Skill is (almost) a linear function of time spent.
Want to get better at something ? Just do it more. Learning about it can increase the factor, but it won’t actually increase skill directly.
« C’est en forgeant qu’on devient forgeron »
( It is by smithing that one becomes a smith. French proverb )
Three slow deep breaths when you are stressed. Didn’t work? Another three deep breaths then. Rinse and repeat.
If it takes only two minutes, do it right away.
Crunch the numbers. Many topics can be expressed via numerical values and the results can be quite surprising.
Before committing to doing a thing you’re conflicted about, brainstorm about it twice. Once when sober. And once when not. If it seems like a good idea in both states, it will typically lead to having no regrets on the matter even if it doesn’t work out like you hoped.
I’ll be on the lookout for a way to implement it
Always invert. When you’re thinking about any problem, try to figure out how you can make it worse, then make really sure you avoid doing that.
Want to be happy? Find out what makes you sad and if you can avoid it.
Want to lose weight, how do people who try to gain weight go about it?
Want to convince someone of something? How do you go about making sure they will dig their heels in?
Need to carry a couch up a flight of stairs? How do you break you back and pinch your fingers?
I guess this is the model that governments are using these days to try to figure out how to save democracy
Figure out first how to destroy it … then you can know how to save it
But I think they’re going a little overboard in the first half of that process
You get better at something by learning and practising. Sounds so dumb and simplistic and obvious, but it amazes me how difficult people find it to truly accept and internalise this.
Shit at cooking? You can improve.
Shit at talking? You can improve.
Shit as a friend/spouse/parent? You can improve.
Shit at reining in your emotions? You can improve.
You could literally practice to be a funnier person if you wanted.
I guess this is now popularised as “growth mindset”.
Learning the growth mindset in my early 20s drastically changed my life for the better.
If it’s worth doing, it’s worth half-assing. Don’t get caught in the details of trying to do something perfectly if it would benefit you more to do it at all.
I like this summarized as “don’t let perfect be the enemy of good enough.”
95% is sometimes better than 100%.
Mnemonics. Crazy powerful memory tool, stupid easy to use. Take a couple of seconds to imagine wild, surreal images around whatever you wish to remember. You’ll remember that thing forever. Crazier the images, better. Often, you won’t even remember that you used mnemonics in the first place, you simply remember.
Say you meet a guy named Mike. Imagine Mike choking down a giant microphone. Scott? Imagine him with a Scotty dog head. Funny enough, it works backwards. “Hi! I’m Scott. Just imagine a Scotty dog head every time you see me!”
Say you want to remember to bring a thing with you when you leave the house. Imagine that thing pouring out of your front door in a flood, tripping and stumbling over all those goddamned water bottles or whatever. You might not even remember firing off the mnemonic, but you’ll remember the water bottle!
I learned about this reading a book 30-years ago. It promised you could easily recall all 50 American states, in alphabetical order, within 20-30 minutes, or less if you’re practiced.
Alabama: Grinning, toothless redneck hammering his sister who’s stuck in a washing machine.
Alaska: Imagine that redneck piloting a monstrous baked Alaska with laser beams, poised to destroy the capitol.
Arizona: Now that floating baked Alaska has turned into a dried out husk in a dry desert valley.
You get the idea. Chain ludicrous images together. All you need is the first link. Same principle as a memory palace.
Kinda dumb but there’s a proverb that’s something like when you’re trying to fix things, focus on getting yourself to a good state first. When that’s done, then help your family. After that, your community.
Its easy to get overwhelmed with everything going on as it is, but sometimes a few basic steps of just doing what you can at the smaller levels makes a big difference.
A smart man always knows what to say, a wise man knows when not to say it.
It’s the life equivalent of typing out a comment only to then delete it and move on.
Just because you know something, or know a better way, doesn’t mean you have to tell everyone. That mental exercise plays into my other tool: Let them.
Let them be wrong, let them fill the silence they created, let them get bent out of shape, and let them try to figure it out. Sometimes, they’ll get to where you already are; other times, they’ll figure out an approach you didn’t even consider, or you’ll realize that you were the one who was wrong the whole time. Let people be people. Listen, look, learn, and then, when you’re ready, when it’s needed, lead.
Oh, and don’t give people answers to questions they didn’t ask. They’re less likely to listen to you. When they’re ready for the answer, they’ll ask.
It was tough not to delete this comment, but I’ll let the paradox stand as is.
Appreciate this one, thanks for not deleting
Every day, without fail, I think of three things for which I am grateful. A reminder fires on all my devices. I don’t dismiss it until I’ve completed the task, whether that’s early in the day or not until the evening. Keeps my outlook healthy cause I’m a pretty cynical person.
What were todays?
Contradict yourself Think of something and take it apart by attacking every aspect of it Not only helps with solidifying, but also on another level to actually take criticism and use it as an improvement of yourself and your point
It also Sometimes results in a change of view
Careful with this one. When you have ADHD, it can lead to talking yourself out of almost everything 😂
Well Its kind of a Hobby at this point
80/20 Pareto principle I tend to think of quite a bit.
Approx. 80% of effects come from 20% of causes. That helps to focus/prioritize. So many times we get lost in details, or the thing that just came up, or the thing that one person is shouting loudest about. However, it’s important to focus on the things that have the biggest impact first, and then go down the list as needed.
