good advice

After reading a large number of business school case studies, a friend of UCLA business strategy professor Richard Rumelt observed to him that “‘it looks to me as if there is really only one question you’re asking in each case: What’s going on here?’” Rumelt writes: “it was something I’ve never heard said explicitly but it was instantly and obvious... See more

Alchemize the pickle. You will be relentlessly confronted with conundrums, situations, pickles, and dumpster fires for which you do not yet have the knowledge or skill set because you have not had to navigate it before.4 Take a moment to reflect on why, check whether your privilege has anything to do with it, then send a sweet, loving, and forgivin... See more

Never hesitate to invest in yourself—to pay for a class, a course, a new skill. These modest expenditures pay outsized dividends.

In practice, consistency is about being adaptable. Don't have much time? Scale it down. Don't have much energy? Do the easy version. Find different ways to show up depending on the circumstances. Let your habits change shape to meet the demands of the day.

Adaptability is the way of consistency.

I have often found myself wondering what it is I could possibly add to such a capable place, so I listen for what this community needs. I commit to perpetually tuning myself to this question and orienting my actions around the answers I find. I commit to de-centering myself, removing ego, and eradicating saviorism in this exploration. I commit to b... See more

Do not send me anything longer than you would send to a crush. Some people email me six-paragraph essays about the time they saved a cat from a tree.

I find the most effective way to get someone's attention is to simply give, just like in dating. Hey, I noticed that you read this book on your website. I think you'd like this book too; it's pretty sh... See more

Increase your surface area for luck

The last couple times I was looking for a project, I made a point of meeting as many people doing related work as I could, even if there was no obvious benefit to doing so. At first, I did this just to advertise my existence to people as I entered a new field, because someone is always hiring or looking for a cof... See more

emotional hygiene is not another thing to do perfectly. it’s not about becoming immune to spirals or forever calm or unshakably centered. it’s about cleaning up often enough that you don’t mistake the mess for your personality. it’s about catching the overwhelm before it becomes a worldview. it’s about building the quiet skill of knowing when your ... See more