Aim high, entrepreneurs.
If you don’t want to be great, then you never should have started a company.
Ben Horowitz, The Hard Thing About Hard Things
THE END
sunrise at Vidanta Riviera Maya
As an early bird, it doesn’t get much better than seeing the sunrise in interesting places (like mountaintops along the Long Trail or The Terrasse Dufferin). Unlike sunset, which can be equally pretty, it’s often a performance for a just small group. It’s peaceful and intimate.
I also find an energizing optimism about the sunrise, an emphatic reminder that a new day has begun and we’re starting fresh.
Vidanta Riviera Maya sits on the Yucatán Peninsula, overlooking the Caribbean Sea, with a wonderful view east towards the rising sun. I’ve been lucky enough to visit three times in the last 4 years and have made a point of watching the sunrise often during my stays.
Mostly it’s me and the crew of guys raking the seaweed off the beach. Sometimes a few other guests join—usually more around changeover days. I hardly ever see anyone twice.
note-taking and the iPad
I have a tendency to repeatedly reevaluate my note-taking systems, apps, and tools. There is always this nebulous idea in my mind that I’m one tweak away from organizational bliss, extreme productivity, and lower stress.
Over the years I’ve often thought that incorporating an iPad (or other digital handwriting machine like a reMarkable 2) into my system would be helpful. Yet, as nice a device as it is, it’s never really clicked for me.
Here are some facts:
Continue reading “note-taking and the iPad”old ruts
Old ruts are often waiting to disrupt new habits, even when those new habits have been successful.
Don’t get disrupted.
- Remind yourself what has been successful.
- Double down on those things.
- If you slide into an old rut, use your new skills to get back out.
It’s hard to smooth out the ruts entirely. So being aware that the ruts are still there is helpful, lest the ruts be mistaken for new good ideas (this happens surprisingly often).
…when they’re really just well worn bad ones.
the stubbornness to accept our gladness
Keep smiling. No one said this is supposed to be easy.
We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure,
A Brief for the Defense, by Jack Gilbert
but not delight. Not enjoyment. We must have
the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless
furnace of this world. To make injustice the only
measure of our attention is to praise the Devil.
Embrace the messiness of life. Double down on what is working. Find reasons to be optimistic.
Keep love in your heart. Keep the dream alive.
what to optimize
On the Tim Ferriss Show #668 he and Derek Sivers discuss the difference between “maximizers” and “satisfizers“, noting that satisfizers are happier. By satisfizers they mean someone who seeks good enough, or satisfactory, rather than optimal in all things.
By definition, you can’t optimize everything. If everything is a priority then nothing is.
Currently, I am aiming to optimize for energy.
Everyone has the same number of hours in the day; therefore, hours can’t be a significant differentiator. Energy is the currency and key differentiator for high achievers.
Focusing on energy is both simple and powerful. Distilling everything down to “does this energize me or drain me?” is easy to remember and act on, while at the same time affecting everything else automatically.
It’s the inverse of worrying about 1,000 different things, which is exhausting, hard to turn into action, and ultimately doesn’t really affect anything (because you’re too busy worrying, strategizing, theorizing to actually do anything).
Just optimize for energy and, outside of that focus, let the chips fall where they may.
SCD update: so far so good
A few weeks ago I decided, on a whim, to try the slow carb diet. So far I’m pretty impressed.
All of these things are noticeably improved:
- all-day energy (no afternoon crash)
- satiety (rarely feel hungry, which is very new to me—I’m always hungry)
- mood and self-esteem (pride in eating well creates virtuous cycle)
Here’s a summary of some other findings and results.
Continue reading “SCD update: so far so good”the passages of Paris
The streets of Paris are, of course, charming and beautiful. What I didn’t know, though, is that there is a whole network of somewhat-hidden covered passages between the streets waiting to be explored.
trying the slow carb diet (SCD)
I’m going to give the slow carb diet (SCD) a shot for a while and see how it goes. The “slow carb diet” (SCD) is summarized in this pdf from Tim Ferriss. The basic rules are:
- don’t eat “white” carbs
- eat the same meals over and over
- don’t drink calories
- don’t eat fruit
- one cheat day per week—anything goes
the Louvre
Despite being a bit frazzled after snaking through the winding line in the baking sun outside the Louvre, I snapped this shot just as I entered the main doors.
Matt Copeland 