Mindful Reading
James de Klerk & Peter Banda
mindfulreading.substack.com
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Top 10 Mindful Reading Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Mindful Reading episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Mindful Reading for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Mindful Reading episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
#6 - How to Think by Alan Jacobs
Mindful Reading
07/29/23 • 105 min
A discussion of the book How to Think by Alan Jacobs
How to Think by Alan Jacobs is a book in which Alan thinks about thinking. What is thinking? How do we do it well? And where does it go wrong?
The book looks at how we classify people and ideas, and how those classifications shape how we think; It looks at the words and metaphors we use, and how they too shape the way we think; It looks at the limitations of our thinking, and the hopes we have for improving our ability to think - hard as that might be. And finally, it looks at the pleasures and dangers of thinking.
Hosted by Peter Banda & James de Klerk
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindfulreading.substack.com
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#19 - Range by David Epstein
Mindful Reading
10/13/24 • 101 min
A discussion of the book Range by David Epstein.
Range explores the debate between generalists and specialists, examining why, as the subtitle suggests, “Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World.” The book contrasts “kind” learning environments - where patterns are repetitive and predictable - with “wicked” environments, which mirror our everyday experience, filled with unpredictability and constant variation. Epstein connects these learning environments to how we approach achieving extraordinary outcomes. Contrary to the common belief that specialization is the key to success, Epstein repeatedly demonstrates that generalization often proves more valuable in the modern world.
Hosted by Peter Banda & James de Klerk
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindfulreading.substack.com
#12 - Same as Ever by Morgan Housel
Mindful Reading
02/25/24 • 111 min
Same as Ever was written by Morgan Housel, the author of The Psychology of Money. The book is a series of 23 short and timeless lessons on, as the subtitle says, "Risk, Opportunity and Living a Good Life". It looks at the natural cycles of history, and the lessons we can learn, while also focusing on the psychology of how humans act in the world.
Hosted by Peter Banda & James de Klerk
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindfulreading.substack.com
#21 - Do the Work by Steven Pressfield
Mindful Reading
11/30/24 • 95 min
A discussion of the book Do the Work by Steven Pressfield.
Do the Work by Steven Pressfield, as with many of Steven's non-fiction books, is about battling Resistance. It's about how to do the work, and the the challenges Resistance will throw your way for any meaningful project. The book is broken into a beginning, middle, and an end - as Steven would recommend you do for your project.
Hosted by Peter Banda & James de Klerk
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindfulreading.substack.com
#22 - Lessons in Stoicism by John Sellars
Mindful Reading
12/30/24 • 98 min
A discussion of the book Lessons in Stoicism by John Sellars.
In the book Lessons in Stoicism, John Sellars takes one through some of the core teachings of Stoicism. He focuses on the works of the well known Stoics: Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius. Covering topics such as:
What is the philosopher’s role in life?
What is within our control?
How do we live in community?
Ultimately, as with the Stoics, Sellars provides practical insights to help us cultivate virtue and lead more meaningful lives.
Hosted by Peter Banda & James de Klerk
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindfulreading.substack.com
#13 - The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
Mindful Reading
04/06/24 • 87 min
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield has the subtitle, "break through the blocks and win your inner creative battles." It's about the war against what Pressfield calls resistance, a term that Pressfield pears at from many different angles, and exposes as the ultimate enemy. Beat resistance, and you win the war.
Hosted by Peter Banda & James de Klerk
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindfulreading.substack.com
#20 - Ego Is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday
Mindful Reading
11/09/24 • 127 min
A discussion of the book Ego Is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday.
Ego Is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday is a book about ego and all its dangers. It looks at how ego is the enemy throughout different stages in our lives such as when we aspire, when we succeed, and even when we fail. Through various stories and quotes these ideas are explored, and we see how ego leads to demise, with humility being the better option.
Hosted by Peter Banda & James de Klerk
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindfulreading.substack.com
#11 - How Emotions Are Made by Lisa Feldman Barrett
Mindful Reading
01/28/24 • 150 min
"How Emotions Are Made" is a book by Lisa Feldman Barrett, a Distinguished Professor of Psychology and a neuroscience researcher. This book delves into Barrett's Theory of Constructed Emotions, offering a fresh perspective on how emotions are formed. Initially, the book presents the classical view of emotions, which suggests that emotions are simply reactions to external events. Something happens, and as a result, we feel a certain way. In the classical view, these emotions are thought to have distinct markers in the brain, akin to a "fingerprint". For example, it is often said that the amygdala is the center of fear.
The book then goes on to discuss recent research that challenges this classical view, advocating for the Theory of Constructed Emotions. This theory proposes that emotions aren't mere reactions. Instead, they are complex predictions shaped by our past experiences and current context. According to this theory, we perceive and experience these predictions as reality, rather than experiencing the raw sensory input as reality. This theory suggests that our emotions, and even our perception of reality, are essentially a continuous flow of these constructed predictions.
In the concluding chapters, Barrett explores the broad implications of this theory on various aspects of life, including health, law, and our general understanding of the world around us.
Hosted by Peter Banda & James de Klerk
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindfulreading.substack.com
#15 - Slow Productivity by Cal Newport
Mindful Reading
06/01/24 • 143 min
*Apologies for any rain noise that came through or distorted the audio.
Slow Productivity by Cal Newport is about the philosophy of Slow Productivity, which in turn is about, as the subtitle suggests, "The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout". It looks at the structure of work over time, from hunter gatherers to modern knowledge workers, focusing on the foundations of how we came to a point where we're working frantically, on the edge on burnout. A point brought across in these early chapters is the idea that even though we both look and are busier throughout each day, we aren't actually achieving more - it's what he calls Pseudo-Productivity. The book then goes on to discuss three principles that encompass the philosophy of Slow Productivity: Do Fewer Things, Work at a Natural Pace, and Obsess Over Quality.
Hosted by Peter Banda & James de Klerk
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindfulreading.substack.com
#2 - Effortless by Greg McKeown
Mindful Reading
03/21/23 • 92 min
A discussion of the book Effortless by Greg McKeown.
Effortless, as it says on the cover, is about making it easier to do what matters most. Put differently, making it easier to do the essential things, and hard to do the pointless. The book looks at various situations where people take the difficult path and various situations where people take the effortless path. In some sense, the books claim is that often, we equate success with working hard and working endless hours, but, it doesn't have to be that way. As the title of the introductory chapter says, "not everything has to be so hard", in other words, often, there is an effortless way. Whether that's solving a challenging problem, generating wealth, or dealing with the difficulties of being human; "not everything has to be so hard".
The book is split into three parts:
- Part 1: Effortless State - "How can we make it easier to focus?"
How can we get into that effortless state? Think along the lines of what many know as the flow state. Where we don't feel like we're continually fighting an uphill battle, but rather we feel we're in the flow state - "rested, at peace, and focused". pg. 15 - Part 2: Effortless Action - "How can we make essential work easier to do?"
How can we make the work we do, the actions, effortless? Where it's easy to do what matters. It's "about simplifying the process to make the work itself easier to do." pg. 17 - Part 3: Effortless Results - "How can we get the highest return on the least effort?"
How can we make it effortless to get results? That is, getting results without continued effort, these results are what Greg calls residual results - think along the lines of automation and compound interest. We should use leavers that give us leverage to get residual results. There are various levers, 5 of which are: learning, teaching, automating, trusting, and preventing. The effortless results section looks at those leavers.
Those are the three main parts of the book, and lastly, to end the introduction, here is a sentence and a story that sum up the book well:
The sentence goes: "Of course, you can't make everything in your life effortless, but you can make more of the right things less impossible - then easier, then easy, and ultimately effortless" pg. 19
And the story goes, "Discovering the effortless way of living is like using special polarized sunglasses while fly-fishing. Without them, the glare on the water makes it difficult to see anything swimming below the surface. But as soon as you put them on, their angled surface filters out the horizontal light waves coming off the water, blocking the glare. Suddenly, you can see all the fish underneath. When we're accustomed to doing things the hard way, it's like being blinded by the glare coming off the water. But once you start putting these ideas into practice you will start to see that the easier way was there all along, just hidden from your view." pg. 17-18
Hosted by Peter Banda & James de Klerk
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindfulreading.substack.com
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FAQ
How many episodes does Mindful Reading have?
Mindful Reading currently has 22 episodes available.
What topics does Mindful Reading cover?
The podcast is about Podcasts, Books, Self-Improvement, Education and Arts.
What is the most popular episode on Mindful Reading?
The episode title '#6 - How to Think by Alan Jacobs' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Mindful Reading?
The average episode length on Mindful Reading is 100 minutes.
How often are episodes of Mindful Reading released?
Episodes of Mindful Reading are typically released every 30 days, 2 hours.
When was the first episode of Mindful Reading?
The first episode of Mindful Reading was released on Feb 4, 2023.
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