My first newsletter - 18 december 2022

Why a newsletter?

I'm sitting in a coffee shop in Rotterdam, sipping on a double espresso and getting ready to publish my first newsletter. Before I get into it, I wanted to share my reasoning behind starting a newsletter.

I started this newsletter because I want to share the things I'm excited about and the things I'm learning with others. Over the last few years, I've experienced something called "productivity waves" - periods of a few days or months where I'm particularly focused on learning and exploring new things in my fields of interest. These waves started during my student years, and I became fascinated by how I could get more of them.

Then 2020 came along and changed everything - my relationship ended, and the world was turned upside down by COVID. In response, I started focusing on myself and my health. I took up cycling, and started making choices based on long-term happiness rather than short-term fun. I prioritized sleep, healthy nutrition, and efficient use of my time, and as a result, I became more productive. That's when I noticed the "productivity waves" increasing. Now, I have plenty of them where I'm learning about AI, cycling, making connections with others, and trying new things.

So, the newsletter is a way for me to share my "productivity waves" with you and inspire you with the things that inspire me. I hope you'll enjoy reading it and find some inspiration in it as well.

Mark Heij ✌️

Thoughts - Giving but NOT gaining

A few weeks ago, we read the book Linchpin by Seth Godin at work, which talks about becoming someone who is indispensable at work and hard to replace. One of the ideas the book explores is the concept of giving without expecting anything in return.

Our society is built on the idea of "giving and gaining," where we exchange goods or services for something, usually money. While this system works, it also has some mental disadvantages. It can make people less willing to just give something, or volunteer for something that won't benefit them in return.

The idea of "giving and NOT gaining" helped me understand the way I should perceive the world. Of course, I need to work (give my time) and earn an income. But I also should be capable of giving without expecting anything in return, and not losing as a result.

So, I decided to combine one of my yearly goals, eating at a Michelin restaurant, with giving something to my parents. They have supported me throughout my life in a way that I could never repay. At first, when I thought about giving my parents a "free" Michelin dinner, my "giving and gaining" mindset kicked in. I wondered if they could maybe pay for part of the dinner themselves, so I wouldn't be the ultimate loser. I could LOSE a lot of money by just giving it away to them for free, and I wouldn't gain anything.

But then I thought about the benefits of "giving and NOT gaining." Eating at a Michelin restaurant would be a memory I would carry with me for the rest of my life. It would show me that I am capable of giving something really valuable to the people around me.

Ultimately, I had to choose what I thought was most important: money or family. When you put it like that, the answer seems simple. But getting to that simple dilemma wasn't easy.

Cycling - What I learned from a knee injury

Last year, I had some exciting cycling goals, including the Marmotte, which was going to be my biggest challenge so far. Unfortunately, a pesky knee injury that had been a problem for most of the year prevented me from participating.

While it was a disappointment at the time, this injury ended up giving me the opportunity to explore other things in life, such as relationships, creativity, and family. It also taught me a few valuable lessons that I'd like to share with you.

• First, life doesn't always go in a straight line. It moves in waves and you can control how high or low these waves are.

• Second, it's easier to maintain focus when you're in good shape rather than in a bad shape. How you cope with your focus in a bad state ultimately defines how your mentality is in a good state.

• Third, your position on the bike is crucial. I had a poor bike fit, which resulted in knee problems. Adjusting the saddle a few centimeters higher made all the difference between being injured and being in the best shape possible.

• Finally, having a clear goal provides support for consistency. I made a promise to myself to only drink alcohol on four occasions this year. When I had the Marmotte as a goal, it was easy to maintain this consistency. When that goal disappeared, it became much harder to maintain consistency in not drinking alcohol. I learned that setting goals makes you more consistent and dedicated in life.

Things I ❤️

Cycling 🚴🏻‍♀️

• As the weather in The Netherlands starts to get colder, it's important to upgrade your cycling kit to stay warm on rides. One of the most useful items I've found is the Fingerscrossed Sturmhaube, a stylish balaclava that keeps you warm and protected from the elements. Click here to get your own. Stay warm and keep riding!

Budgetting 💸

• I've been using Lunchmoney for a year now, and it's been really helpful in understanding my spending and keeping track of my net worth. It automatically imports bank transactions and gives a detailed overview of your finances. You can try it out for free for a month using this link: Try Lunchmoney

• CashbackXL is another tool I've found helpful. It's a way to get affiliate marketing shares for yourself when you shop online. For example, you can get an additional 13% off your order at YFood through CashbackXL. I saved €55 last year using it. Try CashbackXL with this link.

Productivity 📈

• Ferdium is a new tool I discovered last week. It combines all your apps, like Teams, Whatsapp, and Outlook, into one neat little application. It helps me use a single app for all my tools instead of constantly switching between them. You can download Ferdium here or install it through Brew in the terminal (only on macOS).

About me

Hi! First I want to thank you for coming this far on my newsletter. I put a lot of love in the newsletter to inspire others to think and use cool tools!

My name is Mark Heij, a 25 year old Projectmanager from Rotterdam, The Netherlands. I am a cycling enthousiast and love photography and making connections. This newsletter is a creative outlet for all the things that I love and want other people to know.

Do you have any questions or comments about this newsletter? Feel free to contact me at [email protected]