May 2021

Note: This was originally sent out on 26th May 2021. To receive these suggestions directly subscribe to my monthly newsletter.

A Book: Sapiens:A Brief History of Humankind
I usually try to avoid scientific books for my leisure reading, but this one was recommended to me by a few other people. Yuval Noah Harari gives an overview of the history of humankind, and highlights the important developments that allowed us to go from a species who relied on stone tools to one who has developed advanced technology.
Favourite quote: “A meaningful life can be extremely satisfying even in the midst of hardship, whereas a meaningless life is a terrible ordeal no matter how comfortable it is.”

An Article: How Is Anyone Being Productive Right Now?
Like everyone else I’ve been trying my best to stay productive over the last year. Early in the pandemic just getting out of bed and opening a word document was the height of my success. Reading about how other people have struggled over the last year, and the strategies they have used to overcome recent challenges really helped me.
Personal impact: I’m a big fan of the To-Doist app and this article convinced me to try and use it to organise both my personal and work life (not to say I still don’t forget things, but I’m better than I used to be). 

A Journal Publication: The unsuccessful self-treatment of a case of “writer's block”
Sometimes you sit down to write the a paper, a report for your boss, or a new blog post, but when you’re staring down at a blank page the words just won’t come. Turns out that 40+ years ago others scientists were struggling with it too. This author even published their failed attempt at overcoming writers block (spoiler alert: it didn’t end very well).
Most interesting fact: this paper has no facts or figures, so instead I’ll just suggest another article that tried to summarise the science behind writers block.