...If you can’t let go of the chase and shake off the helplessness and cynicism it eventually generates, then you’re stuck. If you’re not willing to question that, then it is hard to dislodge the thinking that got you stuck...
...Tiny, nearly imperceptible changes can make a huge difference when you factor in time...
...In other words, what counts as common knowledge is a mix of things that are true and other things that are false, all of which are believed because they’re widely held, frequently repeated, and routinely recalled. It’s this fluency-as-a-surrogate-for-truth shortcut that makes innovation tricky: We trust in assumptions about the way the world operates that seem so obviously true that we fail to test them. And in failing to check these basic assumptions, we slam the door shut on finding new and better ways to do things...
...While looking to the future is fun, the more important question is, “What’s not going to change in the next ten years?”...
...Staying at the house of an old friend, whenever possible, is preferable to spending a night in a hotel...
...What starts small compounds into something more. The longer you play the long game, the easier it is to play and the greater the rewards. The longer you play the short game the harder it becomes to change and the bigger the bill facing you when you do want to change...
...Experimenting with different futures and identities is more than just a way of uncovering new opportunities (or pitfalls). Hard choices are often hard because they impact other people’s lives in meaningful ways, and so our ability to imagine that impact — to think through the emotional and material consequences from someone else’s perspective — turns out to be an essential talent...
...Meanwhile, Ekblom-Bak and other researchers are discovering that even just moderate physical activity — such as a brisk walk, dancing, or even gardening — can improve physical and mental well-being and extend lives...
...A password manager is an app for all your devices — phone, laptop, tablet and any browser you use — that autofills usernames and passwords for all of your online accounts. A password manager stores your passwords and creates an easy, secure way to access all of your accounts on any device...
...Think about what attendees will remember 24 hours after your talk...
...Take the example of trying to decide what restaurant to go to. This is a problem that has a particular computational structure. You've got a set of options, you're going to choose one of those options, and you're going to face exactly the same decision tomorrow. In that situation, you run up against what computer scientists call the "explore-exploit trade-off." You have to make a decision about whether you're going to try something new -- exploring, gathering some information that you might be able to use in the future -- or whether you're going to go to a place that you already know is pretty good -- exploiting the information that you've already gathered so far. The explore/exploit trade-off shows up any time you have to choose between trying something new and going with something that you already know is pretty good...
...Knowing the exact math of probability calculations is not the key to understanding Bayesian thinking. More critical is your ability and desire to assign probabilities of truth and accuracy to anything you think you know, and then being willing to update those probabilities when new information comes in...
...If your income has indeed increased since you opened your credit card, and you have considerable self control over your spending, you should go ahead and update your income. The increased credit limit could actually boost your credit score...
...In order to improve our performance, we need to model our preparation, our effort and our form against a standard, not base it on the outcome. Because outcomes aren’t always guaranteed by our work...
...One could argue that recent world and domestic events more than justify anxiety and a negative outlook. But a new study in the journal Behavior Therapy finds that many of the worries that occupy an anxious mind never come to fruition...
...A useful skill in executive decision making is the ability to describe resiliency and the cost of failure in non-emotional ways. Especially when it’s difficult do precisely that...
...The great thing about the matrix is that it can help you quickly delegate decisions. You do have to do a bit of mental work before you start, such as defining and communicating consequentiality and reversibility, as well as where the blurring lines are...
...Here’s what I’ve learned, from college experts, campus orientations and my own years of being a college parent, about how to navigate this shift in the relationship...
...Once your son or daughter moves in, the room will never look like that again. Opt for sturdy items and be realistic...
...That point isn’t really whether we’re right and they’re wrong or they’re right and we’re wrong — often neither of us are perfectly correct. The point is how our ego subconsciously works to protect itself from anyone and anything that doesn’t entirely agree with us...
