The best thing you can do is show up prepared. The second best thing you can do is show up unprepared. The worst thing you can do is not show up at all, postponing everything until you’re perfectly prepared. Take the middle road. Mediocrity compounded becomes awesomeness. Turds can shine. Two half a$$es make a…
Mental Tools
How to Make Miracles Happen and Get Called a Genetically Gifted Genius
by khatzumoto
This entry is part 23 of 26 in the series Timeboxing TrilogyThis entry is part 4 of 4 in the series Wide Standards Do what you can (importantly, don’t do what you can’t do…this seems like an obvious [indeed, almost tautological] statement, but you’d be amazed how many people try to force it) Do the…
CostCo, Space Travel and Japanese
by khatzumoto
CostCo is the Space Shuttle of shopping destinations. It’s supposed to save you time and money, but in the end, you just end up wasting larger amounts of time and cash than you ever thought possible, and you’re left sitting at home justifying why you’re force-feeding yourself some disgusting, low-quality cheese you spent 10,000 yen…
How and Why the Principle of Proportionality Works
by khatzumoto
This entry is part 10 of 17 in the series The Art of War of LearningFirst, let’s review what the principle of proportionality, as elucidated by John Lewis Gaddis (“Grand Strategy”), teaches us: 1. Never expend unlimited resources pursuing a limited gain. 2. Oversize your dreams and undersize your goals. 3. Align your goals with…
Always Underdo. Perfection Is Death.
by khatzumoto
This entry is part 11 of 11 in the series Mediocre ExcellenceAlways underdo. Conserve your energy. Save your strength. Hard left swipe on the advice of people (most often women — yes, this is blatant gender stereotyping, but this isn’t a “Family Guy” moment either; we’re not doing this for laughs: we’re fighting a worthy…
There Is No Narrative
by khatzumoto
“The easiest way for a human to deal with a complex system…is to imagine that there’s a little man inside…seeking retribution or offering a prize…But it might be even more helpful to remember that there’s no homunculus, no narrative, no revenge. Merely a complex system, one we can understand a bit better if we test…