Emanuele

35

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 01:36:07 GMT

Today I turn 35.

Yesterday, one of my mum’s friends told me, over coffee, that in Italy 35 is considered the age where you are not longer “un’ giovane” (a youth).

And so that made me think, what is a man, as opposed to a boy? When I was twenty-five, I felt like a man. But looking back, I realize just how young and naive I was.

And likely, when I am 45 I will likely think back to when I was 35, and realize how young and naive I was.

I wonder if 75 year old looks back to when they were 65…

Anyway, so three short reflections on what it is to be a man.

1. Do hard things, first.

I wasted a significant portion of my twenties procrastinating. Regardless of financial, moral, or social penalties. Looking back, I am amazed that I managed to achieve anything, and yet somehow I managed to muddle through.

There are countless times were I didn’t something I knew I had to do, and when I eventually did get round to doing it, it was almost always surprisingly easy.

Did I really wait 6 weeks and have this “thing” hanging over my head the entire time and it only took 25 minutes to do? Yes, and then I would go and do it again and again, the same mistake.

A real man is not like that. They do the hard things, and they do them first.

There is value in prioritization. There is value in understanding that not everything is of equal importance, and that the things we dread most are often precisely what we need to grow as individuals. The resistance we feel is a message.

2. Saying no.

Being a young man is about exploration, but at some point you have to figure out who you are going to be, and what you are going to do. Every door you open and step through, shuts an infinite number of other doors. But, the trick is to understand that it also gives you a new set of doors to choose from, some of which you may open in the future. And so on.

That said, eventually one has to stop becoming and, well, actually be! You have to understand what you do and why you do it. You have to embrace depth and expertise. The world does not need jack of all trades, but masters.

I tend to be horrifically bad at estimating how long things will take, so a “yes” can be especially dangerous for me. If I say yes, how much time am I committing to something? Often, I have no idea, and that’s the problem.

If I say yes to everything, I have nothing left for what matters.

3. Slow down to speed up.

I always tend to rush through everything, even if there is no benefit to doing it quickly. It is as if I cannot wait to get onto the next thing that I have to do, even I know that the plane will leave and land at the same time regardless of what I do while I am at the airport.

The problem with this is that life is the sum of all of these moments, and a rushed life will inevitably feel rushed. And paradoxically I feel that I rush and waste enormous amounts of time.

Slowing down makes things meaningful. We notice details we would otherwise miss. We don’t just spend more time doing the same thing, but it materially changes the texture of our experience.

It also signals maturity and confidence. I am not in a rush because I am in control, and because I would rather miss the plane than chase after it.

And also, we can actually do more when we slow down. Our efforts across our lives compound.And so, it is important to do things well so we compound our efforts on a solid foundation instead of something that will collapse and have to be rebuilt.

Action before Identity

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 12:28:48 GMT

I think a lot of us wait to become the person that does certain things.In reality, we have to do the things first to become the person we want to become.

Many of carry the names of what our ancestors did. Smith, Carpenter, Farmer, Potter, Baker.

There is this idea that you have to change your identity and then you can start taking actions to truly embody your new identity. This is typically achieved by saying “I am” instead of “I want to be”.

While this may be a nice psychological trick, does it really work? Perhaps, but only because it triggers action. Action is what changes us.

We’re not apart from our actions, people do not look at us and see “us” and then our actions. The identify us based on what they know what we have done, which leads them to believe a spectrum of possibilities of what we may do in the future.

Why is it never enough?

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 03:11:47 GMT

Pretty much anything that you ever wanted when you were 5 years old you either managed to get or you stopped wanting it.

For me, that was 30 years ago.

I wonder if in thirty more years, the same will be true.

Does that mean that it’s pointless to desire if eventually our desires change or we lose our desires over time?

I think not, because the things we strive for perhaps shape us more than the things that we already have right now.

However, I do wonder why most of us (with the exception of some exceptional people) never stopped desiring. There must be some evolutionary reason why that’s the case.

But the real question is, would we live a better life with the status quo, or if we managed to overcome our desires and just be?

The Way Forward.

Sun, 31 Aug 2025 16:32:17 GMT

I think there comes a time in everybody’s life when you realize that the infinite possibilities of youth are starting to diminish day by day. The day you realize that it’s too late to become a footballer, a ballerina, or an astronaut.

And as you get older, the day after today becomes more and more certain. There are fewer possibilities of what may happen because you’ve already experienced a lot. Also, all the decisions that you made in your life point to a specific direction (at least they would do if you’re living in a coherent manner).

This reduction in the number of possibilities is not necessarily a negative thing. We can’t always remain potential, at some point we have to become something.

And yet we don’t have to give up and expect that every day will be the same. There is a middle ground somewhere. If we can keep the childlike excitement and curiosity about life, each day can be different, and we can make meaningful progress in our lives.

We are able to change jobs, to move to another country, to get that divorce that’s been in the back of our mind. However, as we get older, change becomes more scary because we’ve invested more in a specific area of our lives, and changing it feels like throwing everything away.

However, this is typically less painful than we think in hindsight. Also, a lot of the experiences and skills that we gain in one part of our lives often can transfer across to different parts of our lives.

For instance, I worked incredibly hard on my first business, which was a consultancy called Mäd. In the end, it didn’t work out, and I had to close it after 8 years.

Does that mean that I’m a failure? Does that mean that all the effort that I spent growing and maintaining that business went to waste?Obviously the answer is no, it shaped me into the person that I am today. It gave me plenty of connections, and I used it as a trampoline to jump and go on to higher and hopefully better things.

However, at the time, it really felt like it was a devastating loss.

And so while we think of our lives – how they will be in a year from now and five years from now – it can be quite scary because the future is so nebulous. Very often, we don’t have clarity on what the right decisions are, but we know that we have to make some type of decision. And when we do make a decision, that’s going to close a whole bunch of options to us. Right? If you’re going to study physics, you’re not going to become a footballer.

But we shouldn’t fight this because it’s a natural part of growing up. We’re going to be closing 99.9% of all the options available to us in our lives. We’re going to ignore and just focus on a very, very tiny sub-section.

We will be much happier if we accept this reality.

Habits & Goals

Thu, 05 Dec 2024 13:59:29 GMT

I’ve started to deeply think about the connection between goals and habits, mostly due to the fact that I have been building a habit tracking application for a while.

I think that sometimes goals get a bad reputation, and there is a school of thought out there that habits are the solution to everything.

After all:

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. Aristotle

But, goals are not to be thrown away, as they can work with habits. Goals are simply a way of looking at habits in a time bound manner.

So, for instance, you may say that you want to have a habit to do daily pushups. You can then set a goal to do 1,000 pushups a month, which translates to roughly 33 pushups per day.

It is unlikely that you will do exactly 33 pushups each day, but with a goal you can track the hypothetical linear trend line towards your goal over time, and then see your actual progress based on the habits that you execute each day.

What I am not sure is whether habits are a means to an end (i.e. a goal) or an end in themselves.

On Action.

Mon, 18 Nov 2024 15:38:17 GMT

I’ve written before on constant actions, and I am quite happy with what I previously wrote. There is not much more to be said, but it is easy to forget as one moves forward with life.

Plans comes in the shape of weeks, months, and even years. Long term planning is advantageous, because so few people bother doing it.

And yet, all the planning in the world will get you nowhere.

Fail to plan, plan to fail.

But what if we fail to do?

Traveling without a map is better than having a map but never going anywhere.

And doing something is in itself a form of planning!

When you do something, you have contact with reality. The world will push back, sometimes in unexpected ways, and this is where you can adjust your hypothesis, and try again.

So perhaps the best way forward is to plan a little, do a little, plan a little, do a little. Get a continuous feedback loop going.

I still feel this is correct:

And so, if you get the planning right, everything else can go smoothly. You can jump into your work without worrying if you spend your time on low-value activities because you have already decided that what you are working on is a high-value activity. Then, the only thing left to do is to focus and try and do the absolute best you can on the task at hand.

But it can be difficult to know that you do indeed have the right plan.

Writing in the Age of AI

Mon, 10 Jun 2024 16:44:06 GMT

I have been thinking about my relationship with writing now that we have large language models that can write thousands of words a minute on any subject.

Is it even worth writing anymore? In fact, if we zoom out and consider all the general tasks that AI can now accomplish, and the oncoming wave of intelligent robotics that is coming our way, is it even worth living any more?

Ok, perhaps we jumped off the deep end there. This essay is supposed to be on writing, not a trigger for an existential crisis.

So — is there any point in writing any more?

Well, it depends on why you write and how you perceive artificial intelligence.

If you are writing purely for the end goal of having an article or an essay, then perhaps you will have an existential crisis. Even a relatively small AI model that I can run offline on my Macbook Air can easily create a decent-quality essay on any subject that you can think of. The exponential curve of technological advancement will take care of the rest. In ten year’s time we will have ridiculously powerful AI systems that can run on hardware that is available to any child.

However, it is a different story if you are more interested in the process.

It is still worth taking the time to write because writing is thinking. There is value not just in the writing but even in the breaks between the sentences as you think about what to write next.

That’s where the magic happens.

You reflect. You try to understand yourself and what you actually think, and then become a slightly different person. Each paragraph, each thought you have, nudges you in a particular way.

Something also happens after you have written something. You come to the realization that you started and finished something, and this is no trivial matter.

You accomplished something end to end, which is a lot more than most people do, where everything is always an idea that may or, most likely, may not happen tomorrow.

If you look at things this way, AI is not a threat to writing; it is just a tool like any other. It can help you brainstorm, correct and check for mistakes in your writing, and find quotes and facts more quickly than manually searching for them across the internet.

So I continue writing as is, with some changes to my workflow to brainstorm and get examples. In general, I have been quite unimpressed with AI as a writer. I think because of the underlying technology, it seems to relish clichés, and the writing appears very… artificial.

I guess large language models are, by definition, writing on the average of the data they have been trained on, and perhaps this is why the writing is so bad.

I am sure this will change, and you can drastically improve an AI’s writing quality purely by prompting.

However, just because we have advanced cars, does not mean that walking is irrelevant. In fact, perhaps it is more relevant than ever.

I do wonder about the generation that will grow up with these automatic essay-generating machines. Will that blunt their critically thinking, or having an omnipresent teacher that can challenge their ideas and teach them concepts in ways that they understand, improve their critical thinking?

One thing is for sure, we’re living in interesting times!

The Choice to Have a Good Day

Thu, 06 Jun 2024 12:41:11 GMT

I am a strong believer in mind over matter. Specifically, I believe that our attitude towards events and life in general is far more important than the objective measure of comfort, pleasure, or hardship.

I’ve been perfectly happy in a UN Camp in Afghanistan, recovering from COVID, eating shitty food and being surrounded by armed guards for protection.

I’ve also been perfectly miserable sitting on a beautiful beach in the Dominican Republic that would belong on the back of a postcard.

It doesn’t matter where we go; we must take ourselves. Socrates worked this out more than two thousand years ago:

Why do you wonder that globe-trotting does not help you, seeing that you always take yourself with you? The reason which set you wandering is ever at your heels.” What pleasure is there in seeing new lands? Or in surveying cities and spots of interest? All your bustle is useless. Do you ask why such flight does not help you? It is because you flee along with yourself. You must lay aside the burdens of the mind; until you do this, no place will satisfy you.

You will not “arrive” at a place where you can finally enjoy life, where things will all align, and you can let yourself be happy and have a positive attitude, finally becoming the person you think you can become.

No, that process takes effort and is ongoing. You have to choose to become that person and live up to that choice every day.

The key thing is being grounded in the present. That is perhaps the most important part of life. After all, you can only live right now!

So do you stop to smell the flowers and pet the lazy cat you encounter, or do you walk busily past, thinking about the unchangeable past or the unknowable future?

Palermo.

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 06:21:54 GMT

This was written years ago; I am just publishing it now.

In less-than-ideal circumstances, I found myself once again in Palermo, the capital city of Sicily, for the first time in two years. Palermo was my home between the sweet years of four and seven and then again for another three years between the formative years of nineteen and twenty-two.

In a land that has been occupied by foreign powers more times than I care to count, I have also been an invader. I’ve spent too many years abroad to consider myself a native, and yet this has been my home for about a quarter of my life so far.

The original Phoenician word for the city was Ziz, which somewhere I have read means flower. Palermo is flanked on three sides by mountains, and the fourth side is right on the sea. I can imagine how this was ideal when the city was founded over two thousand five hundred years ago – an invader could hardly waltz in without having to climb 1000+ meter mountains or risk a direct naval assault.

And yet, Palermo has been conquered again, and again, and again. We can count the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Byzantines, Spaniards, the Normans (!), the Americans, and now finally, the traffic, the immigrants, and also the tourists. I find it highly ironic when some of the people here speak negatively about the latest immigration bout from Africa and parts of Eastern Europe. The entire history of Sicily, and part of the reasons it is so beautiful and diverse, is the result of continuous immigration for over two thousand years. And while the tens of thousands of young people who leave the island each year for cities like London don’t see any issues going to stay in a foreign country, they don’t give that same leniency to the people arriving on their precious island.

The city’s architecture clearly shows historical immigration, in which the latest conqueror assimilates the defeated side’s culture and buildings. For example, the cathedral of Palermo, even to a layman’s eyes, quite clearly used to be a mosque at some point.

A few ancient street signs in Arabic also give away the historical part that the Middle East has played in this city. So do the great food markets that, to my imagination, must be as close to an Eastern Bazaar as you can get in Europe.

The most fascinating aspect of the city for me is the long main road that divides the city in half and runs from The Statua (the statue) all the way to La Stazione Centrale (The Central Station). This road is so long that it can simultaneously house shops such as Prada and Gucci, two beautiful, if somewhat unkempt, theatres (Teatro Massimo and Politeama), and then degenerates into small shops selling ethnic food and lots of boarded-up units.

Food in Palermo, like most of Italy, is of the utmost importance. It’s discussed, cooked, analyzed, and, most importantly, eaten – in vast quantities. You can’t really blame the locals, the food here is perhaps some of the best in Italy, which itself is one of the top cuisines in the world. The food served in the street or restaurants is wholesome, in overly generous portions, and absolutely delicious – even if most of it is out of bounds for me, as I abstain from eating meat and fish.

The markets themselves are an inseparable part of the city’s historical center, which incidentally is one of the largest in Europe. However, to this day, it is still recovering from the American bombing during World War Two. In fact, during my stay here, a 250kg bomb was found by some builders, and an entire area of the city had to be cordoned off as bomb removal experts from the army came in to remove it.

The historical centre is my favourite part of the city. It’s a mess, with rubbish and rubble threatening to become uncontrollable, but you can also see that effort is being made to restore parts of this area to their former beauty. If you walk around early in the morning, it almost feels like stepping back in time.

The Palermitani, and Sicilians in general, are an incredibly warm and welcoming race. It’s not unusual for someone you’ve just met, a friend of a friend of a friend, to take the time to drive to drop you off home in the opposite direction to their destination after an evening out.

One could almost accuse them of constantly being in a play. Palermo is the only city where I have experienced the following:

Two men, and it’s almost always men, are discussing while walking. Suppose one of them wants to emphasize a point. In that case, he will stop walking, grab his companion’s shoulder, and then turn ninety degrees towards him so both partners are facing each other instead of facing forward along the pavement, and then he will make his point. This will be utterly irrespective if anyone else is walking along that pavement, or even how wide that particular pavement is.

I’ve heard a story that this same thing happened in London when two Italian – probably Sicilian – were crossing a pedestrian crossing. The stop-and-discuss manoeuvre occurred, and then the light turned red for the pedestrians and green for the cars, and yet, there they continued standing. When a London cab hooted at the men, the shoulder-grabbing man simply gave the taxi a quick look and held up his other hand as if to say:

Wait a minute, this is important.

And the thing is, for him, it most probably was important. In contrast to myself, where I feel I am almost an observer of my own life, the Palermitani genuinely live their own life. Everything is of the utmost importance, from what’s for lunch tomorrow to the latest family issues; they genuinely care to a degree I have never managed to.

I read in a book somewhere that there is a big difference between cultures historically based on farming and traditionally based on herding. This is because they encourage two completely different sets of behaviours.

The farmer doesn’t have to worry about whether someone will steal his entire crop overnight because the hypothetical thief in question would have significant logistical problems on their hands.

On the other hand, the herder has to worry about whether someone will steal his livestock daily, which breeds distrust and an aggressive attitude towards his neighbours.

Sicily, this incredibly mountainous island – I believe around 90% of the land is not flat – falls into the latter category.

I believe this has led to the culture of revenge that has been so widely publicized in well-known films and books, and also what leads the Sicilians, even to this day, to care so much about all the details of their lives.

And don’t get me wrong—I don’t see that as something bad. In fact, I am somewhat struck by jealousy about it. Perhaps attaching the utmost importance to simple daily events is the way to give life meaning when there might very well not be any.

Perhaps something here is tied up with Palermo’s religious character, a city with so many churches that I suspect you could cross it without leaving the holy ground for more than a dozen meters or so. You’ll often find small back streets in the historical centre with three or four colossal stone churches that are hundreds of years old. It makes me imagine when these must have been all full of Catholic citizens going to mass on a Sunday. Nowadays, it is somewhat a different story. While many still profess to be Catholics, the modern vices are unrelenting, and I highly suspect that few young people here do much more than pay lip service to the Vatican.

I think the best way to describe Palermo is a city of contrasts. The best example is the view from the local promontory, Monte Pellegrino, which strikingly looks over the city at a height of 500m or so. I have quite an intimate knowledge of this mountain as I must have cycled up to the top around fifty times, one time famously getting under the 25-minute mark with the feeling that my heart was going to burst out of my chest.

From here, you can clearly understand why the Phoenicians decided to found a city here, and you can almost imagine all the orange groves that would have lined the entire valley area. The stunning sea and bay that is just as awe-inspiring now as it must have been back then. However, you also can’t overlook the rape of Palermo that happened in the 1960s and ’70s. The Mafia controlled construction companies, aided by corrupt politicians, and ran amok and destroyed most of the historical villas and built horrifically bland concrete apartment blocks that weren’t meant to last. They were just meant to turn over a quick profit. The city is now home to hundreds of these blocks, and as soon as you leave the center, the city’s character changes completely. Personally, I feel like what I imagine a communist-era medium-sized Eastern European town must look like.

I don’t feel it’s an understatement to say that there must have been no urban planning during that period. This was a shock that somehow ruined what must have been a jewel of a city, but we are also fortunate that it was so beautiful that large chunks of the city still maintain some of the beauty. I read a theory on talent from the magician Tommy Wonder, of how each one of us has a differently shaped diamond, the size of which represents our potential talent, and the finish and polish of it which represents the work we’ve put in to take advantage of this source of talent.

My opinion of Palermo is that it is an absolutely enormous diamond based on its location in the middle of the Mediterranean, the incredible food, the warmth of the people, the almost-perfect climate, and also its geographical and historical significance. However, this is a diamond that hasn’t been polished for a long time.

All of this said few experiences are better than getting lost in the back streets of the centre and walking around for hours, and then rewarding yourself with a beautiful Cannolo.

If You Don’t Remember What You Read, Is It Pointless To Read?

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 06:17:32 GMT

By most standards, I am a voracious reader and enjoy spending a lot of my time reading. In fact, my idea of a holiday is reading in different places in the world!

However, when I look back at the list of books I’ve read, even in the last few months, I realize that I don’t remember much. And I’m not talking verbatim remembering, but just the main key points and ideas.

For instance, I’ve just finished my third reading of Homo Deus. While I can’t remember the book’s precise journey of philosophical and logical arguments, it has deeply affected me.

How is this possible? A large tome, most of which I don’t remember deeply, changes how I think about the world.

I assume that what is happening is that while the book and the ideas stay the same while I read it, I actually change while I read. The words on the page, shaping into ideas, change my own ideas about how I perceive the world, how it works, and how I relate to both my inner self as well as the people around me.

I’ve been vegetarian for most of my twenties, and yet this wasn’t out of compassion for animals but more of a habit. Upon reading an entire chapter of Homo Deus that is dedicated to the relationship between humans and animals, I was inspired to write an essay on vegetarianism and also deeply think about the ethical choices I make and especially the fact that I still consume dairy products and eggs.

So, while I don’t remember much of this book, it has shaped me deeply.

So, this is why reading is not pointless. It can change how we view and interpret the world around us, and if you wisely choose what you read and, more importantly, what you accept as logical arguments, you will become a better global citizen.

One More Hour per Day.

Mon, 15 Apr 2024 12:35:11 GMT

Everyone, except the man in jail, would like an extra hour per day.

Imagine that! Being able to freeze time for an hour every day to simply think about life, do some chores, take a walk, plan your future, or read your favourite book.

It sounds like magic, and yet we don’t need a 25th hour to make this a reality. We all waste far more time than we care to admit, and making time is about priorities.

I once heard that one should tell people “it is not a priority” rather than “I don’t have time.” This is uncomfortable but far closer to the truth. We can always make time for the important things.

So try this, block your calendar, and give yourself one completely uninterrupted hour each day. Turn off your phone, get away from technology, and do whatever you want, it is your time.

Today Is All We Have.

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 07:35:19 GMT

Think of your plans and goals.

It is slightly paradoxical that we can make long-term plans, but we can only experience life one day at a time, or perhaps just one moment at a time.

So today is all we have to make our future plans real. What we have to do in the future doesn’t matter; what’s important is what we decide to do today.

Then tomorrow comes, and we repeat the process.

Meaning & Responsibility.

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 13:37:31 GMT

Yes — we’re going there.

“What’s the meaning of life?” This question has been a perennial quest for millennia, perplexing philosophers, theologians, and thinkers. From the Kalahari Bushmen of today to the Ancient Greeks and even countless thinkers lost to pre-history, this question has echoed through the ages. I’ve covered this briefly before.

This quest, perhaps the quintessential philosophical dilemma, leads us down a path of existential inquiry—like a Russian doll, revealing layer upon layer of questions, each yielding more inquiries than answers.

But, is this question itself fundamentally flawed? It implies a linear relationship between existence and inherent meaning, presupposing that life must have a predefined significance.

I propose a shift in perspective:

The essence of life’s meaning is not an enigma to be solved.

Instead, meaning is simply an emergent property of a life well-lived, intricately woven through the fabric of our daily responsibilities and actions.

Meaning does not precede life; rather, life, in its engagement with the world, becomes meaningful.

But before we dive in, let’s start by defining what we mean by the words “meaning” and “responsibility”

Meaning: The significance or value an individual ascribes to their life experiences, actions, and contributions to the world.
Responsibility: The duties, obligations, and roles individuals accept and enact within their personal lives and broader societal contexts. It implies a moral and ethical commitment to act and make decisions that affect the individual’s life, the well-being of others, and the environment.

Condemned to be free?

Jean-Paul Sartre, a leading figure in existential philosophy, argued that humans are “condemned to be free.” This means that we are thrust into existence without a predetermined purpose and must bear the responsibility of defining our own essence through our actions.

For Sartre, existence precedes essence, suggesting that it is up to each individual to create their own meaning and purpose in life.

Sartre’s philosophy centres on radical freedom and personal responsibility. He believed that since there is no God or predetermined moral values to guide us, individuals must take full responsibility for their choices and the consequences of those choices. This responsibility is a heavy burden because it means we are entirely accountable for our lives and the lack of inherent meaning in the world.

Sartre posited that individuals find meaning in life by authentically engaging in it, making choices based on personal conviction rather than societal pressures, and accepting responsibility for these choices. In this sense, the search for meaning is an active and personal endeavour deeply entwined with our responsibility for shaping our lives and the world around us.

His ideas encourage embracing the freedom we have to create our values and meanings, urging us to live authentically and responsibly in a world without given meaning. For Sartre, the essence of life, its purpose, and meaning are things each person must construct for themselves through their actions and choices, always acknowledging the weight of responsibility that freedom brings.

Viktor Frankl, a psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, extensively discussed the concept of finding meaning through suffering and responsibility in his book “Man’s Search for Meaning.” According to Frankl, life has meaning under all circumstances, even the most miserable ones. He introduces the concept of “logotherapy,” a form of existential analysis that emphasizes the human search for meaning as the central motivational force in life.

Frankl argues that we can discover meaning in life in three ways:

Through work or doing something significant.
Through experiencing something or encountering someone. This includes experiencing beauty, art, nature, or loving other people.
Through our attitude toward unavoidable suffering, Frankl suggests that when we face situations of unchangeable suffering, we can still choose our attitude toward this suffering, thus finding a deep sense of meaning in our stance against our hardships.

He insists that taking responsibility for finding and creating meaning in life, regardless of the circumstances, is essential. Frankl’s ideas emphasize the importance of responsibility to ourselves and others in our quest for meaning. He believes that by embracing life’s responsibilities, including the responsibility to find meaning in suffering, we can live more fulfilled lives.

Jordan Peterson, a clinical psychologist and professor, echoes this and emphasizes the importance of taking personal responsibility to find meaning in life. In his book 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, Peterson suggests that life is inherently filled with suffering and chaos, but meaning comes from taking on the responsibility to bear this suffering and work towards making the world better.

Peterson argues that adopting responsibility, especially for oneself and one’s well-being, is fundamental to creating a meaningful life. He believes that meaningful lives emerge from taking on the burden of responsibility—not just for our own lives but also for the lives of those around us and society at large. Peterson often discusses that responsibility, coupled with truth-telling and the pursuit of what is meaningful (over what is expedient), gives life its deepest significance.

One of my favourite quotes from one of his interviews where he discusses responsibility is this:

Some people just die, and horribly.

Peterson is making the point that life is not fair, that some people are dealt shitty hands, to begin with, and that we all go through incredibly difficult periods of our lives, but that we cannot make excuses.

Engaging in genuinely meaningful activities requires facing and overcoming difficulties. Doing so voluntarily, instead of being dragged kicking and screaming by the torrent of life, strengthens individuals and gives their lives purpose.

Why does responsibility lead to meaning?

At first glance, the link between responsibility and meaning may appear counterintuitive, especially in a culture that often equates happiness with pleasure and leisure. But let’s assume that we agree with the above that responsibility comes from meaning.

That still leaves us asking: why is that the case?

Why should we engage in challenging tasks? We may initially resist leading to a meaningful life. Why can’t indulging in leisure activities like playing video games or ordering pizza delivery constitute a fulfilling existence?

To address these questions, it’s essential to delve into the etymology of “responsibility.” The term originates from the Latin “responsabilis,” meaning “answerable” or “liable to be called to account,” and is derived from “respondēre,” which translates to “to respond” or “to answer to.”

Historically, it emphasized the obligation to respond when summoned or to account for one’s actions to others.

This foundation suggests that actions devoid of responsibility—those that do not necessitate an answerability to others—are inherently lacking in meaning.

The network of relationships we have creates a web of meaning in our lives. Each relationship we build creates obligations. By fulfilling these obligations, we mutually exchange value and purpose, anchoring our existence in a broader social and ethical context.

This leads me to consider an interesting thought experiment. If I was the only person alive, would my life have any meaning?

At first glance, the absence of other people might suggest a void of obligations and, consequently, a lack of meaning. Without others to respond to or be accountable for, one might assume that the fabric of meaning unravels, leaving a barren existential landscape.

However, this scenario prompts a deeper examination of the concept of responsibility, extending beyond the social domain to include intrinsic obligations to oneself and the natural world. The essence of meaning in solitude might not hinge on social obligations but rather on the relationship one has with oneself and the environment.

In the absence of social interactions, the responsibility towards oneself becomes paramount. This encompasses self-care, personal growth, and the pursuit of understanding one’s place in the universe. Cultivating self-awareness, mastery of skills, and exploring personal potential can imbue life with a profound sense of purpose and fulfilment. This inward journey reflects a foundational obligation to realize one’s capacities and live authentically, suggesting that meaning can emerge from self-imposed responsibilities and the quest for self-actualization.

Moreover, the solitary individual’s interaction with the natural world introduces a different dimension of responsibility. This involves stewardship of the environment, a deep appreciation for the interconnectedness of all life forms, and a recognition of one’s role in the ecological web. Engaging with nature, whether through cultivation, conservation, or simply marvelling at its beauty and complexity, can foster a sense of belonging and purpose that transcends human relationships. Even without human witnesses, the responsibility to preserve and appreciate the natural world suggests that meaning can be derived from respect and care for life in its myriad forms.

Thus, while the network of human relationships undeniably enriches our lives with meaning through mutual obligations, the thought experiment of solitary existence reveals that meaning is not solely contingent upon social interactions. It underscores our inherent responsibilities toward ourselves and the natural world, which can provide a foundational sense of purpose and significance. This exploration suggests that meaning can be cultivated from within by fulfilling intrinsic obligations and appreciating our connection to the broader tapestry of life.

On The Importance of Documentation.

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 06:38:04 GMT

In the last few months, I have found myself writing a lot of documentation for Blue (https://documentation.blue.cc) and a UNDP data project with a very comprehensive methodology.

I used to have a laissez-faire attitude towards documentation, believing it was a task reserved for incredibly pedantic people. I prided myself on my ability to keep everything in my head, convinced that I did not need to rely on written records. I thought that my memory alone would suffice, and documenting every detail was unnecessary and time-consuming.

Well, it is said that part of growing up is being able to look back on your previous opinions and laugh, which is one of those occasions for me!

I deal at a scale now where memory alone can’t help me — I need to write things down; otherwise, the information is lost. This is not because I am stupid — quite the opposite. I am intelligent and humble enough to understand that writing down serves as a memory aid and sharpens the thinking process.

The faintest ink is more powerful than the strongest memory.

It is an ancient Chinese proverb highlighting the value of documentation and taking notes.

Writing is not just a means of communication but a powerful tool for thinking and learning. I’ve said this before and believe it even more strongly now. Because when you write, you are forced to take your thoughts, which sometimes are not quite logically structured but more ephemeral and emotional, and make them concrete. Writing forces us to organize our thoughts, coherently present them, and identify gaps in our understanding or reasoning. This is quite amazing if we think about it. We’re taking a bunch of electrical signals in your brain and the various synaptic connections and turning them into a clear and logical format that anyone else can access, review, criticize, and improve.

If that’s not magic, I don’t know what is.

If Reality was a Simulation.

Mon, 01 Apr 2024 07:57:28 GMT

Imagine conclusive evidence emerges tomorrow, proving we live in a simulation. Our world, our lives, are merely sophisticated software. How would this paradigm-shifting revelation affect us?

At first, existential despair might set in. If we’re just code, does anything matter? You look at your hands, but are they hands? You’re just programmed to see and feel them as hands. Does it matter if you cut them off? Upon reflection, our day-to-day experiences and consciousness would remain largely unchanged. The emotions, relationships, and goals that define us would still hold meaning regardless of the nature of our reality.

This revelation could also profoundly shift our moral considerations, particularly concerning AI. If our existence is simulated, any conscious AI we create would be no less “real” than us. We’d have a moral imperative to treat our AI creations with the same respect we hope to receive from our simulators.

There is one area of study in AI that if we could recreate the human brain, even if it were not “more” intelligent than us, the human brain software could run thousands or millions of times faster and so would still be able to accelerate scientific progress drastically — but would it be fair to the AI scientists stuck in our simulation, who become our slaves and have to work ad infinitum on our hardest problems?

Would we have to code out the entire remainder of society so that they stay sane? Perhaps this is happening to us right now if our world is a simulation.

The question of meaning in a simulated reality is complex. Some might embrace nihilism, feeling their actions have no consequences. But this view discounts the inherent value of our experiences and emotions. Even if simulated, our joy, love, and fulfilment are real to us.

However, it is worth considering the effects of widespread nihilism triggered by the revelation of living in a simulation. It could have devastating consequences. Essential services that keep our society functioning would be disrupted, causing far-reaching effects.

Imagine bus drivers abandoning their routes, stranding commuters and crippling public transportation. Air traffic controllers desert their posts, grounding flights and disrupting the aviation industry. The ripple effects would be immense.

Healthcare workers, firefighters, and police officers questioning their roles could lead to understaffed hospitals, unchecked fires, and soaring crime rates. Sanitation workers no longer collect garbage, which would result in health hazards and disease outbreaks. Utility workers neglecting power grids and water systems could cause widespread blackouts and shortages.

The consequences could be catastrophic — economic collapse, food shortages, and social unrest could lead to riots, looting, and a complete unravelling of society. Nations could descend into anarchy as governments lose control and infrastructure crumbles.

However, this bleak scenario assumes everyone would respond with nihilism and despair.

Some might find comfort in the idea that their simulated actions still hold value within their own experiences. Others might unite, finding purpose in creating a better-simulated world.

Ultimately, the implications would depend on how we, as a society, choose to respond. By recognizing the value of our experiences and our moral obligations to all conscious beings, “real” or simulated, we can continue to find meaning and purpose.

Amidst the potential chaos and despair that could follow the revelation of living in a simulation, it is crucial to remember the one aspect of our existence that remains undeniably real: our consciousness.

The truth of our reality may be uncertain, but consciousness is, quite literally, the only thing that we know must be real, regardless of how it comes about. You can fake consciousness from the outside, but by definition, you cannot fake consciousness to yourself.

If you feel consciousness, then you are conscious.

Descartes famously said, “I think, therefore I am.” This simple yet profound statement highlights the primacy of consciousness in our understanding of existence. Even if our entire reality is a simulation, the one thing we can be certain of is our own conscious experience. The very act of questioning the nature of reality requires a conscious mind to ponder it.

Consider the concept of solipsism, which suggests that only one’s mind is sure to exist. While this idea is often dismissed as extreme, it underscores the central role of consciousness in our understanding of reality. We can never be entirely certain that anything exists beyond our subjective experience.

Everything else, including the external world and other people, could be an illusion or a figment of one’s imagination.

Solipsism is often associated with the idea of the “brain in a vat” thought experiment. Imagine that a mad scientist has removed your brain and placed it in a vat of nutrients, keeping it alive and functioning. The scientist then connects your brain to a powerful computer that simulates a virtual reality indistinguishable from the “real” world. In this scenario, your conscious experience would be entirely generated by the computer, and you would have no way of knowing that the world you perceive is not “real.”

This thought experiment highlights the central tenet of solipsism: the impossibility of proving the existence of anything beyond one’s own consciousness. Even in our everyday lives, we can never be absolutely certain that the world we perceive is not a highly sophisticated illusion or simulation. The people we interact with could be complex AI programs designed to mimic human behavior, and the physical objects we touch and see could be mere projections of our own minds.

How do we define consciousness? Is it merely the subjective experience of awareness, or does it require certain cognitive abilities, such as self-reflection and abstract thinking? If an AI system reports feeling conscious, should we take it at its word, or could it merely mimic consciousness without truly experiencing it?

These questions lead us to the hard problem of consciousness: why and how subjective experiences arise from physical processes in the brain. Even if we can map every neural connection and understand the mechanics of cognition, the question of why we have a subjective experience remains a mystery. In a simulated reality, this problem becomes even more complex, as we must grapple with the nature of consciousness arising from computer code.

Yet, despite these philosophical conundrums, the subjective experience of consciousness remains the bedrock of our existence. Whether we are living in a “real” world or a simulated one, our thoughts, emotions, and perceptions are undeniably real to us. In a sense, consciousness is the lens through which we experience and interpret reality, regardless of its underlying nature.

This realization can be both humbling and empowering. On the one hand, it reminds us of the limits of our understanding and the possibility that our perceived reality may not be as concrete as we believe. On the other hand, it highlights our conscious minds’ incredible power and importance. Our ability to think, feel, and question the nature of our existence is what makes us human and perhaps even what gives our lives meaning in an uncertain universe.

Regardless of the true nature of our reality, we have the power to shape our conscious experiences and to create meaning through our thoughts, actions, and interactions with others. By embracing the primacy of consciousness and living in accordance with our values, we can find purpose and fulfilment, even in the face of existential uncertainty.

So, living with compassion, curiosity, and authenticity remains crucial.

On How We Judge Historical Atrocities.

Sat, 30 Mar 2024 14:30:41 GMT

I have just finished Peter Green’s biography of Alexander the Great, which is quite different from the other biographies and essays I have read on this topic. Instead of fawning over Alexander’s meteoric rise and conquests, he takes a far more sober look at the reality and costs of Alexander’s career, both to the people he conquered and the friends and acquaintances who joined him on his journey.

There is also an interesting, if lengthy, podcast by Dan Carilin’s Hardcore History that discusses Caesar’s conquest of Gaul in rather excruciating and bloody detail.

This got me thinking: What’s the difference between some of the famous generals and leaders that we admire today, such as Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Caesar, and Napoleon, and the 20th-century tyrants, such as Hitler, Stalin, and Mao?

In certain cases, such as comparing Napoleon and Hitler, the details merge far too closely with the invasion of Russia in 1812 and the Soviet Union in 1941. Interestingly, Hitler and his generals certainly studied Napoleon’s campaign and the hubris that led him to undergo one of the most disastrous military campaigns, yet could not help repeating the mistake.

Napoleon, impressively, managed to move across Russia more quickly than Hitler and even reached Moscow, which the Russians promptly burned to the ground to deny the French any place to rest. Why did the Germans in WW2 think that reaching Moscow would collapse Stalin’s government any more than Napoleon’s capture of Moscow did not topple Tsar Alexander I’s regime?

So, I want to examine why we view modern atrocities as much more severe than ancient atrocities.

Perhaps they sting more, and that’s a natural assumption to make. There are still a few Nazi concentration camp guards alive today. Think of that — there are people alive today who were partly responsible for putting hundreds of thousands of people in gas chambers and then into crematoriums. Hannibal’s soldiers, who massacred 60,000+ Roman soldiers at Cannae, are long gone, having left 4,000+ tonnes of rotting flesh on that battlefield. Alexander the Great crucified 2,000 enemy soldiers who had surrendered at Tyre.

Time is a lousy beautician but a great healer.

So perhaps one murder today is worth 2,000 murders from 2,500 years ago. I am not sure what the true ratio is, but there is a declining value of death based on geographical and temporal distance.

When I was in Afghanistan on a UN mission, there was a car bomb in Kabul on the 3rd day I was there. That didn’t make the news in the West, but imagine a car bomb in London, New York, Paris, or Milan. There would be 24/7 news coverage of the event and investigation for weeks. That only has to do with geographical distance; the temporal dimension affects the importance of events even more.

The other key thing is that our moral standards change.

It was considered acceptable for Crassus, a Roman general, to crush the slave revolt led by Spartacus in 71 BC and then line a significant portion — over 500km — of the Appian Way, a major Roman road connecting Rome to Capua, with 6,000 crucified survivors from Sparacus’ army. That’s one body every 100m for 500km. This act was intended to serve as a deterrent and a display of Roman power. Although some may have found it distasteful, it was still within the Overton window of acceptability in ancient Rome and paints a grim picture of the moral standards of the time.

Let’s pause to review the Overton window, an interesting concept in political theory that describes the range of ideas tolerated in public discourse. Named after Joseph P. Overton, the theory suggests that an idea’s political viability depends on whether it falls within this range. The window frames the policies a politician can recommend without appearing too extreme, while ideas outside the window are considered unacceptable or radical. This concept helps explain how actions like Crassus’ treatment of Spartacus’ army could be accepted in ancient times but would be condemned today.

Just the fact that Crassus could conceive of doing something like this is a strong indication of the moral standards of the time. It would be difficult to imagine Tony Blair having lined Oxford Street with dying and dead captured prisoners of the Iraq war.

So perhaps we should judge the ancients not on our current moral standards but on the standards of their own time. This is why we find Hitler, Mao, and Stalin far more disturbing, because it was not so long ago, and it perhaps hints that we are not so different to them as we may think. Yes, our moral standards have advanced since the mid-twentieth century, but we are not that far away.

Let’s consider the Rwandan Genocide, which took place in 1994 and claimed an estimated 800,000 to 1,000,000 lives, illustrating how even relatively recent atrocities can feel distant due to temporal and geographical separation. Many of us were alive during this time, yet the event feels remote compared to current concerns. Similarly, the war in Iraq between 2003 and 2011, which killed an estimated 200,000 to 1,000,000 Iraqis, feels like a distant event for many in the West. As a teenager, I joined the protests against the war in London, but that’s about it. I was still part of a society that sent soldiers to another country and contributed to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent people. But my life went on; I had to study, work, chase girls, and so on. It wasn’t my fault — right?

Right.

The other thing to consider is that we now have a significantly larger population than before. So perhaps we should measure the ratio of deaths based on the total population of the country being invaded or the total world population at the time. This does not do any favours to the ancients because each death was counted far more heavily than it is in modern times.

Let’s take Ceasars’ campaign in Gaul. It is estimated that he killed around 1m Gauls and enslaved up to another 1m, out of a population of 3m. Caesar’s campaign in Gaul was characterized by a level of brutality and direct population reduction that is staggering by modern standards, effectively wiping out two-thirds of the Gaulish population through death or enslavement. This resulted in immediate loss of life and a lasting transformation of Gaulish society and culture, as the survivors were absorbed into the Roman Empire.

Let’s compare these numbers to what Hitler did between May and June 1940. When Hitler invaded France, France had a population of approximately 42 million. Around 85,000 to 90,000 French died during the invasion, so a loss of 0.21% of the population or 1 person out of every 477 died. It’s tragic, of course, but not a civilization-ending event. French culture thrives today.

So, arguably, a death in ancient times was more of a tragedy than a modern death. Fewer people were around, and so each person was perhaps more precious, and the toll on society was greater.

In conclusion, while it is important to consider the historical context and moral standards of the time when judging ancient atrocities, we must not let temporal distance blind us to the scale and severity of these acts.

However, I am not sure this matters much to their victims. If you were crucified by Alexander the Great in the siege of Tyre or shot by a German bullet in World War 2, it was a tragedy.

Perhaps Stalin was correct to observe: The death of one man is a tragedy, the death of millions is a statistic.

“No” is a Complete Sentence.

Sat, 24 Feb 2024 14:48:29 GMT

It is interesting how we often feel the need to justify saying No. It is as if the default mode of life should always be to say yes, and saying no should be reserved for emergencies.

I don’t believe this to be the case. I feel that saying no should be the default way. This may sound like a negative attitude to life, but it’s not. The issue is that we all have limited time and energy, and saying yes to everything means we must do everything — badly.

It is better to do one thing and do it well instead of trying to do 100 things and do them all badly. At a basic level, the economy pays well for specialists, not generalists, but this goes beyond earning potential to just having the ability to live a tranquil life.

Just because we have time does not mean we should squeeze the oranges of life until every living, breathing moment is productive. We need downtime, and some of our best decisions come from staring out of the window aimlessly while on a long train journey.

That said, I love getting down and focussing on something, whether it is a piece of work I need to do, an email I need to write, a document I need to read, or even a chess game. It’s as if all the world’s situations cease to exist in that moment of focus, and it is just me and the task at hand. It is hard to describe this intense focus, but there is something quasi-religious and meditative about it.

But this is not easy to maintain, and I most certainly cannot do it for eight hours each day. And so this intensity of focus should be treasured and only spent on the things that truly matter, and this is why it is important to understand that “no” can be a complete sentence.

An interesting, if somewhat uncomfortable, strategy I once heard goes along these lines. Replace ‘I don’t have time” with “It is not a priority”. Would you feel comfortable saying that to someone? Almost certainly, we can always find the time for important things, but it is an issue of prioritization.

Wisdom is Following Your Own Advice.

Fri, 16 Feb 2024 14:55:36 GMT

I can’t remember where I heard this, but it struck me in a powerful manner. We all believe that we can lead better lives, and this is a very positive, humanistic message. It says that you already know what you need to do, that your internal monologue is correct. You are, after all, an expert in your own life.

Nobody knows you as well as you do. Sure, you have blind spots, you are subjective, but for the big things, you are probably right.

The problem often turns out to be that we do not do the things that we know that we need to do. Hence why Wisdom is following your own advice.

I have travelled extensively, and I have seen poverty in all its shapes, sizes, and typologies. I have seen lots of desperate poor people, but I have also seen lots of happy ones, which makes me wonder if how we define poverty is truly an accurate measure of the human condition. I think opportunity and direction is just as important, if not more important, than where someone is right now.

In various parts of Asia, I have met and seen lots of poor people who have an upward direction. They have a strong belief that tomorrow is going to be better than today, because today is better than yesterday.

In Afghanistan, this was not the case. People were not optimistic about the future since the Taliban takeover. Sure, some things had improved, which as a Westerner who finds the Taliban’s ideology completely distasteful, is a tough pill to swallow.

But I digress. I speak about poverty because I often wonder if someone who is selling ice in Cambodia has much more potential. And of course they do, they are simply a product of their environment and circumstances. But given the environment and circumstances, are there the seeds inside a Cambodian ice seller that could turn him or her into an expert in Nuclear energy?

Most likely! They have this wonderful thing, the human brain, with its capacity to learn. So in theory, they could overcome various hurdles, and learn everything there is to know about nuclear energy generation and become one of the foremost experts in the world, even without formal schooling. The information is out there in the internet. And if they did that, we could conceivably believe that they may have a better life. They would for sure have more money, and they may also get an enjoyment out of understanding something highly interesting.

However, the issue here is that they may not even be aware of this or other options. But if they did, then they could conceivably do it. The internet is this huge opportunity. Anything that we want to know, is out there waiting for us to know it.

And so even if we have just a high level understanding of what we need to do in our lives, that starting wisdom is enough to then take us into the journey. If we are stuck on one problem, we can always step back and tackle a smaller and more granular problem, that is easy to solve.

You want to become a homicide detective. How does one even start doing that? What are the requirements? I have no real idea, except that perhaps you may want to study certain subjects and apply to the police force. And so you are not equipment right now to become a homicide detective. But, you are equipped to do something much smaller. Take ten minutes, and do some research. Heck, even ask ChatGPT:

Obtain Education: Start with a high school diploma or GED. Many aspiring detectives go further by earning a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, psychology, or a related field. Higher education can provide a competitive edge and is increasingly preferred by many law enforcement agencies.
Gain Law Enforcement Experience: Before becoming a detective, one must first become a police officer. This involves applying to a police department and undergoing their selection process, which typically includes written exams, physical agility tests, medical examinations, psychological evaluations, and background checks.
Attend Police Academy: Once accepted, candidates attend a police academy for training, which can last about 6 months. Training includes classroom instruction in state laws, criminal investigations, patrol procedures, firearms training, traffic control, self-defense, first aid, and emergency response.
Work as a Police Officer: After graduating from the academy, recruits become sworn police officers. They start gaining experience on the job, usually starting with patrol duties. It’s essential to excel in these early roles, as performance, conduct, and demonstrated potential are critical for detectives’ selection.
Develop Skills and Knowledge: While working as a police officer, it’s important to build skills critical for detectives, such as critical thinking, communication, problem-solving, and investigative techniques. Volunteering for assignments that require investigative work can help.
Seek Promotions and Opportunities: Becoming a detective often requires applying for the position when openings occur and may involve passing a written exam, an interview process, and a review of your work history as an officer. Promotions to detective positions are typically based on merit, experience, and sometimes seniority.
Undergo Detective Training: Once promoted to a detective or investigator, additional specialized training is usually provided. This training focuses on crime scene management, interviewing techniques, case preparation, courtroom procedures, and specific areas of crime, such as homicide.
Continuous Education and Specialization: Homicide detectives may further their expertise through specialized training courses, workshops, and certification programs related to homicide investigations. Continuous learning and staying updated with the latest investigative techniques and technologies are crucial.
Networking and Professional Development: Joining professional associations, such as the International Association of Homicide Investigators, can provide networking opportunities, resources, and further training to enhance one’s skills and career prospects.

The path to becoming a homicide detective can vary significantly from one jurisdiction to another and depends on the specific requirements and opportunities within a law enforcement agency. It’s a challenging and competitive career path that requires dedication, a strong moral compass, and a commitment to justice.

And there we go, we have a high-level multi-year timeline.

So if Wisdom is following our own advice, then it is also worth considering how to improve the quality of the advice that we give to ourselves. For this, I think a journal is invaluable. I have been writing almost daily for close to ten years, and it is incredible to read how I was thinking and the methods I was using to make decisions and weigh the pros and cons of different actions when I was 23 instead of 33.

I notice certain problems that I still have not managed to fully solve, and other things that now I would laugh at because it seems so easy, while back then it seemed so difficult.

Trusting in the Long Term.

Wed, 24 Jan 2024 14:01:16 GMT

I recently had a discussion about the uncertainty of undertaking initiatives that only have a long-term payoff, and it made me think there are a few ways of approaching this.

Most meaningful things take time, this we know. Getting fit, learning Python, growing an idea into a successful business, writing a book, etc.

But when you are at the beginning of your journey, you only experience hard work, and the results you see are likely to be uninspiring.

The first draft of anything is shit.

Hemingway

You won’t be able to do the exercise; your code will throw unexpected errors, you will fail to make the sale, you’ll get writer’s block and just stare at an empty page for half an hour.

This is because we are looking from where we are now to where we want to be. And there is uncertainty — perhaps I’ll never get fit, I’ll never write a piece of software, my startup will join the 95% of startups that fail, and my book will just stay an idea.

But we can also imagine where we want to be and then look backwards. When we frame things this way, our actions are obvious, even if they do not feel right in the moment.

If you want to write a book, then spending time each day to write, regardless of how you feel, is the obvious thing to do. If you want to get super fit, going to the gym regularly is crucial. A friend of mine has this beautiful idea of doing “shitty workouts”. Even if you don’t feel like going, you still do a really awful workout. You may not put much effort or spend much time, but at least you did something.

And that is something.

JFDI vs DFTU

Fri, 05 Jan 2024 13:22:37 GMT

I forget where I first read this, but I loved the idea when I came across it because it was just so…well, clear!

Perhaps the acronyms JFDI and DFTU are slightly intimidating at first glance, but they are very simple:

JFDI standards for Just Fucking Do It.
DFTU stands for Don’t Fuck This Up

In the context of being a CEO, these are two ways to think about any given initiative. You should constantly ask yourself, which camp does this project fall into? These are 100% mutually exclusive, there is no overlap. So you have to communicate very clearly so that everyone knows which type of work is which.

Is it a ‘Just Fucking Do It’ type of work that needs to get done, and where perfection is the enemy of done? Where speed of execution is far more important than squeezing that last bit of quality?

Examples of this can be:

Testing new marketing campaigns to gauge consumer interest
Launching a basic MVP to get customer feedback quickly
Running small-scale market research surveys to understand preferences
Experimenting with different pricing models to optimize revenue
Writing job descriptions

Or is it a ‘Don’t Fuck This Up’ type of project? Something that absolutely cannot fail and must be done perfectly.

Implementing new financial reporting procedures to comply with regulations
Developing robust cybersecurity measures to protect customer data
Building core product infrastructure that the entire business relies on
Creating redundancy for mission-critical operational processes to minimize risk
Hiring or firing key individuals.

Stalin purportedly said, “Quantity has a quality all its own”.

Well, perhaps speed has a quality all its own?

How much benefit do we get from knowing when we can move fast and break things and when we should take our time?

This brings Parkinson’s Law to my mind.

Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.

It’s a law that humorously yet accurately captures the essence of human productivity. In its light, the significance of deadlines becomes starkly apparent. Without them, work could theoretically expand indefinitely, lost in a limbo of constant refinement and procrastination. Deadlines serve as necessary anchors, providing a sense of urgency and clarity. They compel us to categorize tasks as either ‘Just Fucking Do It’ or ‘Don’t Fuck This Up’ projects, guiding our pace and focus.

Ultimately, the art of being an effective CEO lies in knowing what needs to be done and understanding the tempo at which it should be pursued.

It’s about striking the right balance between speed and accuracy, agility and thoroughness.

And in this balancing act, Parkinson’s Law reminds us that time, if not diligently managed, can become the greatest adversary of productivity.