warikoo Wanderings

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My first book "DO EPIC SHIT" is written for those who don't read that often. There is no start, and no finish. Pick any page and that page will have something for you. Order your copy here​

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BOREDOM VS. ANXIETY

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There isn't a day that goes by without me getting an email or message that says, "I get bored very easily."
It is usually in the context of doing things that they HAVE to do - whether it is studying, or working, or focusing, or trying new things.

"I get bored of studying."
"I get bored of working."
"I start something new but get bored very quickly."

When I hear this, my instant reaction is, "Are you sure it's boredom?"

And here is where my skepticism comes from.

Quite often, if we cannot accomplish what we have set out to do, we make boredom an excuse.
"I got bored of studying", is not the same as "I did not feel like studying".
"I got bored of reading", is not the same as "I felt sleepy while reading".

But why is it so important to know what it truly is?
Because if we don't, we won't know how to fix it.

If what you think is boredom is what you are experiencing, you may incorrectly conclude that what requires fixing is your attention or focus.
However, what if the real reason is Anxiety?
Sorry, what?
Anxiety?
Dude - you don't have to bring anxiety to every conversation, just because it's a word everyone knows of!

Hold hold, - hear me out.
What if I told you - that a likely reason for you not being able to pursue what you are doing is because the challenge of doing that skill is very high, but the skills you have to accomplish the task are still developing?
Which, you might think results in boredom, but actually results in anxiety?

Here is how to visualize this:

This is a very famous concept called the state of flow.

Here is how it works.
On the x-axis is your skill level to do the task at hand (low/medium/high) and on the y-axis is the challenge level of the task (low/medium/high).

The concept of flow states that when the challenge level of the skill AND our own skill level are both high - we are in a state of flow.
This is when we lose the sense of time. This is when we are truly immersed. This is when we are in "the zone".

On the other hand, if the challenge level and the skill level is low, we feel apathy (which is loss of interest). We do not find any reason to be involved.

Here is where it gets interesting:

1. Challenge level high; Skill level low = anxiety (imagine a really hard task and we are just not skilled to do it)
2. Challenge level low; Skill level high = relaxation (imagine watching Netflix/YT/IG)

Boredom is actually when the challenge level is low (so an easy task at hand) and our skill level is medium (imagine playing a very easy video game) - we might do it once, but we surely can't continue with it. We just don't want to.

This matrix was first introduced in 1975 by psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi and is so useful to determine where in the zone you are.

Because once we know where we are, we know what it takes to get to flow :)

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BOOK I AM READING THIS WEEK

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This week I took a break from reading. So no new book that I picked up.
Instead - here is an awesome list of 12 books to read in 2022 that have been recommended by Library Mindset​

Here are the links:
​Who Will Cry When You Die? | Rich Dad Poor Dad | Tuesdays with Morrie | DO EPIC SHIT | Make your Bed | Ikigai | The Alchemist | Deep Work | Almanack of Naval Ravikant | Psychology of Money | Atomic Habits

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QUOTES TO SHARE

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Hurting others is never going to relieve you of your pain.
​(Share on Twitter)​

Being yourself is a life hack.
​(Share on Twitter)​

I just wish a lot more people shared their experiences, so that people realized that they are not alone in feeling what they feel.
​(Share on Twitter)​

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RESPONSES TO LAST WEEK'S QUESTION

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Last week I asked you:

If there was a course created on "Skills we wish we were taught in school", then which of these would you include?

1. Managing money
2. Managing time
3. Managing relationships
4. Managing career

Not surprisingly, the responses were:

1. Managing money: 53%
2. Managing time: 46%
3. Managing relationships: 37%
4. Managing career: 27%
5. Other top contenders: Managing emotions, managing failures, Sex Education, Managing health

This is so cool. Imagine building a course on this. One of the things I want to work towards, for this year.

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PICTURE OF THE WEEK

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This was a screenshot I shared on Twitter, about the perks that people get as part of my team (that we call wariCrew). Reason I share this is because of another tweet I shared sometime back
​"Some companies are so poor that all that they give their employees is money."
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THIS WEEK'S QUESTION

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How many close friends do you have?

1. No one
2. Only 1 close friend
3. 2-3
4. 4-5
5. 5+

​Click here to let me know your answer (anonymously)​​​​​

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CONTENT I SHARED THIS WEEK

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Podcast:​
Title of episode: Worst case scenario
​Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcast, Apple Podcast, JioSaavn or Gaana.

YouTube:​
Title of video: How to invest lumpsum money
​You can watch it here.​

Instagram:​
Title of video: 5 life changing books costing less than a pizza
​You can watch it here.​

Twitter:​
Title of thread: 14 times I got lucky!
​You can read it here.​

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You can, of course, always write to me by simply replying to this newsletter.

I love reading all your emails, even though I may not be able to reply to them all.
Yes! I READ ALL MY EMAILS. ALL OF THEM.
​​​(Sardiyon ki dhoop mein kitaab padhte padhte so jaane ki kasam!)

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