Thread by @position_trader

A thread on my highlights and notes from "The Art of The Good Life" by Rolf Dobelli. It is a well written book with plenty of anecdotes. Parts of it will make you question some common long held beliefs. Definitely worth a read. (1/n)

1. Avoid stupidity. Concentrate on avoiding the downside rather than getting the upside.

2. The best way to solve problems is to avoid them in the first place.

3. Don’t listen too much to your inner self. Most of the times, it is as confused as you are. (2/n)

4. Constant correction - The more complicated the world becomes, the less important your starting point is. Stop sticking to the plan and instead make constant path correction.

5. Learn how to say no. Most of the time. (3/n)

6. Avoid conunterproductivity - Things that give the illusion of being productive but on the whole, end up taking too much of your time. eg. - email.

7. Buy less, experience more.

8. Fuck-you money is freedom.

9. Stick to your circle of competence. And keep at it. (4/n)

10. Avoid decision fatigue. When there are too many decisions to make, the brain will go for the most convenient one rather than the right one.

11. Everything you have is in large path to winning the ovarian lottery. Be grateful. (5/n)

12. Focusing illusion - “Nothing in life is as important as you think it is while you are thinking about it.” Avoid it. Look at the larger picture.

13. “Do what you can, not what you wish you could.” Don’t take your job or yourself too seriously. (6/n)

14. Judge yourself by your inner scorecard. Don’t let the outer scorecard judge you.

15. Avoid situations where you have to change other people. You can’t.

16. Goals are important. But be sure to set realistic and achievable goals. (7/n)

17. Plan for the future but be sure to live in the present.

18. Enjoy the sunset instead of photographing it.

19. Avoid self-pity like the plague. No point in being unhappy in the present just because you were unhappy in the past. (8/n)

20. Don’t avoid thinking of your worries. Think about them hard. And get it over with.

21. Go to the worst-case scenario. Things are seldom as bad as you imagine them to be.

22. Accept fate. And the fact that it can all be taken away from you. Enjoy it while it lasts. (9/n)

23. You don’t need to have an opinion on each and everything. Opinionlessness is not stupidity, it is an asset.

24. Avoid envy. There is always going to be someone better than you in all respects. Accept it.

25. Restrict your news consumption. (10/n)

26. Social irresponsibility: You are not responsible for the state of the world. And there is nothing you can do about it.

27. Donating money is better than donating your time. There are better people than you out there who are working on the problem. (11/n)

26. Avoid ALL ideologies. They grossly simplify things, are wrong and take away your power to think and choose.

27. “The quicker you understand that you don’t understand the world, the better you will understand the world.” (11/n)

28. Mental subtraction: Instead of thinking all things you would like to have, think about how you would be if you didn’t have the things you already have.

29. Don’t just think. Act. Introspection works only till a certain point. (12/n)

30. Don’t idolize “great” men. They were mostly a product of the environment. And you are also not going to become great. Accept it.

31. The world is not just. There is going to be unhappiness and misfortune. Most of it undeserved. Accept it and live with it. (13/n)

32. Make friends with outsiders. They have the capacity to bring about radical changes. But don’t be an outsider yourself. There is too big a price to pay.

33. The lesser you expect, the happier you will be.

That's it! All in all, a book worth reading. (14/14)