Are blogs for old people? Maybe. In all honesty, I only recently learned what RSS feeds are. Nevertheless, the following are some newsletters and blogs I follow, mostly falling under the themes of mindfulness, optimism, and productivity, and that can hopefully can be of value to you.
- Seth’s Blog (Seth Godin) – Author, blogger, marketer. Has one of the largest following by all bloggers. Maintains a daily blog that questions the status quo and advocates for the meaningful, creative work. Favorite blog: Throwing and Catching
- Notes to Inspire (Simon Sinek) – Author, public speaker. Provides daily bits on leadership and serving others. Favorite quote: “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”
- Daily Stoic (Ryan Holiday) – Author, media strategist. A daily blog on stoicism through an anecdote and resulting application to daily life. Despite being hesitant on the whole philosophy stigma, I’ve found this school of thought quite practical, particularly during these volatile times (COVID, Senior year, the like). Favorite post: Memento Mori
- James Clear – Author. Weekly newsletter with a compilation of quotes, mental models, and a question for thought. recently subscribed, has some good stuff on mental models. Favorite quote: “An hour of thinking can save you a decade of work”
- Tim Urban – Blogger. Has longer-form content that AP Lit Teachers (cough) like. Ideas range from social media stereotypes to the Fermi paradox. You might recognize him as the guy who did the Ted Talk on Procrastination. Favorite post: Religion for the Nonreligious
- Gabe Anderson – Musician, blogger. Relatively random guy who plays guitar who has the occasional good insight on decision-making. Favorite post: Getting that parking spot
In the hike to the top of the mountain, we often encounter signposts, breadcrumbs, signs of civilization, from other travelers on their way to their own summit. In recognizing the past journeys that align, even if for just a while, we can find guidance and optimism for our own path ahead.
Greetings good sir, it is I, your fellow Fisherman, Jacob Young Cao. I wanted to take this time to thank you for sharing these authors with us, and more personally, with me in particular. The last year of my life has been filled with ups, downs, and most of all, change. I distinctly recall moments through periods of being down bad (for a variety of reasons) where these blogs would be so applicable to my situation that I genuinely believed that there had to be some sort of superhuman force behind it (I guess coincidence works like that sometimes).
One of my favorites from Simon Sinek is “The best way to resolve a conflict not through text or email. The best way to resolve a conflict is to pick up the phone or make a personal visit.” It doesn’t seem overly insightful on the surface, but it hit at just the right time.
I just looked through my “Favorites” label in Gmail, and honestly found way too many quotes to include here. But to recap, for anyone else reading this comment, I can wholeheartedly endorse blogs as a means of personal development and growth. I would recommend limiting the number of daily blogs to 2 or 3 (to limit the effects of diminishing marginal returns — I posit that high schoolers have neither the time nor the attention span to read more than this on a daily basis).