67: Notes To Self

Yo, it’s Luke!

I know it’s been a while since I last hit your inbox…your boy has been buuuuuusy. Busy busy busy. But good busy. Feels like I’m speed-running the S-curve of learning when it comes to sales. Feeling grateful.

I’m still finding time to adventure (skydiving, a few impulsive concerts, chatting up strangers). And of course, still finding time to explore my curiosity! This edition’s a good one, lots of nuggets.

Lmk if any resonate :)

That said, here is your weekly dose of 5 noteworthy ideas & things I learned about last week. Click on the blue links to dive further on that topic.

1. Pondering

Literally me when I’m scheming a new edition of Notes To Self.

(also what an immaculate vibe, makes me want to be a young poet)

2. Looking For Alice (Henrik Karlsson)

Read this great essay on dating / love. I’m including this snippet. It’s wonderfully insightful on speed-running to find the right person:

“That is perhaps the most solid dating advice I have, by the way—show the inside of your head in public, so people can see if they would like to live in there.

But I do think it is a good idea, generally, and one that I have used—to speedrun relationships by jumping directly to the strange parts.

And within that, a beautiful framing of what "right" might look like:

The type of person I’m assuming we’re looking for here is 1) someone that you will find fascinating to talk to after you’ve talked for 20,000 hours, 2) you feel comfortable with them talking through the hardest and most painful decisions you will face in your life, and 3) the conversation is wildly generative for both of you, in that it brings you out, helps you become.

That is a very particular kind of conversation.

You want to sample it as soon and as much as possible.”

3. Why Time Felt Slower When We Were Kids (And How To Get It Back)

Stumbled across this piece and it summarized the secret ingredients behind the beautiful “little moments” each day has to offer.

The moments in between the moments.

The texture of life.

Try one out today :)

4. Be Excited

If this ain’t the truth! And the funny thing is, it’s a choice.

You can manufacture excitement. You can choose to be giddy.

Just flip the switch!

5. No More AI Friends (Randy Ginsburg)

Alright I saved the best for last…hadn’t felt myself nodding along this much to an essay in a long time. Man, Randy hit the nail on the head with this one.

Feels like a modern-day Socrates preaching the good word!

Here were my favorite snippets:

• The most effective way to reduce compulsive tech use is to design a life that is so rich with meaning, challenge, and connection that checking your devices feels like a step down.

• The things that make someone interesting — the hobbies they’ve stuck with, the stories they can tell, the emotional intelligence they’ve developed through failure. None of that forms by accident, but rather through boredom, trial and error, being alone with your thoughts, and making real contact with the world.

• If you’re a well-rounded person with curiosity, opinions, and some social fluency, it’s easier to make friends. Not because you’re more deserving, but because you’re more discoverable. You’ve naturally expanded your surface area of luck. There’s more of you to find.

• But if you’ve spent every idle moment with your head buried in a screen, consuming instead of exploring, that surface area shrinks. You end up with fewer stories, fewer questions, less depth, and people can feel that. Especially in adulthood. This is where the damage compounds. If you don’t develop the raw material for friendship early on, it gets harder to improvise later. And if you’ve never built the habits or confidence to approach someone, listen to them, relate to them, then even the desire for friendship starts to feel like a liability.

• The most important thing you can do today is invest in your relationships. Show up for your people. Be someone who listens, remembers the small things, and makes time for spontaneity.

Thanks for wanting to know more today than you did yesterday! If you liked this edition, send it over to a friend who would like it too 🤝 

Cheers,

Luke

PS: you can find more rabbit holes here & my writing here.