Health
A few notes on physical and mental health, and the link between the two. The Three Legged Stool A friend… Read More »Health
Posts
Reading
Think before you speak. Read before you think. Fran Lebowitz I read widely. I am old enough to have grown… Read More »Reading
Writing
I like to write things. I don’t find it very easy, but I find it to be valuable. Sitting down… Read More »Writing
Mental Models
If you just want to go straight to the Mental Models weekly newsletter please do. What is a mental model?… Read More »Mental Models
Self Reported vs. Actual Data
I started thinking about this mental model in the context of my study and work in statistics and data engineering/data… Read More »Self Reported vs. Actual Data
It’s not Baby Brain, it’s Neuroplasticity
It’s 2022 and it’s shocking how little is known about the biological changes that occur in pregnancy, particularly the impact… Read More »It’s not Baby Brain, it’s Neuroplasticity
Emotional Labor
I think about this a lot. Leading a team takes a lot of hidden emotional labor. Having a family takes… Read More »Emotional Labor
Hedonic Offset
I lived as a chronic procrastinator for a long time. If a task was boring, stressful, or both, I would… Read More »Hedonic Offset
Birthdays
Birthdays weren’t so much of a big deal in my family. These days I enjoy a birthday as a time… Read More »Birthdays
Stereotyping
The difference between how we treat positive stereotypes vs negative stereotypes has always driven me a bit nuts. I wrote… Read More »Stereotyping
Ego
Ego is a funny thing. I was raised in Australia with a religious bent (I more identify as atheist now),… Read More »Ego
Moods
Related to my thoughts about The Different ‘Yous’ and Health… I find myself wondering why we treat adults so different… Read More »Moods
Absurdism
The lightness of absurdism I’ve always been drawn to nihilism, but after reading more Camus and Nagel I’ve realized absurdism… Read More »Absurdism
Stay in Your Comfort Zone
Note: I first published this Comfort Zone post here on Medium many years ago. In some ways it’s just a… Read More »Stay in Your Comfort Zone
Website Development
I’ve built a lot of websites over the years. From more involved custom coded to quick no-code sites, from saas… Read More »Website Development
Stress
Eustress vs Distress I like to remember these two types as stress as a simple mental model to reframe how… Read More »Stress
Micro M&A
I wanted to brain dump a rough summary of what I say when I talk to someone who’s new to… Read More »Micro M&A
Protected: Cryptocurrency
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
The Different ‘Yous’
This is related to my musing/crisis around identity. The Different ‘Yous’ I notice this phenomenon quite often, but I don’t… Read More »The Different ‘Yous’
Deep Work
I think Cal Newport has pulled together a bunch of important threads in a great coherent way under this concept… Read More »Deep Work
Expectations vs. Agreements
What are expectations and what are agreements? Coach Steve Chandler had this to say: You have two choices in your… Read More »Expectations vs. Agreements
Employment
I’ve started businesses, I’ve been a freelancer, and I’ve also been employed many times. Each has it’s pros and cons.… Read More »Employment
Customer Interviews
I will write more about this in general, but I wanted to make a quick note of these three cheeky… Read More »Customer Interviews
How you do anything is how you do everything
I like this little aphorism. I think it holds a lot of truth. For example, I’m a very good starter… Read More »How you do anything is how you do everything
Your Greatest Strength is Also Your Greatest Weakness
I think the idea of having some traits that are strengths and some that are weaknesses is not as clear… Read More »Your Greatest Strength is Also Your Greatest Weakness
‘Askers’ vs. ‘Guessers’
I love those moments when you come across a mental model that crystallizes a bunch of mental loose ends –… Read More »‘Askers’ vs. ‘Guessers’
Identity
I’m currently reflecting a lot on identity – what it is, what it means, how it affects how we think… Read More »Identity
Status Quo Bias
The more I dive into the world of cryptocurrency and blockchain, the more I am starting to notice my own… Read More »Status Quo Bias
History
History is an excellent teacher with few pupils. Alice & Will Durant The cycles of history History is filled with… Read More »History
Rationality
I’ve thought and read and written a fair bit on the topic of rationality. Or should I say, irrationality. Irrationality… Read More »Rationality
Communication
I’ve always been very interesting in the topic of communication. The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that… Read More »Communication
Feedback
Giving feedback This is one of my favorite things I’ve written on business and leadership – I had a lot… Read More »Feedback
Meetings
I wrote a Medium post called How to save your team from meeting misery a while back. It’s common to… Read More »Meetings
Privacy
I’ve spent a lot of time building privacy related processes and products. I’ve heard it said “if you’ve got nothing… Read More »Privacy
Aging
Like most people of my era, I don’t like aging, and am exercising, eating broccoli and fish oil, and trying… Read More »Aging
This is it
I find this little phrase – or dare I say mantra – very useful to jolt me into the present.… Read More »This is it
Chesterton’s Fence
What is Chesterton’s Fence? Chesterton’s fence is the principle that reforms should not be made until the reasoning behind the… Read More »Chesterton’s Fence
Signalling Theory
Signalling Theory Signalling in this context is when something about you affects how others perceive you. How you present yourself… Read More »Signalling Theory
Emotions
The best thing I’ve read on emotions is, unsurprisingly – Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman. The physiological side of emotions… Read More »Emotions
Gratitude
Too much has been written about gratitude in this era. Write in your gratitude journal. Blah blah. This is not… Read More »Gratitude
The 90-90 Rule
I’ve been trying to find this model/quote somewhere and I can’t find it anywhere! I think I noticed it in… Read More »The 90-90 Rule
Fast Cheap Good
One of my all time favorite mental models for projects is fast cheap good. It’s such a useful simple lens… Read More »Fast Cheap Good
Yin and Yang
It’s not as simple as good and evil. The truth is we are all light and shade.
Emotional Contagion
Here’s my newsletter issue on Emotional Contagion published today. It’s not my best writing but it’s one of my favorite… Read More »Emotional Contagion
Death
The Denial of Death I just started reading Ernest Becker’s The Denial of Death and I’m currently obsessed with it.… Read More »Death
Napa and Sonoma
I’ve been spending a bit of time in Napa and Sonoma lately. It’s a lovely part of Northern California, famous… Read More »Napa and Sonoma
Always Reply
More advice to myself. One thing I am still working on, is always replying. I struggle with it, I have… Read More »Always Reply
Languages
I speak a bit of French because of my Swiss heritage. I learnt German and Japanese in high school. While… Read More »Languages
Advice
A few of my posts might sound like advice. They are – although they are advice to myself! Be careful… Read More »Advice
Blind Tasting
I am always skeptical when people are sipping expensive wine and raving about how good it is. Vodka connoisseurs concern… Read More »Blind Tasting
Noise
I just finished reading Kahneman’s latest book, Noise. Those of you that know me well know that I am a… Read More »Noise
Leadership
I’ve led tech teams in early/mid stage startups through to large corporates. Here are five things I’ve learned along the… Read More »Leadership
Therapy
This old Bob Newhart clip cracks me up every time. Her acting is easily as good as his!
Minimalism
I’m more of an aspiring minimalist than a successful one. Decluttering is an ongoing challenge. The endless fight against entropy.… Read More »Minimalism
Poker
In my early 20’s I lived with a flatmate who was obsessed with poker, and so we would play from… Read More »Poker
Hedonic Reset
I had some interesting life experiences which led me to coin the term Hedonic Reset sometime around 2014. I must… Read More »Hedonic Reset
Diagrams
I’m big believer in writing, but I think in some areas there’s nothing better than a good diagram. Flowcharts, data… Read More »Diagrams
Decision Making
The science of decision making is something that has fascinated me for years. Partly from a macro philosophical perspective –… Read More »Decision Making
Beach
I’m a beach person. I love swimming in the ocean. I know things are going great in life when I’m… Read More »Beach
Quantify it
To communicate clearly, particularly in the workplace, it helps to quantify things. Language can be vague. If you say you… Read More »Quantify it
Mind Changing
One thing that I find strange in our society is that we tend to punish people for changing their minds,… Read More »Mind Changing
Reframing
I love this old Taoist parable: A farmer in a poor village was considered very well-to-do, because he owned a… Read More »Reframing
Art
Every science begins as philosophy and ends as art; it arises in hypothesis and flows into achievement. Will Durant Art… Read More »Art
Podcasts
I’m more into audiobooks than podcasts. And I’m more into podcasts than Clubhouse. I like edited content, it seems more… Read More »Podcasts
Confidence
Back yourself According to Urban Dictionary this is an Aussie expression: To have self-belief or confidence in one’s self. Most… Read More »Confidence
Tea
I like tea. I drink some kind of tea most days. That’s not to start a debate over the merits… Read More »Tea
Self Awareness
Learn to ask of all actions, “Why are they doing that?” Starting with your own Marcus Aurelius Acknowledging ignorance The… Read More »Self Awareness
Haiku
Sometimes we forget that purposeful inaction counts as an action
Utilitarianism
There are three principles that serve as the basic axioms of utilitarianism. (An axiom is a statement or principle that… Read More »Utilitarianism
Quantic Executive MBA
I recently completed the Quantic Executive MBA program. About MBAs in general There’s a bit of hating out there of… Read More »Quantic Executive MBA
Humor
Joking around I can’t overstate how important humor is. I grew up in a culture where joking around and bantering… Read More »Humor
Movies
I don’t seem to find time to watch a lot of movies. When I do, it’s mostly sci-fi. These are… Read More »Movies
Cheese
I am an aspiring connoisseur of cheese. It’s the Swiss heritage I guess. I love European cheeses, mostly soft, and… Read More »Cheese
Randomness
This is one of my favorite things to think about. It leaves me with a feeling of wonder and appreciation… Read More »Randomness
Building
I like building things. These are some of the projects and products I’ve had a hand in building. There’s a… Read More »Building
Morality
90% of everything I know about morality I’ve read in a Jonathan Haidt book. In summary, “we are all self-righteous… Read More »Morality
Parenting
Some semi-structured thoughts on parenting. Parenting history It seems only a modern trend that parents get so obsessed with their… Read More »Parenting
Bayes’ Rule
Bayes’ rule (sometimes know as Bayes’ theorem) is a law of probability theory which governs how to revise prior probabilistic beliefs – how much… Read More »Bayes’ Rule
Stoicism
I find parts of stoicism very appealing. Although it can be a bit at odds with my hedonistic streak. I… Read More »Stoicism
Tao Te Ching
I love the Tao Te Ching. Amazing to think it was written around 400BC! In fact, for all things there… Read More »Tao Te Ching
Nihilism
I’m a bit of a nihilist at heart. But an optimistic nihilist. (With a hedonistic streak. I think I’m in… Read More »Nihilism
Perception Versus Reality
Perception is not reality. I think about this a lot. It is interesting from a rationalism philosophy perspective, a physics… Read More »Perception Versus Reality
Rationalism
Spinoza I am not sure how it happened, but I read Spinoza when i was quite young. Probably early-mid teenage… Read More »Rationalism
The Halo Effect
What is The Halo Effect? I wrote about The Halo Effect in Issue #11 of Mental Models Weekly. The Reverse… Read More »The Halo Effect
Fundamental Attribution Error
This is a favorite mental model of mine. I wrote about how Learning This Idea Made It Easier for Me… Read More »Fundamental Attribution Error
Protected: Babies
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Luck
The topic of luck – or chance, is a fascinating one. There’s ideas like blind luck, but also ideas like you make… Read More »Luck
Fresh Breath
I wrote about how to get rid of disgusting breath and get fresh breath a while ago.
Religion
It’s hard to know where to begin on this topic. I am fairly atheist. I’ve got a long personal story… Read More »Religion
Vulnerability
Doesn’t the word vulnerability get overused now? It’s become so cliche, but that doesn’t mean it’s become unimportant. The risk… Read More »Vulnerability
Productivity
I used be one of those productivity nerds. Then I realized I was just procrastinating. Productivity systems GTD did help… Read More »Productivity
Mindfulness
I focus a lot on being present. Whether with family or friends or even just when alone. Being present I… Read More »Mindfulness
Relationships
We are social animals. Relationships matter. Friends, family, colleagues, lovers. In fact, the quality of our relationships determines our health… Read More »Relationships
Longevity
I want to live for a long time! Of course not just wasting away, but I want to live a… Read More »Longevity
Artificial Intelligence
I like how Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee put it: After …watching one bastion of human uniqueness after another fall… Read More »Artificial Intelligence
Product Management
If I had to be pigeonholed professionally right now, I’d be some kind of technical product leader. I love leading… Read More »Product Management
Intuition
Intuition is not a mystical thing. Expert intuition strikes us as magical, but it is not. Indeed, each of us… Read More »Intuition
Language
Learning Languages I learnt German and Japanese in school. I speak a fair bit of French because my father is… Read More »Language
Running
I really like the idea of being a runner but it’s never really worked that well for me. For most… Read More »Running
Contradictory Platitudes
If you think about confirmation bias long enough, you start to notice that most platitudes and proverbs have a contradictory… Read More »Contradictory Platitudes
Illusions
I love optical illusions as a metaphor to remember that perception is not reality. I once thought about getting the… Read More »Illusions
Philosophy
Everybody is the unconscious exponent of a dead philosopher. Unknown Practical men who believe themselves to be quite exempt from… Read More »Philosophy
Switzerland
My father comes from the French part of Switzerland, the canton of Valais. I grew up mostly in Australia, but… Read More »Switzerland