Cultivating Boredom
New rule for self, as of today: no news, Reddit, YouTube, chess, social media, scrolling, or entertainment of any kind during weekdays (with exceptions for being outside walking–I don’t want to quit...
View ArticleObligation = Connection
The other day I was grinding through some family obligations, feeling resentful because I had a whole list of other things (mostly entertainment related) that I wasn’t getting to. This was my...
View ArticleI Am Psyduck (Anxiety is Ridiculous)
In the animated show Pokemon Concierge, Psyduck causes surrounding objects to levitate when experiencing anxiety. It’s a recurring gag in the show; Psyduck gets stressed about something, and various...
View Article2025 Recap (Spreadsheet Breakthrough)
Looking back on 2025, the most significant thing I did was create a spreadsheet. Sounds underwhelming, for sure. But this spreadsheet was unlike any other spreadsheet I’d ever created, and I’m someone...
View ArticleArtistic Values for 2025
I’ve done some work on consciously prioritizing my values, and that work has served me well. I know what I stand for, and that makes decision making easier. But when I found myself in a...
View ArticleWhy Do We Try Hard Things?
A few weeks ago Kia dropped a huge self-knowledge bomb on my head. Well-meaning, of course. And totally off-the-cuff. But her comment made me understand something profound about myself. And that...
View Article10K Hours is B.S.
As I get a bit older, and the number of activities I have spent ten thousand or more hours practicing increases, I’ve come to the realization that just doing the thing is not enough to get really good....
View ArticleHow to More Easily Use Your Own Power
Sometime in my forties I realized that all major choices could be boiled down to two paths: Empowering action (research/planning/implementation) Passive paralysis (inaction, worry, pathological...
View ArticleTake Your Wins
Often when something good happens to me, I just take it in stride. I don’t want to get too excited about any particular success because fortune rises and falls. Everything that goes up must come down....
View ArticleHow I Maintain Motivation (and dopamine levels)
I have the GG (val/val) variant in SNP rs4680, which corresponds with high COMT enzyme activity. COMT breaks down dopamine in the part of the brain related to higher cognitive and executive function....
View ArticleEmpowering Action vs. Depression
Recently I read Steve Pavlina’s post “What It’s Like Being Me”. Steve really enjoys being himself, it seems, and part of my reaction was a slow clap — good for you, you smug vegan, your life is so...
View ArticleHow I’m Using My Distance Vision (through time, in life)
Walking along the Embarcadero every day, I have long unobstructed views. I can look east across the bay, north toward the Ferry Building, south toward the ballpark. Sometimes I try to identify people...
View ArticlePlay Yourself as a PC
Sometimes I catch myself living my life as an NPC (non-player character). Doing the same thing, day in and day out. Making safe but boring choices. Focusing too much on distractions that don’t really...
View ArticleWho Am I Trying to Impress?
In my twenties and thirties I remember being very motivated by wanting to impress and/or outdo other people. I’ll show them, I thought to myself. I would achieve this or that, at which point those...
View ArticleMore Kind but Less Nice
I don’t think I’m a “nice guy.” At least in my adulthood, I’ve gone after what I wanted, looked out for my own needs, and set clear boundaries. But I am naturally friendly and agreeable, and I enjoy...
View ArticleHaving More Fun With It, Getting Better At It (Instead of New Year’s...
This year I wasn’t in the mood for revving myself up for ambitious goals or New Year’s resolutions requiring a lot of discipline. My family is recovering from Covid, we’re still in quarantine, and the...
View ArticleDoing Training, and Natural Talent is Not Holding You Back
Following the World Chess Championship, I’m starkly reminded that there are many levels to the game that I will never personally experience. Magnus and Ian are freaks of nature in their ability to...
View ArticleBe Stupid Faster
I’m in a life phase where I’m doing a lot of things for the first time. Kia and I are remodeling our Oakland house. I’m managing projects and coordinating teams of software developers. I’m parenting a...
View ArticleTen Years Later, a New Pivot Point
Ten years ago I wrote this post about pivot points. Pivot points are conscious decisions about how to live your life differently. Examples could be quitting alcohol or drugs, leaving a toxic...
View ArticleSuperpower Habit: Learning How To Not Self Reject
Recently I submitted some beats to Timbaland. He’s been reacting to beats live on his Twitch stream. Anyone can submit. I picked a few Momu tracks that my friend Mark and I have been working on and...
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