Mind

Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker – key takeaways

Edmond Chan · May 21, 2019 · Leave a Comment

Why We Sleep is a ridiculously valuable book for anyone who doesn't sleep much on a consistent basis. Whether that's due to insomnia or to being a total badass who thinks that sleep is for the weak and lazy. Matthew is someone we should listen to. He's professor of of neuroscience and psychology at UCLA and before that he was a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He also works as a sleep scientist at Google Life Sciences (Verily) The main takeaways from Why We Sleep Consistent sleep deprivation is really, really bad for you. By sleep deprivation, he means anything less than a solid 8 hours of sleep. Walker links …

Definitely feeling the benefits of implementing some of Aubrey Marcus’s book “Own The Day, Own Your Life”

Edmond Chan · Apr 25, 2019 · Leave a Comment

I love airport bookshops. It's like the best of books distilled into a few shelves. I can never resist even though it will double my carry on luggage. The domestic terminal at Melbourne Tullamarine had some enticing books: 12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson (which I've read but only on Kindle, so I bought a paperback there and then), First Man In by Ant Middleton, who I've only recently discovered on Channel 4's SAS: Who Dares Wins, and Own The Day, Own Your Life by Aubrey Marcus. I snapped it up alongside Peterson's. (Will get Middleton's book soon.) The premise of Aubrey's book is that by making the right small decisions …

What’s really holding you back? Truly?

Edmond Chan · Oct 7, 2018 · Leave a Comment

If we start from the position that we all have potential, then why is there a gap between where your potential self is and where you are at the moment? How big is that gap? What is your true potential? It might be that your true potential is way more than you think it is. In which case, the gap is even bigger than you know. Step one is where you are now. Step two is looking at where you think your potential is. So this might be being a writer or being an artist. Step three is discovering where your true potential might be (and you would need help from outside to discover this). This might be being a rocket scientist, climbing the …

Slow the fuck down. How taking your time a bit more will help you enjoy your day.

Edmond Chan · Oct 5, 2018 · Leave a Comment

I’m generally rushing and multitasking most of the time. I want to squeeze in a podcast in the shower, watch self-improvement videos on YouTube, read business books on the bus to work. I cook quickly, wolf it down and wash up like a dervish. Two things I’ve read recently have made me question this mode of doing stuff. Firstly, I read a great article on Medium by Aytekin Tank (which I haven’t fully digested yet). It’s called: Why reading 100 books a year won’t make you successful. In it he says reading as many books as possible in the shortest amount of time won’t make you successful, and that actually it harms the very reasons why we should …

What is psychological health?

Edmond Chan · Aug 28, 2018 · Leave a Comment

I've written quite a bit on mental health in the past. Articles like: How can we improve mental health? Try this breathing exercise for stress release and getting rid of cortisol Crush your OCD with this one question Defeating anxiety and stress But recently, I've been wondering about another question. What is psychological health? We hear a lot about what mental illness is but what about its opposite? What does a psychologically healthy person's mind look like? Much in the same way as an out-of-shape person has to aim to be an in-shape person, a person struggling with mental health has to know what they're aiming at for …

39 things I know at 39

Edmond Chan · Jul 29, 2018 · Leave a Comment

1. Manage your testosterone Testosterone for men is essential and the defining hormone that makes a man a man. High levels make you feel confident and rambunctious and aggressive. It makes you lean and muscular and gives you a strong sex drive. What's not to like? In terms of testosterone, we're supposed to be half the men our fathers and grandfathers were. Testosterone is produced at night and your body needs sleep and dietary fat to produce it. So eat red meat, nuts, butter and oil and get your sleep. And stay away from stress as well as stress produces cortisol, the stress hormone, and the testosterone killer. 2. The mind and body are …

In pursuit of better sleep

Edmond Chan · May 28, 2018 · Leave a Comment

I've been an insomniac for most of my life. The first memory I have of it being a thing for me was in my first or second year at boarding school when my housemaster remarked on it. He said it was a condition that affected bright people. Of course, I took that. :) Left to my own devices on school holidays, I would stay awake long past midnight. I would read the latest Harry Potter until I finished it, say at 6am in the morning. I would then wake at 11am or 12 noon and not be tired until the early hours again. Over and over. This is fine when you're on holiday but less so when you have stuff to do the next morning. I remember at …