<ul><li>Digital life can be exhausting and overwhelming</li><li>Digital Sabbath suggests moderate approaches to digital usage, such as keeping phones away from the bed or turning off notifications</li><li>Digital minimalism proposes spending less time using technology for a healthier relationship with it</li><li>Early versions of Facebook and the iPhone had different functionalities compared to their present-day counterparts</li><li>Smartphones and apps are designed to encourage prolonged use and attention engineering</li><li>Addiction to technology is a behavioral addiction that is moderate in comparison to chemical dependencies</li></ul>

Foundation

<ul><li>Unpredictable rewards and social tagging can create a strong psychological pull to technology</li><li>Rebuilding our relationship with technology based on our values is more effective than just using tips and tricks to limit our usage.</li></ul>

<ul><li>Minimalists focus on a small number of carefully selected online activities that align with their values</li><li>They prioritize large things that make their life good over small things they might miss out on</li><li>Minimalists use hacks like replacing smartphones with basic flip phones, restricting digital information intake, and reducing social circles to optimize their online experience</li><li>They use online magazines instead of Twitter and follow only a small number of inspiring accounts on Instagram</li><li>The goal is to use technology in a way that enhances their life and doesn't detract from it</li></ul>

Digital Minimalism

<ul><li>Cluttering our lives with non-crucial things such as apps is costly in terms of the amount of life exchanged for it.</li><li>Optimizing technology use is important, not just in the type of technology used, but also in how it's used, such as watching Netflix only with friends or uninstalling social media apps and using a computer instead.</li><li>Being intentional about how we engage with technology can be satisfying, such as committing to minimalism like the Old Order Amish and urban Mennonites who find satisfaction in their simple technology use.</li></ul>

THE PRINCIPLES OF DIGITAL MINIMALISM

<ul><li>Take a thirty-day break from optional technologies.</li><li>Use the break to rediscover meaningful and satisfying activities.</li><li>Reintroduce technologies starting from a blank slate and determine their value and specific use to maximize that value.</li></ul>Reasons of failure1. Subtle mistakes in implementation2. Technology restriction rules that were eithertoo vague or too strict3. Not planning what to replace these technologies with during the declutter period—leading to anxiety and boredom.4. Temporary detox is a much weaker resolution than trying to permanently change your life

The Digital Declutter: ON (RAPIDLY) BECOMING MINIMALIST

<ul><li>Optional technologies to take a break from include text messaging, social media apps, streaming services, and video games.</li><li>Exceptions include checking email for professional purposes.</li><li>Lack of information from optional technologies may expose you to alternative uses of time and won't cause critical damage to social life.</li><li>Operating procedures should specify how and when to use a particular technology.</li></ul>1. Custom notification of text message2. Sign in from desktop pc and not from phone3. listen to podcasts on daily commute only4. Watching movies with friends only5. Limit watching two episodes per week

STEP #1: DEFINE YOUR TECHNOLOGY
RULES

<ul><li>Detox symptoms include boredom, urge to check social media, and wanting to look something up.</li><li>These feelings will pass with time.</li><li>Rediscover hobbies and passions that don't involve technology before reintroducing optional technologies.</li><li>Suggestions include reading, painting, coding, writing, visiting the library, spending time with family, playing piano, and learning to sew.</li><li>Technology should serve as a supporting role only, with real satisfaction coming from other tasks.</li></ul>

STEP #2: TAKE A THIRTY-DAY BREAK

1. Serve something you deeply value (offering some benefit is not enough).2. Be the best way to use technology to serve this value (if it’s not, replace it with something better).3. Have a role in your life that is constrained with a standard operating procedure that specifies when and how you use it.

STEP #3: REINTRODUCE TECHNOLOGY

<ul><li>Replace email newsletters and breaking news with a balanced news portal.</li><li>Read news summary podcast, radio, and newspaper instead of browsing news online.</li><li>Check Twitter feed only once in the weekend.</li><li>Check social media from the web browser on the computer.</li><li>Remove the web browser from the phone to prevent checking answers instantly.</li><li>Jot down ideas in a notebook.</li><li>Set a curfew on the phone for a certain time period.</li></ul>

<ul><li>Regular doses of solitude are necessary to flourish as a human being.</li><li>Solitude requires moving past reacting to information created by others and focusing on one's own thoughts and experiences.</li><li>Solitude provides new ideas, self-understanding, and closeness to others.</li><li>Attention to new technologies can undermine these benefits of solitude.</li><li>Time alone is necessary to explore and discover what is happening in one's life.</li><li>Friends and love are not enough without time for solitude.</li><li>Mix regular doses of solitude with social interaction to support a fulfilling life.</li></ul>

Spend Time Alone

We enter solitude, in which also we lose loneliness.

We need solitude to thrive as human beings, and in recent years, without even realizing it, we’ve been systematically reducing this crucial ingredient from our lives.

Living a life with and without a phone is reasonable for protecting against solitude deprivation.

PRACTICE: LEAVE YOUR PHONE AT HOME

<ul><li>Only thoughts reached by walking have value.</li><li>Walking is a fantastic source of solitude.</li></ul>

PRACTICE: TAKE LONG WALKS

<ul><li>It is a structured way to make sense of whatever important things are happening in your life at the moment. </li><li>This behavior necessarily shifts you into a state of productive solitude</li></ul>

PRACTICE: WRITE LETTERS TO YOURSELF

<ul><li>Certain regions in the brain activate when not attempting a task and deactivate when focusing on something specific.</li><li>Targeted and composed information from someone known well correlates with improved well-being.</li><li>Receiving a "like" or broadcast status update doesn't correlate with improved well-being.</li><li>Spending more time connecting on social media can lead to increased isolation.</li><li>Small boosts from social media can't compensate for the loss of real-world time with friends.</li><li>Social media can delude you into thinking you're already serving your relationships well, making further action unnecessary.</li></ul>

PRACTICE: Don’t Click “Like”

<ul><li>Face-to-face conversation is the most humanizing thing we do.</li><li>Video chat or phone call is also good as long as it involves nuanced analog cues.</li><li>Textual or non-interactive communication is not considered conversation.</li><li>The human brain has evolved to process information generated by face-to-face interactions, not from a single bit.</li><li>Stop leaving comments or clicking "Like" on social media posts, as they are considered trivial interactions.</li><li>Eliminating trivial interactions sends a clear message that conversation is what counts.</li></ul>

PRACTICE: RECLAIMING CONVERSATION

<ul><li>Let the concern about the reaction of others motivate you to invest time in setting up a real conversation.</li><li>You don't need to keep in touch with so many people on social media.</li></ul>

<ul><li>Setting the phone to Do Not Disturb mode during predetermined times can increase focus and reduce anxiety.</li><li>Treating text messages like emails, and checking them on a regular schedule, can help maintain the advantages of the technology while avoiding its negative effects.</li><li>This approach can strengthen real-world relationships by providing an opportunity for genuine conversation.</li><li>Text messaging is convenient but should not be treated as a replacement for face-to-face conversation.</li></ul>

PRACTICE: CONSOLIDATE TEXTING

Put aside set times on set days during which you’re always available for conversation.

PRACTICE: HOLD CONVERSATION OFFICE
HOURS

As Aristotle elaborates, a life filled with deep thinking is happy because contemplation is an “activity that is appreciated for its own sake . . . nothing is gained from it except the act of contemplation.”

Reclaim Leisure: LEISURE AND THE GOOD LIFE

<ul><li>Require more “mental strain” to enjoy. </li><li>Expending more energy in your leisure, Bennett tells us, can end up energizing you more. </li><li>You have to spend money to make money” into the language of personal vitality.</li></ul>

THE BENNETT PRINCIPLE

<ul><li>Prioritize demanding activity over passive consumption.</li><li>People have a need to use tools and create things to feel fulfilled.</li><li>Deep activities like writing code that solves a problem give more meaning than shallow activities like answering emails.</li></ul>

Leisure Lesson #1: ON CRAFT AND SATISFACTION

<ul><li>Use skills to produce valuable things in the physical world.</li><li>Social benefits can be obtained from leisure activities.</li><li>Examples include board games, social fitness, recreational sports leagues, volunteering, and working on group projects.</li><li>Successful social leisure activities require spending time with people in person and provide structure for social interaction, such as rules, terminology, and shared goals.</li></ul>

Leisure Lesson #2: SUPERCHARGED SOCIALITY

<ul><li>Seek activities that require real-world, structured social interactions.</li><li>Leisure time should be spent on physical world pursuits, with digital technology serving only as a support role.</li><li>Digital technology can be helpful in setting up or maintaining leisure activities, but it should not be the primary source of leisure.</li><li>YouTube can be a useful resource for quick how-to lessons on various physical world pursuits.</li></ul>

Leisure Lesson #3: THE LEISURE RENAISSANCE

<ul><li>Trading extra money to specialists for fixing things can free up time for leisure activities</li><li>Learning new skills can be a source of high-quality leisure</li><li>Developing handiness can help tap into satisfying activities</li><li>Examples of DIY activities: changing car oil, installing a ceiling fixture, learning new techniques on an instrument, calibrating a turntable, building furniture, starting a garden plot</li><li>It's suggested to try learning and applying a new skill every week for six weeks</li></ul>

PRACTICE: FIX OR BUILD SOMETHING
EVERY WEEK

<ul><li>Schedule in advance the time you spend on low-quality leisure.</li><li>Confining your use of attention-capturing services to well-defined periods.</li><li>Protect your remaining leisure time for more substantial activities.</li><li>It doesn't ask you to completely abandon low-quality diversions.</li></ul>

PRACTICE: SCHEDULE YOUR LOW-QUALITY
LEISURE

Join first and work out the other issues later.

PRACTICE: JOIN SOMETHING

<ul><li>The Seasonal Leisure Plan</li><li>A seasonal leisure plan is something that you put together three times a year: at the beginning of the fall (early September), at the beginning of the winter (January), and at the beginning of summer (early May).</li><li>Identify a concrete accomplishment that has clear criteria for completion and that can reasonably fit within a season.</li></ul>

PRACTICE: FOLLOW LEISURE PLANS

<ul><li>Review your seasonal leisure plan.</li><li>Plan how your leisure activities will fit into your schedule for the upcoming week.</li><li>Figure out what actions you can take during the week to make progress on your leisure objectives.</li><li>Schedule exactly when you'll do these activities.</li></ul>

<ul><li>When trying to gain something valuable from someone's network, it's important to be prepared and committed to avoiding exploitation.</li><li>This battle requires being aware of the other person's interests and intentions.</li><li>It's important to establish boundaries and maintain autonomy while still working towards a mutually beneficial outcome.</li></ul>

Join the Attention Resistance

<ul><li>Quit accessing social media and other distracting services on the go.</li><li>The small extra barrier of needing to log in to a computer can prevent mindless scrolling.</li><li>Services that were claimed indispensable often provide only convenient distractions.</li><li>Facebook use dropped significantly for readers who removed the app from their phones.</li></ul>

PRACTICE: DELETE SOCIAL MEDIA FROM
YOUR PHONE

<ul><li>A computer can increase productivity by shutting down some of its core functions.</li><li>Switching between different applications can make a person's interaction with the computer less productive.</li><li>If you need a particular social media tool for work, put aside a few blocks during the day when you can check it, and leave it blocked otherwise.</li></ul>

PRACTICE: TURN YOUR DEVICES INTO
SINGLE-PURPOSE COMPUTERS

<ul><li>Use Instagram to follow a small number of interest-related accounts for a quick browsing experience.</li><li>Use Facebook only for close friends and relatives and occasionally connect with influencers.</li><li>Dunbar's number, 150, is a theoretical limit for successful social circle management.</li><li>Checking in on close social circles on Facebook does not require a lot of time.</li></ul>

PRACTICE: USE SOCIAL MEDIA LIKE A
PROFESSIONAL

<ul><li>Slow Media requires full concentration and high-quality content.</li><li>It stands out from fast-paced and short-lived media.</li><li>The news consumption habit involves a ritualistic sequence that unfolds on autopilot.</li><li>Engaging with arguments provides satisfaction independent of the content.</li><li>Isolate news consumption to set times during the week and choose a location to give full attention to reading.</li><li>Care about the particular format of reading.</li></ul>

PRACTICE: EMBRACE SLOW MEDIA

<ul><li>Put SMARTPHONE in the kitchen cupboard. </li><li>Use flip phone or Light Phone.</li></ul>

PRACTICE: DUMB DOWN YOUR
SMARTPHONE

<ul><li>Adopting digital minimalism is not a onetime process that completes the day after your digital declutter; it instead requires ongoing adjustments.</li><li>It is more about the quality of your life.</li></ul>

Conclusion

Digital Minimalism isn't just Anti-Facebook, but a guide to escape from Virtual Reality and engage in real life with technology as an assistant, not as the master of our lives. ChatGPT is used to summarize and make bullet points. 

A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestseller "Newport is making a bid to be the Marie Kondo of technology: someone with an actual plan for helping you realize the digital pursuits that do, and don't, bring value to your life."--Ezra Klein, Vox Minimalism is the art of knowing how much is just enough. Digital minimalism applies this idea to our personal technology. It's the key to living a focused life in an increasingly noisy world. In this timely and enlightening book, the bestselling author of Deep Work introduces a philosophy for technology use that has already improved countless lives. Digital minimalists are all around us. They're the calm, happy people who can hold long conversations without furtive glances at their phones. They can get lost in a good book, a woodworking project, or a leisurely morning run. They can have fun with friends and family without the obsessive urge to document the experience. They stay informed about the news of the day, but don't feel overwhelmed by it. They don't experience "fear of missing out" because they already know which activities provide them meaning and satisfaction. Now, Newport gives us a name for this quiet movement, and makes a persuasive case for its urgency in our tech-saturated world. Common sense tips, like turning off notifications, or occasional rituals like observing a digital sabbath, don't go far enough in helping us take back control of our technological lives, and attempts to unplug completely are complicated by the demands of family, friends and work. What we need instead is a thoughtful method to decide what tools to use, for what purposes, and under what conditions. Drawing on a diverse array of real-life examples, from Amish farmers to harried parents to Silicon Valley programmers, Newport identifies the common practices of digital minimalists and the ideas that underpin them. He shows how digital minimalists are rethinking their relationship to social media, rediscovering the pleasures of the offline world, and reconnecting with their inner selves through regular periods of solitude. He then shares strategies for integrating these practices into your life, starting with a thirty-day "digital declutter" process that has already helped thousands feel less overwhelmed and more in control. Technology is intrinsically neither good nor bad. The key is using it to support your goals and values, rather than letting it use you. This book shows the way.

books

Books

1. Improve activity of the piece2. Move with a plan

Improve your worst pieces

1. The bishop pair2. good knight versus bad bishop3. better pawn structure (fewer pawn islands, no doubled, isolated or backwards pawns)4. more space5. control of open files or outposts, weak squares or colour complexes which can be exploited.

Accumulate small advantages

1. prevent an opponent’s idea.2. overprotecting material so our pieces can move freely.3. reducing the scope or impact of opposing pieces

Prophylaxis

philosophy

Philosophy

strategy

Strategy

entertainment

Entertainment

Finding Moves in the Middlegame

1. e4/d42. threaten something3. knight before bishop4. most suitable square once for all5. pawn move not more than two6. no queen move7. castle early and kingside8. atleast one pawn in the centre9. control the centre10. no sacrifice without adequate reason<ul><li>pawn sacrifice for advantage </li><li>deflect the queen</li><li>prevent castling</li><li>build up a strong attack</li></ul>

10 practical rules of opening

1. how does it affect the centre?2. how does it fit in with the development of my other pieces and pawns?

2 question on each move of the opening

1. pawn structure2. mobility3. king safety4. material5. combinations

5 factors of evaluation

1. strong point: holding the e5 pawn2. giving up e5 pawn for counter-attack to white give up its e4 pawn

2 types of defense by black in e4 e5

Not a list of moves, but simple and logical explanations of opening systems.

creativity

Creativity

The Ideas Behind the Chess Openings

From the time he learnt to move pieces on a chessboard as a six-year old, Vishy – as Anand is fondly called – has racked up innumerable accolades. The first World Chess Champion from Asia, he emerged onto the world stage when chess was largely a Soviet preserve, climbed the ranks to become World No. 1, bagged five World Championship titles and won tournaments across all formats of the game. A peerless ambassador of chess, his is one of the most revered names in the sport.

Introduction

In Mind Master, Vishy looks back on a lifetime of games played, opponents tackled and circumstances overcome, and draws from its depths significant tools that will help every reader navigate life’s challenges:<ul><li>What role do tactics and strategy play in the preparation for</li><li>achieving a goal?</li><li>How can emotions be harnessed to your advantage in tricky</li><li>situations?</li><li>What precautions should you take before you decide to leave your</li><li>comfort zone and embrace risk?</li><li>What do you need to do to stay relevant in the face of rapidly</li><li>changing realities?</li><li>Is unlearning really the only way to learn?</li></ul>

As a long-term strategy, being predictable is not of much advantage – for your career or business or even for yourself. Once in a while, you’ve got to take the counter-intuitive path, but not without owning responsibility for the consequences – and certainly not without preparation. In such situations, your attitude should trump the decision itself. When you focus on previously unconsidered solutions to reach your end goal, don’t let your mind wallow in indecision or imagined negative outcomes. Instead, push through with execution.

1 DITCHING THE LADDER
Of Gut, Heart and a Winning Idea

When I played this game with Manuel Aaron, my obsession with winning the Grandmaster title was still some years away. At the same time, my win was a culmination of everything I had learnt and worked for until then, with little else weighing on my mind. There’s something to be said about working towards achieving a goal without obsessing over how far you’re from it or how hopelessly you’re missing the mark each time. Once you shut out the clamor of the result and simply persevere, success is bound to be yours.

2 STICKY NOTES
Madras, Manila, Madrid and Everything in Between

Here’s a lesson in serendipity and limitless learning. Nothing you do, however unconnected it is to your livelihood or your life’s goal, goes waste. You never know when an idea that you’ve read about or heard of, or an activity you’ve dabbled in, will pay off. It’s wise, then, to keep your interests and your learning as varied and broad as you can.

3 THE ART OF REMEMBERING
Hooks, Hacks and Serendipity

Emotions tend to get in the way of clear thinking. Whether it’s impatience, frustration, fury, self-loathing or even premature elation – allowing these to consume the mind results in a loss of focus and distraction from learning, and keeps you from taking the right decisions and achieving your goal. Training your mind to take a step back at the crucial moment and developing cues to organize your thoughts is more advantageous than making a move while your mind is in turmoil.

4 WIN SOME, LOSE SOME
Emotions and the Power of Objectivity

For your strategy to be effective, the preparation you put into every aspect to make your tactics work efficiently is key. Your approach cannot be unidimensional. Whether you’re taking in external perspectives, keeping your mind open to varied sources of learning, visualizing difficult, unknown scenarios and tackling them head-on through practice, cultivating discipline and a routine that brings you comfort in the face of stressful situations – all of it eventually comes together to contribute to the moment of achievement.

5 GATHERING THE TROOPS
How to Make Preparation Count and Tactics Work

The match against Kasparov in New York in 1995 changed my attitude from being content playing good games and winning occasionally to being completely driven to becoming the World Champion. In the years that followed, I realized how that single match had distilled every aspect of what I lacked – the ability to be flexible, unpredictable and stay unaffected by psychological duress.

6 NEW YORK, NEW YORK
The Making of a Champion

It also became evident to me that the transition from being a strong player to becoming a champion wasn’t going to happen on its own. I had to want it ardently enough. Doing everything admirably well matters very little if you can’t finish the job.

The way I see it, talent is a lot like a plant. When it’s watered with hard work, it grows and blooms. Deprived of nourishment, the plant simply withers away. With hard work, talent gains in depth and scope, and uncovers newer abilities that were earlier unexplored. And hard work is not just about plugging away at something. It involves thinking intelligently about what you want to achieve, the goals you’re setting, how you’re improving on your innate skills or talents, and how you can incorporate all of this into the list of things that will help you scale that peak.

7 THE GIFT AND THE GRIT
Making Talent Work Hard

In any situation in life, being adaptable is the only way to grow andsucceed. You may have skills that you’ve perfected, a certain worldview that worked for you at a particular stage – but the reality is that circumstances change, and you can’t be prepared for everything. Lowering your resistance to change, removing bias and being willing to adapt will help you tackle whatever comes your way. Once you’ve assessed the resources at your disposal and weighed what is feasible against what is risky you will see the path.

8 MINING THE MIND AND MACHINES
Decision-Making, Data and a New Giant on the Block

The lead this game gave me was a luxury, but I restrained myself from celebrating too quickly. I’d suffered from the consequences of doing that earlier – relaxing when I should have been focused, or letting the excitement of an anticipated win take over. There is a difference between having an overwhelming lead and actually finishing a game on top. In these moments, it’s important to be acutely mindful of your present, find calm and keep yourself grounded. If you’re too busy visualizing future success it may eventually give you the slip.

9 BONN AGAIN
Finding Beauty in Risk

Resilience is the only answer to adversity. When tough situations arise – and they sometimes arrive like a hailstorm – your primary focus should be on accepting that although it is not the way you would want things to be, it is what you have to deal with, and then tackle it with practicality. It’s also important to remember that no matter what you’re up against, you have to give yourself some odds of success. Look deep for the resources that will pull you through – if you talk yourself out of everything, you’re undermining the advantages you have on your side.

10 THE ADVERSITY ADVANTAGE
A Volcanic Ash Cloud, a Road Trip and a Title

Success can often lull you into believing in what is non-existent – that you have no chink in your armor; that your occasional wins make you invincible; that there is nothing for you to improve upon. Life does not raise red flags unprompted. Look for the cues – they will ask you to identify and work on your weaknesses, disallow passivity in your attitude, thought and preparation for success. Even when you hit the lowest point, they will offer a handy start to hitting the road to recovery.

11 TWO CITIES, ONE STATE
Battling Learned Helplessness

In life, as in chess, learning must be constant – both new things and fresh ways of learning them. The process will invariably involve a certain degree of unlearning, and possessing the readiness to do that is utterly important. If your way of doing things isn’t working, clinging to your conclusions is only going to hold you back. You have to get to the root of a snag in order to make a breakthrough, because it’s possible that what you thought you knew isn’t actually the way it is. Unlearning is perhaps the hardest thing to do, but it is a necessity if growth and success are your goals.

12 STAYING ALIVE
On Today’s Wins and Tomorrow’s Horizons

The best Autobiography I have ever read. Very emotional at some point, and tells about how to take win and defeat in life. We have one thing in common, both of us learn chess for first time from our mothers. 

'Doing everything admirably well matters very little if you can't finish the job.' Few people know better than Viswanathan Anand how to think strategically at lightning speed and work under immense pressure to overcome the toughest odds. From the time he learnt to move pieces on a chessboard as a six-year-old, Vishy - as Anand is fondly called - has racked up innumerable accolades. With five World Championship titles, he is a peerless ambassador of chess, and his is one of the most revered names in the sport. In Mind Master, Vishy looks back on a lifetime of games played, opponents tackled and circumstances overcome, and draws from its depths significant tools that will help every reader navigate life's challenges: What role do tactics and strategy play in the preparation for achieving a goal? How can emotions be harnessed to your advantage in tricky situations? What do you need to do to stay relevant in the face of rapidly changing realities? Is unlearning really the only way to learn? These are just some of the nuggets Vishy touches upon with characteristic wit, easy wisdom and disarming candour in this expanded edition of his critically acclaimed memoir, a delightful and invaluable exploration into the self that will thrill, inspire and motivate readers as few books have done before.

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

Mind Master

<ul><li>Your subconscious mind has the answer to all your problems</li><li>Sleep every night with the idea of perfect health</li><li>Every thought is a cause and every condition is an effect</li><li>Convey the idea lovingly and feelingly to your subconscious mind</li><li>You are like a captain navigating a ship. You must give right orders : thoughts and images, to your subconscious mind which controls and governs all your experience</li><li>Never use the terms, "I can't afford it" Or "I can't do this". Your subconscious mind takes you at your word and sees to it that you do not have money or ability to do. </li></ul>

The Treasure House Within You

<ul><li>Affirm, "I can do all things through the power of my subconscious mind"</li><li>The law of life is the law of belief. A belief is a thought in your mind. Do not believe in things to harm or hurt you. Believe in the power of your subconscious to heal, inspire, strengthen and prosper you. According to your belief is it done unto you. </li><li>Change your thoughts, and you change destiny. </li></ul>

Contd. 

<ul><li>Your subconscious mind doesn't argue with you. It accepts what your conscious mind decree. If you say, "I can't afford it", it may be true, but do not say it. Select a better thought, decree, "I'll buy it, I accept it in my mind. "</li><li>The suggestions and statements of others have no power to hurt you. The only power is the movement of your own thought. You can choose to reject the thoughts or statements of others and affirm the good. You have the power to choose how you will react. </li></ul>

How Your Own Mind Works

<ul><li>The law of action and reaction is universal. Your thought is action, and the reaction is the automatic response of your subconscious mind to your thought. Watch your thought. </li></ul>

The Miracle Working Power Of Your Subconscious

<ul><li>The miraculous healings you hear about at various shines are due to imagination and blind faith, which act on the subconscious mind, releasing the healing power. </li><li>All disease originates in the mind. Nothing appear on the body unless there is a mental pattern corresponding to it. </li></ul>

Mental Healing In Ancient Times

<ul><li>Find out what it is that heals you. Realise that correct directions given to your subconscious mind will heal your mind and body. </li><li>Develop a definite plan for turning over your request or desires to your subconscious mind. </li><li>Imagine the end desired and feel its reality. Follow it through, and you will get definite results. </li></ul>

Mental Healing In Modern Times

In The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, Dr. Joseph Murphy gives you the tools you will need to unlock the awesome powers of your subconscious mind. You can improve your relationships, your finances, your physical well-being. Once you learn how to use this unbelievably powerful force there is nothing you will not be able to accomplish. Join the millions of people who have already unlocked the power of their subconscious minds. I urge you to study this book and apply the techniques outlined therein; and as you do, I feel absolutely convinced that you will lay hold of a miracle-working power that will lift you up from confusion, misery, melancholy, and failure, and guide you to your true place, solve your difficulties, sever you from emotional and physical bondage, and place you on the royal road to freedom, happiness, and peace of mind.- Dr. Joseph Murphy

mindfulness

Mindfulness

The Power of Your Subconscious Mind

It is not just a book but a manual for happy worry-free life. All the chapter deals with real world application of ideas to tackle the worry. The tools are so easy to understand and use that one may actually turn himself from worrier to a warrior.

The Book

Live each day until bedtime. Don't carry tension from yesterday to tomorrow. Live in day-tight compartmentAsk yourself about the troubles you're facing<ul><li>What worst could happen if you can't solve it? </li><li>Prepare mentally for the worst case scenario</li><li>Calmly try to improve upon the worst</li></ul>Remind yourself what could happen to your health if you don't stop worrying.

Fundamental Facts You Should Know About Worry

<ol><li>Get the facts. Remember that half the worry in the world is caused by people trying to make decisions before they have sufficient knowledge on which to base a decision</li><li>After carefully weighing all facts, come to a decision</li><li>Once a decision is carefully reached, act! Get busy carrying out your decisions and dismiss all anxiety about the outcome</li><li>When you are tempted to worry about a problem, write out and answer the following questions:</li></ol><ul><li>What is the problem? </li><li>What is the cause of the problem? </li><li>What are all possible solutions? </li><li>What is the best solution? </li></ul>

Basic Technique In Analysing Worry

<ol><li>Crowd worry out of your mind by keeping busy. Plenty of action is one of the best therapies ever devised for curing "wibber gibbers"</li><li>Don't fuss about trifles. Don't permit little things-the mere termits of life- to ruin your happiness</li><li>Use the law of averages to outlaw your worries. Ask yourself: what are the odds against this thing's happening at all? </li></ol>

How To Break The Worry Habit Before It Breaks You

<ol><li>Co-operate with the inevitable. If you know a circumstance is beyond your power to change Or revise, say to yourself "It is so; it cannot be otherwise"</li><li>Put a stop-loss order on your worries. Decide just how much anxiety a thing may be worthand refuse to give it any more. </li><li>Let the past bury its dead. Don't saw sawdust. </li></ol>

<ol><li>Let's fill our minds with thoughts of peace, courage, health and hope, for 'our life is what our thoughts make it'</li><li>Let's never try to get even with our enemies, because if we do we will hurt ourselves far more than we hurt them. Let's do as General Eisenhower does: let's never waste a minute thinking about people we don't like. </li><li>Instead of worrying about ingratitude, let's expect it. Let's remember that Jesus healed ten lepers in one day and only one thanked Him. Why should we expect more gratitude than Jesus got? </li></ol>

Seven Ways To Cultivate A Mental Attitude That Will Bring You 

<ol><li>Let's remember that the only way to find happiness is not to expect gratitude but to give for the joy of giving</li><li>Let's remember that gratitude is a "cultivated" trait; so if we want our children to be grateful, we must train them to be grateful </li><li>Count your blessings, not your troubles</li><li>Let's not imitate others. Let's find ourselves and be ourselves, for envy is ignorance and imitation is suicide. </li><li>When fate hands us a lemon, let's try to make a lemonade</li><li>Let's forget our own happiness by trying to create a little happiness for others. When you are good to others, you are best to yourself. </li></ol>

<ol><li>Unjust criticism if often a disguised compliment. It often means that you have aroused jealousy and envy. Remember that no one ever kicks a dead dog. </li><li>Do the very best you can, and then put up your old umbrella and keep the rain of criticism from running down the back of your neck</li><li>Let's keep a record of the fool things we have done and criticise ourselves. Since we can't hope to be perfect, let's do what E. H. Little did: let's ask for unbiased, helpful, constructive criticism. </li></ol>

How To Keep From Worrying About Criticism

<ol><li>Rest before you get tired</li><li>Learn to relax at your work</li><li>If you are a housewife, protect your health and appearance by relaxing at home</li><li>Apply these four good working habits</li></ol><ul><li>Clear your desk of all papers except those relating to the immediate problem at hand</li><li>Do things in the order of their importance</li><li>When you face a problem, solve it then and there if you have the facts necessary to make a decision</li><li>Learn to organize, deputize and supervise. </li></ul>5. To prevent worry and fatigue, put enthusiasm into your work6. Remember, no one was ever killed by lack of sleep. It is worrying about insomnia that does the damage

Six Ways To Prevent Fatigue And Worry And Keep Your Energy  

Here I add the summaries of the book found in "in a nutshell" pages.

Learn how to break the worry habit -- Now and forever! With Dale Carnegie's timeless advice in hand, more than six million people have learned how to eliminate debilitating fear and worry from their lives and to embrace a worry-free future. In this classic work, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, Carnegie offers a set of practical formulas that you can put to work today. It is a book packed with lessons that will last a lifetime and make that lifetime happier! DISCOVER HOW TO: Eliminate fifty percent of business worries immediately Reduce financial worries Avoid fatigue -- and keep looking young Add one hour a day to your waking life Find yourself and be yourself -- remember there is no one else on earth like you! Fascinating to read and easy to apply, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living deals with fundamental emotions and life-changing ideas. There's no need to live with worry and anxiety that keep you from enjoying a full, active life!

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

How to Stop Worrying and Start Living

<ul><li>Non professional or club players rarely have enough time to study chess</li><li>They should focus on the areas that are most important</li><li>The biggest cause of victory or defeat in chess is that one player sees something that other has missed at a crucial point in the game. </li></ul>

Most games are decided not by theoretical nuances or complex strategy, but rather by one player missing a move or idea that his opponent has see

The Vision Thing

<ul><li>Very often we only realise our mistake when we announce our move to the world by actually playing it on the board. </li><li>Humans make tactical oversight all the time even if they sometimes try and pretend otherwise. </li><li>Residual image of pieces in the mind's eye can create problems in visualization</li><li>GM Kotov describes in the book "Think like a Grandmaster" how to decide on your candidate moves based on the assessment of the position. </li><li>Positional intuition and calculations are inseparable. </li><li>Many games lost because of looking for combinations that don't exist. </li><li>Choose only few sensible moves and calculate. </li></ul>

For players having little time to study chess<ol><li>Solve puzzles during the time spend on bus or train or any free time. </li><li>From games in books or magazines where a strong player has made some notes, play the game without looking at the game and notes, analyse this position against the clock for 30 minutes and compare the analysis with the notes. </li><li>Analyse with someone stronger than you in playing strength. Discuss the variations verbally which helps visual imagination</li><li>Do Post-mortem of your games with your opponent. Do not get arrogant against your opponent and be objective. </li></ol>

The Vision Thong

5. Avoid blitz (5+3, 5, 3+2, 3 minutes) and bullet (2+1, 2, 1 minute) games. Here only quick moves and impulses work. Preferrer Rapid chess (10, 15 minutes or more) or Fiscer style time limit with seconds added. 6. Blind fold chess may help in developing better visualization skills but unhealthy and mentally disturbing.

<ul><li>Direct attack on the king is not often possible, so it is better to build up a good position.</li><li>Understanding the position and their requirements can help in building a plan</li><li>Lengthy memorisation of opening lines to miss out the early planning stage of a game and go directly into the middle game in which there is a clear and simple idea is a very popular approach but often fails when opponent do not follow the opening lines.</li><li>Learning opening theory is not just about learning the variations but understanding the philosophy behind them.</li></ul>

A Game Plan

<ul><li>Without good understanding of chess, a player may not earn the advantage at the end of the variation.</li><li>Opening theory is popular among all levels because of three reasons</li></ul><ol><li>It is an easy way to win</li><li>Those who don't know the opening lines are more likely to loss</li><li>Leading players talk more about preparation and theory.</li></ol><ul><li>It is far better to study all games played by the opponent before playing against them. </li><li>3-4 opening systems for white and black is sufficient for tournament play with thorough preparation.</li></ul>

<ul><li>The most effective way to defeat a less experienced player is to deprive him of a clear line of action and to make the planning part of the game as difficult as possible.</li><li>The best way to learn an opening is to understand the structures to which it leads to and study some classic games in which those structures appear. </li><li>Occasional changing of opening repertoire is refreshing but should not be done too often.</li><li>Names of some popular structures are</li></ul><ol><li>Caro-slav formation</li><li>Hedgehog formation</li><li>Isolated d-pawn</li><li>Hanging d- and c-pawn</li><li>Hanging centre</li><li>Stonewall </li><li>Botvinnik formation</li><li>Benoni formation</li></ol>

Key factors in choosing an opening repertoire<ol><li>Initiative</li><li>space advantage</li><li>changeability</li><li>memorable</li><li>specific preference for structures</li><li>preference for attack or defense or both</li></ol><ul><li>For attacking players, 1. e4 is most suitable</li><li>Follow a lesser known grandmaster having attacking style with 1.e4, this may save huge amount of time.</li></ul>

Building an opening repertoire

<ul><li>If you have the chance to advance a pawn one square or two in the endgame, then first of all advance only one square and only then play it forward one more square. </li><li>Repeating moves in the endgame can be very useful</li><li>It gains time and psychological benefit of the side with the advantage. The defender can not stand the strain for long. </li><li>Endgame requires patience, methodical and precise movement. </li><li>Better to calm the nerves by deep breathing </li><li>Side with the advantage want to keep the pawns. To play against them, exchange pawns, not pieces so they have nothing to promote. </li></ul>

Winning In The Endgame

<ul><li>Possession of advanced passed pawns tend to be far more important than an extra pawn or two. </li><li>Rook endgames, opposite colored Bishop endgame, knight endgames are often drawish. </li><li>King activities matter in the endgame, the value of the king is approximately equivalent to a rook. </li></ul>

<ul><li>Computer processors are becoming faster everyday and so their calculation ability in every chess positions. The engines do not follow human intuition and can win based on faster calculations. </li><li>Computer may fail to recognize positional pawn sacrifice and closed positions, however this is not always true. </li></ul>

Man Vs Machine

<ul><li>Have a good night's sleep before the game. </li><li>Do nothing on the day of the play</li><li>In team event, avoid being the captain to restrain from organizational duties. </li><li>Bring at least one working pen and be at the board a few minutes before the game. </li><li>Do not do last minute opening preparations. </li><li>Look over one or two games of the opponent on the evening before the game. </li><li>Don't try to get adrenaline thrill with motivational speeches, it is better to take a short walk in some fresh air. </li><li>When playing against higher rated player, play to learn and show your best skill instead of having already losing mindset. </li></ul>

Practical Play

<ul><li>It is okay to walk during the game but never talk to anyone. </li><li>Food habits should be checked, no alcohol, no sweets. </li><li>Try not to shake during the games, that shows nervousness and blow winning positions. Take a few deep, slow breath, using your diaphragm and count slowly from eight to one. </li><li>Try to avoid tournaments with a demanding schedule or take a bye if these are on offer. </li><li>To avoid time trouble, avoid over-calculations or calculating the incalculable, some moves have to be made on intuition or prior knowledge. </li><li>If opponent having time trouble, don't hurry or make superficial moves, play usual</li></ul>

<ul><li>Analyse your own games</li><li>Be objective and honest with yourself during the analysis</li><li>Find the turning points where the advantage occur or lost. </li><li>Measure the advantage of each side. </li><li>Make a balance between not analysing variations too far and not far enough. </li><li>Check up the opening from opening book</li><li>Best way to improve is to play against stronger players, although being beaten badly in every game does not do much for one's confidence but it surely tightens up your game whereas playing against weaker players lead to slopiness</li><li>Limit yourself to between 50 to 90 competitive games a year. </li></ul>

Here I note few important points from the book. The book is mostly for club level and below expert level chess players.

Working on the theory that within every player there is a better player waiting to be unleashed, this renowned chess teacher uses examples from his teaching practice to reveal the key elements in the makeup of strong players. He then shows players how to acquire these skills by examining how games are won and lost and how results can be improved with common sense and practical measures. Beginner

The Chess Player's Battle Manual

Parents - children, husband - wife, teacher - student, money giver - money taker, abuser - punisher , good- bad etc are like white & black and they exist independently, howeverone can effect another but doing so, another do not get right to effect the same away.

The Imbalance

‌Children are born through their parents, not from them. Parents do not have right to manipulate them or abuse them at will, they owe their existence because of sex. Children do not owe anything from parents, they didn't ask to be born. Children can irritate their parents due to their habitual behavior and parents should not punish them.

Parents-children

Husband and wife need to be happy independently without asking other one to make them happy. Being sad is not an excuse for ruining a relationship, one needs to be happy himself first and then bring the happiness to the relationship. Likewise, cheating does not permit the benefits of cheating back and being normalised. You can't keep the balance by treating what you are being treated if it is in negative way.

The Couple

Some thoughts outright unacceptable but actually true. 

Digital Minimalism

Finding Moves in the Middlegame

The Ideas Behind the Chess Openings

Mind Master

The Power of Your Subconscious Mind

Santanu Borah