Category Archives: Self-Improvement

It Will Be There Later

Posted on February 9, 2012 by AJ Kessler

A quick tip on preventing procrastination: Whatever it is you want to do, whether it’s check email or facebook, or read the news, or play a game, or whatever, recognize that it will be there later.  The news will always … Continue reading →

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Cultivate Failure

Posted on February 8, 2012 by AJ Kessler

“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm” – Winston Churchill Failure is part of all entrepreneurial processes.  Even if you’re wildly successful right out of the gate, even if you’re Facebook, … Continue reading →

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How Do I Improve?

Posted on February 7, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Someone wrote to me today asking how to improve their photography.  I wrote back a short reply, and realized it is in no way limited to photography: Hi S., Thanks very much! My advice to you would be to look … Continue reading →

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The Tim Ferriss Falacy

Posted on February 5, 2012 by AJ Kessler

We’re now deep into the fourth generation of the self-help guru.  This generation shares much with its predecessors, including fondness for the shortcut.  People like Tim Ferriss have  made their name on finding and exploiting these shortcuts, or “hacks” as … Continue reading →

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3.7%

Posted on February 2, 2012 by AJ Kessler

On average, you have 78 years total to live. The first 18-25 are, hopefully, spent learning.   This leaves you with between 53 and 60 years to produce something worthwhile. Spending 2 years doing something you don’t enjoy is 3.4% … Continue reading →

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How To Succeed At Anything

Posted on January 30, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Be so good they can’t ignore you. – Steve Martin Being good is easy to ignore. Lots of people are good. When you’re just good, you give someone else the power to decide your future. Whether it’s a hiring manager, … Continue reading →

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The First Thing You Do When You Sit Down At The Computer

Posted on January 27, 2012 by AJ Kessler

What’s the first thing you do?  Check your email?  See who needs you?  Whose problems need solving?  Maybe you “warm your brain up” by checking news, or gossip, or sports, or playing a game. (hint: you’re really warming your brain … Continue reading →

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Avert Disaster: Use Checklists

Posted on January 26, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Van Halen epitomized 80’s bands.  They were loud, fast, and big.  Their hair was big, their sound was big, their fans were big, and their shows were big.  Really big.  So big, that their contract rider spanned a dozen pages, … Continue reading →

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Productive Procrastination

Posted on January 25, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Everyone needs a mental break at some point during the day.  It’s biological: mammals are programmed to experience two intensely sleepy periods during the day, the first between 2 and 4 am, and the second between 1 and 3 pm. … Continue reading →

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Make Life Easier By Not Deciding

Posted on January 23, 2012 by AJ Kessler

When starting something, whether it’s an exercise routine or a new sleep schedule, or quitting something, like cigarettes or whiskey, conventional wisdom says to do it slowly.  Cut back, or build up, gradually.  Eat 100 less calories each day, or … Continue reading →

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Bad Career Advice: Just Network!

Posted on January 22, 2012 by AJ Kessler

If you’ve ever looked for a job, you’ve undoubtedly been advised that the best way to get a one is through your network.  If you don’t have a network, all experts agree you need to get out and build one. … Continue reading →

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Racing To Not Fall Behind

Posted on January 18, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Distraction is the only thing that consoles us for our miseries, and yet it is itself the greatest of our miseries. – Blaise Pascal, 17th Century We have now, as a society, reached a point of near constant and total … Continue reading →

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You’re Not A Perfectionist, You’re Just Scared

Posted on January 16, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Why was Steve Jobs so good at what he did?  Not because he was a perfectionist. For all the talk of Steve Job’s perfectionism in the weeks and months after his death, most people tended to gloss over the cornucopia of shit products … Continue reading →

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Questions

Posted on January 14, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Spend any time with a 7 year old and you’ll enjoy a never ending series of whys and hows.  Why does that happen? How does that work?  Why can’t we do this?  How can that be? But somewhere around 13 … Continue reading →

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Can You Live Without Regret?

Posted on January 12, 2012 by AJ Kessler

“Live your life without regret.”  A common refrain from advice givers.  It’s a tempting attitude to adopt.  There seems to be two ways to go about it: If you define regret merely as sadness or disappointment over something that has … Continue reading →

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