Quote of the Week

Avoid getting into the business of manufacturing trombone oil. You may become the greatest trombone oil manufacturer in the world, but in the end, the world only consumes a few quarts of trombone oil a year. — Dan Burke

Music of the Week

Handpan Chill Out has been fantastic to have in the background as I focus on deep work like reading contracts, reviewing industry articles, and reading books. The handpan playlist came to me from our taxi driver who had on a similar playlist on our drive from the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme to the airport the day we flew out of Paris last month. 

I’m not entirely sure how Lindsey Stirling came onto my radar (I believe it was the Axios New Orleans newsletter) but I’m grateful she did. Stirling’s music is equally great to have in the background for deep work tasks. 

Article of the Week

From Passive Reading to Active Learning: The Blank Sheet Method is a method I’ve been using recently to help with reading comprehension (I’m notoriously bad at comprehension). “The blank sheet method primes your brain for what you’re about to read and shows you what you’re learning.” is the crux of the article. 

The Blank Sheet Method is broken down into four parts: 

1. Before you start reading a book, write down what you know about the book or author on a blank sheet of paper.

2. After you finish a reading session, add new information in a different color to the previous information you wrote down.  

3. Read your notes before your next reading session.  

4. Store your notes in a place you can easily access to review. 

Book of the Week

The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company by Robert Iger is a fantastic, candid auto-biography from Disney CEO Bob Iger. It shocked me how open Iger was about his career, the relationships and interactions he’s had along the way, and the corporate battles he faced throughout his career. 

When Iger became CEO, he pitched the Disney board on three goals: focus on branded content, utilize technology, and grow globally. It’s fair to say after the Pixar, Marvel, Lucas Films, and 21st Century Fox Acquisitions, Iger was able to pull off these goals. 

Podcast of the Week

I started the week listening to I Will Teach You To Be Rich followed by Bob Iger and Cal Newport interviews as I was reading The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company and Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout. 

We Panic over money — but spend over $84K/year on travel and shopping and We have $2.3M net worth — but we cut coupons are worth checking out. 

Disney CEO Bob Iger on the streaming wars, ESPN’s reset, Jimmy Kimmel’s First Year, and 15 years of leadership, and Creators, Creativity, and Technology with Bob Iger, and Bob Iger helps uncover Disney CEO Bob Iger. 

Cal Newport – How to embrace slow productivity, build a deep life, achieve mastery, and defend your time, Dr. Cal Newport: How to enhance focus and improve productivity, How to be productive without burnout | Cal Newport, Conversation with Cal Newport – The key to productivity without burnout, How to be productive without burning out, with Cal Newport, and Slow Productivity: Cal Newport on how to escape burnout, do your best work & achieve more provide everything you need to know about Newport’s latest book. 

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