25 freakishly effective mental models that will save you hundreds of hours of your life:

Decomplication

We’ve been led to believe that our everyday problems—weight loss, productivity, saving money—require complex solutions.

This is called ‘artificial complexity.’

Decomplication is the process of boiling problems down to their simplest form.

h/t @nateliason
@nateliason Via Negativa

When we have a problem, our natural instinct is to add a new habit or buy a solution.

But usually, you improve your life by subtracting instead.

The foods you avoid are more important than the foods you eat.

Subtracting distractions is the key to productivity.
@nateliason Speed Matters

The faster you do things, the less activation energy is required to do any one thing.

To avoid procrastination, keep the activation energy low by shortening the timeframe for the work that needs to be done, and work faster.

h/t @jsomers
@nateliason @jsomers Hourly Aspirational Rate

Figure out how much an hour of your time is worth: Your 'aspirational hourly' rate.

When deciding whether or not to do a task, ask whether it's worth more or less than your rate.

If it's worth less than your rate, outsource, automate, or delete it.
@nateliason @jsomers Trust in Calendar

”A calendar speaks more truth than a to-do list.

Your to-do list is the ideal Sunday evening theory.

Your calendar is the brutal Monday to Friday practice.

Operate accordingly: you must block time in your calendar for deep work.”

h/t @shreyas
@nateliason @jsomers @shreyas High-Leverage Activities

To maximize output, spend time on the activities that will influence that output the most.

The more you need to do an activity or the more you are affected by it, the higher the leverage is on time spent perfecting that thing.

h/t @rabois
@nateliason @jsomers @shreyas @rabois The Top Idea In Your Mind

The topic you think about in the shower is “The Top Idea In Your Mind.”

If it's not what you want to be thinking about, it might indicate your focus isn’t where it should be: on your most important problem.

If so, you may need to change something.
@nateliason @jsomers @shreyas @rabois The Productivity Frontier

Up to a point—the productivity frontier—productivity is about optimizing the way you work.

When you reach the frontier, higher achievement results from making hard trade-offs about what you work on.

Focus and single-tasking are key.

h/t @ScottHYoung
@nateliason @jsomers @shreyas @rabois @ScottHYoung Flow States

Flow is a heightened state of concentration where time passes without notice and you feel a deep sense of fulfillment in your work.

How to get there?
• Use deadlines
• Do tasks you enjoy
• Eliminate distractions
• Choose tasks that challenge you
@nateliason @jsomers @shreyas @rabois @ScottHYoung Write Before Action

Write down what you plan to do and how you plan to do it (in detail) before you do it.

How does this help?
• You can see what to delegate easily
• Unnecessary tasks become obvious
• The best approach becomes clearer

h/t @Conaw
@nateliason @jsomers @shreyas @rabois @ScottHYoung @Conaw Procrastination Equation

To decrease procrastination:

• Increase the expectancy of success
• Increase the value and pleasantness of the task
• Decrease impulsiveness by removing distractions
• Decrease the delay of reward through deadlines

h/t @pierssteel
@nateliason @jsomers @shreyas @rabois @ScottHYoung @Conaw @pierssteel 2-Minute Rule

“If an action will take less than two minutes, it should be done at the moment it’s defined.”

Don’t let small tasks add up and create a mental overhang.

Do it on the spot if <2-minutes, decline to action it, or schedule it for a specific future date.
@nateliason @jsomers @shreyas @rabois @ScottHYoung @Conaw @pierssteel Attention Residue

Every time you switch from one task to another, part of your attention remains with one task or your previous task.

This prevents you from concentrating intensely ('deep work') and inhibits overall productivity.

Lesson: Don't multi-task.
@nateliason @jsomers @shreyas @rabois @ScottHYoung @Conaw @pierssteel Cognitive Switching Penalty

Every time you switch your attention from one subject to another, you incur this penalty.

Your brain spends time and energy thrashing, loading, and reloading contexts.

To avoid unproductive switching, group similar tasks together.
@nateliason @jsomers @shreyas @rabois @ScottHYoung @Conaw @pierssteel Deep Work

Deep work is single-tasking, limiting your context switching and distractions in your immediate working environment.

Shallow work is logistical-style tasks, often performed while distracted.

h/t Cal Newport
@nateliason @jsomers @shreyas @rabois @ScottHYoung @Conaw @pierssteel Hofstadter's Law

Projects always take longer than expected, even when you take into account Hofstadter’s Law.

You're generally bad at estimating when things will get done.

The deeper point: We often have a choice of when to call a project “done.”

Use this choice more often.
@nateliason @jsomers @shreyas @rabois @ScottHYoung @Conaw @pierssteel Elon's Law

If you have a project, combat Hofstader's Law by setting a ridiculously ambitious deadline.

Even if you fail to meet it, you're still ahead.

Isn’t it better to miss an aggressive deadline than a conservative one?

It's no wonder Musk has achieved so much.
@nateliason @jsomers @shreyas @rabois @ScottHYoung @Conaw @pierssteel Murphy's Law

”Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”

This is another reason to use Elon’s Law.

When planning long-term projects, consider a margin of safety to ensure you can handle any interruptions to planned progress and still meet your deadline easily.
@nateliason @jsomers @shreyas @rabois @ScottHYoung @Conaw @pierssteel Parkinson's Law

Work expands to fill the time allotted to it.

If you allocate 4 weeks, it will take 4 weeks. If you allocate 10 days, it will take 10 days.

Remember: The sooner you finish, the sooner you can move on.

Advice: Use artificial deadlines.
@nateliason @jsomers @shreyas @rabois @ScottHYoung @Conaw @pierssteel Pomodoro Technique

Use a timer to break down work into intervals of ~25-45mins separated by short breaks—the intervals are called Pomodoro’s.

This model taps into Parkinson’s law and causes you to try and get more done within each short time period, with a reward at the end.
@nateliason @jsomers @shreyas @rabois @ScottHYoung @Conaw @pierssteel Gate's Law

We overestimate what we can do in one year and underestimate what we can do in ten years.

Humans think in linear terms, so we struggle to contemplate the compounding returns on actions over a decade.

Don’t be dispirited if 1-year isn’t enough to hit your goals.
@nateliason @jsomers @shreyas @rabois @ScottHYoung @Conaw @pierssteel Maker's vs Manager's Schedule

There are two types of schedules.

Manager: The work you do changes every hour.

Maker: The work you do requires long, uninterrupted units of time—e.g., programmers.

Figure out the schedule your role requires to do your best work and stick to it.
@nateliason @jsomers @shreyas @rabois @ScottHYoung @Conaw @pierssteel Effectiveness vs. Efficiency

Effectiveness: Doing the right things—getting the result you intend.

Efficiency: Doing things right—working with minimal waste of time and effort.

To achieve more, you must be both effective & efficient, but effectiveness should come first.
@nateliason @jsomers @shreyas @rabois @ScottHYoung @Conaw @pierssteel Discipline Equals Freedom

”Discipline and Freedom seem like they sit on opposite ends of the spectrum, but they are actually very connected.

Freedom is what everyone wants.

But the only way to get to a place of freedom is through discipline.”

h/t @jockowillink
@nateliason @jsomers @shreyas @rabois @ScottHYoung @Conaw @pierssteel @jockowillink Systems vs. Goals

To achieve more, focus on the process first—the system—that will get you to the goal.

Doing something every day is a system—like writing for 1 hour.

Writing a book is a goal.

"Goals determine your direction. Systems determine your progress.”
—James Clear

More from Alex Brogan

Apple Mac apps are the most powerful productivity tools on earth.

Use them properly and they'll save you hours, days, even weeks.

Here are 11 Mac apps that you shouldn't live without...

#1: Raycast

Raycast is “Ctrl + F” for your whole computer.

Simply press command + space, and you can open any file, app, or link in seconds.

You can also add a whole-suite of extensions built by community to take your productivity to new levels.

https://t.co/Ar4S4sc1O3


#2: CheatSheet

CheatSheet helps you memorize keyboard shortcuts for all your favourite Mac apps.

Just hold the Command Key for a few seconds and you’ll get a list of every shortcut available in that app.

https://t.co/n8SV5URNUM


#3: Magnet

Magnet helps you organize your windows and workspace with configurable keyboard shortcuts.

Having windows where you want them eliminates app switching and significantly enhances multitasking.

https://t.co/o0sTvWbPiW


#4: Meeter

Join Zoom, Google Meet, or other virtual conference meetings faster with Meeter.

Meeter automatically pulls your upcoming calls and puts them in your menu bar, letting you manage them all in one place.

https://t.co/VJL0vr9RDJ
Even the most well-informed internet user wouldn't know all of these 10 incredibly useful websites:

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Dread creating slide decks?

Meet Gamma.

You’ll write it like a doc and present it like a deck—and it’ll be done in half the time.

It’s like @NotionHQ and @canva had a baby.

Best features:
• One click deck restyling
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A powerful realistic photo generator and illustration designer that automatically creates pictures based on your text inputs.

Stop searching for hours to find stock images.

Create original images in minutes for any use case.


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An AI-powered summarization tool that’s "on a mission to help people be more productive with their knowledge."

Upword lets you learn 10x faster by capturing key ideas and generating personalized summaries with one-click.

Make your learning efficient.


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Visual Capitalist creates data-driven visuals to cut through the clutter and simplify our complex world.

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The chorus of this song uses the shlokas taken from Sundarkand of Ramayana.

It is a series of Sanskrit shlokas recited by Jambavant to Hanuman to remind Him of his true potential.

1. धीवर प्रसार शौर्य भरा: The brave persevering one, your bravery is taking you forward.


2. उतसारा स्थिरा घम्भीरा: The one who is leaping higher and higher, who is firm and stable and seriously determined.

3. ुग्रामा असामा शौर्या भावा: He is strong, and without an equal in the ability/mentality to fight

4. रौद्रमा नवा भीतिर्मा: His anger will cause new fears in his foes.

5.विजिटरीपुरु धीरधारा, कलोथरा शिखरा कठोरा: This is a complex expression seen only in Indic language poetry. The poet is stating that Shivudu is experiencing the intensity of climbing a tough peak, and likening

it to the feeling in a hard battle, when you see your enemy defeated, and blood flowing like a rivulet. This is classical Veera rasa.

6.कुलकु थारथिलीथा गम्भीरा, जाया विराट वीरा: His rough body itself is like a sharp weapon (because he is determined to win). Hail this complete

hero of the world.

7.विलयगागनथाला भिकारा, गरज्जद्धरा गारा: The hero is destructive in the air/sky as well (because he can leap at an enemy from a great height). He can defeat the enemy (simply) with his fearsome roar of war.
A THREAD ON @SarangSood

Decoded his way of analysis/logics for everyone to easily understand.

Have covered:
1. Analysis of volatility, how to foresee/signs.
2. Workbook
3. When to sell options
4. Diff category of days
5. How movement of option prices tell us what will happen

1. Keeps following volatility super closely.

Makes 7-8 different strategies to give him a sense of what's going on.

Whichever gives highest profit he trades in.


2. Theta falls when market moves.
Falls where market is headed towards not on our original position.


3. If you're an options seller then sell only when volatility is dropping, there is a high probability of you making the right trade and getting profit as a result

He believes in a market operator, if market mover sells volatility Sarang Sir joins him.


4. Theta decay vs Fall in vega

Sell when Vega is falling rather than for theta decay. You won't be trapped and higher probability of making profit.