A Friday Five newsletter covering reframing fear, the value of patience, an "80% Rule" lunch system for beating the afternoon slump, a study on sleep regularity and mortality, and the Norwegian concept of friluftsliv.
Meaning
Sahil Bloom shares five short reflections in his Friday newsletter. He argues that fear distorts reality by overstating negatives, and urges flipping fearful framings into "what if it goes well" questions. He praises patience and stillness in an impatient world, and details his "80% Rule" — eating a lighter lunch and walking afterward to avoid triggering a digestive slump in the afternoon. He then points to a study linking regular sleep timing to sharply lower mortality risk, and to the Norwegian idea of friluftsliv, regular time in nature as a path to health and happiness.
The author, in their own words
How to flip the script on your fears:
Where am I allowing my fear to distort my reality?
The stoic philosopher Seneca famously wrote, "We suffer more in imagination than in reality."
There is something in your life that you are avoiding because fear is distorting your reality.
It can strike in any area of life:
The fear that you won't be able to find another job if you quit this one.
The fear that you won't be able to find another partner if you leave this one.
The fear that you won't be able to find another friend if you cut off this one.
The fear that you aren't productive if you don't keep yourself busy all the time.
The fear that you won't be loved if you don't act as you're supposed to act.
The fear causes you to overstate the negatives and ignore the positives altogether.
Flip the script on your fears:
What if I find a better job after quitting this one?
What if I find a more loving, supportive partner after leaving this one?
What if I find a more loyal, trusting friend after cutting this one?
What if I am more productive by allowing myself to be less busy?
What if I am more loved for being myself?
Stop allowing fear to distort your reality. Embrace the discomfort and see the other side.
The power of patience in an impatient world:
"A man who is a master of patience is master of everything else." - George Savile
If you can be still while others rush to move.
If you can delay gratification while others rush to feel it.
If you can make time your friend, not your enemy.
You will win.
How I finally kicked my afternoon slump:
The 80% Rule
I'm an early riser, but I've always struggled with a rough afternoon slump.
I'd feel energized and focused all morning—knock out a workout, focus work, and time with my wife and son—but inevitably, after lunch, I felt drained.
The window from 1-3pm was like a dead-zone in my day: Tired, unfocused, and grazing lazily across low-value tasks.
But I finally found a system that works to kick the afternoon slump: The 80% Rule.
The Okinawans of Japan were made famous by Dan Buettner's Blue Zones research for their incredible longevity. One of the principles of that longevity was an ancient Japanese principle called Hara hachi bun me, which translates to "Eat until you are eight parts full."
Eating causes the body to move blood and energy towards the digestive system. By eating a big lunch while sitting down at my desk (a staple of my old routine), I was basically triggering my body to go into digestive recovery mode.
This explained my terrible afternoon slump.
My new afternoon system that worked wonders in my life:
Lighter lunch focused on protein, veggies, and fats (light on carbohydrates, which make me sleepy).
15-30 minute walk right after eating to promote digestion and mental clarity.
At least 16 ounces of water after the walk.
Lightly caffeinated beverage (green tea) if in need of a boost.
Following the 80% Rule at lunch helped me completely change my afternoon productivity. Rather than forcing myself to grind through the drowsiness, I feel more alert and able to take on important tasks that create real progress.
If you ever struggle with the afternoon slump, give this system a shot. You won't regret it.
Interesting study on sleep irregularity:
Great post on an important new study on the benefits of sleep regularity (going to sleep and waking up at the same/similar time each day).
Concept to live by for greater happiness:
The Norwegian secret: how friluftsliv boosts health and happiness
This is a great read on the Norwegian concept of friluftsliv (literal translation: free air life), which is the regular focus on time in nature as the key to health, fulfillment, and happiness.
According to a survey cited in the article, 77% of Norwegians spend time in nature on a weekly basis.
Anecdotally, I feel much happier on days when I spend considerable time outside, so I'm buying it...
I'm all in on that friluftsliv life!
Key Passages
Sleep *irregularity* and mortality: Study 60,977 participants. Those in the highest (regular) vs. lowest (worse) 20th% of sleep regularity, night to night = -49%⬇️⬇️ risk of all-cause mortality, -39%⬇️⬇️ risk of cancer mortality, -57%⬇️⬇️ risk of cardiometabolic mortality.…
The fear causes you to overstate the negatives and ignore the positives altogether.
Stop allowing fear to distort your reality. Embrace the discomfort and see the other side.
If you can make time your friend, not your enemy.
By eating a big lunch while sitting down at my desk (a staple of my old routine), I was basically triggering my body to go into digestive recovery mode.
Rather than forcing myself to grind through the drowsiness, I feel more alert and able to take on important tasks that create real progress.