Learn more about problemsolving with this collection
The historical significance of urban centers
The impact of cultural and technological advances
The role of urban centers in shaping society
Imagine a rock is thrown into a lake. The splash is the first-order effect—the ripples are the second-order effect.
The world is filled with first-order thinkers. Dig deeper—ask "and then what?” Second-order thinkers will always be in short supply.
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MORE IDEAS ON THIS
Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.
When you establish fixed hours, you find unproductive ways to fill them. Work more, get less done.
If your goal is to do inspired, creative work, work like a lion instead: Sprint. Eat. Rest. Repeat.
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When faced with chaos, ask yourself whether you're a local or a tourist.
Tourists flee bad weather. Locals are aware of the season's change.
Play games where you're a local. Never be a "Stubborn Local”—ignoring evidence that something has fundamentally change...
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To learn anything:
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Most of us need fewer friends and more intellectual sparring partners.
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Your Zone of Genius is where your interests, passions, and skills align.
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Lesson: When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.
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Tiny deviations are amplified by distance and time.
A 1-degree error in heading will cause a plane to miss its target by 1 mile for every 60 miles flown.
Small miss now = large miss later. Always make real-time course corrections and adjustments.
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Much of what we call "luck" is the macro result of 1,000s of micro-actions.
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The goal is to minimize the number of regrets in life.
When faced with a difficult decision:
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The energy required to refute bullshit is much larger than the energy required to produce it.
This is why BS spreads so easily—especially on social media. It's also why we need to make a deliberate effort to fight back against it....
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Extraordinary achievements are often just the result of a large volume of tiny actions.
Small things become big things.
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When faced with two options, choose the one that’s more difficult in the short term. Naval calls this making "uphill decisions”.
It requires a forced override of your pain avoidance instinct. It's worth it—short-term pain creates compounding long-term gain.
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These are:
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You have to put in more effort to make something appear effortless.
Effortless, elegant performances are simply the result of a large volume of consistent, effortful practice. Simple is not simple.
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Asking great questions uncovers the truth—bias for action builds upon it.
The four quadrants:
Invest behind Q1s, hire m...
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Observe the weekend projects of the smartest people in your circles. Odds are those will become a key part of our future.
Invest accordingly.
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Jerry Seinfeld hangs a calendar on the wall and uses a red marker to put an X over every day that he completes his daily writing.
It's not about quality, it's about consistency. If you want to improve at anything:
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Stop focusing on the black lines behind you. Start focusing on all of the green lines before you. It is a future with immense opportunity.
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Learn the difference between urgent and important.
Place tasks on a 2x2 matrix:
Prioritize, delega...
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We are living in an unprecedented era—historical boundaries are being broken, enabling anyone to participate.
If you're trying to learn anything new, insert yourself i...
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Skin in the Game means that the key principals participate in both the upside and downside associated with any decisions.
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CURATED FROM
IDEAS CURATED BY
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Other curated ideas on this topic:
Long-term thinking is more challenging than most people imagine. It is then also more lucrative than many people think.
The long run consists of a collection of short runs that you have to put up with: recessions, bear markets, meltdowns and surprises. Ins...
You can use second-order thinking in two ways:
1. As a purely mental exercise
2. You can write it down on paper
Consider a decision you have to make.
Look at the most immediate (first-order) effects of making the decision. Then for each effect ask yourself: "And then What?...
Fuming over waiting is only scratching the surface, and is short-sightedness towards a symptom. We need to dig deeper and look for the cause, asking oneself the reason for the wait.
We can then begin to ask ourselves who the beneficiary of the waiting game is. We can some...
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