Tim Ferriss’ The 4-Hour Workweek is a revolutionary guide for those tired of the traditional 9-to-5 grind. The book advocates for designing a lifestyle that prioritizes freedom and productivity over conventional work structures. Ferriss shares practical strategies to automate income, reduce work hours, and live more by working less.
He introduces the concept of the “New Rich,” who focus on maximizing their quality of life by leveraging time and mobility, rather than accumulating wealth for its own sake. The book is divided into four key sections: Definition, Elimination, Automation, and Liberation, each providing actionable steps to redesign your work and life.
In a world where multitasking is often celebrated, the idea of focusing on just one thing and doing it really well can seem counterintuitive. However, there is growing evidence that single-tasking—dedicating your full attention to one task at a time—can significantly boost productivity, improve quality, and reduce stress.
I’ve personally experienced huge level-up in my productiviy and work quality by being single task focused. Though that doesn’t mean one can completely eliminate the multi-tasking fully from their lives. That’s surely not the case with me too. But for larger and important tasks and projects the single task focused approach definitely provides an edge.
In this post, we will delve into the benefits of focusing on one task, the science behind it, and practical strategies to help you master the art of doing one thing really well.
It’s been a while since I published this newsletter. Life gets in the way. Other critical things became priorities. But I’m glad to be able to make it back here.
Even though I’ve not been publishing this newsletter. but I’m writing consistently in private or publishing short writings on my Twitter.
In the past few months, I’ve become passionate about smart note-taking and how to better capture and retain what we consume. So you’ll be having more and more coming in this newsletter as I’m trying to make better notes from the books I read, videos I consume and conversations I have.
So here is to a few start for my weekly newsletter and the weekly review exercise.
Without further adieu, Here is this week’s Saturday-Pentacle. A list of things and ideas I found Interesting.
Issue 217 // Week 50 // 2022
A person I’m highly inspired from—
Nathaniel Drew – He and his YouTube channels have been a constant source of inspiration for me. His perspective and how he turns those ideas into beautiful pieces of art videos. Wow. It’s just mind-boggling. You can see that in the video I shared as the next bullet in this newsletter.
Success ≠ Happiness – In this video Nathaniel shares his perspective and his friends’ perspective on happiness and how it is not connected with success.
Here is a snippet from the video to get you curious –
Success is synonymous with our career. But you could be really unsuccessful in your career but you could be a successful Father. So you need to meditate on which area you want to be successful at.
– Eric Tabach
A song I loved —
You – Gabe Coulter – I got referred to this song from Ali Abdaal’s Spotify wrap 2022 and I instantly loved it.
A podcast episode which I loved —
Tim Ferriss Podcast with Roland Griffiths – This was such a great episode. Tim is sounding drunk on wine and having a conversation with Roland who is terminally ill. But it doesn’t sound anywhere like a pity conversation. So many great nuggets and funny moments in this conversation.
Quote which I found meaningful –
Don’t get frustrated with someone who YOU didn’t tell properly WHAT to do.
Better delegation comes from better SOP documentation and timely check-ins.
CYMATIC Frequencies – This video is just spectacular, I’m so glad the internet connects you with such things which take you back to the first principles of nature. Sound and Science and how they converge into each other.
The conversation goes from the insignificance of humans (compared to the universe and yet how they are making this life worth living) to how death of Matt’s father changed the way he thought about many of the things.
The sincerity of the conversation is like having a deep conversation with a close friend. I think that’s what is the relation between Matt and Tim and hence this came out this way.
Really interesting episode, especially if you are curious about existence, life paths and curiosity about the unknown.
This past week, last week was productive and more and more learning for me.
I wrote multiple micro essays on different topics. Insipired from writers like David Perell and Seth Godin.
If you want to keep up with my writing, follow me on Twitter.
Here is this week’s Saturday-Pentacle. Enjoy!
Issue 211 // Week 8 // 2022
A good resource if you want to learn about GitHub —
Getting started with GitHub – I’ve been tinkering with NoCode tools but while doing that I stumbled upon GitHub once again. I’ve used version control systems before, but never got around working with GitHub on any of my previous projects.
What made me wonder was it’s not just that you can use it for code and development pipelines, but also for documentation and version controlling of documentation.
In their getting started page there is a lot of good info to get started with version controlling and related stuff like –
Create and use a repository
Start and manage a new branch
Make changes to a file and push them to GitHub as commits
Open and merge a pull request
If you are curious about GitHub, this is a good time you get started.
My recent LinkedIn Article —
Managing Turbulence – We all face highs and lows in our lives. But we never know how long each phase might last. In this article, I try to explore that, how to manage turbulence? What we can do to avoid such situations and if not avoidable – how we can prepare ourselves to get through them?
A Tweet thread I loved —
I loved this thread by RomeenSheth. His thoughts on the world’s most valueable skill, check it out.
The world's most valuable skill:
Clarity of thought.
The problem? There's no school for this.
It takes time, patience and a lot of early career fumbling.
Here are 10 cognitive distortions I faced early in my career and an insight on how to break through each one:
Boyd is really a Lion Tracker and there are a lot of stories in this episode, but a terryfying story of plane crashes in his childhood start from 12:55. Check it out, I promise you’ll burst out laughing.
Quote which I found meaningful –
Writing solidifies your learning, so if you feel like you’re forgetting most of what you consume, you should probably write more.
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 211 // Week 8 // 2022
What to do Next?
If you are not signed up to my email list, go ahead and do it right now so that you don’t miss any new weekly SATURDAY PENTACLE post and more interesting emails on Lifestyle Design, Productivity and Creative Entrepreneurship. (plus new podcast episode announcements).
Just enter your email address below and click “Subscribe!”
I hope your health is good and you are holding up.
Another week passed by and with so much happening in the world right now, news has become the worst form of media. So I’m not actively listening to the news for many days now. If something is important it still reaches, you. Instead, I focused on my first-course creation (Psss..Podcasting for Beginners) and also focused on consuming targeted content on skills I wanted to acquire (like a new language learning) or the content I really loved (yeah I binge-watched POI for few days).
Getting your mind away from focus is also as important as to focus. Between focus and not focus there is a subtle balance. If you walk that line then you cop better with your own physical and emotional states.
Coming to the book reading/listening progress, I listened to the Sherlock homes some more this past week, and some of Atomic Habits –
Atomic Habits by James Clear – 50% done (Audible) – This audiobook is like a page-turner version for audio (I don’t know if there is a specific word for it for audiobooks, let me know in comments if there is).
That’s it for the personal updates.
Without further adieu, please enjoy this week’s Saturday-Pentacle.
If you are a parent you should definitely read this and if you are not, still it will make you feel nostalgic about your childhood.
A Good summary to read.
A podcast episode I loved —
Hugh Jackman – Tim Ferriss sits down with The Wolverine in this episode (pun intended) and talks about Best Decisions, Daily routines, reading first thing in the morning as a couple.
This was one of the good interviews I listened to in long time, which i really enjoyed!
Check it out!
A book I added in my reading/listening list —
The Overstory: A Novel – This book is recommended by Hugh Jackman in the podcast in the second point. He mentions that what you are done reading this book, it basically changes how you notice nature around you and look at things.
P.S.: This book turns out to be on Trees and it has won the Pulitzer price as well. (you can get your hopes high)
Music I’m loving —
Ocean by Native – Discovered this song last week on YouTube, what a gem of a song!
Beautiful lyrics immediately fell in love with it.
Few lines to get you curious –
“I’d rather see the ocean once in a lifetime And miss it for the rest of my days Than never feel the sand beneath my naked feet And never hear the sound of breaking waves“
Quote which I found meaningful –
when you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.
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 191 // Week 27 // 2020
What to do Next?
If you are not signed up to my email list, go ahead and do it right now so that you don’t miss any new weekly SATURDAY PENTACLE post and more interesting emails on Lifestyle Design, Productivity and Creative Entrepreneurship. (plus new podcast episode announcements).
Just enter your email address below and click “Subscribe!”
Another week passed by. Week 24th to be exact. Even though cities have started to open up here in India and in many other countries, but the vaccine is still away and the virus is still here. So we should all be cautious when going out. I know this is what we all know, but just trying to put it out as a reminder to everyone.
As promised earlier, I want this newsletter to become a getaway for you from all the news and the chaos.
Last week was productive for me, I got a good amount of things done at work. On the creative side, my “Lifestyle Design in Action” story series (on my blog) is also being liked by you all (my readers), so I’m continuing to post these guest posts from various people living alternate Lifestyles. In other news, I’m doing a collaboration and exciting news is coming up mostly in the next week. So watch out for that.
Coming to the book reading/listening progress, I moved forward on below books –
Read – 6 | In progress – 5 | Pending in Reading list – 5 | Yet to discover for reading for yearly goal – 8
That’s it for the personal updates.
Without further adieu, please enjoy this week’s Saturday-Pentacle.
Issue 188 // Week 24 // 2020
An article I found useful —
Go From Chaos to Clarity in 30 Minutes – In this article (or rather how-to with personal experience) Tiago Forte shares his process of going from total Chaos to Clarity in 30 mins.
He shares how he does weekly review and how he has refined this process over the years to make it so that it aligns him to his goals when executed weekly.
Interesting approach and a good read.
A podcast episode I loved —
Tim Ferriss Show – Rick Doblin – Loved this interview of Rick Doblin by Tim Ferriss where they discuss the origins of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and how MDMA and psychedelic drugs are being a promising cure of PTSD.
There are a lot of nuggets in this episode. I finished it in just one sitting.
Here is the YouTube link (or click the title for the rest of the platforms) –
This is why I love Matthew McConaughey because he has this capability to listen as well.
Totally recommend watching this as it will educate you too –
Music I’m loving —
Garden Concert by Jubin Nautiyal – My sister introduced me to this Garden Concert from Jubin Nautiyal (A Hindi Singer from the mountains). In the pandemic situations as everyone is stuffed in their homes and feeling anxious. This was a really amazing and unique concert he put together at his home garden.
If you have the will to do something you can put together things and do almost about anything and beautifully. That’s what this Garden Concert symbolised to me. I loved his music as well. Such a buffet of great Hindi songs.
Quote which I found meaningful –
You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.
— James Clear (Atomic Habits)
Before saying “see you next week”
Here is a throwback photo I posted on Instagram. You can check it out here or go to my Instagram for the whole story and more –
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 188 // Week 24 // 2020
What to do Next?
If you are not signed up to my email list, go ahead and do it right now so that you don’t miss any new weekly SATURDAY PENTACLE post and more interesting emails on Lifestyle Design, Productivity and Creative Entrepreneurship. (plus new podcast episode announcements).
Just enter your email address below and click “Subscribe!”
Last week was quite hectic from the work perspective. Work from home has now become like working double hours because of multiple factors like –
Anyone can call you anytime.
Networks are slow because of overload traffic due to everyone working from home.
Even machines are becoming slow because they are constantly being used 50% more than usual.
Physical and mental exhaustion is taking toll.
So didn’t get much time for the reading this past week, but still i dedicated a half of my Sunday to reading. I also worked on defining my core values (check point one of today’s newsletter), that exercise is still going on. Hopefully I’ll finish it this weekend and most likely will publish a blog post around this topic as well.
Coming to the book progress, I moved forward on below books –
Without further adieu, please enjoy this week’s Saturday-Pentacle.
Issue 184 // Week 20 // 2020
A life exercise I’m doing —
Defining my Core Values List – As one of my favourite writers – Darius Foroux tells in this essay –
Just like a healthy root system is essential for a healthy tree, core values are essential for a healthy life. They define our character and the way we live. Without values, we lack clarity about who we are and what we want in life.
— Darius Foroux
I think that until we know our values we sort of become a person who either lives without values or adapts other’s values unknowingly. Until we don’t define our core life values we actually don’t know who we are.
So I’m taking some time from past few days and writing down my values and why I resonate with those values.
For example – Curiosity is one of my values – cause I’m natively very curious about things and why they are the way they are.
I’m currently referencing the list shared by Darius. (Essay link above) to think about many other values as well and drilling down to my top 10 values.
I feel if one sticks to their core values, one can build a strong character which resonates with who they actually are.
A page I couldn’t get enough off —
Animals about to drop album photos – This BoredPanda page was hilarious where the staff shared the amazing photos of Animals who look like they are about to drop the hottest music album of the year.
My personal favourites from this page –
#6 The Band With The Twin Guitarists #7 The Pop Trio Owls
These made my evening in these stressful times and I laughed.
A video I loved —
Should You Specialize or Be a Generalist? – Many of us are often in this dilemma that should I be a generalist or develop a specialized skillset. In this video, Tim Ferriss answers this question and his awesome answer resonated with me. He suggests being a Specialized Generalist. New word? Huh!
He also shares that the following three skills are essential to be anything in your life –
Public Speaking
Writing
Negotiating
Check out the video to learn more.
Music I’m loving —
Grace of Silence – In the search of some soothing soulful music, I stumbled upon this Handpan Duo. They are just amazing.
Handpan music is just so much pure and blissful. This duo’s chemistry is just fantastic.
Quote which I found useful to declutter –
Loneliness is when you’re missing people, aloneness is when you’re enjoying yourself.
Before saying “see you next week” Here are a few pictures I posted in the past few days on my Instagram. You can check them out here or go to my Instagram for the whole stories and more –
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 184 // Week 20 // 2020
What to do Next?
If you are not signed up to my email list, go ahead and do it right now so that you don’t miss any new weekly SATURDAY PENTACLE post and more interesting emails on Lifestyle Design, Productivity and Creative Entrepreneurship. (plus new podcast episode announcements).
Just enter your email address below and click “Subscribe!”
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!
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!
