Book Review: Metabolical
A good book about the perils of sugar and ultra-processed food. Metabolical offers Dr Robert Lustig's insights about what makes for a healthy diet.
Latest
Book Review: No Rules Rules
No Rules Rules explains Reed Hastings’s thinking on how Netflix’s culture is one of its key advantages in its performance, with a focus on talent density
Adverse Optimization: The Anxious Generation
The advent of the smartphone has a huge impact on development for kids. In this post, I argue that it’s “adverse optimization” that is causing the disproportionate harm. I am less certain on the best way forward at the individual and societal level, and outline some contours of the debate.
Professional Change: The First 90 Days
Your career will go through many changes. How you approach the first few months of each change (a promotion, a new role, a new set of responsibilities) will disproportionately affect your trajectory.
Book Review: Into Thin Air
Climbing Mt Everest is an ordeal. Krakauer documents one of the deadliest climbs and what happened in May of 1996. A fascinating read that tells you about humanity along the way.
800 books
A habit of reading is a great key-stone habit for self improvement. It could be just the most important habit you ever form. In this post I share the lessons on this reading journey so far.
Having (and Raising) Kids
The identity of being a parent is one of the deepest ones many people have. In this post I cover the decision to have kids, how to expect the first one, and how to think about raising kids.
Stoicism
Stoicism offers us a way to live our life in accordince to our values. It asks us to accept that not everything is in our control and for the discipline to master our emotions.
Book Review: The Precipice
Existential risk is typically a hard topic to reason about. Toby Ord's work makes it much more tractable and highlights "why now" very clearly.
Values: How Will You Measure Your Life?
Neglecting your values can lead to many of life's most destructive traps, especially for the outwardly successful. Clayton Christensen helps us think about what matters.
Book Review: Turn This Ship Around
David Marquet shares his lessons from transformational leadership aboard a nuclear submarine.
Management: Ownership
The attitude of extreme ownership, espoused by Jocko Willinck is a powerful mindset in management. It's one of the keys to leading and supporting a high performing team.
Management
Negotiation: Never Split the Difference
In life you will need to spend some of your time negotiating. It's a skill that pays in the long run. Never Split The Difference is a great starting point.
Management
Coaching: Trillion Dollar Coach
Coaching is one of the most important parts of being a great manager. Invest your time in. Trillion Dollar Coach is a fantastic book outlining how one of the best ever did it.
Letters to My Kids
Understanding Science
If we don't take it upon ourselves to understand science, others will do it for us. And their motives and incentives may not be in our best interest.
Letters to My Kids
Book Review: A Short History of Nearly Everything
The story of science is a fascinating one. Bill Bryson brings this to us in A Short History of Nearly Everything.
Letters to My Kids
Great Work
Doing great work is one of the most rewarding activities. It's something you should aim for in your career.
Management
Feedback and Hard Conversations
Mastering feedback is critical for any manager or leader. Constructive feedback often comes in the form of a hard conversation. Here are some tips to help you.
Management
Book Review: An Elegant Puzzle
Will Larson's An Elegant Puzzle gives us a lot of great advice on how to be an effective engineering manager. Pragmatism is a theme, as are small team sizes.
Management
Avoiding Micromanagement
No one sets out to be a micromanager. Yet we see it all the time. Here's why and what you can do to counteract it.
Management
Book Review: Thinking in Systems
Donella Meadows introduces the concept of systems thinking. It is a useful tool to understanding the world.
Letters to My Kids
Education in the 21st Century
The world is changing rapidly. You need to decide what is worth learning. What worked in the past may not work now.
Letters to My Kids
Learning Well
Learning is a life-long process. Being deliberate and investing in doing it well and it'll pay itself back many-fold.
Letters to My Kids
Decision Making in Life -- Clear Thinking
How do you make the most important decisions of your life? Shane Parrish's Clear Thinking gives us some structure to do this.