Writing to understand people, companies, and ideas.
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Nov 9 • 11 tweets • 2 min read
How to read anyone’s character instantly.
7 timeless tips:
Evaluating character accurately is one of life's most valuable skills.
It will save you time, money, and heartache.
As the cliché says, "we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with."
Here are 7 timeless ways to understand someone's character quickly:
Oct 26 • 29 tweets • 6 min read
How can some people get so lucky in life?
I think I've figured it out.
A framework for getting luckier:
We often think that luck is about being in the right place at the right time.
But the surest way in life to find luck is much easier.
What follows is the story of how the most powerful woman in startups creates 'luck' out of thin air.
Read on:
Oct 19 • 14 tweets • 3 min read
10 things emotionally intelligent people do to create powerful conversations:
Powerful conversations strike a balance between talking and listening.
Somewhere along the line, we seem to have lost that balance.
Award-winning journalist, conversation expert, and author, Celeste Headlee
has 10 simple rules for bringing our conversations back into balance:
Aug 19 • 12 tweets • 3 min read
10 mental concepts that will probably make you smarter:
Tim Ferriss Discomfort Razor
Your success in life can be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations you're willing to have.
Growth and comfort don't exist in the same room.
Act accordingly.
h/t @tferriss
Aug 18 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
Achieving more in less time requires better mental models.
Here's 7 that school doesn't teach you:
Strategic Underinvestment
Choose in advance what to fail at.
Don't try and do everything.
Nominate entire areas of your life (E.g., chores) where you won't expect excellence of yourself.
Focus your time and energy on only the most important, high-value tasks.
Aug 16 • 12 tweets • 2 min read
10 of the most powerful paradoxes of modern life:
The Resistance Paradox
When we accept resistance, resistance disappears.
When we accept our challenges, we’re able to start solving them.
When we face the fire, the fire can be extinguished.
Our resistance is an opportunity, or an ever-growing thorn in our side.
Aug 15 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
"Razors" are principles that amplify your decisions.
The most powerful razors I've found:
Skinner's Law
If procrastinating on a task, you only have 2 options:
1. Make the pain of not doing it greater than the pain of doing it.
2. Make the pleasure of doing it greater than the pleasure of not doing it.
Remind yourself why you're doing the task.
Aug 14 • 13 tweets • 3 min read
"Procrastination is the thief of time." —Edward Young
Here’s how to beat it:
Everyone procrastinates.
Even those among us who are the most productive.
On one hand, you want to get things done and reach your goals.
On the other, you want to do what feels comfortable.
Procrastination is a battle of impulse versus willpower.
Aug 13 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
5 rules of thumb to help you make better decisions:
Naval's Razor
Figure out how much an hour of your time is worth. Your 'aspirational hourly' rate.
When deciding whether or not to do a task, ask whether it's worth more or less than your rate.
If it's worth less than your rate, outsource it, automate it, or delete it.
Aug 12 • 17 tweets • 3 min read
15 things you should say ‘no’ to for a happier life:
1. Freeloaders
You should say 'no' to those who take and 'yes' to those who give.
Being generous and willing to give is good, but only give to those who will not abuse your kindness.
Aug 11 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
5 rules of thumb to help you make better decisions:
Naval's Razor
Figure out how much an hour of your time is worth. Your 'aspirational hourly' rate.
When deciding whether or not to do a task, ask whether it's worth more or less than your rate.
If it's worth less than your rate, outsource it, automate it, or delete it.
Aug 9 • 9 tweets • 3 min read
If you want to remember more, use these 6 simple techniques:
First, some general principles that underlie the techniques and aid memory:
1) We don't remember all types of information equally (visual and spatial are best)
2) Attach new memories to old memories
3) Make information vivid and exciting
4) Engage as many senses as possible
Aug 7 • 13 tweets • 3 min read
The simple method that 99% of high performers use to manage their time.
Trust in Calendar:
Do you keep a to-do list?
Most people do, at least mentally.
To-do lists are great for small tasks like:
• Paying bills
• Sending emails
• Errands
• Reminders and,
• Chores
But is your to-do list helping you maximize your time?
Probably not in the way you think.
Aug 6 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
If you want to learn quicker, here is a powerful learning framework:
1/ Learning Selection
Have you ever started learning something only to stop a few days or weeks later?
This can happen for lots of reasons, but often it's bad learning selection.
Selecting what you learn and when you learn it is crucial to maintaining motivation to finish it.
Aug 2 • 12 tweets • 3 min read
Most companies suck at setting goals.
But Google, Amazon, and Microsoft figured it out ages ago.
Here’s their simple but powerful goal-setting framework (that you can use personally too):
In 1983, Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) were introduced to the world by Andy Grove—former CEO of Intel.
But, it was only in 1999 when John Doerr—who worked for Andy Grove—introduced the framework to Larry Page and Sergey Brin (Founders of Google) that it really took off.
Jul 30 • 10 tweets • 3 min read
How to become a skilled listener.
The Samaritans Framework:
Effective listening is one of the most powerful accelerators for your career and personal relationships.
The Samaritans Framework was developed for high-stakes conversations—Helplines—but can be applied to any conversation.
Here's what it is and how to apply it:
Jul 27 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
The most important rule nobody taught you.
The 5-Second Rule:
Mel Robbins gave a Ted talk about her "5-Second Rule" in 2013.
It soon went viral, selling more than 2 million copies.
Here's what the rule is and how it can transform your productivity and decision-making:
Jul 26 • 13 tweets • 2 min read
"A person's success in life can be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have.” — Tim Ferriss
How to master difficult conversations:
Difficult conversations are a necessary evil.
You might engage in difficult conversations at work, at home, or with friends.
Conversations about feedback, touchy information, or those concerning information the other person might find disappointing can be daunting.
Jul 25 • 12 tweets • 2 min read
5,000 TED Talks.
But only a handful will leave you smarter.
Here are 10 TED Talks that will accelerate your learning:
What Makes A Good Life? Lessons From The Longest Study On Happiness
By Robert Waldinger (@robertwaldinger)
Robert shares 3 important lessons from the longest study ever completed on happiness that might just surprise you.
Jul 23 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
THREAD: 5 of the most useful razors I've found.
Rules of thumb that simplify decisions.
Bezos' Who to Work With
If unsure who to work with, pick the person (or people) that would have the best chances of breaking you out of a 3rd world prison.
People who could do this might be described as 'relentlessly resourceful.'
Two dangerously good traits.
H/T - @paulg
Jul 22 • 12 tweets • 3 min read
How to be direct without being rude.
The Radical Candor Framework:
When we join the workforce, we’re told to be professional.
For many, the word professional translates to stoic.
We wrongly leave our empathy, identity, and kindness at home.
To have human relationships in the workplace, we can’t be robots.
