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- Newsletter Week 09 | 2022
Newsletter Week 09 | 2022
Having enough, checklists, and premature optimization
Hey there.
I hope you've had a great week.This week, I have some 'tiny thoughts' to share.
Having enough
Know contentment and you will suffer no disgrace; know when to stop and you will meet with no danger. You can then endure.
— Lao Tzu
It was predicted by Maynard Keynes, in a speech in 1930, that by now we'd only have to work 15h a week.
But as you know, that didn't happen. We only found more ways to not be satisfied; more reasons to get more money, so we could buy more things.
I feel like the mentality of "as soon as I get this done, I'll be happy" or "if I just got more done, I'd be more fulfilled and happy" is the same mindset as "if just I had more money/things, I'd be happy". I guess those mindsets are really all rooted in feeling a lack of something (or perhaps the desire for more).
But you won't ever be happy with that. If you aren't happy before you do the life hacks / get more money / lose weight / buy a new bag / insert desire here, you won't be after.
Continuously postponing our fulfillment and happiness until some condition is met is a trap.
When I lose weight, I will be confident.When I finish my project, I'll be satisfied.When I X, I will be Y.
But the thing is, we won't ever be Y. We just move onto the next thing. And the next. And the next.
Checklists
Checklists allow you to think through a process, identifying errors therein or finding oversights.
They also help prevent the effects of willpower depletion.
Pilots use preflight checklists to improve flight safety by making sure no important tasks are forgotten.Even experts can make mistakes. Using external tools like checklists can help prevent them.
You need a different checklist and different mental models for different companies. I can never make it easy by saying, 'Here are three things.' You have to derive it yourself to ingrain it in your head for the rest of your life.
— Charlie Munger
Premature Optimization
This often occurs when someone starts their Fitness journey, or when they start to use some new technology (e.g., PKM systems or tools for thought).
You don't need to use some grand system that someone else figured out. Figure out what works for you and go with that.
You can start drawing inspiration from the work of others later.
Avoid chasing the 1% when just starting out — aim for the 99% first.
I relate this to Occam's Razor; just start with the simplest solution.
Quote
Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.
— Cyril Northcote Parkinson
To your success. Regards,
Christian Bager Bach Houmann