Winter is for sampling
I recently came across a piece by Angela Duckworth called Summer Is for Sampling. She talks about the importance of children trying different activities and “sampling” before committing to a specialization later in life. Similar to David Epstein’s idea behind generalists, children may benefit from this early, diverse exposure.
But as a young professional, finding time to sample is difficult. While summer may be a slow part of the year, there are still projects that need to be completed. Unlike school, you need to deliberately take a vacation, which still doesn’t guarantee a time of peace for yourself.
Instead, I find winters to be a great time to sample and reflect. I often find myself taking on new projects around this time of year, whether that’s writing a thought piece (like now) or trying my hand at trading (like 2 years ago). Winter seems to be a period when things slow down a bit. Perhaps it’s the cooler temperature, but my body feels a bit more lethargic and I find myself appreciating a cozy blanket and a good book over a long hike at Rhus Ridge.
Below, I’ll share a few exercises that I’ve done or plan to do in hopes of inspiring others to take this winter slowdown to get immersed in the joy of sampling.
- Catching up on all the newsletters from my favorite authors that I missed throughout the year, especially Ven.
- Thinking deeply on a topic that I’m familiar with but haven’t taken the time to do a free form, unguided thinking on. This may involve me writing out my thoughts in a stream of consciousness way.
- Reading a book. I’m savoring The Power Law, which gives an excellent overview of the venture capital industry and naturally touches up on the history of technology.
- Reviewing my meeting notes with startups that pitched me their ideas and retroactively matching them with mental models that would’ve helped me in better-assessing them.
- Developing a new mental model.
- Reaching out to people I’ve wanted to talk to for a long time. This involves rekindling old relationships.
- Falling down a rabbit hole and exploring new topics, like the impact that paper had on the Renaissance
- Filling out my YearCompass with my wife to help me appreciate everything that happened in the past year but also prepare me for the year ahead.