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good people, resources, books

respectable parental figures to listen to, if you want to wake up excited for life, every single day.

Lee Kuan Yew

his thoughts on a life well lived.
https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/data/pdfdoc/2003091603.htm#:~:text=To%20make%20life%20worthwhile%2C%20never,most%20are%20the%20human%20relationships.

Books
From Third World to First (review coming soon)

Charlie Munger

https://fs.blog/munger-operating-system/

A writing by Li Lu (himalaya capital) about his mentor charlie munger.
https://www.rbcpa.com/commentary-archive/li-lus-foreword-to-poor-charlies-almanack-the-wit-and-wisdom-of-charles-t-munger/

Books
Poor charlie's almanack (review coming soon)

resources on writing

The Day You Became A Better Writer – by Scott Adams

"I went from being a bad writer to a good writer after taking a one-day course in “business writing.” I couldn’t believe how simple it was. I’ll tell you the main tricks here so you don’t have to waste a day in class.

Business writing is about clarity and persuasion. The main technique is keeping things simple. Simple writing is persuasive. A good argument in five sentences will sway more people than a brilliant argument in a hundred sentences. Don’t fight it.

Simple means getting rid of extra words. Don’t write, “He was very happy” when you can write “He was happy.” You think the word “very” adds something. It doesn’t. Prune your sentences.

Humor writing is a lot like business writing. It needs to be simple. The main difference is in the choice of words. For humor, don’t say “drink” when you can say “swill.”

Your first sentence needs to grab the reader. Go back and read my first sentence to this post. I rewrote it a dozen times. It makes you curious. That’s the key.

Write short sentences. Avoid putting multiple thoughts in one sentence. Readers aren’t as smart as you’d think.

Learn how brains organize ideas. Readers comprehend “the boy hit the ball” quicker than “the ball was hit by the boy.” Both sentences mean the same, but it’s easier to imagine the object (the boy) before the action (the hitting). All brains work that way. (Notice I didn’t say, “That is the way all brains work”?)

That’s it. You just learned 80% of the rules of good writing. You’re welcome."

https://paulgraham.com/goodwriting.html

Writing tips from Lee Kuan Yew

Write in clean, clear prose
"I choose my words carefully – not elegant, not stylish, just clean, clear prose. It means simplifying, polishing and tightening."

Simplify, simplify, simplify
"Do not try to impress by big words – impress by the clarity of your ideas...If I had not been able to reduce complex ideas into simple words and project them vividly for mass understanding, I would not be here today."

Avoid jargon and other 'codes'
"When you write notes, minutes or memoranda, do not write in code, so that only those privy to your thoughts can understand. Write so simply that any other officer who knows nothing of the subject can still understand you."

Read good stuff
"There is such a thing as a language environment. Ours is a bad one. Those of you who have come back from a long stay in a good English-speaking environment would have felt the shock when reading The Straits Times on returning."

Discuss
"Our biggest obstacle to better English is shyness. It is a psychological barrier. Nobody likes to stop and ask, “Please, what does that mean?” or “Please tell me, where have I gone wrong?” To pretend to know when you don’t know is abysmal folly. Then we begin to take in each other’s mistakes and repeat them. We recycle and reinforce these mistakes, compounding our problems."

Remember, you're competing with spoken words
"I could have put into a five-page note what I am going to tell you. But it will not have the same impact. The spoken word is always stronger, more emotive, and commands attention. The written word requires a practised, educated mind to extract nuances of meaning."

myself

adversity should always call for optimism, not pessimism
problems are opportunities to cut things out, or improve things.

environment and consumption should be used to produce good things.

Increase Seretonin (makes dopamine more effective)

Must dos each day

productivity

i take bits & pieces from these things
summary: flow state & do what intuitively feels important to you, follow your head and heart.

https://www.paulgraham.com/marginal.html
https://pmarchive.com/guide_to_personal_productivity.html
https://www.structuredprocrastination.com/