7 Ideas 7 Books: Unplugging in a World That Never Stops
This week we wanted to share some more fundamental hub ideas with you. Not strategies, not updates — but reflections. Seven simple ideas for this season, each paired with a book that captures its essence.
For those on holiday — may these words keep you company by the sea.
For those not — may they offer a little shade, a little cool air, and maybe a spark of thought.
Because sometimes the best way to reset is not to add more noise, but to find the right voices to read, and let them linger.
1. The Sea and the Stream
The sea moves at its own rhythm. Waves come and go, the horizon doesn’t hurry. And yet, in your pocket, the world is buzzing — notifications, updates, news, endless streams of information.
Book: Stolen Focus by Johann Hari — on why our attention feels more fragile in an age of endless distraction.
2. Expanding Possibilities
We live in a time where possibilities are multiplying every day. New tools, new resources, new opportunities — everything feels within reach. But the paradox is clear: the more options we have, the harder it becomes to choose, to filter, to know what really matters.
Book: The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz — exploring why more options often make decisions harder, not easier.
3. The Gap
Maybe the truth is that we’re not built to move at the speed of information. At some point, the flow outpaces us. And in that gap — between the rush of the world and the slowness of a holiday afternoon — there’s space. Space to notice both pressure and relief.
Book: Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman — a gentle reminder of the limits of time, and how embracing them can be freeing.
4. The Power of the Mind
You don’t have to be a Superman or Superwoman. Even without superpowers, the mind itself is extraordinary. Its strength is not in keeping up with everything, but in knowing when to pause, reset, and connect ideas in new ways. That power is easily overlooked, but it may be the very thing that carries us through the noise.
Book: Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman — a classic on how our minds work, and the quiet power of slowing down thinking.
5. The Power of Habits
Small actions, repeated daily, quietly shape who we become. In times of noise, habits anchor us — giving rhythm to days that feel scattered.
Book: Atomic Habits by James Clear — one of the most practical and insightful books on how habits form and how to reshape them.
6. Filtering Life
Having filters in life is not about shutting the world out, but about protecting your mental health. Choosing what not to let in is just as important as what you welcome.
Book: Essentialism by Greg McKeown — on the discipline of focusing only on what truly matters.
7. Finding Balance
Perhaps that’s the real reminder of August: that creativity and productivity today are not about chasing every new possibility, nor about escaping completely. They come from holding both — recognising the abundance of choice, while protecting the calm needed to see which one truly matters.
Book: Rest by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang — on how deliberate rest is not the opposite of work, but a foundation for deep creativity.
Summer has always carried its own rhythm — slower, quieter, gentler. In a world that insists on constant acceleration, choosing to pause with the right words and ideas might be the most radical act of all.
Seven ideas. Seven books. Not to add more to your list, but to remind you that even in an age of noise, stillness is possible — and sometimes, stillness is where the strongest thoughts begin.
Comments are closed.