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How to find happiness where you are
In this issue: What you shouldn't say in an apology, a better way to present data, where to find happiness, and why overthinking is unhelpful.
PJ Milani
August 20, 2024
🤔 INTERESTING
The one word never to include in an apology.
📐 DESIGN
I’m currently reading Dr. Peter Attia’s book, Outlive, which is a very thorough and detailed book summarizing most of Dr. Attia’s best practices.
The one thing I noticed reading the book though is that its jargon filled and could probably benefit from some visual thinking to cement the messages.
The example below is a chart Dr. Attia fought tooth and nail to put into the book but was overruled by his editors. Now I don’t know about you, but I can see why. I had to listen to the explanation twice and then spend another few minutes really looking over this chart to get the point.
Today’s quick lesson if you are trying to convey a message in a visual:
Stop presenting data. Instead, present the point of the data.
For example, here’s ONE of the interpretations of the data (there are many other helpful interpretations that EACH deserve their own visual):
Based on Dr. Peter Attia’s Data
It’s true we lose some nuance from simplifying, but we also save our reader from spending as much time as I did to interpret the data.
You can always complement the visual with the hardcore data in an appendix (or if giving a live-presentation, a QR code to a website with the charts)
P.S. If you want to go deeper to learn how to create visual metaphors, Cohort 7 of Thinking in Visual Metaphors is now live!
🔮 ENCHANTING
The pursuit of having what you want vs wanting what you have.
It’s all too easy to miss all the things you have right where you are.
🧠 ANALOGY
The distance between your dreams and reality is not as far as you think.
I overplan. Overanalyze. Overthink most things. It may be why my overthinking visual carousel struck a chord with so many folks a couple weeks ago.
Before I made my first online post, I kept thinking I had to figure everything out before starting.
Questions like:
What's my niche?
Who am I to talk about this?
And hasn't everything that needs to be said about everything already been said?!
So I kept thinking...and waiting...for over 10+ years!
The biggest lesson I learned after starting was you can't steer a parked car (as the saying goes).
99% of that analysis paralysis was just in my head.
🤓 WHAT I’M READING NOW
Been a long time fan of the Etherington Brothers who have some of the most in-depth drawing tutorials I’ve ever come across…for free! They’re called “How to Think When You Draw” and even though most of their tutorials are free online, I’ve wanted their books (call me old-fashioned 😅).
Example of one of their awesome tutorials!
Unfortunately, it’s only available on Kickstarter and it takes eons to get one. That’s why I almost cried when I saw these in Japan. Now each night I’ll take one concept and practice my Japanese and drawing at the same time. Win-win!
Hoping one day to catch one of the kickstarter campaigns to get the other books.
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