Lagerkummer, Breakthrough Moments & Free Audible Gems
Scout-hike afterglow, a quick crisis rebound, 6 free Audible picks, book club takeaways and a journaling nudge to start before you're "ready".
Hey friends đź‘‹
I just got back from a beautiful scouts hike. We spent the weekend wandering alongside the river and up and down on narrow trails—all while enjoying the long sunny days of June. Now, I'm home with that bittersweet "Lagerkummer" feeling. Think of it as some kind of camp-hangover that's half lovesickness and half longing to head straight back out. It's a mix of pure euphoria and deep sadness that is hard to describe. If you ever experienced anything remotely like it, you know what I'm talking about!
Now, before we dive into this issue, here's some fresh content from my end:
🎥 YouTube Video (coming soon): A candid chat about "invisible burnout"—those times misalignment, not overwork, is what's really wearing you down. Stay tuned!
✍️ Blog Post: The Cost of Inaction: Why You're Still Overwhelmed
Why postponing the uncomfortable tasks saps more energy than doing them—and how two-minute micro-actions can break the overwhelm loop.
Reflections & Goodies
The Breakdown Before the Breakthrough
Two weeks ago I hit one of those "the sky is falling" spirals. Projects looked bleak, big plans threatened to unravel and the future felt like a cruel punch-line. Yet only days later the world couldn't be more different.
I was reminded that panic lives in predictions, not in the present. When the mind screens worst-case movies, zooming in on the next tiny action—one email, one walk—shrinks the screen.
And when my optimism went missing, I simply borrowed someone else's: my wife and friends loaned me their calm until mine returned. If any of you are reading this, know that I can't express how thankful I am to have you!
Crises will visit, but they rarely move in for good. The next time the floor seems to drop, reach out, take one tiny step and remind yourself: storms are loud, not endless.
Free Audible Gems
Want to fill your earbuds without emptying your wallet? Here are a handful of quality titles that are currently free in Audible’s catalogue (availability can vary by region):
- Finding Flow – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (~5 h)
- 48 Laws of Power – Robert Greene (~23 h)
- Art of Seduction – Robert Greene (~23 h)
- How to F--k Up Your Startup – Kim Hvidkjaer (~9 h)
- The Elephant in the Brain — Kevin Simler (~10 h)
- The 12 Week Year — Brian P. Moran (~5 h)
Queue them up, hit play, and let me know which one grabs you the most!
Monthly Favourites
🎶 Song: Black Sea Dahu - I Am My Mother
Found by coincidence, stuck for eternity. I adore this song so much. It literally matches my internal vibe right now and I can't wait to see them live in 3 weeks!
📚 Book: Oliver Burkeman - Four Thousand Weeks
Another book club read (more insights below).
📽️ Video: Is AI Apocalypse Inevitable?
An interesting take on how we as a society failed terribly with social media and what that can teach us to avoid AI apocalypse. Not the typical doom video, but rather quite scientific and potentially even hopeful.
Book Club
As mentioned above, we finished Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman this month.
The average club-member rating landed at 3.66 stars. I’d still call it a must-read for anyone hunting a saner approach to time management—especially if you’re new to the topic. His examples feel lived-in and the book closes with solid journaling prompts plus a handful of practical tips.
Our chat circled around how deeply satisfying hobbies become when we indulge for the sheer joy of the activity instead of chasing milestones. We also dissected how a faster world hasn't made us more patient—quite the opposite—and traded ideas for slowing the internal metronome.
One takeaway kept resurfacing: you can't have it all, and that's fine. Pouring energy into a creative streak might mean your apartment looks less Instagram-ready this week. Life isn't a perfectly balanced wheel—it's a series of conscious trade-offs and the game is to choose them on purpose.
Interested in joining our book club?
Then hop into my Discord and check out the #book-club channel.
Monthly Journaling Prompt
In which areas of life are you still holding back until you feel like you know what you're doing?
That prompt comes straight from Four Thousand Weeks and it hits close to home. I put off writing fantasy for years because I felt I wasn't ready. (Who knows—my first novel might already be on a shelf if I'd started sooner.)
Where are you still hesitating? Hit 'reply' and share your thoughts if you want. I read every message and usually learn as much from you as you—hopefully—do from me.
Thanks for checking in—see you next month!
Best,
Robin