Issue #364  (Will That New Job Crush Your Soul?) 02/02/26

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I've been writing this newsletter ever week since February of 2019. That means I not only produced this content through a worldwide pandemic when it was needed most, but also into the AI age that we're currently in now.

So I just wanted to take this opportunity to explain that my methods for curating, summarizing, and sharing content from around the web have not changed one iota since the AI boom. That doesn't mean I don't use AI for anything. I certainly do. But I don't use it to farm links or summarize articles for me.
 
Everything you read in this newsletter is created by one human being, no robots included. I share articles and tools that I find are interesting to me and that I can wrap my head around. I curate almost the same way I would if I was just reading stuff. If it doesn't sound interesting or practical, I move on to something else.

In the future I might incorporate AI to help me with some of the more mundane tasks, but the act of finding, curating, and filtering good content and tools will always remain a human-only endeavor. Wait, I did use AI for one thing in this issue: how to properly 'title case' one of the article headlines!

I hope you're able to appreciate the human touch that this newsletter requires and, as always, if you created a tool or wrote an article that you think my readers would be interested in, please hit reply and share it. I'd love to consider it for a future issue!

Now on to this week's productivity links!


 

Tools & Apps

Articles & Resources

How to Know If That Job Will Crush Your Soul — A short list of questions that help you judge whether a job that you’re considering is going to affect your overall well-being, mental health, and your goals in general.

The Invisible Work — "Not invisible because it leaves no trace. It leaves plenty of traces. Invisible because the traces are unglamorous."

TLDR Dev — Get smarter about software in 5 minutes. The most important software engineering news in one daily email.    sponsor  

How to Be Disciplined, Even If You’re Lazy — Looks at different ways to do this, including clarifying your values, getting "friendly" with procrastination, and making your environment conducive to your goals.

Neuroscientists Reveal Five Distinct Sleep Patterns Linked to Health and Cognition — A new study that suggests a one-size-fits-all approach to sleep health is insufficient and a more personalized approach to this is more effective and appropriate.

The Power of Simple Rituals — A short but important reminder of what rituals are and how they help us control our environment and make effective connections simply by their presence.

I’m a Tech Lead, and Nobody Listens to Me. What Should I Do? — One engineering leader's advice on how new leaders can carry out their assignments with greater clarity and intention.

Suggestions?

Have a suggestion for a productivity-related tool, article, or other resource? Send me a direct message via X or chat via Bluesky and I’ll consider including it in a future issue.

Stay productive!

Louis
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