A surprising finding from the research behind the so-called ‘10,000 hour rule’
In the 1990s, a trio of psychologists from the Universität der Künst in Berlin embarked on a quest to answer the question: What separates elite achievers from average performers? Their resulting research became the basis of the so-called “10,000 hour rule,” popularized by psychology writer Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers — the idea that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to achieve true mastery of a skill. (Gladwell has pushed back on the interpretation over the years, but the popular conception of the rule has taken on a life of its own.)
For their study, the researchers gathered a set of star violin players, ones who professors believed would become world-class performers. Let’s call this group the stars. They also put together another group: students who were serious about the violin, but as their professors noted, not in the same league as the stars. …
All there is to know about private and “protected” attributes in 748 words
Never, ever use two leading underscores. This is annoyingly private. — Ian Bicking, Creator of pip, virtualenv, and many others
How many times have you encountered these words: Public, Private, and Protected in the world of Python? And how many times those one leading underscores _, two leading underscores __puzzled you, trying to make sense of them?
Well, let’s demystify them once and for all. What’s the use of private and “protected” attributes. And, how they look like in the Python world.
What’s The Point of A Private Attribute Anyway?
Consider this scenario: You have a class named Vehiclewhich internally uses an instance attribute named horn and does not want to expose it. …
Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom — Viktor E. Frankl
You have promised yourself not to take that extra chocolate chip cookie, then, 10 minutes later you are staring with awe at its empty case …
You have promised yourself to go jogging in the evening and suddenly the laziness monster creeps in and dissuades you from taking action.
In a single day, we succumb to one in every six temptations regardless of our efforts to resist according to studies conducted by Florida State University. …
Try a system-driven approach to staying productive.
I consider myself a maniac when it comes to productivity. And if you’re like me, you’re familiar with the enormous satisfaction that comes from producing high-value output.
But, whether you aspire to direct your productivity force into your job or into your side hustle, you can’t deny that the pandemics and the work-from-home movement are putting some obstacles along your way.
In fact, a recent study conducted by Atirnity — an enterprise digital experience management company — shows that prolonged remote-working entails a significant decrease in productivity. They have even coined the phrase “productivity tax” to refer to the issue.
So, whether working from home or in the office, how can we ensure continued productivity? …
A B.S.-free guide to effective reading
2X Your Reading Speed, 5X Your Retention.
So many books, so little time. — Frank Zappa
If you resonate with the quote above, then I’m thrilled to share with you how I satisfy my zest for absorbing as much knowledge as possible.
Normally, I finish a 300-page book in less than a week.
Noteworthy to add that I merely read non-fiction books, and as odd as it may sound, I retain more than 80% of the key materials in the long run.
So good to be true?
Well, there is no magic at work here. All you need to have are the followings:
- A zest for knowledge
- The right…
Get Ready For War Before Committing to One
We all try to seize every opportunity — like the new year — to commit to bold and lofty ideas. We do this of course because we valorize progressive change and action.
Ironically, an emphasis on getting started, though currently popular, is a bad starting point.
I will draw insight from the first-century Stoic philosopher, Epictetus, as to what constitutes the good starting point:
In every affair consider what precedes and follows, and then undertake it. Otherwise you will begin with spirit; but not having thought of the consequences, when some of them appear you will shamefully desist.
Epictetus does not renounce action. Yet, he believes prior to action must come a careful inquiry of what it actually takes for accomplishment. …
The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will. — Vince Lombardi
If you could ask for a superpower (not a fantasy one), what would it be?
Personally, I would definitely opt for iron willpower.
Why?
Because it’s the ultimate freedom. You would be no longer at the mercy of your emotions, temptations, or desires.
You would do the right thing at the right time, whether you feel like it or not.
Unlike fantasy superpowers, this one is attainable by learning how to shift your physiology into a state that boosts your willpower. …
Keto Diet as A Productivity Super Hack
At first, keto is hard. Then, you will love it.
From micro-dosing chemical compounds to establishing solid rituals, I’ve tried a plethora of weird hacks to enhance my productivity and cognitive performance.
7 month ago, along this journey of optimization, I stumbled on a book titled: Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth about Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar — Your Brain’s Silent Killers.
The promise of this book was just captivating: No more mental fog, increased energy, laser focus, better sleep, you name it. Basically whatever you need in your toolbox for massive productivity.
Fast-forward to 7 months later, the keto diet ranks as my top productivity hack and keto is now a part of my identity. …
Keto Diet as A Productivity Super Hack
At first, keto is hard. Then, you will love it.
Optimizing my cognitive performance and productivity has been my life-long passion and obsession.
7 month ago, along this journey of optimization, the turn came for my next read which was titled: Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth about Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar — Your Brain’s Silent Killers.
The promise of this book was just captivating: No more mental fog, increased energy, laser focus, better sleep, you name it. Basically whatever you need in your toolbox for massive productivity.
So, I gave it a try. It’s been 7 months now and the keto diet has become an indispensable part of my lifestyle, part of who I am. …
The intelligent want self-control; children want candy. — Rumi
The shared attribute of mega-successful people, I’ve come to notice, is doing the right thing on the right time regardless of what emotions (boredom, anxiety, etc.) they have.
They seem to have forged a superpower which helps them to easily cultivate valuable habits. This superpower, I now believe, is willpower and discipline.
Having strong willpower is quite liberating in that it frees you from the grips of your emotions. As the Navy SEAL commander, Jocko Willink puts it:
Discipline equals freedom. — Jocko Willink
I’ve been studying and experimenting the ways to increase my willpower for 5 years now and I can summarize the three followings as the core strategies of increasing…
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