Think week š§
Hey friends,
Back in 2019 there was a documentary that came out on Netflix called āInside Bill's Brain: Decoding Bill Gatesā. Maybe some of you watched it!, I found it to be pretty interesting. The documentary was a three part series exploring the life, work, and ambitions of Bill Gates. Focusing on his philanthropic efforts and innovative ideas.
I remember vividly throughout one part of the documentary where he talked about something he did once a year calledā"Think Weekā. This one week out of the year is where he brings a bag of his fav books or books that he wanted to read throughout the entire week with no distractions.
Distractions? yeah like social media, internet and phone. He goes away to his lake house and sequesters himself from the outside world to delve deep into the underpinnings of various books. Allowing room for reflection, new ideas and coming back refreshed with a new outlook and approach on solving problems or creatively thinking of new ideas to execute.
Books across a variety of genres and topics. Some that even address some of the worlds pressing issues from: health care, climate change, water supply (you name it). I mean when you have a shit ton of money, isnāt it partly your responsibility of the accumulation of all that wealth to give it all away and help make the world a better place? Iād say so.
After all, we probably know how he co-founded the giving pledge along with Warren Buffet where some of the worlds wealthiest individuals and families make a commitment to give away the majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes either during their lifetime or in their will. Encouraging billionaires to publicly commit donating at least half of their wealth to charitable organizations. Talk about enormous impact.
When I heard him share this annual activity that he prioritized and committed himself too, I was like wow Iād love to do something just like that!. So recently I spent sometime again like I randomly do perusing that good ole NYT bestseller list of books that are currently trending in business and personal development.
Books that are expected to release in the forthcoming months and watching videos from some of my fav entrepreneurs sharing some of their ultimate fav books for implementing business tactics + nuggets of wisdom. After all, the world is our oyster and we are just students sitting in the classroom, right? :)
Admittedly I would love to always read more. Specifically more books in business, and memoirs. Theres something beautiful when we can read about other peoples struggles, how they overcame them and what they ended up achieving as a result. The process, the journey, the story that leads us wondering. Im a sucker for a good memoir! (who isnāt).
Recently down my little rabbit role of finding new books to add to my sample reading list on my iPad, I came acrossā āNever Saw Me Coming: How I Outsmarted The FBI and The Entire Banking Systemā by Tanya Smith. Since I started reading the book on my iPad this past weekend, Ive spent 4 mornings reading 100 pages lol. Its a riveting remarkable true story about a clever white collar-scheme. It certainly helps that I consider myself somewhat a fast reader but it also helps that her writing style is just so digestible like a breeze.
I love writing like that, flowy and comprehensible ya know. Where the text is not overflowing with verbosity or filled with pleonasm. Though I am guilty of using redundant words or phrases sometimes. You cant blame me when Im perfectly imperfect but can you give me credit for trying lol.
Especially when I am trying to improve by playing games on writing exercises for brevity, refinement etc. We are all a work in progress :). Needless to say, It makes reading more enjoyable and allows me to connect more with the writing. This true crime memoir was SO good that I couldnāt put it down. I loved even more at a young age how precocious she was and her hyper fixation on technology and determination on getting what she wanted.
I wont divulge further details and let you see for yourself :). I donāt typically gravitate towards true crime memoirs but for some reason this one pulled me in and I am so glad that I finished it. You guys should check it out! & then share your thoughts with me :)
I was watching recently a youtube video and thats when the lady in the video shared something about āThink Weekā and then it all came back rushing how I wanted to adopt the same concept for myself but never went about creating the plan on when, which books I wanted to read & where I wanted to go to unplug and temporarily remove myself from the outside world.
I compiled a list of books. Some of the books on this list I have already read and would like to revisit and some others are brand new. The idea is that every single day on āThink Weekā I will be spending the whole day reading, taking notes, thinking and reflecting. Just me, my books, meals and my thoughts lol. Sounds pretty cool? I know right :)
I thought Iād share with you guys the list of those books I am planning on bringing with me. In case you all are looking to read some new books or feel inspired to adopt something similar. I am honestly open to changing around this list and adding other books. If theres one that you think I should check out and bring or think iād find some value from, iād love for you to share it with meāshoot me a txt or leave it in the comments below! :)
Hopefully by the end of all this reading, I can come back more motivated, inspired and with a renewed sense of clarity of what lyes ahead š„
š Deep Work: Rules For Focused Success in A Distracted World - Cal Newport
š Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Dont Know - Adam Grant
š Diary of a CEO: The 33 Laws of Business and Life - Steven Bartlett
š Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action - Simon Sinek
š Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things - Adam Grant
š Pathless Path: Imagining a New Story for Work and Life - Paul Millerd
š Am I Being to Subtle: Straight Talk From A Business Rebel - Sam Zell
š The Personal MBA - Josh Kaufman
I plan to kick off āThink Weekā sometime before the year is over. Right now I am still in the process of trying to figure out the location. Life can get busy and it can become difficult to read for pleasure instead of work. I hope we can still find the joy to read a book amid the vicissitudes of life.
Have a great weekend!
G Xx
RECENT HIGHLIGHTS āØ
Last weekend I got dinner with friends and surprisingly there was someone visiting that none of us had any idea. My friend Paul-Emile planned it out very well. I have to give him props. After two years of not seeing each other it felt like a reunion. We ate dinner at one of our fav spots and picked up right where we left off :)
š„ BRUNCH
Bubbys I recently had brunch here with my friend in Tribeca. Iāve ate here before in the past but its been a min. They donāt take reservations and it gets pretty packed. I honestly think this is my new fav brunch spot simply because they have options that give you all the breakfast food you could ever want on a single platter.
I ordered the Abe Lincoln breakfast which is two silver dollar pancakes, two eggs, bacon, sausage, grits and home fries. Its nice that you can swap out different stuff to your preference. Just donāt get too crazy with it, even though your waiter might try to subtly encourage it ;)
āļø QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking."