List, rank, iterate
Balaji Srinivasan is something of an intellectual celebrity nowadays, but what’s lesser known is that he also has a brother who was a master at operational excellence.
The Mundanity of Excellence
When we see great feats of excellence on the Olympic stage, we automatically assume corresponding great feats of efforts and superhuman talent behind them.
Perception is reality is realer than I perceived
I once had a employee who would trot out “Perception is reality” cynically whenever he perceived that management is “massaging the truth” to tell a story.
New principles I'm trying out from Joe Hudson
Embrace intensity Yes Theory’s “Seek discomfort” but intensity can also refer to positive emotions, such as intense joy.
Don't mistake the review for the recipe
Many of the insights in life are laid bare in plain sight, availing themselves only to the sharpest of eyes.
The wit and the grinder
Wit - looks for the smartest, simplest way to achieve something.
Actionable Tips on being Data-Driven
Apply XmR charts for established processes to detect variations that indicate that the probability distribution has changed (i.e.
Copywriting Axioms of Joseph Sugarman
Axioms Axiom 1: Copywriting is a mental process the successful execution of which reflects the sum total of all your experiences, your specific knowledge and your ability to mentally process that information and transfer it onto a sheet of paper for the purpose of selling a product or service.
The To-Ignore List
A pattern I have noticed with myself is that as I achieve some mild form of progress on my goals, my self-confidence expands faster than my execution capacity, resulting in overloading of goals.
Marketplace Growth Strategy and Growth Model by Lenny and Dan Hokenmaier
Every time a seasoned practitioner shares concrete tactics and heuristics, I listen.
Our cittas are like open mouths
That was the sentence that lingered in my mind, not least buttressed by Ajahn’s animated enactment of how the citta gapes and accepts whatever the mind feeds it.
2023 Goals Review
While this is not the 1st year I have set goals, this is the first time where I have a deeper understanding of the cause-effect mechanisms of goal achievement.
Tale of AI in SEA
A Tale of ChatGPT and the Art of Negotiation Picture this: you’re locked in a tense negotiation with a vendor on a 6-figure deal, fighting tooth and nail to shave off the last dollar.
Back at track and chatGPT
Back at track I ran at a track and field for the first time in years at 8am.
The Art of Impossible Actionables
I have heard Steven Kotler’s work 2 years ago, and implemented his Habit of Ferocity worksheet.
Blueprint Diet by Bryan Johnson
BY THE NUMBERS Monthly Blueprint cost = $2,224.50 Daily Calories = 1,977 Food Costs $62.91 / day (vary by geography) The Green Giant: $9.91 Super Veggie: $17 Nutty Pudding: $17 Third meal: $17 Other: $2 (i.e.
How to transfer files from Linux to iPhone wirelessly (without a USB)
[GitHub - claudiodangelis/qrcp: Transfer files over wifi from your computer to your mobile device by scanning a QR code without leaving the terminal.
Learnings about Sleep Pro Systems
I have heard about the Chilipad on The Tim Ferriss’ Show and learnt about the importance of lowering our body temperature for sleep on “Why We Sleep”.
Swim Technique Analysis
“One minute of video analysis beats 10 years of blind training.” I have always been a book reader and solo trainer, past the point of optimality.
Pre-running stretches
HIP FLEXOR (ILIOPSOAS) AND QUAD FLEXIBILITY Here, Kelly demonstrates the “super quad” stretch on a couch.
Geek to Freak protocol
Reread Tim Ferriss’ 4-Hour Body, and was reminded how much of an iconoclast he was.
Advice for woodworking and life
Charles Hayward, a cabinet maker and editor of The Woodworker magazine, offers some advice on how to succeed in woodworking (and in life): “One thing is certain: that, even though the craft is a lifetime’s study, the application of a few simple principles will assuredly bring success in woodworking.
Learnings in 2022
If I were to characterise 2022 in 1 word, it is uncertainty.
fast.ai chapter 5 questionnaire
Why do we first resize to a large size on the CPU, and then to a smaller size on the GPU?
fast.ai Chapter 2 reflections
Just completed Chapter 2 of the fastbook, which is about deploying models to production.
John Carmack
Just finished John Carmack’s interview with Lex Fridman.
Practical life tips
There are a subset of us who have the impression that our memories are infallible, or at least are high-functioning and reliable.
Documenting my journey learning deep learning - Rough notes
I’d been learning deep learning via fast.ai, going through their fastbook, on and off in the past 6 months.
Back from hiatus
Been away for 3 months, starting from Bryan’s Bali wedding to my family trip in the US to a business trip to Vietnam.
Direct experience
I had been listening to and reading up on more Dhamma materials recently.
Good intentions are not enough
I recently gave some advice to some entrepreneurs just starting out from scratch.
How desires transmorgrify
I observed something about how desires worked yesterday that was new to me.
Workshopping the talk later today
I’m doing a tech sharing later today, and have been slowly converging on a topic of interest, but now is the time to draw the lines in the sand and nail down the logical structure.
Playing with identity
I had been trying to harmonise 2 paradigms that of the Buddhist and the self-development world.
What is truly left of "me"
“Who am I?” is not a question that most adults ask themselves.
Active delegation
The first few months of 2022 hadn’t been the easiest for me.
Gathering of energy
Sopisa shared a Dhamma talk last week about Jhana’s in daily life.
Looking in the wrong places
Looking back at my last week, there was a period of about 3-5 days where I fell back to the illusion of seeking pleasure, or rather an escape from unpleasantness in the wrong places.
A tale of 2 nations
As a Singaporean born to Malaysian parents, I frequently hear comparisons about the 2 countries, especially about the competence of its governments.
How to use structure to create spontaneous group social interactions remotely
For the past 2 months, I was part of a circle of Endeavor entrepreneurs who come together every 2 weeks to share about our challenges and help each other out.
Status games
Just finished a podcast from Jordan Harbinger show, where he interviewed Will Stor, an author who wrote about the status games that we play.
1st aquathlon done
Just completed my first aquathlon (750m swim + 5km run) at Sentosa, and though I had prepared for this with open water swims and a self-organised triathlon at Oswald’s place, some parts were surprisingly difficult.
Been feeling down on self-respect
I have recently been caught in a bit of a rut, where I hadn’t been feeling great about the lifestyle choices I had been making, be it in sleep, diet, time allocation.
Doing it is easy, thinking about it is difficult
This came from a story Ajahn Brahm told during the meditation retreat.
The cure to worry, stuckness, low self-esteem
Action.
A subtler view of how I self-sabotage
When I first learnt about “self-sabotage” from Tony Robbins, it struck me as a foreign concept.
My renewed set of daily affirmations
Things happen through me and by me, never to me.
How I appreciated non-Self more finely after my 6-day retreat
I have just completed a 6-day retreat with Ajahn Brahm.
I realised I have succumbed to low-risk thinking
Was listening to an interview of Sam Bankman-Fried by Acquired.fm, and it struck me that a lot of his opinions are formed from first-principle reasoning.
How to compound myself
Recently, I have been reviewing the arc of my career and considering certain projects.
What the story of the Gordian Knot taught me about approaching intractable problems
I’ve just completed a podcast retelling the life of Alexander the Great.
I realise today that my work environment affects my mood more than I'd like to admit
Realised this because I left the house early to meet my engineering manager at Book Cafe.
How to take over the world
Been listening closely to the podcast series “How to take over the world”, just wanna make some note to self on common traits amongst great men: Abundance of energy - they were prolific, and get many things done, sometimes in parallel and in different fields.
Soak in the present
The busier I feel, the more I have to meditate.
It's never too late to stop
Recently, I’d been caught in the trance of bad habits.
All is temporary
Sometimes, you wait for the meaning of things that happen in your life.
If you want to be world-class, follow your obsession
I had a chat with a mentor of mine.
Compassion and suffering
Just finished In Order To Live by Yeonmi Park.
What's my life's task
Reading the Daily Laws by Robert Greene, and I truly resonate with the call to find one’s Life’s Task.
Intensity and energy
A lot of unachieved goals in life is due not to misplaced strategies, or even unclear goals, but a lack of intensity and energy to break down all barriers.
Timelog - 11 November 2021
Listened to MFM, a short anecdote reminded me of the importance of a clear goal and massive action-taking.
Timelog - 10 November 2021
Message to self: I need a balance of both chaos and stability, crossing the boundaries frequently.
Timelog - 3 November 2021
Just crashed last night after a long day of work.
Timelog - 2 Nov 2021
Hmm ship 30 for 30 looks interesting, seems like I’ve been doing some things wrong by overplanning, publishing into the void, not tailoring my content.
Timelog - 1 November 2021
Morning thoughts It’s already the 2nd last month of the year!
Running Effective Staff Meetings
A compact set of principles for making staff meetings purposeful, human, and decisive.
Timelog - 31 October 2021
Morning diary: Innovation is hard, it is a lot of grind and uncertainty and risks.
Timelog - 29 October 2021
Message to self: Heavy emotions yesterday, but glad I said my piece.
Timelog - 30 October 2021
Message to self: Ship things, get things done.
Timelog - 28 October 2022
Message to self: People regret more things they said rather than unsaid, and not listening rather than listened.
Timelog - 26 October 2021
Message to self: Constantly evaluate what the highest order bit is.
Timelog - 27 October 2021
Message to self: A few learnings from this morning.
Timelog - 25 October 2021
Message to self: It had been a pretty chill weekend, it was like my psychology revolted against the strict schedules and austere practices of the week, and screamed, “I need a break!”.
Timelog - 22 October 2021
Message to self: Fell off the bandwagon yesterday after feeling tired in the morning, and then taking an afternoon nap along with a heavier than usual lunch.
Timelog - 21 October 2021
Message to self: Keep taking action, keep doing what I’m doing, keep staying to my habits.
5 Steps to Get What You Want out of Life
I am acquainted with Ray Dalio’s 5-step process for success for a few years now, and had been implementing it with some success.
Facts of Life
As I grow older, experience tells me that there are some inescapable facts of life.
Timelog - 20 October 2021
Message to self: I inherit the consequences of all my volitions, skillful or unskillful.
Timelog - 18 October 2021
Message to self: I am still sleeping and waking up late.
Timelog - 19 October 2021
Message to self: Fasted, slept relatively early, woke up early, felt tremendous.
Timelog -17 Oct 2021
Message to self: Reading Cedric’s blogpost on business expertise raised more questions than it addressed.
How Might We's
Five early product prompts spanning trading, birdwatching, documentation, running, and learning.
Timelog 16 Oct 2021
Message to self: Today is the day to pursue making, creativity and hobbies.
S 15/10/21 Timelog
0520 - got out of bed, snoozed way too many times 0843 - meditated, swam had breakfast with B, jasmine green tea is brewing in the kitchen!
Timelog ⏰ 14 October 2021
Message for today: Now not how Still feeling like I could have woken up earlier.
Timelog 15 Oct 2021
Msg to self: Am I working hard enough?
Everyone knows it already
I used to be enamoured with doing things that hadn’t been done before, which is well and fine when you are breaking new grounds as a researcher.
How might we’s
A collection of product prompts drawn from everyday problems with habits, goals, and accountability.
Learnings from Erik Bernhardsson's parable
https://erikbern.com/2021/07/07/the-data-team-a-short-story.html Watch for a culture of output vs outcomes (eg.
Timelog 13 Oct 2021
Messsage to self: Face up to my painful tasks.
Distribution First
This is one of those lessons I have known about in the abstract, but recently gained a lot more definition on.
Timelog: 11 Oct 2021
8:05am: Woke up, slept on the floor for the first half.
Timelog: 12 Oct 2021
Message to self: Get back on track Trident for today: Write 1 more blog article Lead product leadership meeting Confirm Glints Feed hiring plan Morning thoughts: Been feeling a bit of a wanderlust, but at its core, it’s me running away from taking action on my most important work.
As Glints CTO, this is what I want you to know about building an engineering team in Southeast Asia
There are two lessons that I learned the hard way when building Glints engineering team in this region..
How Seeking To Balance Everything Nearly Cost Me My Relationship
TLDR: Be mindful of the underlying metaphors that shape your view of relationships.