The Almanack of Naval Ravikant is a simple yet appropriate name for this compilation of quotes. Naval is a venture capitalist and angel investor, probably most well-known for founding AngelList. He has amassed a huge amount of wealth and become a sort of modern day philosopher. He has a lot to say about wealth, health, and happiness.
Less than a week ago, I got a new puppy. Needless to say, she’s adorable. She’s soft, cuddly, and rambunctious. I am taking a week and a half off my day job for us to get to know each other, so we’re spending a lot of time together. I’m so grateful to have these early days to play with her, learn with her, and bond as we make memories together.
Life is short. We all know that. But how short is it really?
A day is always the same length of time, but depending on the events of the day, can feel much too short or neverending.
The truth is we all have a maximum of a very similar length of time to live our lives: assuming you live to be eighty, you have about four thousand weeks. And depending on what you believe, you may only get one shot at them. What should you do with that time? How do you even figure that out?
Getting It Done is all about helping you develop leadership skills for the workplace, even if you are not a leader by job title. It might feel like no one would ever listen to you without the right promotion, but that is not the case.
Your actions can cause someone to ignore your requests and never help you, or they can motivate someone to work hard towards a shared goal. There are tons of ideas in this book for how to work better with your colleagues.
My staycation was sort of an accident, bittersweet in its circumstances. It wasn’t meticulously planned out, or long-anticipated (the best vacations, IMO, are those that you look forward to for weeks).
I was grateful for the opportunity, but there are things I would absolutely change for the next time we try something like this. If you’re thinking about a staycation, check out my tips for how to make it really worth your while.
A book on how to learn, and really make it stick, using itself as a model. Make It Stick teaches you using the techniques covered in the book. There is no better way to understand a concept quickly than to see it applied.
Make It Stick is a collaboration between Peter C. Brown, a professional writer, and Henry L. Roediger III and Mark A. McDaniel, professors of psychology. The result is a well-researched, easy-to-digest primer for any skill level. While it targets mainly students, parents, and teachers, there is useful advice for lifelong learners as well.
There are many lessons to learn, and to truly make them stick you should read the book yourself, taking notes and quizzing yourself using the given techniques. But since I know you’re busy, here are my main takeaways.
Michael Pollan, a skilled food journalist, explores firsthand the complexity of human decisionmaking regarding food. The omnivore’s dilemma is exactly this: with so much food available, how do you choose what to eat?
Ursula K. Le Guin, a master of narrative and the craft of writing, shares a lifetime’s worth of writing tips. By sharing her expert advice in such a public form, she really is steering the craft.
This book list was really difficult for me to narrow down. I read a staggering 90 nonfiction books this past year (thanks to repeated lockdowns), and the first draft of the greatest ones was a list of about 30. I painfully cut out some really enjoyable books. Those that remain are the best of the best.
I read a lot of books. As in, usually more than 100 in a year, and apparently up to 159 in 2020 when I’m locked down for 6+ months because of a global pandemic. I get so much joy out of reading, and find even fiction educational. I enjoy experiencing the stories that other people’s minds have created.