On weekdays when I don’t go to the gym in the morning, my default is to delay eating until dinner time. When I started this practice early last year, I always hedged. I would pack myself a few small snacks “just in case” I got hungry during the day. And almost inevitably, I would get …
We always ask the same question – what does it take to win? We think through wargame scenarios, develop a strategy, and then try to execute. We predict what the other side might do but we maintain flexibility so we can adjust when something unexpected happens. But what if we took a different approach? What …
Thinking in bets starts with recognizing that there are exactly two things that determine how our lives turn out: the quality of our decisions and luck. Learning to recognize the difference between the two is what thinking in bets is all about. Annie Duke, Thinking in Bets -Brandon
Nearly everyone knows that we “should” listen more than we talk. But even if we’re able to keep our mouth shut more than 50% of the time, it isn’t enough. Merely listening your allotted time doesn’t make you a good person to talk with. The key is in how we listen, and how we choose …
If you work a standard job, there are two ways to reflect back on your performance for the day. You could think of it as a simple yes/no question – did I sit at my desk for enough time today? Or you could ask a tougher question – did I make an impact today? – …
When we buy a car, we don’t negotiate with the dealership. We negotiate with the salesman and/or the sales manager. Similarly, whenever we negotiate with an organization or some other group of people, we don’t negotiate with the abstract group as a whole. We negotiate with an individual, or sometimes a subset of individuals. Theoretically, …
A good three point shooter hits at least 35% of their attempts throughout a season. If we take that at face value, we could assume that means that we only have to hit 35% of our shots in practice to be a good shooter. But that’s far from the truth. Someone who shoots 35% throughout …
See below for a quick excerpt, but really I recommend reading the whole thing here. It shouldn’t take more than a minute. Excerpt: Systems with slack are more resilient. The few extra minutes of time aren’t wasted, the same way that a bike helmet isn’t wasted if you don’t have a crash today. That buffer …
What was keeping you up at night twelve months ago? What was it that was so important that it seemed like the world would end if it didn’t go your way? Odds are it doesn’t seem nearly as important now, if you can even remember at all. And if you can’t remember what was so …
Do you ever find yourself wanting to bore a crowd to sleep? It’s easy. Just deliver your next presentation using a teleprompter, or read from a script. If you’re lucky, you can even do it by memorizing your speech word for word and delivering with robotic precision. The problem with any of these approaches is …