# DeveloPassion's Newsletter 26 - About Time Hello everyone! Welcome to the 26th edition of my newsletter. ![[DeveloPassion's Newsletter Logo.png|DeveloPassion's Newsletter logo: lightbulb sprouting colorful idea nodes]] Another week, another newsletter! I hope that you all had a great week. Reply to tell me your story; what have you discovered/learned/enjoyed this week ❓ ![[DeveloPassion's Newsletter 26 - About Time - timelapse img.png]] ## About Time This week, my main reflections were about *time* and *memories*. It all started with me watching [an episode](https://www.leisurebyte.com/netflix-explained-season-3-episode-12/) of the Netflix documentary series called [Explained](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explained_(TV_series)). This episode, aptly named “Analyzing time” tried to explain what time *is*. I was mesmerized by it — maybe because it is narrated by [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Gordon-Levitt). Time passes us by and, most of the time, we don’t even realize it. This reminded me of a timelapse video I made a few years ago when I was exploring electronics (I should probably resurrect that blog article):  The documentary starts with the experiment of [Michel Siffre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Siffre), a French geologist and underground explorer who wanted to contribute to the space race in some way. Mr. Siffre had the idea of [isolating himself underground for two whole months](https://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/30/foer_siffre.php) in the [abyss of Scarasson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punta_Marguareis). It was a scientific survival experiment aiming to explore the physiological impact of living underground, without being exposed to sunlight for a long period of time. He only had a small electric light, no clocks, and was all alone the whole time. Michel was already very experienced by then; as a child (10-17), he did 150+ underground explorations. But that experiment was a first. Our bodies have [internal clocks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circadian_rhythm) that regulate our [biological rhythm](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronobiology). I find it quite fascinating that this is part of our DNA. The sun and its light have shaped us over millions of years. One point from the documentary I want to focus on is the fact that time *feels* different depending on our emotions. Sometimes we drive on autopilot and don’t remember doing so. Sometimes hours go by in a jiffy because we’re super engaged in what we’re doing. Sometimes weeks and months disappear in an instant without leaving traces behind. And sometimes it’s the polar opposite; each minute we’re waiting for important news feels like forever. [Emotions heavily influence our sense of time](https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnint.2011.00058/full). After his experiment, Michel Siffre realized that his estimates of how much time had passed were far off. It took him five minutes to count to 120. His sense of time was completely messed up. [His explanation](https://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/30/foer_siffre.php) for this is the fact that *memory does not capture the time when there are no important moments*. During his time underground, days & nights were all the same. Nothing much happened: wake up in the dark, spend the day in the dark, go to sleep, repeat. In the documentary, they went on to compare that experiment with the Covid lockdowns around the world, which have also distorted the sense of time for most of us. This reminded me of the [boring work routine](https://medium.com/management-matters/going-back-to-work-no-thank-you-5429d60acd12). Days and weeks go unnoticed if we don’t pay attention. And here’s the thing. Routine is great for productivity, but it’s important for us to create memories for ourselves and to really live the moment. When we focus entirely on work and productivity, we skew our internal clocks and miss important moments of life. I wanted to write about this because now that my son is at home with us, I take every occasion to be present, without distractions, to make that time truly memorable. To conclude, I want to recommend an awesome movie about time (no, not Back to the Future, sorry :p): [About Time](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2194499/). ## Dev Concepts progress This week I’ve finally launched the [new landing page](https://dev-concepts.dev/) of Dev Concepts. It took me a few days to craft it, but I’m happy with the results. Now I hope that more people will get to discover the project! ![[DeveloPassion's Newsletter 26 - About Time - dev concepts landing page update.png]] By the way, the project updates are now available here: [https://dev-concepts.dev/updates](https://dev-concepts.dev/updates) ## Recent articles Nothing to see here this week! ## Tips of the week Here’s a new idea for the newsletter: weekly tips & tricks! Did you know that if you type something in your browser’s address bar and press ctrl + enter, what you typed will be surrounded by `www.` and `.com`? LINK: https://x.com/dSebastien/status/1443487478573318146 If you're using Google Chrome, then go to chrome://flags/[#commander](https://x.com/search?q=%23commander) and enable commander. Restart Chrome and hit CTRL + Space. ## Books corner This week I want to share a book that has strongly influenced the way I manage my personal finances. [](https://www.amazon.com/You-Need-Budget-Paycheck-Paycheck/dp/0062567586?tag=dsebastien00-20) [You Need a Budget: The Proven System for Breaking the Paycheck-to-Paycheck Cycle, Getting Out of Debt, and Living the Life You Want](https://www.amazon.com/You-Need-Budget-Paycheck-Paycheck/dp/0062567586?tag=dsebastien00-20) This book describes the methodology behind a tool called [YouNeedABudget](https://www.youneedabudget.com/) (YNAB), and I can’t recommend it enough. ## Quote of the week [[Never take a job for which you are qualified. You won’t grow]] ## Links of the week, ideas and tips Here are a few links that I found interesting this week: [Tools for better thinking | Untools](https://untools.co/?utm_campaign=Recomendo&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Revue%20newsletter) Collection of thinking tools and frameworks to help you solve problems, make decisions and understand systems. [](https://www.youtube.com/c/K%C3%A1rolyZsolnai/videos) [Two Minute Papers](https://www.youtube.com/c/K%C3%A1rolyZsolnai/videos) What a time to be alive! Clear explanations about research papers [](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_D_C2-2FZ5w) [The Easy Way to Achieve Your Goals](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_D_C2-2FZ5w) Practical tips to achieve your goals. [](https://forge.medium.com/a-5-step-road-map-for-saying-no-d4bbe7a2515c) [How to Say No to Commitments | Forge](https://forge.medium.com/a-5-step-road-map-for-saying-no-d4bbe7a2515c) Time-management expert Laura Vanderkam shares 5 steps for reclaiming your time [](https://medium.com/codex/why-senior-developers-are-leading-the-great-resignation-movement-37b93ab9a634) [Why Senior Developers Are Leading the Great Resignation Movement | by Pen Magnet | CodeX | Sep, 2021 | Medium](https://medium.com/codex/why-senior-developers-are-leading-the-great-resignation-movement-37b93ab9a634) Around 4 million employees left their jobs in July 2021. Most of them are senior developers. If pandemic didn’t cause it, who did? [What's new in React 18? | Yagmur Cetin Tas](https://yagmurcetintas.com/journal/whats-new-in-react-18/) In this article, we briefly talk about what’s new in React 18. LINK: - [[10 Essential Knowledge Management Methods Every Professional Should Master (Article)]] - https://www.dsebastien.net/10-essential-knowledge-management-methods-every-professional-should-master/-every-professional-should-master// LINK: - [[Why Obsidian is All You Need - From Simple Notes to Complete Productivity (Article)]] - https://www.dsebastien.net/why-obsidian-is-all-you-need-from-simple-notes-to-complete-productivity// LINK: - [[The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Obsidian (Article)]] - https://www.dsebastien.net/the-ultimate-beginners-guide-to-obsidian// LINK: - [[Knowii Community]] - https://www.store.dsebastien.net//product/knowii-community ## Related - [[Time feels different depending on our emotions]]