Hey Friends,

This week feels a little strange. My children have been off school for over four months, yet it feels like they are going back too soon. Surely, summer isn't over yet?

The start of a new academic year is always a good time to set some goals. So, to get better prepared, I turned to YouTube to find inspiration. Armed with my trusty browser plugin (to stop me getting distracted), I watched an interesting video by Tal Ben-Shahar, a self-professed happiness coach. He provided a good explanation of how to set goals that are meaningful, but also more likely to be achieved.

When setting goals, or choosing a course of action, he suggests using a three-part recipe of meaning, pleasure, and strengths. If the goal you set involves you doing something meaningful, while providing you pleasure, and utilising your strengths, then you are much more likely to achieve the goal.

This got me thinking. Could the three-part recipe be used to refine of our digital interactions? Let's take an example and see.

YouTube: Does YouTube allow me to do something meaningful? Possibly. Does YouTube provide me with pleasure? Sometimes. Does YouTube allow me to utilise my strengths? Not really.

For me, YouTube is a technology that is useful, but clearly doesn't tick all the boxes. It would, therefore, be beneficial to refine how I use it, to allow me to extract the maximum amount of value from it, while freeing time to spend on activities which tick all three boxes.

What do you think? Could the recipe be useful on our digital refinement journey?

Anyway, if you have time, check out the rest of this weeks musing. There is a link to my findings and recommendations regarding web browsers.

Have a fantastic week!

Chris

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Things I've found interesting this week

\\ One Website A fantastic resource for all things privacy and security. This week I found some interesting rebuttals of the 'nothing to hide' argument against digital privacy.

\\ Two Video I watched an interesting video by Tal Ben-Shahar, an ex Harvard professor, and speaker on positive psychology. In this video, he explains how to find meaningful things to do with your life.

Favourite Quote

Addictive technology is part of the mainstream in a way that addictive substances never will be - Adam Alter 

My articles this week

Best Web Browser for Privacy in 2020

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