Context
I have seen a few common themes and questions when people ask me for advice; how I manage my time, why I work on the things I do, or how I deal with burnout, etc. I have asked these same questions many times to countless people over the years, and have developed a large system of heuristics and philosophies as a result. This living document will outline the details of that system, and will link people who helped me develop them. Some of these will have longer articles dedicated to them. Please enjoy an insight into my mind!
Living through mentorship
You can live 100 lives before you finish your own. We are simply the aggregation of the experience from mentors: seek them consistently and ask questions obsessively. This is the reason that these very heuristics and philosophies exist.
80/20 Rule of Opportunities
Opportunities are 80 percent created, 20 percent serendipitous. We can't control what comes to us, so to increase it we must create more.
Cool People Attract Each Other
The reason I am loud about my work is because I discovered that cool people like to reach out to people doing cool things, so I try to have my cool things reach more people. It's a simple way of making friends.
LinkedIn is a paper trail
I used to post religiously on LinkedIn because it's hard for people to believe you when you say 'I do this stuff', and easy for people to believe you when you have 18 months of posts showing that you do this stuff. Of course, this only works if you do in fact, do 'this'.
Time is Unlimited
We have all the time in the world as long as we treat it like we have none. I realized that many people spend 7-8 hours a day working towards their goals, so try to spend 14-16. Time is sensitive, we must spend it carefully. Sometimes working towards your goals means resting, or leisure time, etc — it does not mean continuous ruthless work.
f(x) = (time)(effort), for all x in the universe
There is comfort in knowing that everything is a function of time and effort. See 'Time is Unlimited' for why I think I have time, and with enough effort everything is possible.
The World is Malleable (Inspired by Steve Jobs, Elon Musk)
There is nothing in this world that is firm — rules are suggestions, requirements are recommendations, laws change and develop, time moves and things evolve. With enough time & effort, you can change the course of the world.
Sprint, Always
Go 100% head first into whatever it is you're doing, even if you're not sure if that's the final direction — it's not wasted time or effort. If you get used to always sprinting, your rest will eventually become everyone else's sprint. Imagine trying to out pace a track runner who is running in a zig zag in a 800m race (you're not gonna win, they will simply be faster and better conditioned).
Obsession (Inspired by every successful person ever)
You cannot be good at anything without being obsessed. Read about it, think about it, dream about it, research it, question it.
We are multi modal LLMs
Like LLMs output the average of all their training data, we too create the average of everything we consume – Not the best of it. To improve the output, you must carefully clean and curate data.
If you train a model to do just one thing, it's going to flop if you try anything even slightly different (exaggerated). But if you teach it about several related thing, it'll handle any specific thing much better because it can make inference based on the other data. If you exclusively learn about one design medium, you will only ever be able to design the way you learnt — your work will blend in with others. By learning about furniture, architecture, fashion, and more, you will become a better product designer as a side effect.
2 hours a day (The Great CEO, Matt Machory)
Have a uninterrupted mandatory 2 hour block every day for your top goal. This will ensure you make progress over, and improve over time.
3 Rules For Choosing What To Spend Your Time On
- Is it cool? Will my mom think it's cool?
- Will I learn something valuable in the long term? Am I being paid to learn?
- Will it make me more interesting?
0-1 of 3 is a no. 2 of 3 is a maybe. 3 of 3 is a yes, unless there is a higher order opportunity.
Staying on Top of Things
Minimize cognitive effort of keeping track of things. If it's not in my Notion, I don't know what it is. If it's not in my Calendar, I don't know when it is. If it's not in my tote bag, I don't know where it is.
Stress is Not Real (my most controversial take)
An important part to philosophy is that you must know where your 'red line' is (your absolute maximum effort), because if worst comes to worst you can get there again temporarily and complete what needs to be done.
Being stress is when you let your overwhelmed-ness get to you. It inhibits your ability to perform, and makes you upset. If it can be fixed in the next couple hours, there's no reason to be stressed – it's very temporary. If it cannot be solved in the short term, then as long as it's below your red line then it will be okay. If it's beyond your red line, then there is nothing you can do, prioritize the lowest effort and highest impact tasks. Being stressed will only make things worse — life is good, and nothing is ever that serious.
Low Effort High Impact
Only do things that have 2+ units of output for every unit of effort (input). Maximize the benefits of the things you do to achieve this.
Meetings & Emails
If it can be an email, don't make it a meeting. If it is an email, write extremely concisely. If it must be a meeting, prepare an agenda — most meetings can be done in 20 mins.
How to not be average
Do traditional things, get traditional results. Make sure you get into rooms that people like you haven't been in. For me, this was a becoming a software engineer as a business student, after spending most of my teenage years doing creative work.
There is an honour in being a regular person.
In a world obsessed with being extraordinary, the truth is: we’re not special. We are what we choose to focus on and obsess over. Sure, some may start with a higher baseline, but at the core, they’re just regular people. When we accept that we’re all just regular, it becomes clear: anything that’s been done before is within our reach.
Make introductions, always
By selflessly introducing others to the right contacts or helping them find what they need, you establish yourself as an irreplaceable connector. A connector’s value lies in their network, creating a web of goodwill where others feel compelled to return the favor.
Introducing Person A to Person B will take you 10 minutes, and save them hours/days.
Attention and Favors: The Two Most Powerful Currencies
The phrase "pay attention" is no accident—attention is finite. Every moment and every day comes with a budget, and those who manage it wisely often end up changing the world.
Favors are (usually) easy to give and invaluable to receive. Offer help selflessly, especially to those early in their journey. They’ll repay you in ways that accelerate both of your paths. Make introductions, review essays, debug their code, share advice—15 minutes of your time can go a long way. These must be genuine or they will be tainted. When I started dealing in this form of currency, doors opened up faster.