Hello my friends,
This is your weekly reminder that reading is a cheat code.
It’s accessible to everyone, few will actually do it.
In this week’s curated view of the internet:
What is Calm Technology?
How Slack is developing new talent.
Make Diversity and Inclusion a competitive advantage.
Put yourself among the few,
Product
I’m addicted to my phone and pretty much anything that emits blue light. In search of a solution I found “Calm Technology”, a field of design that prioritizes purpose over distraction.
Ugmonk perfectly embodies the principles of Calm Technology. A productivity system that will actually make you more productive.
Freitag was founded in 1993 when “upcycling” or sustainability for that matter wasn’t trendy. Now, the iconic bag maker, is pioneering a customization platform that allows you to cut your own design from used truck tarps.
People
“When you think about reentry programs, they’re not normally high-level jobs or high-paying jobs.” How Slack and Next Chapter are shifting perceptions about formerly incarcerated individuals by teaching them to code.
A set of “People Principles” are a useful guide for organizations large and small. Audible has some of the most visionary and still managed to keep it simple.
With most people back at the office, at least some of the time, face to face
collaborationconflict is back. Here’s a great guide on how to deal with it directly and professionally.
Process
Reframing diversity and inclusion. From “the right thing to do” to an advantage for all. John Maeda on Designing Inclusive Teams and Products ↓
The volume of information we consume everyday is overwhelming and making it useful is almost impossible. The importance of curating a knowledge base and a tool that can help.
Trust is the single most important element in a partnership, whether that’s with a colleague or a consumer. 7 guiding principles that incentivize trust as the default.
Out of Office
It’s no coincidence that Balaji Srinivasan’s The Network State: How To Start a New Country is released tomorrow, on July 4th.
If you’re interested in the future get your own copy here or read some of his core ideas here.
You’ll know where to find me.
If you found these notes useful please share them with your closest collaborators ↓
Last Week’s Numbers
Weekly Subscribers: 261 (-1) ⬇️
Open Rate: 56% ⬇️