#83 How Curious! We're back...
Slowing down time, getting into good trouble, the 5 types of wealth, and much more
Happy February, and welcome to the 83rd issue of ‘How Curious!’✌️
It’s been a while since the last edition. April 15th 2024, to be precise. Last year was relentless with my business as AI in legal exploded. The workdays were long, and the weekends were short/non-existent. My LegalTechTrends newsletter scratched my writing itch, so ‘How Curious!’ took a backseat.
Time flies, yet last year felt like a total blur. During Christmas conversations with friends about how to savour time, they suggested that pausing ‘How Curious!’ may have played a role. I think they’re onto something. It wasn't my initial intention, but I now see that the monthly publishing schedule forces me to pause and reflect.
Monthly service resumes this year! Editions may get shorter, but expect the insights per email to increase! 🎉
💡 Quotes
It's true that determining the actual problem takes time, but it’s far quicker than solving the wrong one and starting over.
You won't conquer the oceans if you stay within sight of the shore. - Oliver Thomas
In theory, consistency is about being disciplined, determined, and unwavering.
In practice, consistency is about being adaptable. Don't have much time? Scale it down. Don't have much energy? Do the easy version. Find different ways to show up depending on the circumstances. Let your habits change shape to meet the demands of the day. Adaptability is the way of consistency. - James Clear
📚 Books
🚢 Night Boat to Tangier
I seldom read fiction, but I couldn’t resist a top recommendation from my friend Eoin - and it certainly didn’t disappoint! The story revolves around two washed-up Irish gangsters on a quest to find a missing daughter. At just 225 pages, it’s a quick read that had me eager to keep reading for hours.
🎶 Tim – The Official Biography of Avicii
I’ve never paid much attention to celebrities, but Avicii’s death in 2018 felt particularly sad and shocking. The passing of a world-renowned DJ who seemingly had it all made me rethink the value of success. This book offers great insight into the many internal struggles he faced, the demands of his touring schedule, and the chaos of the US medical system’s excessive eagerness to prescribe opioids. (The Netflix documentary is also worth watching, but the book is far better).
🎙️ Podcasts
1️⃣ #790: Chris Sacca — How to Succeed by Living on Your Own Terms and Getting Into Good Trouble
I loved this episode, learned a ton, and laughed throughout. High energy, intensity, and filled with hot takes, this episode was one of the best I’ve heard in months! LINK
The shit we own owns us.
I appreciate all your input, but we're fucking doing it. And they're like, okay, Q1, Q2. And I'm like, no, Q Friday.
I think Europe is onto something with the art of the slow drink in the plaza.
2️⃣The 5 Types of Wealth: Sahil Bloom On Why Time, Friends, Mind & Body Always Come Before Money
Sahil discusses his perspective from his new book on the Five types of wealth: Time, Social, Mental, Physical, and Financial. LINK
There's this common tendency to say that you have to find purpose in your work. And I just reject that fundamentally. I think you need to be able to connect your work to your purpose, but your purpose can be a higher order thing that you can connect to multiple areas of your life. My purpose, as I define it today, is to create positive ripples in the world.
3️⃣ arch.law in conversation with Ian Jeffery and Peter Duffy. AI and delivering legal solutions differently.
This is a personal shout-out! In this podcast episode, I had the pleasure of discussing the impact of AI on the legal industry with Ian Jeffrey, CEO of the Law Society of England and Wales, and Daniel Pollick, former CIO of DLA Piper and DWF, and a trusted technology advisor to Arch Law among other organisations. LINK
🌐 Best of the web
⏱️ 15 methods to master your time
A handy visual with 15 methods to improve productivity and time management. I particularly like task batching for newsletters, the Pomodoro technique, and Kanban.
📆 28h Days: year 1 update
What if we structured the week into six days of 28 hours instead of the usual seven days of 24 hours? The idea seems absurd, and my instinct was to dismiss it as impractical and bizarre. Even after reading the reflections of someone who has lived this way for a year, my opinion remains unchanged. However, it’s a good, if slightly obscure, reminder that even the most fundamental daily norms aren’t set in stone.
💡 50 things I know
Short and sweet articles which list actionable learnings are the best! LINK
My favourites from this article include:
#7: I know that the people who will make you feel warm and fuzzy when you’re sad, and the people who will give you brutally honest feedback, are usually different people. Ideally you want to have relationships with both kinds, and reward them for their strengths, rather than getting mad at them for failing to do what they’re bad at.
#11 - I know that talent doesn’t feel like you’re amazing. It feels like the difficulties that trouble others are mysteriously absent in your case. Don’t ask yourself where your true gifts lie. Ask what other people seem weirdly bad at.
#21 - I know that if you tell someone “we should keep in touch,” you will not keep in touch. Instead say, “I’m going to schedule a phone call with you in two months to catch up, I’ll send you the invite — if we need to adjust when we get closer to the date, that’s fine.”
💪 Amp it up!
I’ve realised that one of my biggest motivations in a work context is a drive for excellence. This article from the former CEO of ServiceNow and Snowflake massively resonated, focusing on 1) Increasing Velocity, 2) Raising Standards, and 3) Narrowing the Focus.
If you enjoyed this edition, forward this email to a friend who would enjoy it too! ✌️
- Peter Duffy
About me.
I’m the founder of TITANS, a LegalTech and AI consultancy for leading law firms, new law companies, and legal departments.‘How Curious!’ is my fun outlet to share monthly insights and discoveries that resonate with me. It started as a simple New Year's resolution in 2018, with the objective to create external accountability for my continuous learning. In 2024 time appeared to accelerate, and I now hope the monthly newsletter helps me pause, reflect, and ultimately slow down the pace at which time appears to pass.
If you’re on LinkedIn, connect with me for tech and innovation content Here 👋
Glad to see this back in my inbox!
I also like this quote about talent. Really good one!