15 Recommendations for 2023

His podcast and column for The Atlantic, and his book (From Strength to Strength).

My quick summary of his work: It's possible to become happier if you work at it (in fact, you need to work at it); the idea that trying to become happier doesn't work is only true when you do it wrong (making it all about yourself, thinking success and money are the solution, being too obsessed about your own happiness, etc.).

The Psychology Podcast

Wonderful videos, great books. I recommend Alain de Botton's interview on the podcast On Being.

https://www.youtube.com/ @theschooloflifetv

An interesting, important take on productivity and mortality (hint: productivity obsessiveness is making you miserable).

If you want to get into freelancing (or even building a business), these can be a great way to find work if used well (you can arguably find higher paying work outside of platforms, so they're not the be-all and end-all, but this has been my main way of finding clients and it changed my life).

Are they good places to hire people? I don't know. I posted a job there recently, and I was surprised at how bad the applications I received were.

Dr. Andrew Huberman's podcast.

https://www.youtube.com/ @AndrewKirbys

https://www.starterstory.com/

Paul Millerd's book and podcast.

If you're not part of the "hustle 24/7" crowd and you think it's morally acceptable to consume some entertainment, I recently rewatched a bunch of episodes of The Americans with my girlfriend, and it's just such a good show.

A documentary about a guy who befriends an octopus for a whole year. It's nuts. Amazing.

Come on, go take that trip.

Thanks again, @braincoach!