For the month of November, I took on three challenges focusing on different aspects of physical health: training myself how to fall asleep quickly; doing all the exercise I could imagine wanting in my life daily (running, practicing yoga, and weightlifting/martial arts); and going vegan. See the original write up here. Although I usually try … Continue reading No Rest November: Post Mortem
Top 5 Books of 2019
1. Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions by Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths: There are few books that I wish were longer when I got to the end of them, and this is one of them. Lighthearted and easy to read (disclaimer: I have a degree in computer science. I still … Continue reading Top 5 Books of 2019
Focus on Your Speed, Not the Destination
Our desires are shiny, eye-catching baubles. We are entranced with all the places, physical and metaphorical, we want to go: I want to travel the world (or change it), achieve fame and fortune, find true love, and a million other smaller but equally real desires. With these desires acting as a beacon, we become frustrated … Continue reading Focus on Your Speed, Not the Destination
Top 5 Books of 2018
Paying penance for procrastination. One unexpected upside to doing these top 5 book reviews years later is that I can see which ideas have really stuck with me. 1. Aphro-ism by Syl and Aph Ko: Explores the connections and interrelations between the structure of racial and species oppressions through a series of essays and letters … Continue reading Top 5 Books of 2018
Why Begin Something Endless?
Everyone has a list of shoulds. I should eat better, I should exercise more, I should spend less time on the computer and more time with my loved ones. All the things we know are good for us and may genuinely want, but are so hard to show up for. One problem with how we … Continue reading Why Begin Something Endless?
Rewards at Different Time Scales
If you want to design a job so that people love their work, make it rewarding at every time scale. Rewarding work at a moment to moment or hour to hour scale looks a lot like flow - a state of effortless concentration and timelessness, when you get totally lost in what you’re doing. The … Continue reading Rewards at Different Time Scales
Top 5 Books of 2017
Paying penance for procrastination…these are my favorite books from four years ago. I can’t say I entirely remember my reasoning, but I’ve done my best to reconstruct what I can. 1. Where is Your Body? by Mari Matsuda (reread 2018): A remarkably friendly critical race theory book (wikipedia def: a theoretical framework in the social … Continue reading Top 5 Books of 2017
Speed Reading Evaluation
The promise of speed reading is alluring, but does it work? For questions like these, I have a coterie of self-help experts (1) whose opinions I trust, or at least trust to get me pointed in the right direction. Some (Steve Pavlina, Tim Ferriss) are huge fans of speed reading. Others focus more on the … Continue reading Speed Reading Evaluation
No Rest November
Over the past 18 months, I’ve done ten 30-day habit trials to see what life would be like with less sugar, more exercise, and fewer digital distractions, among other things. A typical trial will involve picking an area to focus on, setting rules, and preparing any supporting materials I’ll need throughout the month. One of … Continue reading No Rest November
The Second Time is Much Easier
When you are learning a board game for the first time, you have to carefully go through all the rules, many of which won’t even make sense until you start playing. It’s cumbersome and confusing and generally not all that pleasant. You just hope that the payoff is worth it. The second time is much … Continue reading The Second Time is Much Easier
The Pragmatic Philosopher 