The Challenge of The Month - October 2024
Productivity Mastery - The Ivy Lee Method + 5 Articles of The Month
Hello challengers!
Welcome to another issue of the monthly column you all love and wait.
Lately, I’ve seen the column’s numbers surpassing the main free articles of The Challenge, and I couldn’t be happier. Your support and appreciation mean a lot to me.
But let’s get to this month’s extra content. Here’s what you will find in this issue:
The summary of my month. I know you're waiting for this, and October delivered — it was full of unexpected and fun moments.
The Top 5 Articles of The Month.
The Productivity Master Notion template. This month, I created a template for the Ivy Lee Method (you can read more about it below).
Let’s start with my travels. You can skip the next paragraph if you don’t care.
October Stuff: Puglia, Verona & Pre Saint-Didier
As I already told you, a lot of stuff happened in October.
Puglia
First, I went to Puglia with my job colleagues for a work event. As most of you know, I am a web developer by day and a writer by night (a kind of modern Batman). And this October, I went to Puglia with some of my colleagues to meet the rest of the team who works from there.
We were 120, and we partied a lot. I think I partied too much. And, cherry on top, I almost broke a finger while playing volleyball.
I wish to share some photos. But I don’t think my colleagues would accept to be published here (we drank a bit too much).
One thing, however, I can publish.
Verona
The following weekend, I went to Verona with my girlfriend. One of her friends graduated, so we drove there, visited the city, and partied all night.
I loved knowing her friends more. And I loved the city.
As you may know, Verona is the setting of Romeo and Juliet. And you can notice this romantic glare as soon as you get there. Also, the massive Arena in the middle of the city is stunning.
Pre Saint-Didier
Some months, I use all my weekends to write for The Challenge into a successful newsletter. But in October, I took a break for the November rush. So, I decided to use the last weekend of the month to go to Pre Saint-Didier.
What’s there, you may ask? Pre-Saint-Didier is well known for its thermal site. We decided to go there for one last relaxing weekend. And it was amazing.
The term was beautiful. But what got me was the food I ate the day before. Here is the famous "Menu Valdostano."
Top 5 Articles of The Month
I went to many places in October. I visited many things. But I also had some free time to read self-improvement articles on my way there.
So, here are five articles that caught my attention this month.
1 — The Chaos in Our Mind
If you read some of my last articles, you’ll know your mind wanders a lot. It overthinks everything. And it’s a natural trend we can hardly abandon.
The human brain always tries to predict the future. We want to solve our problems and live a happier life. We actively think about our future and how it could turn out. Then, we decide on the correct steps to reach our goals.
However, chaos is necessary for our survival. Chaos brought us where we are. It is the essence of creativity. Without it, our ancestors wouldn’t have figured out all the challenges of their times.
In this podcast, Orshan Jarow speaks with philosopher Mark Miller about how our minds work and why chaos is necessary. Don’t miss it!