short story
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Optimising for Nostalgia
How many of the activities that we indulge, as well as paths we pursue, are driven by what we find ourselves nostalgic for? If we don’t guard against the seductions of nostalgia, we risk letting our decisions get directed by a desire to re-create feelings that were the product of a unique and non-repeatable experience.…
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In Pursuit of Conciseness
Conciseness requires effort. Effort up front to filter out the extraneous. To separate signal from noise. If done well, it may become as much a service to others as it is a benefit to oneself. Every word beyond the core information increases the chances that we’ll be misunderstood. It also increases the amount of cognitive…
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The Art of Pacing
Pacing implies control, and it applies to more than running or racing. Perhaps not quite its opposite, but certainly an ugly relative, is rushing. Rushing implies a lack of control. Being at the mercy of the environment, so that we see the world with less clarity and expose ourselves to risk. When we’re rushing, even…
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Trudging Towards Strawberry Fields
The day John Lennon sat down to write Strawberry Fields Forever, there’s a very high chance he didn’t expect to write what would be considered one of the best songs of all time, even if his ambition was to be regarded as one of the best songwriters of all time. He was just writing a…
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Who’s in the Box?
People and systems put us in boxes. Too often it’s convenient and in their interests, making their lives easier and allowing systems to operate with less friction. After all, it’s cognitively tiring to re-evaluate people and our own biased judgements time and time again. But people are complex, diverse, and transcend the simplistic categorisations we…