PROGRESSION: Atomic Habits, Alexander Hamilton, and the Art of Discretion
June 2020 (2nd edition)
We’re halfway through 2020 and oh what a year it’s been. Like many of you, the past few months have brought unique challenges that can be all-consuming at times. Last Wednesday was a particularly tough day for me. In the middle of the workday, I couldn’t take it anymore. I closed my laptop and sat in silence. I read for several minutes, journaled, and just sat in stillness. That 30-minute break was all I needed to clear my head.
While this Summer may not look like what we thought it would, I hope you make time to unplug from the day-to-day. I hope you find time to disconnect. You need to. We all do.
Books, articles, etc.
Atomic Habits by James Clear (Article)
This book has been popular for a couple of years and to be candid, I didn’t read it because I thought the title was stupid. Another book on habits? And one called Atomic Habits? Why not call it Super-Duper Habits? Or Ultra-Fantasmic Habits? Well, it turns out that there’s a good reason it’s called Atomic Habits, and it turns out that the book is excellent.
A few takeaways:
Focus less on goals and more on systems and processes. If you’re obsessed with goals, you won’t pay attention to doing the little things properly to achieve those goals. On the other hand, if you do the little things well, you will build the systems and processes that are essential to achieving these goals.
To change habits, change how you identify yourself. If you want to quit smoking, instead of telling yourself, “I wish to quit smoking,” tell yourself, “I’m not a smoker.” Same goes for running, reading, etc.
Focus on 1% improvement. 1% doesn’t sound like much, but if you get 1% better each day for one year, you'll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you’re done. The law of compounding returns is alive and well.
How Long Should Your Resume Actually Be? Here’s an Easy Guide to Follow (Article)
As an undergrad, and again as an MBA student, I was instructed that my resume should NEVER go beyond a single page. While that’s a good rule of thumb for folks early in their career, it doesn’t make sense for everyone. Here’s a good article that walks through how to think about resume length and how to trim it down if needed.
Michael Lewis — Inside the Mind of the Iconic Writer (Podcast)
Michael Lewis—author of Moneyball, The Blindside, and The Big Short—is one of my favorite authors and I was captivated throughout his interview with Tim Ferriss.
My favorite sections included his explanation on how Liar’s Poker was written as a cautionary tale and got turned into a Wall Street how-to book (34 min mark) and how Moneyball came to be (58 min mark).
Observations
Alexander Hamilton and the Art of Discretion
Their paths crossed regularly, but Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr led two very distinct lives. In this post, I share how having too little discretion led to Hamilton's death and too much discretion destroyed Burr's career.
We can learn a lot from this tragedy and the importance of discretion in our own lives.
Link to article | Link to podcast
The One Thing Holding You Back From Reaching Your Goals
In episode 12 of The Not Your Parents’ Workplace Show, I share my personal story of how a very small thing prevented me from achieving my goal of completing a triathlon and I explore why hard work and increased effort may not always be the best solution. Link to podcast
Gratitudes
I’ve found power in regularly expressing gratitude so I’ll continue the habit. I’m grateful for the flexibility that COVID has provided. It’s certainly a silver lining to the pandemic, but being able to work remotely over the last few months has provided more time with my parents and in-laws.
If you've read anything worth sharing I'd love to hear about it. And do let me know if there's anything I can do to help you.