One Daily Nugget

2021-10-02 07:34:55 Don’t Let Achievement Striving Become an End in Itself

In today’s nugget, published by Longreads, Devin Kelly recounts how his obsession to finish a 24-hour ultramarathon led him to miss out on a valuable opportunity to bond with friends, and how the emptiness he felt upon winning raised important questions about his eagerness to achieve in the first place.

Read on and get inspired to pursue achievement not for achievement’s sake, but for the sake of a higher purpose that is truly meaningful to you.

Out There: On Not Finishing

Longreads • 16-minute read Open / Comment

2021-10-01 07:34:56 How to Spend Your Weirdness Points

“Weirdness is incredibly important”, Peter Wildeford, a proponent of “effective altruism”, argues in today’s nugget, published by the EA Forum. After all, most innovations, beliefs, and movements that are now taken for granted were once considered weird, and relied on contrarians to advocate on their behalf.

If you are a changemaker with weird ideas, read on to get actionable advice on how to see them through!

You have a set amount of "weirdness points". Spend them wisely.

EA Forum • 4-minute read Open / Comment

2021-09-30 07:34:56 Do the Painful Thing First

Savvy marketers know from behavioral psychology that people prefer experiences that improve over time. Hence, if there are any unpleasant parts in the customer experience, you should ensure that they occur at the beginning of the interaction. For example, as a doctor or lawyer, it’s better to share bad news first and finish with the good news.

In today’s nugget, James Clear applies this insight to life design: “If you can make a customer experience more delightful, why not make your life experiences more delightful?”

Read on to learn how to boost your happiness by stacking the pain early in your day and how front-loading discomfort will prove useful in all kinds of other ways!

Do the Painful Things First

James Clear • 5-minute read Open / Comment

2021-09-29 07:34:57 Is This a Deep Water Problem or a Big Wave Problem?

As you grow professionally, you will start running into situations where the stakes seem frighteningly high and you feel unsure of yourself. Should you suppress your fears and leap ahead? Or should you interpret the signals from your body as important warnings for you to tread carefully?

According to Seth Godin, it depends on the nature of the situation at hand: Are you facing a “deep water problem”? Then take the leap. Or a “big wave problem”? Then proceed with caution.

Read on to learn how to distinguish these two types of situations and how best to approach each of them!

When you’re over your head

Seth’s Blog • 1-minute read Open / Comment

2021-09-28 07:34:58 Battle-Tested Advice on How to Present Slides

Mark Suster, a managing partner at Upfront Ventures, is not only a highly successful investor, but also one of the most prominent bloggers in the startup world. Known for his no-nonsense advice, he writes on a broad range of topics, many of which specifically address the challenges faced by startup founders, but some of which are highly relevant for a broader audience as well.

Today’s nugget, from Suster’s Both Sides blog, is an example of the latter. Based on his vast experience in attending and delivering presentations, Suster walks us through a few priceless tips on how to handle any meeting in which you are being called upon to present.

Read on to learn more, and give these techniques a shot during your next presentation!

Quick Practical, Tactical Tips for Presentations

Both Sides • 5-minute read Open / Comment

2021-09-27 07:34:58 Ray Dalio on How to Thoughtfully Disagree

Unfortunately, most people are bad at disagreeing. They perceive disagreements as threats and get angry. As a result, they miss out on opportunities to correct some of their outdated assumptions and flawed mental models.

Dalio urges us to adopt a very different approach. “In thoughtful disagreement,” he writes, “both parties are motivated by the genuine fear of missing important perspectives.”

Read on to learn more about Dalio’s technique and get inspired to try it out for yourself!

Appreciate the art of thoughtful disagreement

LinkedIn • 3-minute read Open / Comment

2021-09-26 07:34:59 How Akshat Rathi Tried to Get By on 2 Hours of Sleep per Day

In the summer of 2009, Akshat Rathi, a senior reporter at Quartz, was finishing the first year of his doctorate and, with looming deadlines and an upcoming thesis defense, decided to embark on a bold experiment to cheat sleep.

Based on a 1943 Time article about the famous American inventor Buckminster Fuller’s eccentric sleep schedule, he permitted himself a 30-minute nap once every six hours. Incredibly, he succeeded for more than a full year.

Read on to learn what happened next — and why Rathi is unlikely to repeat the experience!

I once tried to cheat sleep, and for a year I succeeded

Quartz • 8-minute read Open / Comment

2021-09-25 07:35:02 Ayn Rand on Why Rationality is Man’s Highest Virtue

Ayn Rand, the founder of Objectivism, and famed author of Atlas Shrugged, certainly has her share of detractors. But, for decades, she has also been a hero to many changemakers. Whether or not you agree with her controversial political views, there are lessons and insights to be found in her unwavering emphasis on reason, self-sufficiency, and productive achievement.

Today’s nugget features Rand’s 1964 Playboy interview. Read on to learn more about man’s moral imperative, why the most depraved type of human being is a “man without a purpose”, why you are condemning yourself to misery if you let yourself be guided by your emotions, why it is “impractical” for a woman to devote herself to home and family (unless she approaches it as a career and treats it as a science), and why the only man capable of experiencing a profound romantic love is the man driven by passion for his work!

Playboy Interview: Ayn Rand

Playboy • 35-minute read Open / Comment

2021-09-24 07:35:10 How a Small Act of Kindness Could Change Someone’s Life

In 1986, Christopher Ryan, co-author of the New York Times best-seller Sex at Dawn, was about to board a train in Delhi when he suddenly noticed that he had accidentally left behind his passport, credit cards, and life savings in the nondescript guest house he had been staying in.

Panic-stricken, he ran back to the guest house, only to find his former room locked, and the people inside unable or unwilling to understand his pleas to open the door. Dismayed, he went down to the lobby to approach the Sikh manager.

Read today’s nugget, published by Psychology Today, to find out what happened next, and what lessons Ryan drew from the experience.

Sikh, and Ye Shall Find

Psychology Today • 6-minute read Open / Comment