No #181 | August 10, 2025

by Matthew Boyd

Good morning, welcome to the weekly Lead It Cool.

I'm at the halfway point of a family vacation, so forgive me for the shorter newsletter as I've been enjoying time with family/friends, delicious food, sunshine and lots of swimming in the ocean. Back to full regular programming next week.

In this week's Lead It Cool newsletter:

• 📱Digital Detox
• 🤔Feynman
• 🤣Campfire Guitar Hero
• 😎Cool Links

📱Digital Detox

In a recent poll, I was surprised to learn that 60% of parents admit to spending more time on their screens than their kids (but was I really that surprised?!?).

In our modern lives, our digital devices have become inseparable companions.

Our smartphones, tablets, and laptops have become extensions of ourselves, keeping us constantly plugged into the online realm. While this technology brings undeniable benefits, it has also taken a toll on our relationships and well-being.

Like the character from the classic film Into the Wild, I've occasionally found myself daydreaming about taking a digital detox and rediscovering the joys of real-life connections.

I also recently stumbled across this quote from the author Henry Miller.🤔

Take a break every now and then.

🤔Feynman

​Richard Feynman was a smart man. If you haven't read his book I highly recommend it.

🤣Campfire Guitar Hero

Highly relatable. (source) 🤣

😎Cool Links

🥱The Age of Average. This article argues that from film to fashion and architecture to advertising, creative fields have become dominated and defined by convention and cliché. Distinctiveness has died. In every field we look at, we find that everything looks the same. Welcome to the age of average.

☝️Mastering the Art of the Request. As it turns out, there’s an art to the request. Those who haven’t mastered this art are likely to find their entreaties met with what I call the “non-response response”: I’ll look into that. I’ll try. Great idea. Let’s put a pin in it.

🤔Emotions are Contagious. Seth Godin ranks emotions based on their virality.

📖How to read to retain information (video). A good watch!

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