David Allen’s book Getting Things Done pointed out to me that the mind isn’t very good at remembering important things or making difficult decisions. Rather, when it has to, it devotes more attention to those tasks than you want it to. For example, say you want to read a chapter of a book and want to remember to call someone important immediately after. Part of your mind will distract your[…] Keep reading →

We all have Habits we don’t like that we want to break Habits we think we’ll like that we want to start Foods we want to avoid Foods we want to eat more of Skills we want to learn All sorts of things we want to change about our lives… BUT WE DON’T CHOOSE THEM. The classic case is the chocolate cake in front of us that, when it wasn’t[…] Keep reading →

My Inc.com post today, “A Simple Way To Simplify Your Life,” begins The Simplest Way to Simplify Your Life This one step, iterated, will simplify your possessions and keep it that way. Books started the process, which expanded to everything. I viewed books like everyone else: they showed people who I was, they added to my home, were useful for reference, etc. I went through an experience that changed that.[…] Keep reading →

I pointed out to a friend that he interrupted me nearly every time I spoke. He apologized and added, “I will never do it again.” I believe he felt sincere when he said it, but I work in developing people and I’ve heard people say similar things too many times to expect he could do it. More importantly, I know the difference in mental states between saying “I will never[…] Keep reading →

The other day I was interviewed for a podcast (I’ll link to it when they edit and post it). The interviewer asked me how I accomplished so much. I told him and his listeners to look up sidchas on my blog. Everyone who aspires to greatness knows the importance of building discipline, integrity, dedication, and other skills. I accomplish things by acting by my values. I practice with small challenges[…] Keep reading →

I find material things beyond the basics become a burden. What constitutes “basics” depends on everyone’s unique values, but I find the more I get rid of, and the more free I feel as a result, the fewer things I need as basic, which lets me get rid of more. The less “stuff” I have, the more freedom I have, mental and physical. I value few things more than freedom.[…] Keep reading →

Everyone says they care about the environment. Talk is cheap. How they behave tells you what they care about. If they choose themselves over something they say they care about, that tells you their priority. I talk a lot about how I try to avoid flying because the pollution it causes hurts people. When people talk about how much more first-worlders pollute more than others, flying contributes a lot. But[…] Keep reading →

I loved university. Studying physics, universities are about the only places to learn it. I value university for many things. They do a lot of valuable things better than any other institution or alternatives—the hard sciences, for example. It’s not right for everyone and it does some things terribly. Places other than universities do some non-academic activities so much better than school. Experiential learning—how I teach leadership, entrepreneurship, sales, and[…] Keep reading →

School Doing a gratitude exercise recently, writing my undergraduate advisor who helped me figure out how to major in physics starting my second semester junior year. Physics is intense so most of my classmates were younger, having known their major since high school. So academically, I was catching up with classmates from when I chose my major. I just finished the major in my last semester and got into Penn[…] Keep reading →