Forward Thinking: The adaptation principle, exercise timing, and the decline of friendships
3 ideas for the weekend ahead.
Hey there,
I have a longer piece coming on the best way to build your ideal work structure but until then I wanted to try something new and send a shorter version of my newsletter and share 3 things with you:
A Framework for Happiness
On Exercise Timing
The Decline of Friendships in One Chart
A Framework for Happiness
The adaptation principle is the tendency to get used to what we have. Anything new that brings us joy eventually fades into the background. Because we stop noticing it stops affecting us and we go back to our natural baseline. This principle applies to many facets of life but buying stuff is one example.
I bought a fancy (and expensive) Herman Miller Office Chair last year. My happiness increased when I placed it in my shopping cart, peaked waiting for the delivery, then completely adapted to having it one-month post purchase.
One lesson is understanding desire is dopamine. When fantasy becomes a reality, dopamine fades.
The longer you wait to exercise, the more excuses you create.
I am not a morning workout person but it does follow my general philosophy of doing hard things first. Focus on energy management versus time management. Figure out your natural energy peaks and eat the frog as they say. I work out between 12 and 2 pm but find when I miss this window, I start negotiating with myself.
The Decline of Friendships
Confirms what we all know. We all need more friends.
I’ve written about taking off your headphones in public and being a better listener but having friends in close proximity is a pillar of the good life.
Don’t expect friendships to happen by chance though. As you get older, you have to be proactive. Join social clubs, ask friends out, and put friendships over productivity and work.
Thanks for reading!
Irfan
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