Second week of the new year, hope you are holding up true to your resolutions.
Here is this week’s Saturday-Pentacle. Enjoy!
Issue 205 // Week 2 // 2022
A book I’m reading —
Millionaire on fast lane – The name of the book sounds scammy but it’s filled with insights and advice. Author MJ DeMarco describes the traditional way of earning money and getting rich as Slow Lane.
He shuns a lot of traditional wisdom. i.e. ‘living below your means’, ‘investing in index funds’ and ‘saving for retirement’.
On the other hand, he describes Fast Lane to start a venture which follows the CENTS formula.
Kevin Rose-Darya Rose podcast episode – This episode was fun where Kevin and his wife Darya discussed – New year resolutions or rather reflected on the previous year. Discussing kids, new things Kevin is getting into, all while drinking wine.
Hypefury – Found this amazing tool for Twitter audience growth. Here are top 5 features it has –
Automation of Tweet publishing
Engagement builder – Engagement with pro twitter users. You don’t need to go to Twitter to engage with big accounts, cause that takes you to a rabbit hole and you waste so much time. In Hypefury’s engagement builder section you can put in your favorite big accounts and reply to their latest tweets from their itself.
Make TweetShot (images) of your favorite Tweet’s and publish them to Instagram directy.
Auto Generate quotes for publishing (you can review before queueing them up for publishing)
AutoPlug – if one of your tweets is getting popular, then the app can automatically put a new tweet in the thread as a plug to your newsletter or a product or whatever you want to market.
Really loving this and using this extensively since past few weeks. I might love it too. If you want to join in here is a referral link which can get you a free trial period.
Quote which I found meaningful –
There is a voice that doesn’t use words. Listen.
— Rumi
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 205 // Week 2 // 2022
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Another week passed by. Now as this is becoming the way of life for foreseeable future, I feel the focus from the news has to be reduced a little bit. There is a lot of chaos in the world right now; if we keep focusing on the chaos while being in the limited square footage of our home. It starts feeling like a prison very quickly.
So to avoid that, I’ve decided to provide things of calmness and serenity through my Saturday Pentacle newsletter as much as I can.
I recently published the latest podcast with Indian Tabla Maestro Aditya Kalyanpur. If you want to listen to a conversation around how to pursue what you love and how to hon your craft so much that it takes you places, here is the Podcast episode.
I’ve also started getting back to meditation more, listening to the chirp of sparrows in the morning (yes sparrow’s are back as the humans have stopped venturing out). The inward journey is not very calm though, all the things which I have stopped being sensitive about, as I sit without the ignorance armour in my meditation, they start to come up. But these unresolved thoughts (something from the work or somebody said something and things like that) start to come to the surface and through meditation one can resolve them just by thinking about them. That’s what I’ve been doing in my meditations.
I’m also focused on movability exercises a bit more nowadays which include stretching the core, hamstring, hips and spine mobility. More than the cardio I’ve been working on these and also the posture of my body while sitting for work trying to maintain the straightness of spine.
To improve my focus, I’ve been using the Pomodoro technique. Where I focus for 25 mins and take a quick break. I found that it makes it easy to churn out one single mid-tier task into 1 of the 25 mins session and that way I can actually accomplish better. An app which I’m using for Pomodoro sessions is one of the points in today’s newsletter.
Coming to the book progress, I moved forward on below books –
But happy to be back to reading. Some way or the other books have to be read. That’s it for the talk.
Without further adieu, please enjoy this week’s Saturday-Pentacle.
Issue 183 // Week 19 // 2020
An app I’m loving —
Forest App for Pomodoro Technique – This app has been really amazing, suggested by Ali Abdaal, it is actually a Pomodoro timer plus much more. It grows virtual trees in a virtual forest as you keep focusing every 25 mins. It provides you virtual coins, if you collect enough coins (like 2000) it provides an option to plant a real tree! (What! No way!!! but it’s actually true) via a Non-Profit, they are integrated with. We are living in an amazing world, where just by focusing on your work you can plant and grow virtual and actual trees. That’s what keeps my excited to focus more now.
A podcasting product I found awesome —
Riverside.fm – This new product just blew my mind, Create a podcast (not exactly a podcast but sort of a link), then share the guest link with your guest. You both login into your links and boom you are on a video call. Press record and your video+audio (in separate tracks) start recording. Once you stop record, you can immediately download your side, guest side audio and the video from the dashboard.
Riverside CEO Nadav Keyson, himself gave the demo to me. Super smart guy. The company is based out of the Netherlands. I think this is going to be a product to watch out for. Especially if you are a podcaster or a live streamer. (Yes you can live-stream your video podcast as well! How cool is that!).
Even though the pricing is there for this and it’s a bit on the higher side at the moment, but still if you want ease and one-click production. This is going to be the way to go.
Here is a demo –
A podcast I loved —
The Random Show (part of the Tim Ferriss Show Podcast) – This is one of my favorite aspect of the Tim Ferriss Show, where Tim and Kevin Rose come together every few months on boozie trip (sometimes) and over drinks they talk about life and all things in between. In the latest doze of the Random Show, they talked about –
What are they reading in the lockdown (some good book recos)
How to shape your investment strategies in these times.
Why Tim is so much troubled with the whole pandemic situation, even though he has got it all.
And much more. I loved the conversation, hope you’ll find it awesome too.
Playlist helping me focus again —
Study Playlist by Thomas Frank – As I was not able to focus much in the early past week, so I came back to this playlist, which is really good for calmful focus (that weird right? Calm and Focus together? but I think spiritually they are very similar).
This playlist has a rhythmic tone to it and sort of calmness with instrumental music which doesn’t bother your brain to process further information about lyrics. Good one by Thomas Frank.
Quote which I found useful to declutter –
There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.
— Peter Drucker
Before saying “see you next week” I’m gonna mention my recent podcast episode again here if you missed it in the top section. Episode 21 with Aditya Kalyanpur (Indian Tabla Maestro).
Also, watch out for the next story in “Lifestyle Design in Action – A Story Series” this Thursday.
Lastly, here are a few pictures from my Instagram. You can check them out here or go to my Instagram for the whole stories and more –
Hey friends, I’m Himanshu, 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!
Happy Women’s Day to all the amazing and lovely women in our lives. More power to you!
Here is a video from the humans of Bombay where 4 different generations of women writer letter to their younger selves.
Coming to the past week, I had a productive week at the office but wasn’t very much productive creatively. Hopefully, this coming week will be more creative. I was able to put in exercise for a couple of days and I tried to sleep on time and replenish my neurons as well as recover. Giving your body and mind, time and space is more important than anything we do.
Coming on to the book listening progress, I’ve finished Homo Deus finally and moved with “The Sign of the Four” more (almost 50% done), I started a new book as well – “Nonviolent Communication” (5% done). So this month I’ve to finish another book from the Sherlock Holmes series to reach 6 books in March end.
Enjoy today’s Saturday-Pentacle. (Delayed a bit due to the podcast episode release this weekend, check it out at the end of the page.)
Issue 174 // Week 10 // 2020
A Podcast I loved —
Agla Station Podcast – This is a brand new show hosted by one of our podcast group member – Priyanka Ganwani (of Fork Media). She’s done a brilliant job on this one. The production value of the first episode even speaks for itself.
In Agla Station podcast, she explores different Mumbai Local stations and talks to people who make these station working.
The whole idea of this podcast is very creative but sounds like so much work put into the production. Glad to see someone doing courageous production.
Highly recommend listening to this podcast. Here is the first episode for you to start with –
A piece of information I found really useful — Amid the panics of COVID-19 (Corona Virus) spreading throughout the world. Kevin Rose (One of my favourite people) discussed the matter on this show (The Kevin Rose Show) with Dr Andrew Weil to share more insights about the situations and few immunity-boosting herbs and others things.
One of these may sound like a superstition but it’s not. It’s a scientific fact that consuming Garlic in raw form (10 mins after it’s cut into the piece), releases Allicin, which is a great source of immunity-boosting. This might help you in contracting the COVID-19 (Corona Virus) by the means of boosting your immunity.
Check out the quick 20 mins episode if you wanna learn more –
In this short film, he explores if to be a successful leader you need to be a dick?
Check out this video –
A documentary I loved –
Facing Putin – Last week I stumbled upon this NatGeo Series called Facing Icons, especially the episode of Putin.
This episode explores the controversies around Putin, how he became the face of Power in Russia. The facts mentioned are just so intimidating but fascinating at the same time. Check it out (link above).
Quote I’m pondering on lately –
They say age brings wisdom, but it isn’t true. All you ever get is a better sense of your own limitations.
Curtis Edmonds
Before saying “see you next week” Here is a podcast episode I published in the past week. Episode 19 with Rajat Ubhaykar. We talk about his 10000kms hitchhiking journey, his book Truck De India, his writing process and more.
Hey friends, I’m Himanshu, 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!
It’s the start of the weekend, hope you’re relaxing and being with your family.
So I’ve started to share a little bit of my week, in this newsletter. I feel like it keeps me a little accountable for my progress of the week.
For me, this past week was a bit relaxed from the last week. I’ve been progressing at a project at work, hopefully it will yield some good.
I’m excited about the two new podcast episodes which are coming soon. (in next few days). I’m even a little nervous about my first presentation at a local podcasting event. But that’s what happens when you are doing something you love. You are nervous in a good way. I hope it goes well.
Coming to the progress on books, as I started “Homo Deus” last week, I’ve listened to this book about 3+ hours till now and hopefully, it will be completed till mid of February. I’m listening to this one in the morning (as it’s non-fiction) and listening to the “Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection” while commuting back home in the evening. It’s sort of a balance of non-fiction and fiction throughout the day and I like it.
So without further adieu, let’s get on with the Saturday-Pentacle.
Issue 170 // Week 6 // 2020
A YouTube Video I loved –
Set systems rather than goals – I discovered Rowena Tsai’s YouTube channel last year and I liked the theme of this channel. But somehow I missed the rail on her channel’s progress.
She’s grown to double the audience since I saw her videos last year. But it’s not just about her channel’s growth, it’s the genuineness of the content. Her content about living a life of meaning and designing her life really resonated with me.
Last week, when YouTube algorithm put her video back in my recommended videos, I was happily surprised and found this video insightful. Plus I loved the way the videos are shot showing her doing casual things with the voice-over narration. It’s the small routine things which seem boring, sometimes they make you feel satisfied as well. (watch the video and you’ll know what I mean)
Morag Myerscough – I stumbled upon this British architect/designer while researching for one of my posts and I started loving her work. She designs neon colour (not that I resonate with neons) walls, cafes, temples and more. But the way she merges it with the aesthetics is astonishing. Check out her Instagram and also this piece here showcasing a spectacular example of her work on a biophilic cafe pavilion.
Tim and Kevin talk about so many things. It’s like a yearly catch-up call they have. I also would like to have this kind of conversation with one of my really close friends.
They talked about relationships, how to sail through difficult waters (in context of relationships), biohacking (Kevin’s favourite topic) and so much interesting stuff.
This is one episode I totally recommend.
Quote I’m pondering on lately –
Your Calendar reflects your true priorities.
The Minimalists
Before saying “see you next week” Here is a vlog I shot couple of years back, it was essentially my first attempt on vlogging.
P.S.: This week’s vlog will be released this Sunday.
Until Next Saturday!
Thanks for reading.
Himanshu
Hey friends, I’m Himanshu, 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!
