Incite Your Month: August 2021
At CTQ, we kick each month off with a 5 min collection of ideas & recos from the team’s recent curiosity diet. It helps us ‘incite’ the rest of the month. Here’s this month’s edition.
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One intriguing article
“Hybrid Anxiety and Hybrid Optimism: The Near Future of Work” by Rajiv Ayyangar
What: According to the author, Rajiv Ayyangar, we are currently in Remote 2.0 and are all set to enter the Remote 3.0 world. A world that will be multiplayer, one where platforms like Discord will be where you'll hang out. The author argues that the future is NOT asynchronous but will be a compromise between the Maker's and Manager's schedule that Paul Graham talks about.
One takeaway: The office will become more of a gathering place or a creative studio than a 9-to-5 obligation.
Check it out if: ...you are interested in what the immediate future of work could be!
One insightful book
The Age of Pandemics: How they shaped India and the World by Chinmay Tumbe
Written by Chinmay Tumbe, an Assistant professor at IIM Ahmedabad, this book provides the first comprehensive coverage of the many facets of the cholera, plague and influenza pandemics, which claimed over 70 million lives between 1817 and 1920.
One takeaway: Unlike other disasters like a flood or an earthquake or war, a pandemic affects people (and in some cases, animals as well) but doesn't affect buildings or other physical surroundings. This lack of visual symbols is one big reason for the collective lack of memory of the society of past pandemics. And thus its ability to learn from past pandemics is also limited.
Check it out if: ...you want to learn how India was at the epicentre of the world's greatest demographic disasters.
One incisive Book Summary
How to Future by Scott Smith
The book provides a framework to think about how to prepare for multiple futures instead of one. It helps you think about trends in the STEEP framework - social, technological, economic, environmental or political and create a rough roadmap of trends to generate future threads.
One takeaway: Collect signals from diverse sources.
Check it out if:..you like to learn about how to have a structured approach to multiple futures.
One inspiring Smartcast
How Engineering Leaders of GICs should think about Upleveling and Inclusion
What: Vinita Gera is the General Manager, India CoE at Dell Technologies. In this CTQ Smartcast, Vinita talks about her own leadership style, how being a sponge helps in learning from everyone that she interacts with. She also speaks about how the pandemic has affected inclusion at work.
One takeaway: Before switching from an Individual Contributor to the Management track, try to understand what motivates you, what you're good at and what motivates you.
Check it out if: ...you are curious about Vinita's playbook when she takes up a new leadership role and her tips for a first-time Engineering manager!
One INTERESTING podcast
The Huberman Lab: Maximizing Productivity, Physical & Mental Health with Daily Tools
What: Dr. Andrew Huberman is a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine. His podcast discusses neuroscience, how our brain and its connections with the different organs controls our perceptions, our behaviours and our health. In this episode, he discusses scientifically proven ideas for improving a range of outcomes, from health to learning to creativity.
One takeaway: Schedule the task needing the most mental effort at 3 to 4 hours after you wake up.
Check it out if: ...you like geeking out on science-based self improvement.
One Habit Tip from CTQ
Habits are hostages to triggers. For instance, it’s very easy to forget to read every day even if you enjoy reading. The answer? Set up an old-fashioned alarm to remind you of your chosen reading slot.
Closing with our favourite reflective ‘FutureRing’ question from last month
“What's one technological concept that you have heard a lot about and should know more about?"
[We also have a video version of these recommendations here.]