Mindful Recordings
My latest headphones acquisition, an odd mindfulness exercise, thoughtful financial advice, a cool screen recording tool, and a quote to remind us we don't know what we want.
Hello Folks!
Welcome to the latest edition of Brain Tickles.
Headphones I'm Loving
These are hands-down the best Bluetooth headphones I've ever owned. Ever since I got them, I have barely taken them off, which is not an issue because they need a charge only every 2-3 days. Their noise-canceling system is awesome. I can work fully focused from any café. It also has a special setup to allow more sounds from my surroundings when needed, which I use when waiting for a food delivery or when I'm expecting a call.
The sound quality is amazing. I usually set up an equalize, but this time I didn't need to configure it at all, they sound fantastic as is.
What I don't like as much is that accidentally touching the side can trigger unexpected actions, like activating Google Assistant or skipping tracks. Also, they might not fit perfectly on my smaller-than-average head, affecting noise-cancellation effectiveness slightly.
Overall, I'd rate them 8/10.
Weird Mindfulness Exercises
Almost all guided meditation you can find online are more or less the same. They're usually a variation of a mix of deep breathing, body scan, and body visualization.
However, in this video, Zara shares a couple of mindfulness exercises that are a bit... unusual. But in a good way. Take a look and try it out for yourself:
Weirdly, this short video made me ground myself faster than any long guided video I've tried before. Share your experience in the comments. Did you feel different?
Financial Advice to Your Kids
launched a series on personal finance lessons, styled as open letters to her daughter.Her edition is packed with insights on reshaping your mindset when it comes to money management:
See money not as a master, but as a tool—a means to craft the life you envision. Begin with your thoughts. They shape your reality.
See challenges as opportunities. I encourage you to ask questions, seek understanding, and embrace financial planning as a key part of your journey to adulthood. Know that I am here for you—not just as a guide but as your biggest supporter. I can't wait to see the journey you'll carve out for yourself.
This inspired me to start a series for my little brother to teach him how to earn money online. His attention span is too short so I doubt he'd like to read a long-form article. Maybe short videos might be a better idea. I'll use this as my motivation to finally start posting on TikTok.
Screen Recording Tool for Building in Public
This is my go-to tool for building in public: an open-source recorder for screens, webcams, and sketchboards, with an easy-to-use editor. It's very easy to use and it supports various output formats.
What I love the most about this tool, besides all the free features, is that it asks you to update before you close the tool, instead of at the beginning (I'm looking at you Zoom!).
Kudos to the developer for maintaining this gem. Consider showing your support!
We Don't Know What We Want
Quote I am pondering from "Stumbling on Happiness" by Daniel Gilbert:
We insist on steering our boats because we think we have a pretty good idea of where we should go, but the truth is that much of our steering is in vain—not because the boat won’t respond, and not because we can’t find our destination, but because the future is fundamentally different than it appears through the prospectiscope. Just as we experience illusions of eyesight (“Isn’t it strange how one line looks longer than the other even though it isn’t?”) and illusions of hindsight (“Isn’t it strange how I can’t remember taking out the garbage even though I did?”), so too do we experience illusions of foresight—and all three types of illusion are explained by the same basic principles of human psychology.
I'd love your feedback!
What made your brain tickle? Anything you'd remove or add? Reach out on Twitter or email paulina at paulinasaez dot com.
Hear ya later,
Thank you for including my essay to my daughter in your post. I love that it inspired you to make videos for your brother. Looking forward to seeing them!