Blog - 7 Takeaways

A vending machine dispensing a capsule labeled "Answer". Next to the vending machine a person is knitting a scarf that includes the word "Understanding" in the scarfs pattern.

The Gap Between ‘I Have an Answer’ and ‘I Understand This’ – 7 Takeaways No. 300

Tolerating uncertainty. Knowing versus understanding. Understanding is not agreement. It’s OK to do things. Choosing your attention’s target. Money makes ya crazy. Gimme a sec.

A close up, over the shoulder view of an individual in a home library with lots of books and comfy chairs holding a mobile phone texting 911 the phrase "I'd like to report ..."

Kids Every Parent Dreams About – 7 Takeaways No. 299

Where was he? Merits over process. Age assumptions. Fear explains a lot. What our great-grandkids will think was ludicrous. Connecting with strangers. Listen, but talk too.

An over-the-shoulder view of a computer screen displaying a YouTube comment section, with a comment: "You s*ck! Get to the point or give up, already!" with another comment below: "Thank you for this! Your video was exactly what I needed." The setting is a bright home office, and we're looking over the shoulder of an individual pulling their hair out in frustration.

An Ignorant Comment by Some Random Dude – 7 Takeaways No. 298

Do hard things. Getting taken advantage of. Your work can be practice. Calmness, ELI5 version. Letting go of the past. Ignorant comments. There’s more than one way to use AI.

A sunny beach in saturated blues and golds. A person stands with a hand held out like a traffic cop toward a small wave coming in from the ocean that's about to wash over a sandcastle.

Reality Always Wins – 7 Takeaways No. 297

Listen more. Was Goldilocks curious? Fooling yourself about the future. Bending reality to your will. Bending your will to reality. Comfort is a trap. Exercise might not be as bad as you think.

The reading stack. A cabin in the woods. There's a tall, playfully tilting stack of well-worn books on a sunny porch rail. Sticky notes and bookmarks fan out of the pages, and a pair of reading glasses rests on top. There's a comfy looking overstuffed chair on the porch. Behind it all is a blue sky with soft clouds, like a monument to "read more."

The Whole Point of Reading – 7 Takeaways No. 296

Extinction gets your attention. Wide world of feeds. Investing in future you. Read more books. Exercise for pain. Survey overload. Reading is hard and that’s good.

A clock whose hands are a blur from spinning fast, next to a paper monthly calendar whose pages are flying off as if being ripped off rapidly

Living Through Multiple Decades At Once – 7 Takeaways No. 295

Patience as a differentiator. Expectations keep getting higher. Yes, time is a blur. Assumptions on aging. Verifying what you read. Unexpected results of efficiency improvements. Teens and social media isn’t black and white.

A younger person making a selection from a softly lit wooden box or drawer, slightly ajar, filled with words in the style of old typeset letterpress letters, vintage dictionary pages, and small labeled tags — like a jeweler's tray, but for words instead of gems. Warm amber tones. Evokes the idea of a personal vocabulary as an accumulated treasure you can draw from.

The Words We Choose – 7 Takeaways No. 294

You are what you read. Please don’t judge me. Memory isn’t what you think. The words you use matter. The cost of science denial. Understand thyself. Fear and aging. Never stop learning.

An individual sitting comfortably in an overstuff chair in a used book store reading a book and surrounded by shelves of used books. There's a Corgi asleep in the corner.

The Strange Wistfulness of Used Bookstores – 7 Takeaways No. 293

The value of time. Information consumption habits. Go for a walk. Learning versus passing the test. Learning versus cheating. Beautiful and exotic words. Get a job, kids.

A character standing between two giant boxes — one solid black labeled 'total success,' one solid white labeled 'total failure' — trying to squeeze themselves into one or the other, while a soft rainbow of smaller, differently-shaded boxes sits ignored in the background, unused.

All or Nothing – 7 Takeaways No. 292

Public behavior. Brain failure, just when you need it. Chocolate, caffeine, and the rain forest. Yes, things can get better. Fleeting interactions matter. Knowing when to stop. Black and white. Seeing both sides.

An individual holding a smartphone, looking at it in fear. The smartphone is receiving a call from "Real Person".

The Most Terrifying Feature on a Smartphone – 7 Takeaways No. 291

Fear of conversation. Philosophy solved. Flood zone safety. Consume the contrary. Making the best of your life. Don’t panic! Looking for competence.