name it).

Personally, my sleep “tricks” are:

• 500-1000mg Magnesium (or Magnesium Threonate) AND 200 mg of L-Theanine 30-60 minutes before bed.

  • Forewarning on Magnesium, you will get some extremely vivid dreams from it

• 5-10 minutes of intentional breathing exercises directly before bed

• Bare Performance Nutrition’s (BPN) Peak Sleep

• Hot Yogi Stress Relief & Bedtime Tea with Raw Honey

Breathing exercises are the most constant in my routine, and some rotation/combination of the supplements mentioned here are used in conjunction. When I employ these “tricks'“, there is a very noticeable difference in my sleep quality (especially deep, REM sleep).

Blog You Need to Be Reading

Wait But Why, Tim Urban’s blog, is one of my favorite internet publications, full stop. Tim has been blogging for a decade+, and has grown a massive audience (1m+ followers and subscribers across social+newsletter).

Wait But Why is FULL of amazing blogs, and this piece is one of my all-time favorites from him. “Taming the Mammoth: Why You Should Stop Caring What Other People Think” is a brilliant examination of our inner voice, and is equal parts hilarious and enlightening.

Honestly, in re-reading it in prep for this week’s post, Tim reinforced a lot of what myself (and likely some readers) are consistently working on - figuring out ways to keep our inner Social Survival Mammoth at bay, and even overcome it’s influence.

Coolest Sports Story You Should Be Aware Of

On Tuesday (5/2/23), Joel Embiid, Center for the Philadelphia 76ers, was awarded his first NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. As a die-hard Sixers fan, this was an awesome moment for the franchise, fans, and city. But, the story of Joel Embiid is what makes this a beautiful moment, no matter who you support.

From this:

To this:

And finally, 7 years later; a season full of brilliant plays, none better than this:

At age 15, Joel Embiid picked up a basketball for the first time. At age 16, he moved from Cameroon to the US (by himself) and enrolled in high school. At 20, he was drafted by the Sixers, broke his foot (which required him to sit out 2(!) full seasons), and experienced the death of his 13 year old brother, Arthur, after he was struck and killed by a car. He’s experienced highs, lows, injuries, set-backs, NBA scoring titles, and more. And, at 29, Joel is recognized as the best basketball in the world for the ‘22/’23 season.

And that’s a beautiful, beautiful thing.

YouTube Mix Getting Me Through My Work Day

I have been loving long-form, house/jazz/vibey mixes lately as background/focus music. I find that this type of music allows me to more quickly enter a “flow state” of enhanced focus and clarity. This mix, in particular, is one thats been in the rotation. Give it a shot next time you need some focus music - i think you’ll enjoy it like I have.

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That’s it for Edition #3 of CC.

What did you think? ALL feedback is welcome. Additionally, if you read/watched something you think I would like - PLEASE send it my way.

If you enjoyed, feel free to share with friends/family - MUCH more to come, and I cant wait to keep sharing ideas with you.

Stay Curious, Friends.