Edition 46: The Perfect Productivity Playlist 🎵

Did you know that focusing on profits can make teams less productive? A recent study found that employees are less likely to be loyal or respectful towards managers that stress the importance of the bottom-line, and, in some situations, they’ll even seek revenge by withholding performance. So why not adopt the WeWork method of boosting morale? Simply throw all your money into a hole, then sit back and watch the fireworks.

An enjoyable path. My career has been landmarked with a lot of travel: I’ve lived in Hong Kong and Spain for my first job in the production waste-management industry. Afterwards, I joined the tech industry first in Amsterdam at Layar (AR start-up), and then in Dublin at Facebook (and Instagram). I quit my job at Facebook eventually to pursue my entrepreneurial ambitions. I moved back to Amsterdam and started a consumer-facing video production company. After building a successful business, I felt that the company basically became an agency that was more focused on client-facing content, than I was comfortable with. I was toying with the idea of a magazine then – which I then put into my current endeavor, and 1.5 years realized. That endeavor has resulted into my recently released magazine, Get Familiar. It explores hip-hop’s global footprint, which means that, we try to uncover the influence that the hip-hop has on fields outside of music, as well as the music itself. I am the founder and managing director of its publisher (that also functions as a digital strategy consultancy), Zuurtstof Media. Basically, tying together my story-telling ambitions with my love for hip-hop.

I’ve been a WorkZoku member at Zoku Amsterdam since April 2019, I believe. I’ve never stayed at the hotel but I’m an avid user of the Co-Working spaces, though. The location is great! The Roof Terrace makes it all worth it (in the summer and winter).

For music lovers out there. Hit up Colors Studios.

For all the readers out there, do yourself a favor and buy one of these:

Tough question. I’m notoriously crap at buying gifts. I’ve recently gifted a lot of books to people. The books vary depending on the people that I’m giving them to (and their interests). I want to share horizon-expanding books to people. But to name a few: This Is Not A T-Shirt by Bobby Hundreds, Superior by Angela Saini, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, Inferior by Angela Saini and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.

Have the audacity to be different. It’s easy to follow the path that’s already laid out. It’s easy to listen to someone telling you “that’s just the way that things work”. Transition yourself from one field to the next. See and experience as many different fields of work as possible. Dive into the unknown. Not because of some self-help “you grow with every experience” type thing – but because understanding the world around you from different angles, allows you to see the same scenario, that a colleague might see, with a different perspective. Don’t perpetuate more of the same. Perpetuate change.

Arjun's Get Familiar Magazine | Zuurstof Media

Wed 08 Jan 19.30 - 21.00 | Zoku Amsterdam

Sat 28 Dec, 20.00 - 22.00 | Boom Chicago, Amsterdam

AMSTERDAM | COPENHAGEN 2020 | VIENNA 2020 | and more to come...