A Little Happier: Stoic Principles for Modern Life

Hey friends,

This week I’ve been reading Derren Brown’s A Little Happier: Notes for Reassurance, which is a mini version of his beefy book Happy (which incidentally, is one of my most highlighted books of all time). Both books are about Stoicism, and how we can apply it to our lives to be happier and more fulfilled.

While A Little Happier had nothing “new” per se (I’ve been reading about Stoicism for years now), it was nice to have a few reminders.

But I also came across a particularly interesting paragraph that discussed the value of keeping your needs, requirements, and preferences fairly light. It mentioned the hedonic treadmill, the idea that as we acquire more things, we return to our baseline levels of happiness. However, we often require those things to maintain our baseline levels of happiness.

“Regarding the things we purchase, we might start to summon a gentle note of scepticism towards the external things we expect to make us happy, reserving a particular indifference for those luxuries which the marketing industry assures us we direly need. Generally speaking, the more difficult it is to procure something, the less we need it. Unless we are in the direst of situations, the things we do truly need tend towards the plentiful and available. Meanwhile, the currency of advertisers is anxiety. They create a feeling of deficit – here are the advantages of the latest model! – to foster in us a residual worry that we are missing out. We can only alleviate that anxiety through acquisition. Thus the more we are able to identify and prioritise what is truly important to us, the less we will be pestered by the onslaught of the extraneous. What are the activities that allow us the most peace, productivity, pleasure? Are there things we require to do those things well? Do we need to bother quite so much with the others?”

I’ll repeat those final few sentences:

What are the activities that allow us the most peace, productivity, pleasure? Are there things we require to do those things well? Do we need to bother quite so much with the others?

I found this idea intriguing for a few reasons.

Firstly, I always appreciate some good alliteration. In my own book (Feel-Good Productivity, in case you weren’t aware 😉), the first three chapters are Play, Power and People, so I’ve got a fondness for the letter “P.” In this case, it was “peace, productivity, and pleasure.” I also liked the inclusion of the word “productivity,” which resonates with me for obvious reasons. Having read extensively about stoicism, I’d never encountered this specific combination of words before, and I enjoy stumbling upon interesting phrases.

Peace, productivity, and pleasure cover much of what we strive for, at least in my case. So, I decided to create my own list of what “stuff” help facilitate peace, productivity and pleasure.

The Productivity List

Starting with productivity, I’d quite like a MacBook, a backpack, two cameras, two microphones for video and podcasts, a load of USB-C cables, and a big soft light for filming stuff. Let’s add in a small action camera or vlog camera for the rare occasions when I feel like vlogging. Essentially, that’s all I need for productivity. I’d also include a phone and, if we’re being adventurous, a Kindle and an iPad. All of this fits into a single backpack, and the light takes up only a small part of a suitcase.

This was exactly what I traveled with for six months during my digital nomad life, and it’s what I plan to continue traveling with. It was pretty liberating to realise that the only things I truly cared about for productivity can fit into a much smaller space than a suitcase.

The Pleasure List

Now, what “stuff” helps facilitate pleasure? For me, I’d say an Audible subscription, some AirPods, Amazon book credits for buying books, a guitar, and an electronic keyboard or piano. A couple of board games and a space to invite friends for co-working, dinner, and games would be nice too. And probably a gym membership that ideally includes squash / badminton / padel courts would be lovely. Maybe I’d add a PlayStation and a couple of games to the mix, but beyond that, I don’t need or want much more for pleasure…

The Peace List

Finally, what do I feel I “need” or rather, “want” for peace? For me, peace comes from having a relatively free calendar, the ability to take walks in the local park while listening to an audiobook, good physical health, and good mental health. It also comes from doing work that I enjoy and find meaningful, preferably with friends or coworkers hanging out in person. And of course, it comes from having strong relationships.

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What I found interesting about this list is that (a) I already have all the “stuff” that brings me peace, productivity and pleasure. And that (b) none of this stuff costs very much, in the grand scheme of things.

But somehow… despite this, I still find myself feeling the need to chase more money, feeling a sense of scarcity around “not having enough”. This sense of scarcity was quite chronic a few years ago, but recently, through conversations, experiences and inner exploration, I’ve now landed at a place where the sense of scarcity around money comes and goes… I’d love to get to the point where it’s completely gone, but for now, while it’s still there, I’ve found it useful to think about these 3 Ps: peace, productivity and pleasure, and to remind myself of this: That I already have everything I need or want that helps facilitate peace, productivity and pleasure. Striving for more “stuff” isn’t really going to change anything across either of those three fronts. That doesn’t mean I should stop striving per se (there’s joy in growth, after all), but that I should hold those goals more lightly. Lightness and ease.

So here’s my question for you this week: What do you feel you need/want for peace, productivity, and pleasure? Out of those things, what do you already have? Does this change how you approach your desire to acquire more?

Have a great week!

Ali xx

P.S if you’ve read my book Feel-Good Productivity, I’d love to hear what you think. Share your thoughts here 😀

My Favourite Things This Week ❤️

Lots going on in the business and in life (more details soon 👀) so I’ve had a lot less time to read stuff than usual… but here are two books I’ve enjoyed this week.

1. Audiobook 🎧 – I’m thoroughly enjoying Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson. Sando writes so fast that even though I’m a huge fan of his stuff (as you’ll know by now if you’ve been following this newsletter for more than a few weeks), it still takes me ages to get through his works. As always, if you’re yet to experience the wonder of Sanderson’s epic fantasy series, you should start with The Final Empire, the first book of the Mistborn series. You won’t regret it.
2. Book 📕 – As mentioned in this email, A Little Happier by Derren Brown is a lovely read. If you’ve been wanting to get into Stoicism, or would like a reminder of its principles, Derren’s writing is a nice option. The writing is a little more… elaborate… compared to someone like Ryan Holiday, but if you imagine a very posh British man narrating it, it’s very nice.