Modern WisdomNote Apps, Book Summaries & iPhone Tips - Life Hacks 205 | Modern Wisdom Podcast 341
CHAPTERS
iPhone Shortcuts that actually save friction (auto Low Power Mode + quick actions)
The episode kicks off with Jonny’s simple iPhone automation: turning on Low Power Mode automatically at a chosen battery percentage to remove the repeated prompt and extend battery life. The trio also riff on the broader utility of Apple Shortcuts and how it will expand to Mac as a friendlier layer over Automator.
Leaving Evernote: why Apple Notes won (speed, stability, Quick Note, tags)
Yusef announces he’s officially leaving Evernote for Apple Notes, arguing Evernote lost its core purpose as an “external brain” due to speed regressions and removed features. They outline Apple Notes strengths—fast capture, seamless sync—and upcoming features like tags and Quick Note for lightweight working memory.
Choosing the right notes tool: Notion vs Apple Notes vs Markdown apps
They explore why Notion isn’t a like-for-like replacement for a personal notes app: it’s a collaborative workspace and cloud-first, making offline access and ownership concerns. Alternatives like Craft, Obsidian/Ulysses/Scrivener, and the beta Markdown editor Nota are mentioned depending on whether you prioritize writing, linking ideas, or file storage.
Micro social hack: sing Happy Birthday one octave lower to survive the key change
Chris shares a playful but practical hack from his speech coach: start Happy Birthday lower than you think so you don’t get wrecked by the high notes near the end. The group riffs on the awkwardness of group singing and why everyone starts too high.
Book summaries debate: Blinkist as ‘time-block media’ vs reading full books
Jonny argues Blinkist works well when you only have ~15 minutes and want the gist of certain self-improvement books without committing to the full read. Chris and Yusef push back: summaries reflect the summarizer’s priorities and may not create enough conviction for real behavior change, though they can serve as a filter or ‘tapas’ sampler.
Birthday benchmark goals: tie your age to a yearly physical/mental challenge
Yusef proposes using birthdays as a recurring benchmark: set a challenge proportional to your age (e.g., bodyweight lift reps equal to age). They brainstorm alternatives that scale across decades and aren’t limited to strength training.
Simple fun gear that multiplies joy: Aerobie Pro disc + ‘party corner’ games
Chris recommends the Aerobie Pro disc (record-holding long-distance throw) as a cheap, high-joy purchase for outdoor play. The conversation expands into other easy, social ‘toy’ activities—slacklining, boomerangs, Nerf footballs—and Jonny’s surprising expertise in Frisbee/disc throwing and Guitar Hero.
VR and the creep toward realism: table tennis, hand tracking, and social presence
They discuss VR’s best “it feels real” experiences (notably table tennis) and whether skills port into real life. The conversation turns to increasingly immersive features—hand tracking, facial mapping, eye tracking—and the uneasy implications of convincing digital eye contact and embodied presence.
Email your future self: annual birthday letters via FollowUpThen (and 10-year time capsules)
Jonny shares a reflective habit: write an email to yourself and have it delivered a year later (often on your birthday). Reading old worries and predictions becomes a reality-check—most fears don’t materialize, and priorities shift—creating a powerful perspective tool.
Dieting ‘volume’ hacks and snack math: stuffing, lint rollers, and doughnut realism
Yusef shares a low-calorie-density comfort-food trick (Tesco/Lidl stuffing) as a flavorful dieting filler. He also offers a practical household tip—washable lint rollers for dog hair—then the trio debates a ‘calorie honesty’ rule for Krispy Kreme: pick the donut you’ll actually enjoy because the calorie differences are small.
Cheap YouTube Premium via Argentina billing + VPN (and the ethics/utility)
Chris shares a listener-submitted hack for drastically cheaper YouTube Premium by changing billing location to Argentina using a VPN and a compatible card/address format. The others react cautiously, but Chris frames it as an option for people who want Premium but find the standard monthly price too high.
Train smarter: a written warm-up checklist that’s fast, consistent, and measurable
Jonny returns to fundamentals: consistent warm-ups improve performance and reduce injury risk, and the biggest improvement is simply having it written down so you don’t skip it. He describes a 5–10 minute routine (barbell complex, light rolling, dynamic movements) tracked via an Apple Notes checklist.
Audio curation to escape your echo chamber: Curio (and ‘The Browser’ parallel)
Jonny recommends Curio, a subscription service that narrates curated long-form journalism from outlets like The Economist and FT. Chris connects it to The Browser newsletter: the value is high-quality filtering that broadens interests beyond your usual media loop without the risk of sampling low-quality ‘new’ sources.
Travel recovery hacks: secret sleep gate at Schiphol + buy protein upon arrival
Chris offers two travel-oriented hacks: a specific underused gate at Amsterdam Schiphol (D2) with seating suitable for lying down, and a nutrition trick—buy protein powder locally upon arrival so you can hit protein targets without packing messy tubs. They also note how ubiquitous protein bars have become, making travel nutrition easier than it used to be.
What they’re watching/reading: Marcella, Time, Mortal Kombat, Gangs of London, Knives Out
They close with media recommendations across TV and film. Highlights include prison drama “Time,” stylish action-crime “Gangs of London,” the fun fan-service of the 2021 “Mortal Kombat,” and the whodunit “Knives Out,” plus discussion about ad-tier streaming and how to keep a shared watchlist.
Lucid dreaming & altered states: Michael Raduga’s ‘Phase’ seminar + text-to-speech listening
Yusef recommends Michael Raduga’s seminar on achieving lucid-dream/out-of-body style states via systematic practice. They also discuss consuming books without audiobooks—Yusef uses Speech Central to turn PDFs (and even scanned pages) into scrub-able audio, and they speculate on rapid improvements in text-to-speech and AI assistants.
AI risk and purpose: dramatized AGI, existential risk, and why people specialize
Chris recommends a show about misaligned AGI and uses it as a springboard into existential risk, effective altruism, and what it takes to dedicate your life to big problems. The group reflects on how people choose missions, the tradeoff between specialization and keeping society running, and the psychological weight of x-risk awareness.
Wrap-up + Propane Fitness plug: updated free training for online coaches
They end by promoting updated Propane Fitness training materials aimed at helping coaches grow or transition online. Chris directs listeners to the dedicated link and closes the episode with a call for life-hack submissions.
