...Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress. A handful of problems arise when you spend too much time thinking about your goals and not enough time designing your systems...
...is suddenly changing your mind really a mark of insight? Major revelations make for memorable stories, but our research shows they rarely represent how the best analytic minds revise their beliefs. Rather than doing a 180, those who excel at making accurate predictions tend to change their beliefs gradually. They revise their predictions to reflect new information, but they do so slowly, comparing it with the information they had before...
...When jotting down the questions for your interview panel, focus on your deal breakers: What would make you walk away?...
...Because talent is the most valuable part of a startup and also the greatest cost (recruiting and salaries), investing in the infrastructure to attract and retain talent is good business...
...A luxury good is one where the price paid is much higher than the apparent utility it offers. We pay extra precisely because it’s not a good value. The utility lies in how we and our peers think about it. The scarcity and bling of a luxury good are used to increase our status (in our own eyes and those in our cohort)...
...It's hard to accept that stuff we treasure is not valuable to others. Not everyone sees the same potential, or the same uselessness, in an item...
...When we buy something, it gives us a temporary boost — a bit of excitement, anticipation, some hope that it will give us something in our lives that feels missing. Maybe we hope the new purchase will help us to feel cool, sexy, lovable, adventurous, fit, peaceful, connected, or find a sense of belonging...
...The math here is compelling indeed: 1,000 would-be authors pitch books but only 30 get published. Each book takes a year to write but just six hours to read. And you didn’t read all thirty of them, just the one that had the best reviews… 10,000 hours of work by authors and editors to deliver six hours to you...
...Here are six things you should negotiate every time you sign a new lease...
...Not recognizing survivorship bias can lead to faulty decision making. We don’t see the big picture and end up optimizing for a small slice of reality. We can’t completely overcome survivorship bias. The best we can do is acknowledge it, and when the stakes are high or the result important, stop and look for the stories of those who were unsuccessful...
...Instead, we have the opportunity to do work that is unexpected, generous and original. It won’t be perfect, it won’t be the cheapest, but it will matter...
...When I have too many tasks in the “next” column, I use the Eisenhower matrix to make sure my focus is on important tasks. This allows me to discard anything that’s not important and not urgent...
...A great meeting has three key elements: the desired outcome of the meeting is clear ahead of time; the various options are clear, ideally ahead of time; and the roles of the participants are clear at the time...
...Know that it’s the Geniuses who innovate, but it’s the Butterflies who spread that innovation around. Both components are required for successfully implementing new, brilliant ideas...
...Change comes about when the story the other person tells themselves begins to change. If all you do is make a point, you’ve handed them a story about yourself. When you make a change, you’ve helped them embrace a new story about themselves...
...You only have so many hours in a week, so make sure you're using them for the things that matter most right now...
...The capacity to tolerate minor discomfort is a superpower...
...Use routines (and speed) to reduce cognitive load...Run High Leverage Meetings...Delegate & Say No...Constantly Recalibrate Your Focus...Adjust Time Management Techniques As You Scale...Prioritize Your Own Health & Learning...Communication Habits Are The Key...
...1% past-focused...9% future-focused...90% present-focused...
...Whether or not we commit to movement, the world never stays precisely as it was. Insisting that it does is simply a waste of time and a source of frustration...
