Decluttering Digital Life Archives - Lifestyle Architecture Lab

Hello!

Another issue of Saturday Pentacle is here!

This week I wanted to record the next part of Decluttering Digital Life series but it’s still in progress (blame it on other works). But hopefully, it will see the (YouTube) light on Sunday (tomorrow)

This week it was a bit easier to turn my online rendezvous into this nifty little newsletter, as I’m trying to find my process back again. I think the hard part is – when you are in the moment of consumption of a piece of content, which you find captivating, to write it down and save it so that documenting or reflecting on that piece of content is easier. So I’m trying to find my groove back again.

Notion definitely helps me keep my content bank full as my weekly resonance calendar.

This past week was more intense for me at work, but I’m realizing more and more that if you are putting your full intensity and draining yourself out in the projects where others have not made the plans well and are not competitive enough while working along, it makes everything difficult. There is an invisible line which you shouldn’t let anyone cross in that perspective. If they do, you know it’s time to let go.

Running was it was a less than average week, I did just a couple of runs. Jun month has been the greatest from the running point of view this year. I hope July is better. But Mumbai rains, they make it difficult. Even though I like running in the rain but not daily. Sometimes you don’t want to feel all drenched up. Maybe the last week was one of those times.

Anyway, time for you to read on the good stuff I found the past week. Enjoy!

Issue 202 // Week 27 // 2021

Book I’m reading —

Don Quixote – I got the weird reference of this book from a sci-fi series The Expanse somewhere in the last season (5) start when James Holden (the protagonist) visits earth to meet her mother.

Now coming to the book, here is the praise for this classic as quoted from the audible page –

The most influential work of the entire Spanish literary canon and a founding work of modern Western literature, Don Quixote is also one of the greatest works ever written. Hugely entertaining but also moving at times, this episodic novel is built on the fantasy life of one Alonso Quixano, who lives with his niece and housekeeper in La Mancha. Quixano, obsessed by tales of knight errantry, renames himself “Don Quixote” and, with his faithful servant Sancho Panza, goes on a series of quests. Many of these adventures, including tilting at windmills, are established in European literary consciousness. Originally published in two volumes a decade apart (in 1605 and 1615).

I’ve just started listening to the audiobook last week and I can say it takes you away from the current world and I’m excited to listen to it daily.

An interesting (or fearsome) fact I learned —

What’s the scariest thing? – We all have fear of something, but what is something that we all fear from? In this amazing video of VSauce, we discover that.

I just can’t imagine how he makes videos like this (just see the production value, damn!)

A Tweet thread about procrastination i liked (click the Twitter embed and read the entire thread) —

Want to beat procrastination?

The answer is in 'The War of Art' by @SPressfield – a thread👇
— Ali Abdaal (@AliAbdaal) July 8, 2021

Music or Artist I’ve been listening to —

Sam Smith – Even though I’ve been listening in rounds to songs like Dancing with a stranger (ft. Normani) and How do you sleep etc. earlier. But after seeing an Apple Documentary this past week on Sam Smith – “On The Record: Sam Smith—The Thrill Of It All” (It came out when the album with the same name came out a few years back) on Apple Music (Not able to share the full docu link because it’s exclusively on Apple Music). I discovered Sam’s whole music-making process, his band and support group and I discovered songs like – No peace, Pray, Burning and with the mix of Gospel music fusing with other genres. It felt like I opened up to a complete line of music genres. Just mind-blowing.

Here is the song Burning –

Quote which I found meaningful –

My definition of being properly educated is being right when the professor is wrong.
— Charlie Munger

Until Next Saturday!

Thanks for supporting and reading.

Himanshu

About Author

I’m Himanshu Sachdeva, a technology professional working in Mumbai, India. I spend most of my spare time making Podcasts, YouTube videos and write on Lifestyle Design and sometimes stories.

Every Saturday, I send out an email newsletter called “Saturday Pentacle”, a list of the cool stuff I explored in the past week, including quotes, photos, books, articles, movies, documentaries and so on!

No spam, ever. Only great stuff.

Saturday-Pentacle // Issue 202 // Week 27 // 2021

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Hello!

I’m back after almost 9 months break from this newsletter. (Life happens, so it’s ok to take breaks, but No! It was not a paterity break! 😅 )

This is issue no. 201 of this newsletter. I’m excited to be able to start this newsletter again.

Last week I published first part of a series I’m doing on “Decluttering Digital Life”, check it out (I’m excited about this series and working more on my YouTube Channel, psss SUBSCRIBE if you haven’t yet) –

Feels a bit rusty while writing the blog again but I’ll try to put a breathe of fresh perspective! Hope you find it interesting. So without further adieu, please enjoy the 201st edition of Saturday-Pentacle.

Issue 201 // Week 26 // 2021

Book I read —

Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey – [How to Work Less and Achieve More] – This book with a cheesy productivity title was indeed good that I finished it in 3 sittings (or runs as i listened to it in audio version).

This book talks about two different coins of focus and attention – Hyperfocus and Scattered Focus. Even though I knew a lot of things and have felt them already in my life, but now I got a name for those things. I also found a lot of important cues from the books which I didn’t know, how to effectively use meditation for finding solution to problems or surface ideas or surfacing and connecting dots to sift through tasks.

I would give 4.5 Stars to this book on the scale of effectiveness. Highly recommended if you are on the journey of self improvement and productivity.

An Interesting biochemistry hormore I learned about from a Wiki Newsletter —

Ghrelin (biochemistry) – A peptide hormone, secreted in the stomach when empty, that increases appetite and secretion of growth hormone from the pituitary gland.

After researching it further I found some more interesting facts about how it correlates with hunger in our body –

It is termed the ‘hunger hormone’ because it stimulates appetite, increases food intake and promotes fat storage. When administered to humans, ghrelin increases food intake by up to 30%; it circulates in the bloodstream and acts at the hypothalamus, an area of the brain crucial in the control of appetite.
Citation – Yourhormones.info

A Tweet I found interesting –

A historical Photo with 2 Giant Guards — This was taken while James Recalton (American Photographer) visited Delhi Durbar, India in 1903.

https://twitter.com/historicoolkids/status/1411596962625822721

A Song (and video) I loved –

Adore You by Harry Styles – Loved this song from Harry. It was on repeat mode in the few lone moments I could gather last week. It kind put me in the zone. Specially the part where on the cliff he’s re-listening to his own song on a turntable record.

Check it out –