BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU CUT OUT!
A weekly dose of motivation, inspiration and education.
Ahoy Sailors!
It’s Jedrek! What’s the best investment in 2025? Like always, it’s yourself. But be careful—some knowledge you learn today might feel like a waste of time. Why does education sometimes seem useless?
Roger Scruton once said education is like friendship. Both give you help, comfort, and success. But if you chase them only for their benefits, you lose capacity for them.
Maybe that’s what happened to education. We started using it like a tool. It doesn’t guide us anymore. Now, we focus on skills. Skills are turned into simple knowledge. Knowledge is packed into quick courses. Courses are made short and efficient. Everything “non-essential” is removed.
But “non-essential” doesn’t mean useless—not in education or in life.
Read Maciek’s brilliant text below to understand what I mean. Agata shares a great piece on wasting time. Ela takes us on a walk around Warsaw. Ania M. tells an anecdote and shares a phrase she thought of when she woke up. Ania W excuses watching TV. Finally, Mateusz gives us another song of the week, keeping our Spotify playlist fresh and exciting!
Let’s row!
IS THIS A WASTE OF TIME?
By Maciek Skulski
I love doing nothing — as long as it feels good. Sitting with my wife, watching random movies, talking nonsense — that’s my kind of perfect. Or going for walks with no goal — I end up tired, sweaty, hungry… and happy.
But scrolling? Nah. TikTok, Insta, YT Shorts, Facebook — the holy trinity of time traps. One “just a peek” turns into 20 minutes of cat videos and dancing salads. As soon as I realize what I’m doing — I escape. Fast. That kind of waste? No thanks.
TV though? Totally different. Movies help me relax, laugh, think. Watching them together? Even better. It’s not about “doing something useful” — it’s about being present. And having snacks.
Now — I said I love doing nothing, but… there’s another side to that coin. I’ve got this ongoing joke with my friend Wojtek. You know when someone talks for half an hour — and says absolutely nothing? We call it “talking about nothing”. Zero value. Words, words, more words — no meaning😅
We hear it all the time — from politicians, corporate big shots, managers in suits. Wojtek and I even keep a personal leaderboard of “nothing talkers.” We send each other iMessages with YouTube links and notes like “legendary performance — true master of empty talk” 😂
And here’s the thing — to us, that is a waste of time. Listening to someone fill the air just to sound important, without giving anything back — that’s the worst. No joy, no insight, no connection.
Time’s too short for empty noise.
Shout-out to you, Wojtuś:)
THE BEST OF ToL:
Thinking Out Loud 613: Redefining Education and The Good Life
This week, I want to revisit our second-anniversary episode, where we discuss globalization in education. Can superstar teachers, sports coaches, and doctors replace their local counterparts? Quite apart from that, we also explore the concept of the good life as a cornerstone of quality education.
Spotify:
Apple:
THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE?
By Agata Kasperczak
WASTE OF TIME
Lately, I listened to an audiobook about one of our famous Polish actors and poets, Jan Himilsbach. He was a simple man, a heavy drinker—actually, and he often swore.
Here’s an anecdote about him: One day, he was sleeping somewhere in a park. Two women passed by, a grandmother and her granddaughter. The granddaughter approached the man lying on the ground, but the grandmother scolded her:
'Leave him alone, he's just a bum. Haven’t you ever seen a drunk before?'
The granddaughter replied,
'But Grandma, this is Jan Himilsbach, a famous Polish actor and writer!'
Janek opened his eye and croaked,
'So what? Do you feel stupid now, you old fool?'
I can imagine the grandmother then lecturing her granddaughter, saying something like: 'Study, study, or you'll end up on the pavement like him.'
I often heard sentences like that, so I studied. First, I completed one degree, but it wasn’t enough to get a well-paid job, so I decided to study another to be more qualified. Before I could find a good job, I became pregnant. After having a baby, I started another course and then another because I thought the previous ones were no longer relevant.
Meanwhile, I learned languages. I reached level B1 in Russian, but since I didn’t have the opportunity to speak or use the language, I stopped learning it and started Spanish instead. However, I also lost motivation for Spanish at the B1 level because I didn’t see the point of learning it just for pleasure. And of course, when you don’t use a language, you forget almost everything you learned. My German is at C2, and I keep improving my English. My job motivated me to get better at English. But… I lost my favorite job, the one I loved, and I can’t find another.
On Sunday, I replaced someone as a pizza delivery driver. On Thursday, I will learn how to make pizza so I can fill in as a cook for a few days a month. These are not well-paid jobs. No degree is needed. And learning languages? Not necessary at all.
Now I ask myself: was it all worth it? Wasn’t it just a waste of time?
I’ll end with another anecdote from Himilsbach’s life:
Jan Himilsbach once received an offer to act in a foreign film—on the condition that he learn English. He refused, saying,
'I’ll learn English, then they’ll cancel the film, and what? I’ll be stuck with this English for nothing.'"
I WOKE UP WITH THIS WORD…
By Anna Malczewska
THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
By Jedrek Stepien
What it the difference between manipulation and persuasion?
To be honest, it wasn’t my question. My student Jola (you might remember her from winter cold-swimming) asked me about the difference. I thought this was a great question because the two things are very similar!
Everyone enjoyed answering it, but Aga, who works as a marketing director, gave the best answer! She said manipulation uses fear (or other strong emotions) to trick us. Persuasion, however, like most ads, uses positive messages.
Finding such fine lines between concepts is what our conversation classes are all about. You can join by visiting our website below:
IS WATCHING TV A WASTE OF TIME?
by Anna Wojdas
Is watching TV a waste of time?
Maybe, but if we watch programs in their original language (possibly with subtitles), we can combine watching TV with learning, and then it’s definitely not a waste of time 🙂
ELA’S SUNDAY STROLL:
By Ela Podsiadła
As we continue our journey in search of Warsaw’s green spaces, it's impossible to overlook Królikarnia Park, located in the Mokotów district.
This is a place where nature harmoniously blends with art. Among the trees, you can admire numerous sculptures that create the park’s unique atmosphere.
At the very heart of Królikarnia lies a spacious meadow with deck chairs, offering a picturesque view of the neoclassical palace. It's a perfect spot to relax on a sunny day.
Królikarnia is especially worth visiting in spring and summer — during the colder months, some of the exhibits are not available.
For me, it's the ideal place to spend a Sunday afternoon with a good book.
WHAT ELSE TO DO IN ENGLISH?
PODCAST: Ethan Mollick: AI Urgency, Leadership Responsibility, and Why Companies Must Act Now
In Good Company
Ethan Mollick is everybody’s favorite professor these days. He’s an expert on AI, and it’s always good to tap into his immense knowledge on the subject. In this interview with Nicolai Tangen he says (among other things of course) that companies that replace humans with AI are ultimately going to lose (good news!) only the companies that use both humans and AI will win. A very interesting conversation!
Spotify:
Apple:
PODCAST: Pavel Durov Speaks Out for the First Time Since His Politically-Motivated Arrest in France
Tucker Carlson
Some people see Tucker Carlson as a star of independent journalism, while others think he’s not the sharpest tool in the box. Either way, he often shows up at the right time and place. This time, he’s talking with Pavel Durov, the creator of the Telegram app, about his life. It’s also interesting that Durov, a big name in the tech world, doesn’t use a smartphone ;)
Spotify:
Apple:
THE SONG OF THE WEEK
By Mateusz Borowik
STEREOLAB - Aerial Troubles
Our music corner is a chance to talk about bands that were most popular in the past. Today, we’re looking at another band making a comeback with new music, this time after more than 15 years. You might know Stereolab from the 1990s, with their analog synthesizers and hypnotic rhythms inspired by krautrock. But their return isn’t just about reliving the past—it’s a comment on today’s world. The best proof is their song “Aerial Troubles,” a pulsing, dark, and meditative statement. The song can be seen as a critique of the Western, capitalist way of life, which leads to spiritual emptiness, consumerism, and a crisis of meaning. It’s incredibly captivating and impossible to ignore. The flowing rhythm pulls you in, with a pulsing bass and a dense, trance-like atmosphere. On top of that, there’s a fantastic video (directed by Laurent Askienazy) in a retro-futuristic style. You have to check it out!
ABOUT WASTING TIME…
by Anna Malczewska
Ania decided to finally start learning English. She opened the app, hit play on the first lesson… and suddenly remembered she absolutely needed tea first. Then she picked the perfect mug. Then the perfect playlist. Then it was 10:30 PM.
But hey — the mug was really nice.
MY FRANCE
By Jedrek Stepien
Our friends, a Polish-Irish couple, throw the best garden parties ever! There are attractions for people age 1 to 99, and every year, they add a new surprise, like this year’s foam party!
Sadly, I missed it this year because I was busy fixing up our house, but I’m pasting some pics from our group on WhatsApp 🙃
AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT…
Dear reader!
On behalf of all our writers, thank you for reading our newsletter!
I love this project and can’t imagine a Sunday without it, can you? 🙂
NEXT WEEK:
Next Sunday (June 22th), we’re going to talk about HOME.
Where is you home? Where do you feel at home? Is it a physical space? A language maybe? Or are you a free spirit who feels at home while traveling?
Please send me your thoughts, pics, ideas, and stories about HOME at tolpodcast@hotmail.com!
See you next week!