Three good things from 7th January 2022:

Hailstorms. Enjoyed watching it. It was relaxing.

Got a takeaway. Half-pounder burger meal.

Week 2, Run 2 was alright. I did struggle to complete the session but it was all worth it.

This year I’m challenging myself to read 25 books. I had an idea to read one book together with Safana. I wanted to be a better spouse I can and I purchased The Muslim Marriage Guide by Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood last year but never got around to reading it. The idea is for us to read the same book together, reflect and leave marginalia in the book for discussion as and when needed. This may help us in better understanding each other and make our marriage stronger.

Another book-related idea I got from the What Should I Read Next? podcast Episode 313, pick a tough book, like a thick or a dense book on a particular topic of your interest and read a set number of pages every day. I like this idea because this will help me to read classic novels that people including myself say they want to read but never get to read them.

I forgot we had Turkish Delight in the kitchen cupboard. I like Turkish Delight. This one has got hazelnut. I had one with pistachio which was awesome.

I gave Safana a 2022 diary and challenged her to write one thing she is grateful for or a moment she would like to remember from the day. I’m keeping one myself in my One Sentence A Day journal. It will be fun to reflect on our moments every now and then.

I started Week 2, Run 1 from the NHS C25K programme. I felt good finishing the run and looking forward to the next run in two days. After the run, I did 50 kettlebell swings with a 16kg kettlebell and now I’m feeling its after-effects on my lower back.

I plan to reflect on 3 good things from the day and share it here. This will help me to slow down and reflect on the good things that I can be grateful for. The intention is to inspire others to slowly build a diary of events that can enrich their lives.

Let’s rock and roll.

Safana cooked Lamb Keema and it was delicious.

Inspired by a post from Derek Sivers, I’m starting this series of daily reflections.

I had a good talk with my little sister. We talked about books, internet banking, and screen sharing capabilities of Microsoft Teams.

Welcome to The Musk Newsletter - Issue 007.

Here I reflect upon the previous week and possibly share an article I read, a podcast I listened to, a video I watched, a photo I shot along with my thoughts and commentaries.

Let us start with the seventh issue.

Week 1 (03/01/2022 - 09/01/2022)

Welcome back to the newsletter. I took two weeks off from publishing for no reason. Just felt like it. Now, I’m back.

I have seen a lot of posts on 2021 reflections, resolutions, things I want to do in 2022 etc. I really enjoyed reading them and felt inspired to start a few things of my own in 2022. As of now, I’m still in the process of putting together a list of personal projects to embark and below are a few I’m seriously considering:

• Books for Life: A Reading Project for 2022. Targeted to read 25 books.
• Start a microcast.
• Post one photo a day.
• Write one Storyworthy moment in my One Sentence Journal.
• Learn Investing & share my learnings on a blog.
• Fully deploy GTD methodology.
• Tweak formatting & layout of The Musk Newsletter.

Reflections

I have been reading David Allen’s Making It All Work. He talks about how people skip clarifying the desired outcomes and the next physical action required to move toward the desired outcome. And, wonder why apps, personal organisers, productivity hacks etc do not work. David argues once people start to incorporate this thinking process when stuff shows up then any tool will work for you because you have a clearly defined outcome and know exactly what next physical action to take to move towards the outcome.

Favourites of the Week

To Listen: An excellent interview of Seth Godin on The Knowledge Project podcast.

To Read: I really enjoyed reading the Reflections section of Dino’s journal entry. We are definitely distracted from asking the most important ”WHY“ questions of life.

To Watch: How social media & notifications are manipulating our neural pathways.

Photo of the Week

A graffiti of reassurance. Love is all we need.

Quote of the Week

If you are stuck in a financial rut, to gain wealth, you must make changes that are outside your comfort zone.

From Income And Wealth From Self-Directed Investing by Ian MacDonald.

One More Thing

If you have the opportunity to get vaccinated, please do!

Thanks very much for reading The Musk Newsletter - Issue 007.

I purchased iA Writer.

Today I decided to purchase iA Writer for iOS. I got excited when I saw that I can publish to Micro.blog directly from the app.

The main reason for this purchase is distraction-free writing. And, I think the iA Writer app has done it.

One big feature I enjoy right now is the Style Check. It is impressive. I hope it doesn’t interrupt from writing.

I’m exploring the app and would love tips and tricks from the app users.

Don’t Look Up was a watchable film.

I keep forgetting how awesome Leo is as an actor.

As of today, if a comet did head on a collision path to Planet Earth; I kind of see how social media and lunatic politicians would use this catastrophic event to their advantage. It is scary to see how powerful social media can become in causing mass delusion.

The alt-right would try to blame it on the Muslims and the “immigrants” crossing the border.

The woke crowd would blame it on the big corporations for taking advantage of the collision to make big bucks.

The good people of planet Earth would be caught between these two idiotic groups and decay into chaos.

I pray to God Almighty that we wouldn’t be tested with this kind of event in our lifetime.

On 22nd December, I got my booster jab for COVID-19. It was a Pfizer booster vaccine. My first two jabs were Pfizer so I wasn’t expecting any major negative reactions.

The booster jab knocked me out with a headache. I spent the next day sleeping and lying on the sofa. Paracetamol tablets helped me relieve the pain. I started getting better in the evening such that I was able to have a proper shower, clean the toilet & shower cubicle and go to the gym for an hour-long walk.

I’m truly grateful to receive the booster jab in a matter of days after 90 days period since the second vaccine jab. I’m thankful to the NHS staff, doctors, scientists and many others who are fighting tirelessly to save us from this pandemic. And, the least we can do is be grateful and take the vaccine to save ourselves and our families.

Welcome to The Musk Newsletter - Issue 006.

Here I reflect upon the previous week and possibly share an article I read, a podcast I listened to, a video I watched, a photo I shot along with my thoughts and commentaries.

Let us start with the sixth issue.

Week 50 (13/12/2021 - 19/12/2021)

I had booked a few days off this week but it turned out that be a stressful week.

Our sofa from IKEA arrived. I was really excited about it and put it together in under 4 hours. I was impressed with myself on how good I could read and interpret the instructions. As a reward, I sat on the chaise lounge and watched mindless YouTube videos.

I watched a few films. I enjoyed watching Queenpins & Despicable Me and hated How to Be Single.

This Week I Learned

Putting pen to paper for my evening reflection is an incredible way to unwind and close my day.

Favourites of the Week

To Listen: Productivity YouTuber Carl Pullein explains the difference between a goal and a project in the podcast episode. A key takeaway was that Goals are about changing us as a person for the better. And, we may use as many Projects as we may need to achieve our goals.

To Read: On the Importance of externalizing your thoughts. I have always been an advocate for this and what better way is there than journaling and/or keeping a blog, even if nobody reads it.

To Watch: A good video on How to Write Every Day. A key takeaway is to make writing your default action.

Photo of the Week

Please say Hello to Agnes!

Quote of the Week

The best thing you can do is to write because there’s no difference between that and thinking. - Jordan Peterson.

One More Thing

I’m really excited and nervous to hit play on the Micro Monday episode featuring me. Hope you like it. Please share your comments.

Thanks very much for reading The Musk Newsletter - Issue 006.

Welcome to The Musk Newsletter - Issue 005.

Here I reflect upon the previous week and possibly share an article I read, a podcast I listened to, a video I watched, a photo I shot along with my thoughts and commentaries.

Let us start with the fifth issue.

Week 49 (06/12/2021 - 12/12/2021)

This week turn out to be one of the bad weeks of my life.

My grandfather (my father’s maternal uncle) passed away on 11th December 2021. He was a bit sick and need regular hospital visits. However, everything seemed to “go well” after the last check-up on Saturday (11-Dec-2021). I was telling my mum that I got to talk to him for the past 3 days but due to the timezone between India & the UK and just “life” stuff, I could not call him. Now, I will never be able to speak to him. My Appamama (that’s how I can him) was a beacon of knowledge and advice. He worked hard for the family and carried a lot of weight on his shoulders. I will miss the banter with him. With his passing, our family has lost our “grandparent” generation from both our maternal & paternal sides. The knowledge, wisdom and guidance are now passed on to the next generation and we hope to carry on their legacy of kindness, charity, knowledge and family values.

This Week I Learned

Develop a sense of urgency because you do not know when you are next.

Favourites of the Week

To Listen: I have been listening to this Tamil song on repeat. It gives me so much comfort. I thank Bharath for recommending this YouTube channel from where I started to listen to the Oh Nandalala song.

To Read: As a stammerer, One sentence in Pratik’s CEN Speech resonated with me so much. Pratik said:

I held myself back because I thought how I spoke would be more important than what I did.

To Watch: Do watch Matthew Dicks’s Homework for Life TED Talk and start to collect one “Storyworthy” moment from your day for the rest of your life. It will definitely be worth it.

Photo of the Week

I am always fascinated by journals and notebooks. I revisited Ryan Holiday’s video on how keeping a commonplace book helps in the creative process. Inspired by that video, I restarted my commonplace book.

Quote of the Week

Satan threatens you with the prospect of poverty and commands you to do foul deeds; God promises you His forgiveness and His abundance: God is limitless and all-knowing.

From The Holy Quran, Chapter 2, Verse 268.

One More Thing

I have subscribed to Micro.blog premium and really excited about it. Micro.blog is now officially my digital home. I have even purchased the domain, ridwan.blog for it. So, Welcome to my digital home.

Thanks very much for reading The Musk Newsletter - Issue 005.