Our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we must be accountable for who we become.
Before each reading, take a few minutes to talk about or write what you remember from the previous reading.
The human brain does not learn as much by consumption as it does by creation.
When you do what others won’t, you can live how others can’t.
How can I use this? Why must I use this? When will I use this?
Make sure you have a block of time set aside to get into flow. It’s commonly believed that, when conditions are right, it takes about 15 minutes to achieve a flow state and that you don’t really hit your peak for closer to 45 minutes. Clearing out only half an hour or so isn’t going to allow you to accomplish much. Plan to set aside at least 90 minutes, and ideally a full two hours.
Some people who claim to have twenty years of experience have one year of experience that they’ve repeated twenty times.
It’s not accurate that your memory works like a container, cup, or hard drive in that once it’s full of data no more can fit. It’s more like a muscle in that the more you train it, the stronger it gets and the more you can store.
The important distinction here is that family is a means value – a means to an end. The end value is actually love or belonging. When we look at our values, we can determine whether the value we’ve stated is an end or whether it evokes something else.
The French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre noted that, “Life is C between B and D,” meaning that the life we live is the choices we make between the “B” of birth and the “D” of death.
The purpose supersedes the discomfort.
The treasure you seek is in the work you’re avoiding.
He held up a finger, saying, “Don’t let school interfere with your education.” I later learned he was paraphrasing a quote often attributed to Mark Twain.
I suggest you use the Pomodoro technique, a productivity method developed by Francesco Cirillo based on the idea that the optimal time for a task is 25 minutes, followed by a 5-minute break.2 Each 25-minute chunk is called a “Pomodoro.” As you read this book, I suggest that you read for one Pomodoro and then take a 5-minute brain break before continuing.
Consider your passion, your desired identity, and your values: How can they create the basis for your reasons?
Life is the c between b and d.
Your time is one of your greatest assets. It’s the one thing you can’t get back.
If an egg is broken by an outside force, life ends. If broken by an inside force, life begins. Great things always begin from the inside.
Whenever possible, try to do one thing at a time.
If we believe that it’s not possible to improve, then in reality it won’t be possible to improve. It’s extremely difficult to accomplish something when you don’t believe it can be done in the first place.
If at all feasible, allow yourself to do whatever you’re doing to the exclusion of everything else. If you’re on the phone, don’t scroll through social media at the same time. If you’re making breakfast, don’t also work on your to-do list for the day. By doing one thing at a time, your concentration “muscle” will become incredibly.