The Inner Game of Tennis · Timothy Gallwey book

• optimal learning environment allows for practice, experimentation, and failure
• eliminate fear of mistakes, not mistakes themselves

The MVP Machine · Ben Lindbergh & Travis Sawchik book

• optimal skill acquisition happens in a constantly changing environment, with different implements, and through different activities (differential training)

how to understand things · Nabeel Qureshi post

• hardware traits are innate
• software traits can be learned
• what we think of as 'intelligence' is some combination of hardware and software traits
• internalizing good intellectual habits can, in effect, increase intelligence
  • constantly assess and look to deepen understanding
  • visuals help to clarify and reinforce abstract concepts
  • slower can be better (especially with reading and thinking)
  • nothing beats direct experience, headlines and summaries are always worse than an original synthesis of an idea

why books don't work · Andy Matuschak post

• like books, lectures often provide the illusion of learning but don't actually teach us much
• to understand something, you must actively engage with it
• with reading, writing about the material is one way to process and retain that information

invention on-demand · Cameron Porter podcast

• need feedback in a learning environment to guide focus
• cultures where it feels like you’re constantly being judged are very difficult to learn in
• ideally have time dedicated to practice, like the off-season for professional athletes

tweet · Josh Wolfe

• avoid wellness hacks, focus on two big things: how and with whom you spend your days
• 1. a fulfilling job
• 2. loving relationships

keys to peak performance · Brad Stulberg article

• peak performance is expressing your fullest potential in a sustainable manner
• "peak performance is actually a continuous practice... it is the dedicated, daily exercise of commitment, will, and focused intention"
• community and a sense of purpose sustain efforts
• long-term progress isn't about heroic efforts, but smart pacing

striving vs. self-acceptance · Brené Brown podcast

• it's a misconception that greatness is driven by discontent or some hole in self-worth
• internal motivation is more powerful than the drive to prove yourself to others
• can you set goals and hustle, but also be present?
  • striving for excellence vs. perfectionism
  • perfectionism is defined by what other people think, also tends to be very future-focused

a conversation not about fitness · Michael Blevins podcast

• at its best, fitness is about becoming more attuned to your psychology and physicality
• fitness makes us more sensitive to reality and helps us to be more present
  • at high intensities, it demands our attention
• suffering allows us to appreciate the good, shouldn't strive for a life devoid of hardship

mental wealth · James Beshara post

• "when it comes to mental health, our society approaches it like we did with physical health 50 years ago. We only think about it when something is wrong"
• should think about continuously, consciously investing in our mental health
  • investing instead of fixing — fixing implies that something is broken
• address the underlying issues causing symptoms, not just addressing symptoms
• sleep, meditate, journal, use to-do lists

remote happiness · Matt Mochary doc

• mental balance is a function of 4 things:
• 1) connection to nature → get outside
• 2) connection to tribe → in-person > digital connection
• 3) blood flow → exercise
• 4) uninterrupted workspace → headphones and muted notifications

Don't Make Me Think · Steve Krug book

• if something requires or even just looks like it requires a large investment of time, it's less likely to be used
• 'usable' means a person of average ability and experience can figure it out relatively easily
• a web page must be self-explanatory, shouldn't have to think to understand and use
  • should always be obvious if something is clickable
  • break up pages into clearly-defined areas
• cognitive load distracts from the task at hand, we only enjoy puzzles in their place
• with so much competition for users' attention, they'll leave if it's at all confusing
• we skim most web pages
• we don't usually choose the best option, simply the first reasonable one
  • 'satisficing' means aiming for an adequate result, not the optimal one
• it doesn't matter how many clicks are required so long as it's mindless and obvious
• clear, simple, and consistent navigation
  • 'affordances' are visual aspects of an object's design that hint at how to use it
• don't focus how to make people think something is desirable, focus on how to produce something that is actually more desirable

The Design of Everyday Things · Don Norman book

• the hard part of design is in handling when things do not go as planned
• human + machine are more powerful than human or machine alone
• two most important characteristics of design
  • 1. discoverability - is it possible to even figure out what actions are possible?
  • 2. understanding - what does it all mean? how is the product supposed to be used?
• design must take place at all three levels of processing
  • visceral - fight or flight, fast and sub-conscious, immediate perception
  • behavioral - patterns, learned skills, actions associated with expectations
  • reflective - conscious, deep understanding, slow (most important because this is ultimately what we remember)
• competition-driven design causes products to grow more similar, companies should look to highlight their strengths instead
• sometimes intentionally add friction (ex. for safety and privacy concerns)
• Western cultures value capitalism, so our design often involves attractive exterior features

the value of inconvenient design · Jesse Weaver post

• we're obsessed with removing friction but there's a bell curve of friction vs. value
• both too much and too little friction can destroy value
• IKEA effect - "labor leads to love only when labor results in successful completion of the task"
• believes the 2010s brought tons of innovation in consumer convenience which didn't actually improve our lives in any meaningful way
• easier doesn't always mean happier and more fulfilling

check your pulse #53 · Sari Azout post

• when something is easy, people will do more of it
• therefore, we should reflect on what it is we're making easy
• we've gone from simple tech with complicated UX to complicated tech with simple UX
• growth of domain-specific software reinforces the notion that we're fine with using many different, narrowly effective tools

personal constitution · Will Minshew post

• who we are and what we produce is heavily influenced by what we think
• what we think is heavily influenced by what we consume
• the inputs we consume are heavily influenced by our previous outputs
• thus, the effect of repeated inputs in your life compound over time
• we are not our thoughts but we eventually become them... and our thoughts are heavily influenced by our environment
• thoughtfully cultivate physical & digital environments

does language shape what we think? · Joshua Hartshorne article

• words often serve as mnemonics: more easily accessible references to what they describe
• broader vocabulary ≠ greater cognitive ability, though it can enable us to convey / capture more nuance and as a consequence, recall more effectively

you and your mind garden · Anne-Laure Le Cunff post

• a diverse information diet is more important than a perfect information diet
• take notes in your own words, you'll retain info better
• notes ←→ digital garden ←→ essays
• consume information that will enhance your productivity and creativity
• input should increase output

a commencement address · David Brooks article

• theory of maximum taste - each person's mind is defined by its upper limit, the best that it habitually consumes and is capable of consuming
• "To the extent that you cannot perceive the world in its fullness, to the same extent you will fall back into mindless, repetitive, self-reinforcing behavior, unable to escape"

news in the age of abundance · David Perell post

• "In the 1970s, the average American saw roughly 500 ads per day. Today, that number has spiked to 5,000 advertisements per day — roughly one advertisement every 17 seconds for all of waking life"
• paradox of abundance — information overload and competition are creating worse quality (ex. clickbaity headlines)
• both newspapers and TV display the paradox of abundance: average piece of content keeps getting worse and the best keeps getting better
• 24 hours news coverage means the void is filled with non-news, negativity, false urgency

tweet · Devon Zuegel

• value of Twitter is that it enables us to, figuratively, 'leave the door open'
• provides clues as to what is interesting and might be worth working on
• luck favors the prepared mind
  • "The particular thing you do is luck, but that you do something is not"
  • "The prepared mind sooner or later finds something important and does it"

the silence is deafening · Devon Zuegel post

• silence is the default on social media, participants only get feedback from those who jump in
• participants are often those who care most, which results in more polarized dialogue
• onlookers with more mainstream, less partisan views don't care enough to engage
• impossible to know whether the majority of onlookers agree or disagree because we can't perceive silence on social media like we can in-person
• we end up with hyperbolized perceptions of reality because we only see the most partisan takes on social — we don't see what onlookers would've said

what Nadia Eghbal thinks · Nadia Eghbal podcast

• we expect technology to make us better but it largely just reveals and amplifies who we are
• subscription vs. ad-supported business models tend to drive different types of content
• paying for the content vs. paying to be a part of that creator’s space

internet crowds and personal space · Alex Danco post

• the internet brings out the status-seeking narcissist and angry mob in us
• see both of these themes with social media giants like Twitter and Instagram
  • their products are mature and successful, but in ways that feel harmful to users
• a lot of what we do every day is wrapped up in establishing and defending personal space
• only place we don't care is in a large crowd. The safety of a crowd, physical or digital, allows us to cast off our personal identity

the opposite of addiction · Tristan Harris & Aza Raskin podcast

• the more you're driven by external motivation, the more likely you are to become depressed and anxious
• social media is constantly nudging us towards external motivations
• the opposite of addiction is connection, not sobriety
• addiction is hugely influenced by the environment in which it manifests / exists
• a lot of our digital environments are constructed to extract as much of our attention (screen time, clicks, etc.) as possible
• an ad-driven business model tends to incentivize this
• much more difficult to monetize and quantify the enhancement of users' actual well-being

defining information · Ben Thompson post

• the utility of social media as a news source is inversely correlated to how many people are interested in a given topic
• social is best for learning about niche subjects

useful laws of the land · Morgan Housel post

• Bedford's Law of Controversy - passion is inversely proportional to the amount of real information available

starting a company · Ann-Miura Ko podcast

• different is more memorable than slightly faster or cheaper
• how you stick out is the reason for your existence as a startup
• Justin Kan - startups don't compete against each other, they compete against irrelevance and lack of interest

funding the future · Alex Danco podcast

• US is the best in the world at entrepreneurship, but it's dangerous to fixate on starting and scaling startups in the same way
• VC had developed a core competency in developing these fast-growing businesses which compels more founders to approach their business in this way
• while this approach has netted a small number of hugely successful companies, it might come at the expense of diversity in types of companies
• raising debt is more founder-friendly, allows for more exit options
• venture-funded companies actually make up a small percentage of all businesses, it just feels like more because they're better marketed / more mainstram
• SF scoffs at MBAs but that's because MBAs are geared towards the majority of businesses... and the majority of businesses are very different from venture-backed startups

we don't sell saddles here · Stewart Butterfield post

• build something useful and ensure people know it's useful
  • do a better and better job of providing what people want, whether they know it or not)
  • communicate the above more and more effectively, so that they know they want it)
• the real measure of innovation is change in human behavior
• imagine who you want your customers to become

why greatness can't be planned · Cameron Porter podcast

• a good startup idea is one that an intelligent individual is willing to commit to
• part of this is constructing a compelling narrative that will attract others

when tailwinds vanish · John Luttig post

• the low-hanging software fruit has already been picked, startups will have to differentiate through sales, marketing, and operations with the increased competition
  • revenue is much more zero-sum, increasingly need to steal share from other players
• a greater focus on areas with higher operational and go-to-market complexity will lead to more expensive customer acquisition and more predictable growth
  • this means software that measures and unlocks growth will become more desirable
• VCs should take risks on vision, not numbers
• believes in founders with 1) experience in growing online businesses or 2) pre-existing distribution advantages / large audiences

why walking helps us think · Ferris Jabr article

• connection between walking, thinking, and writing
• the way we move our body alters the nature of our thoughts
• "When we go for a walk, the heart pumps faster, circulating more blood and oxygen not just to the muscles but to all the organs—including the brain"
• our mental state while walking — soft focus with attention free to wander — is conducive to creativity
• location matters too - green spaces rejuvenate the mental resources that man-made environments deplete

divergent thinking · Anne-Laure Le Cunff post

• 'convergent thinking' - looking for useful facts that may guide us
• for more complex problems, divergent thinking can be useful
• divergent thinking is based on imagination, linked to playfulness and creativity

how to maximize creativity · David Perell post

• our subconscious mind is much more creative
• can use music to drive inspiration
• pair different types of consumption: social media and books
• action stimulates inspiration

The War of Art · Steven Pressfield book

• create for yourself, not for audiences
• starting is much harder than the actual process
• approach your work like a professional
  • show up every day, with intent
  • commit long-term and aim to master the craft
  • also recognize that work ≠ identity

education by the numbers · Dani Grant post

• sentiment for US education is pessimistic
  • public school teachers have an NPS score of -17
  • 55% of Americans think K-12 education is on the wrong track
• increasing support for homeschooling and charter schools
• more companies are willing to consider applicants without a college degree
• GitHub solved credentialing for developers, can any other organization or sector do the same for higher ed?

a deep dive on education · Dani Grant podcast

• US spends about $9,000 per public school student per year
• in a way, school is government-sponsored daycare
• we're training students to do jobs where they’re following instructions but those have been and will be the first jobs to be automated
• a lot of 'novel' concepts like homeschooling and apprenticeships are actually very old

why we swing for the fences · Bill & Melinda Gates post

• most of the foundation's US work is focused on education
• unlike with global health, they're not yet seeing the impact of their efforts
• also unlike health, there's no consensus on what works and what doesn't
• think they need clear, consistent results and better support for students/teachers
• because solutions aren't scalable, focus has shifted to local efforts with networks of schools

why books don't work · Andy Matsuchak post

• like books, lectures can be entertaining and provide the illusion of learning, but don't actually teach us much
• to understand something, you must actively engage with it
• we need more interactive discussion and projects in K-12
• with reading, writing about the material is one way to process and retain that information

on ISAs · Daniel Pianko & Andy Hall podcast

• there's a chasm between education and employment
• ISAs reduce education friction and serve as an insurance policy for one of the biggest investments we'll ever make
• ISAs are also a way to for schools to demonstrate value to incoming students
• instead of relying on philanthropy and using scholarships, ISA payments could finance future students
• Milton Friedman - where you have disparate outcomes, you should try funding with equity
• ideally we could tie funding to actual economic results

the upskilling marketplace · Alberto Arenaza post

• technology is being developed faster which also increases the rate at which workers must upskill
• believes there's a need for a B2B marketplace
  • large companies would connect to upskilling programs that enable employees to grow into new responsibilities and roles
  • these companies would save money in the long-run if they pay to develop and retain talent
• plenty of non-technical upskilling opportunities: manufacturing, health care, food service, etc.

cities as a superpower · Devon Zuegel podcast

• most people think of writing as a way to communicate personal thoughts to others
• more importantly, it also expands working (short-term) and long-term memory
• studies have shown that working memory is highly correlated with IQ
• computers hold more memory, so our brains can focus on higher order tasks (offload an idea)
• externalizing something clarifies your thinking

advice on writing · Devon Zuegel post

• the art of writing is mostly unblocking yourself
• focus on pulling ideas out of your head
• write fast and just get thoughts out, ignore typos
• record rambling thoughts while walking

how to write & what to write about · Ava Huang post

• "To make better things, to write better words: that’s something that no object can give you, no person or experience"
• "Life is a two-part excavation: of the undiscovered outer world, and the unexamined within"

video · Alex Danco

• most important habit you can develop is shipping something on a regular basis
• like working out, writing is a lot easier with some initial momentum
• never start with a blank page, give yourself an anchor
• write the intro last, start with the most boring / procedural piece to pick up steam
  • this boring part may end up being the most important
• when researching something new, make sure it has a tie to something you already know well
• to write in a compelling way, create sides and take one (hero vs villain > true vs false)

how to write usefully · Paul Graham post

• tell people something important, that some of them don't already know
• aim for novel, important, and correct
• write as simply as you can

writing well · Julian Shapiro post

• most of writing is thinking clearly, writing improves critical thinking ability
• first draft is just for idea generation: brainstorm and connect some dots
• continuously make your next point what interests you most
• rewrite for clarity and brevity