Category: Mental Models

We tend to get overwhelmed with indecision about what to do. Because we want to do everything, or we’re really attached to one thing. Either way, we put an enormous outward effort into chasing what we crave. And when someone tells us we can’t have something it makes us want to rebel and fight or…

If you’re addicted to something you’re addicted because you think you need it. We like to talk about our addictions as if they’re a terrible act of weakness that you indulge in. That you know what’s good for you but you just can’t help being bad. But that’s not what’s happening. The opioid epidemic is…

If you want to become a more capable person then stop trying to perfect something. Because your goal isn’t the thing. It’s to be better. And usually working trying to tweak something into perfection takes away the attention from the massive improvements you could be making. The more you focus on the thing the less…

Do something difficult in a measured way. Lots of self-development talks about how you need to experience difficult things to become a better person. But to say that without a measuring stick is stupid. You can’t just experience unlimited hard things. There are infinite problems you can choose to experience in life and if you…

Anxiety is addictive because boredom is intolerable. If you’re anxious, it’s often because you do things that make you anxious because you can’t handle being bored. Sitting on a chair without your phone is boring and it gives you the opportunity to have anxious thoughts you don’t like, so you pick up your phone to…

Your fear is an incredible informant and a terrible leader. If your fear points out stuff worth noticing, then it’s super helpful. Because you need to know when you’re in danger. But if you obey your fear and believe that you’re in danger every time you’re afraid or work harder every time you get scared…

If you feel alone and like the world is burning down around you then you need to know this. There’s no one coming to save you. This isn’t depressing or nihilistic. This is a mental framework. There’s no parent, sibling, god, or king that’s going to fix your problems. Because they’re your problems. The government…

If you want to progress you have to go where play is found. Play is the place between newness and familiarity where progress can happen. You can’t actually progress very far by working at the edge of your ability. It’s occasionally useful but tears you down and requires too much recovery time to create consistent…

Every idea you come up with will have a downside. Every option comes with a risk. And that scares us. We let ourselves get stuck because we’re afraid that we’ll make a decision that moves us in a dangerous direction. But there are no safe directions. And when we understand this we feel better. Because…

If you changed your life to make it better then you need to remember that what gets you healthy is what keeps you healthy. The steps you take to make yourself a functional person aren’t solutions. They’re lifestyle choices. And if you let go of the lifestyle that keeps you in a good place then…