2 Months Later - Some Reflections and Finds

What's up? Are you investing in crypto too? Well, that's new.

In the last 2 months, I have been focusing on a lot of things, and so much that my writing fell by the wayside.

Catching up on a personal level, I have been doing well at work and not so much outside of it. Getting vaccinated feels like having a free travel license.

The past few weeks have been subdued but eventful.

From learning crypto stuff, catching up with old pals and also meeting new people along the way.

It’s unbelievable how much you can connect with an individual on the basis of just one common interest. In my latest encounter, it was Line of Duty, the TV Show and the world of GTA V RP server NoPixel 3.0

The other things went down the drain- reading, swimming and stuff.

Can I get back? Maybe.

If I follow my own rules.

Possibly and probably.

Here are some cool snippets of things I learnt, feel free to scroll around

#1 Writing is dissecting and assembling

The smartest kid in my middle school class used to take computers apart and put them back together again in order to learn how they work.

That’s what thinking is too.

The best way to understand an idea is to pull it apart and put it back together again, which you do by writing.

How do you know it’s good writing?

The reader: “Good piece! You must have written it in just a couple of hours because you’re a natural talent.”

The writer: “Ummm... nope. I actually rewrote the entire piece four times.”

The reader: “No way, it reads so naturally.”

The writer: “Exactly.”

Here's what the process looks like:
• reading, note-taking
• re-reading, note-pulling
• editing
• sequencing (the most important thing in my opinion)
• editing again
• re-reading
• final edit
• proof-reading.

Writing is the best way to realize that half the ideas you’re 100% certain about actually make no sense once you put them on paper.

TL-DR: Good writing is re-writing.

#2 Constraints

To be a better creator, you gotta set yourself up for success.

Setting the rules of the game lets you focus all of your efforts on one thing: creating.

Because the fewer decisions you have to make, the better your output

These are not "forever" constraints. Think of them as constraint "sprints."

The seven constraints you can have:

• Time
• Topic
• Length
• Medium
• Platform
• Cadence
• Environment

TL-DR: Create constraints that eliminate decision fatigue.

If you want to know more of my thoughts on each of them, reply to this post or message me on Twitter or Instagram.

#3 Facebook’s IPO

When Facebook’s IPOed, employees received a little red book. The last page is fascinating.

Change is inevitable.

People who have experienced any kind of failure or heartbreak will attest to it. Always.

#4 Reading Paradox

The books you read will profoundly change you even though you’ll forget the vast majority of what you read.

I have read 10 books in 2021, although I do not remember them, I still feel like they having a refuge in my mind.

#5 How Bill Gates Think

Courtesy of CBS

Ellison, the Oracle founder, wrote: "It was around eleven o'clock in the morning, and we were on the phone discussing some technical issue, I don't remember what it was. Anyway, I didn't agree with him on some point, and I explained my reasoning. Bill says, 'I'll have to think about that, I'll call you back."

Four hours later, Bill Gates called back and said: "Yeah, I think you're right about that, but what about A and B and C?' I said, 'Bill, have you been thinking about this for the last five hours?"

Ellison recounted: "I was just stunned. He had taken the time and effort to think it all through and had decided I was right and he was wrong. Now, most people hate to admit they're wrong, but it didn't bother Bill one bit. 

All he cared about was what was right, not who was right.”

Source: Softwar

ENDNOTE:

I have a friend who looks up an obscure topic online before dinner parties, reads the Wikipedia entry, then subtly guides the conversation toward that topic.

People are blown away by how knowledgeable he is.

It's simultaneously brilliant and horrifying to watch.

Should you do it too?

👋 The End

Thanks for joining me! Let me know what you’re reading, learning, watching or thinking about. If you wish to get in touch, message me on Twitter or Instagram, or reply to this post/email.

If you have a cool idea or you come across one, I’d be happy to learn about it.