25 Ways Charlie Munger Outsmarted Bad Decisions (That You Can Too) Welcome to the Habit Chess newsletter where I talk about training everyday skills to make moves. read time: 3 minutes Watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify. “It is remarkable how much long-term advantage people like us have gotten by trying to be consistently not stupid, instead of trying to be very intelligent.” – Charlie Munger Decision making is one of those skills that quietly impacts everything. If your judgment is sharp,...
25 days ago • 3 min read
The New Way to Set Goals in the AI Era Welcome to the Habit Chess newsletter where I talk about training everyday skills to make moves. read time: 8-10 minutes Watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify. In the era of AI, we need a more sensible way to measure our personal progress. Things are changing so rapidly that using the SMART goal method feels like a Stone age way of doing things. And for most people, let's be honest, it leads to failure or dissatisfaction. Not to say that five year and...
about 1 month ago • 9 min read
How to Use AI Like a $700/hr Consultant w/ Danoosh Kapadia Welcome to the Habit Chess newsletter where I talk about training the right skills faster. read time: 2 minutes Watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify. When it comes to AI, most of us are doing one of two things: Automating low-level tasks Chasing whatever new tool is trending this week But during my conversation with Danoosh Kapadia, an AI educator who coaches executives on strategic thinking, he said something that instantly reframed...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, I made a dumb mistake that made my amazing mic sound like it was off Temu. For years, I was running my Shure SM7B through a cheap USB adapter, wondering why my audio sounded flat despite having what's supposedly one of the best podcast mics money can buy. I'm embarrassed it took me this long to upgrade my audio interface, but the difference was night and day. Here's when you'll actually need an audio interface and which one to get. USB Mic vs XLR: What's the difference? USB mics...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
AI screening lawsuit that changes everything for job applicants Welcome to the Habit Chess newsletter where I talk about training your zone of genius. read time: 2-3 minutes Watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify. Derek Mobley, an IT professional from North Carolina, applied for 100 jobs between 2017-2019. Many rejections came within an hour. Sometimes he got nothing but silence. The math didn't add up. That many quick rejections didn't make sense unless something other than humans was making...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, Here's something that drives me crazy. People quit podcasting before they even start because they get intimidated by editing software choices. So let me break down what I've found since 2012 for podcasting specifically, testing every option that comes out. Editing software is just like a diet or workout program. The best one is the one you'll stick with because it's doable. I'm going to walk you through the nuances most people miss when choosing their editing software, plus some...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Turn your life into a lab with this 5 minute exercise from Tiny Experiments Welcome to the Habit Chess newsletter where I talk about training your zone of genius. read time: 3 minutes Watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify. Last week, I stumbled across this chapter in a neuroscience book called "Tiny Experiments" by Anne-Laure LeCunff that changed how I think about thinking. It was a simple metacognition exercise that I immediately put to use and found useful benefits right off the bat....
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
What Duolingo's AI-first backlash reveals about the power of people Welcome to the Habit Chess newsletter where I talk about training the strength & conditioning of skills. So you can learn new things, faster. read time: 3-4 minutes Watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify A little over a month ago, the CEO of Duolingo sent out what he felt was a very smart internal email about being AI first. The backlash that followed was something none of us could have predicted. And I think it really marked...
2 months ago • 6 min read
I tried turning my smartphone into a dumb phone for 3 months Welcome to the Habit Chess newsletter where I talk about training the strength & conditioning of skills. So you can learn new things, faster. read time: 2 minutes A few months ago, I was working on a project that required deep focus. Within 20 minutes, I had unconsciously opened my email three times, checked my email twice, and glanced at YouTube Studio—all without accomplishing a single meaningful task. This got me thinking about...
2 months ago • 3 min read