2: Notes To Self

Yo!

Here is your weekly dose of 5 things I’m pondering and exploring.

1. Stanford Lecture: “How to Live an Asymmetric Life”

Not sure who this speaker is, but he seems to have nailed success AND happiness in life. So, I wrote down his 4 step guide to an asymmetric life:

1. Do hard things. It’s a reminder that you’re tougher than you think. Push through, and life’s speedbumps become minor hiccups.

2. Do your thing. You are always going to suffer in life. So, choose to work on something that’s worth suffering for.

3. Do it for decades. Great things take time. Think about the compounding interest equation: (1+r)^n. The most powerful part of that equation is the n (aka the time). So, find work where you are consistently excited enough to invest a lot of your time.

4. Write your story. Actually take time to write down where you want to go & want you want to do. It sharpens your path and decisions.

Side note: I loved his simple speech format: 1 broad purpose, 4 steps to getting there, and 1-2 stories to explain each step. So simple, yet so effective.

2. Andrew Huberman On Fitness Habits

Andrew Huberman (Stanford neuroscientist & health wizard) explains how he helped a friend shed 60 lbs in 1 year with 2 simple habits.

1. Morning cardio on an empty stomach. They tap into your fat reserves because that’s when your body is lowest in glyocgen.

2. Ditch the booze.

Like most things, losing fat is simple (not easy). The hard part is doing the work. It reminds me of a clarifying reflection question I like to ask myself: What action is 3 inches in front of my face that I can do to move me where I want to go?

3. Personal Thoughts On Designing Your Space

Your home’s room design is like the invisible hand for your personal life. It nudges you, quietly. So be intentional about it’s design and find ways to use its nudging to your advantage.

For example, I listed 5 themes I want to live by and a few priorities for this semester. Then, I slapped them next to my door. As a result, I leave each day primed to do the things I actually want to do.

4. “If you’re struggling to make yourself happy, just make someone else happy” - Tim Ferriss

Most suffering comes from too much focus on “me”. So during your day, be first. Be the first to smile when you make eye contact with a stranger. Be the first to walk up to the barista and ask them how they’re doing. It’s such an easy way to turn your focus away from “me”.

Simple acts, big mood shift.

5. Nat Friedman’s Personal Website

2 snippets I liked:

1. It's important to do things fast

   • You learn more per unit time because you make contact with reality more frequently

   • Going fast makes you focus on what's important; there's no time for bullshit

   • A week is 2% of the year

2. Where do you get your dopamine?

   • The answer is predictive of your behavior

   • Better to feel good by improving ideas than just yakking about them

   • If "making things happen" is your high, own it

Thanks for wanting to know more today than you did yesterday. I’ll see you next Friday.

Stay curious,

Luke