Good Advice

Biologist Roger Payne on the power of having your boots on the ground and paying attention:

“Any observant local knows more than any visiting scientist. Always. No exceptions.”

“Many problems are minor when you solve them right away, but grow into an enormous conflict when you let them linger.

As a rule of thumb, fix it now.”

When you see someone doing something that doesn’t make sense to you, ask yourself what the world would have to look like to you for those actions to make sense.

“Many people view their habits and routines as obstacles or, at the very least, obligations to get through. Making the morning coffee, driving your kids to the next activity, preparing the next meal—we often see our routines as chores to be completed.

But these are not moments to be dismissed. They are life. Making coffee can be a peaceful... See more

“When nothing is working, explore and make a lot of small bets.

After something starts working, double down on what works best.

When that stops working, explore and make a lot of small bets again.”

One way to restrain our tendency toward overconfidence is to habitually position ourselves in such a way that renders a prediction of the future unnecessary.

You might not know with certainty when the 100-year flood is coming, but you do know with certainty it will come. And that means you should leave yourself positioned accordingly.

The purpose of... See more

“Criticize to uplift, not to destroy.”

If someone admits they made a mistake, have the grace to let it go.

Holding it over them ensures they won’t be quick to admit they were wrong in the future.

Outcome over ego

If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do. If some one maintains that two and two are five, or that Iceland is on the equator, you feel pity rather than anger, unless you know so little of arithmetic or geography that his opinion shakes your... See more