Waking Up 30

Carter and Andrew talk about how to make decisions without losing their mind.

• Are you a satisficer or a maximizer? - avoiding decision paralysis

• How Carter and Andrew use satisficing: establish key parameters beforehand and then quickly chose an option that meets those parameters

• The "Prateo" or 80/20 principle - getting the most value for the least effort

• The Paradox of choice - more options do not necessarily mean better outcomes

• "Fail forward quickly" - one of Carter's favorite quotes for living

Carter and Andrew talk about building a framework for a "Heck Yes" decision making filter.

• "Either [a decision] is a heck yes, or it's a no." - Derek Sivers

• Derek Sivers podcast Interview with Tim Ferriss

• No "yes." Either "HECK YEAH!" or "no." - from Derek's blog

Notes:

• Mental Models - a scholarly summary from Princeton

• Mental Models - a good overview (and video!) from Farnam Street

• "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." - Lao Tzu

Theme: Doing the hard things

Notes:

• "Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." - Unattributed

• Miracle mornings and habit progression: unbearable ⇒ uncomfortable ⇒ unstoppable  [book]

• You have to eat the broccoli - Farnam Street

• Richard Branson says working out gives him at least 4 additional productive hours in a day.

• "Once you have mastered time, you will understand how true it is that most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year--and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade." - Tony Robbins [more quotes here]

• SMART Goals

Carter and Andrew talk about why new habits can be hard.

Notes and links:

• Why do we want to take a break from "good" habits?

• Visualizing the goal

• Headspace meditation app -- both Carter and Andrew recommend

• Habit stacking and creating a string of success

• The Tim Ferriss Show -- one our favorite podcasts

• "Nobody gets promoted for how quickly they respond to email" -- Cal Newport [blog]

Carter and Andrew talk about starting habits and building routines.

Notes and links:

• Mental Models

• Tiny Habits and BJ Fogg's TED Talk

• Miracle Mornings [book]

• Miracle mornings and habit progression: unbearable ⇒ uncomfortable ⇒ unstoppable [intro video]

• Building habits is in an of itself an achievement

• "People overestimate what they can accomplish in a day but underestimate what they can accomplish in a year." -- Tony Robbins

• "I Am Not Your Guru" Tony Robbins documentary on Netflix