9 docs tagged with "productivity"

Step 1: Get Your Copy of Atomic Habits

Anyone can say no to bad ideas, but only a focused person can say no to good ideas. Focus is about saying no.

If you collected lists of techniques for doing great work in various fields, what would the intersection look like? I decided to find out by creating it. My goal was to create a guide usable by anyone in any field and to understand the shape of this intersection. It turns out it’s not just about working hard. The first step is to decide what to work on. The work needs to have three qualities: natural aptitude, deep interest, and scope for great work. Ambitious people often worry too much about the third. Find something you have an aptitude for and great interest in.

When I sold my startup in 1998, I was suddenly faced with a new challenge: protecting my newfound wealth. I realized that it was just as easy to lose a fortune as it was to make one, but I was much more familiar with the latter path. To avoid the pitfalls, I began to study how fortunes are typically lost.

How to Read: Lots of Inputs and a Strong Filter

Title: The Art and Utility of Essay Writing

The Art of Being Alone

At the tender ages of seven and five, my sister and I discovered what would later be known as positive psychology. During a game that went awry, I convinced my injured sister that she was a unicorn, which stopped her tears and made her happy. This incident was a precursor to a scientific revolution in understanding the human brain.

The ultimate productivity hack is saying no. Not engaging in an activity is invariably faster than doing it. This concept is akin to the programming adage, "there is no code faster than no code." The same principle applies to life; for instance, no meeting is quicker than not having a meeting.