Thought provoking
When people say “natural language” what they mean is written or verbal communication. Natural language is a way to exchange ideas and knowledge between humans. In other words, it’s a data transfer mechanism.
Data transfer mechanisms have two critical factors: speed and lossiness.
Julian Lehr • The Case Against Conversational Interfaces
To put the writing and speaking speeds into perspective, we form thoughts at 1,000-3,000 words per minute . Natural language might be natural, but it’s a bottleneck.
Julian Lehr • The Case Against Conversational Interfaces
Duhigg argues for three broad types of conversations: practical (What are we going to do?), emotional (How do we feel about it?), and identity (Who are we?), and that attempts to dialogue often derail when people don’t successfully synchronize this.
Scott Young • Here’s 8 Books I Read on Making Friends This Month
"Your calendar is the most honest autobiography you'll ever write.
It doesn't matter what you say your priorities are; your calendar reveals the truth. Each block is a decision about what matters, stripped of pretense and rationalization.
Your calendar isn't just recording your time—it's exposing your lies."
via @farnamstreet
The conventional strategy for subtraction is to do it by default: Procrastinate on everything that isn’t a priority. Rebel against the escalating commitments on your time. Opt out and ignore.
Scott Young • You’re Trying to Do Too Much
Start here
37signals.com
In our design sprints, we found that if we ended each workday before people were exhausted, the week’s productivity increased dramatically. Even shortening the day by thirty minutes made a big difference.
Jake Knapp & John Zeratsky • Make Time
“It's so simple, yet makes such a difference. Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, 'Make me feel important.'”
— Mary Kay Ash