Tom's Top 3: April 22, 2025
Midnight Menagerie
Hi everyone! Welcome to this week’s installment of Tom’s Top 3 Tuesdays, where I highlight three pieces of content (Podcasts/Shows/Songs/Articles/etc.) that I found interesting or noteworthy from the prior week.
Another week of travel.
I just wrapped up an 8 hour travel day, but now I’m back at home in LA. This will be another short one, but I promise I’ll have more to say soon.
[Blog] Sam Altman - Productivity
This one has been making the rounds in the tech circles, so I figured I’d pass it along as well.
Sam Altman, now famous for founding OpenAI, has been writing blog posts off-and-on for years. His latest post shares some productivity advice, all based on what has worked for him.
He claims the most important factor is making sure you are working on the right thing. Productivity applied in the wrong direction is wasted effort. Find something you enjoy doing that has a large impact, and cut out everything else as much as you can.
Altman is a big fan of writing physical lists to keep track of things, prioritize effectively, and reduce mental clutter. He also discussed some physical factors that impact his productivity, namely sleep, exercise, full spectrum LED light, and nutrition.
My favorite quote from the blog post showed that even the great Sam Altman is also human:
Like most people, I sometimes go through periods of a week or two where I just have no motivation to do anything (I suspect it may have something to do with nutrition). This sucks and always seems to happen at inconvenient times. I have not figured out what to do about it besides wait for the fog to lift, and to trust that eventually it always does.
[Tip] Chase Sapphire Lounge Access
The Chase Sapphire lounges are among some of the best that I’ve visited, and they are expanding to more airports globally. Typically you need the $500+ Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card in order to access these lounges.
I don’t have that credit card anymore, but I was still able to access the Sapphire lounge in the Boston Logan Airport today, thanks to my Priority Pass Select membership. I think I get my Priority Pass access through my Capital One Venture X credit card, but there are many ways to get Priority Pass. But once you have it, you are able to get into one Chase Sapphire lounge per calendar year. There weren’t any other good lounge options in Boston that I had access to, so I had no problem with burning my annual entry on this trip.
It was totally worth it. I had to join some meetings, and the lounge was a much more hospitable environment than the terminal. And the food and drink options were all stellar. Definitely worth checking out a Sapphire lounge if you have a Priority Pass membership.
[YouTube] Charlie Gross - I’m 79 And Want To Dunk Again
This is awesome.
Charlie has taken great care of his body over the years, with regular exercise in the form of weight lifting and house work. Now he is pursuing a new goal of dunking again at the age of 79, decades after he last did so in his 20s.
It’s a sweet story, and it’s highly motivational for all of us trying to get and stay in shape. I’m looking forward to following his journey. He already has a second video out too.
That wraps up this edition of Tom’s Top 3 Tuesdays. If you made it to this point, please drop a 1️⃣, 2️⃣, or 3️⃣ in the comments to let me know what you found most interesting/useful. And as always, please like and consider sharing with a friend who you think would enjoy! I’ll be back next week. ✌️
3 - what a baller