Habits on PostDoc Problems

You Fall to Your Systems

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 10:51:10 +0000

James Clear, the author of “Atomic Habits,” has a quote: “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”

I experienced this just today. I completed a five-day hiking trip through the Mojave Desert in Joshua Tree National Park. It was difficult, tiring, exhilarating, and rewarding - everything you’d expect. On the long walks, I brainstormed ways to improve my life, made many plans for the future, and ended up feeling very optimistic.

William James - Very Bad Wizards

Sat, 04 Nov 2023 14:11:35 +0000

I’m putting this post here mainly as a bookmark to myself. Sam Harris mentioned this podcast in one of his discussions and so I had a listen.

I don’t remember much about it’s content but I remember thinking just how much William James already knew about psychology and how well he understood the the human mind to make all these claims without doing any scientific research. Of course, he must have read several religious and philosophical texts of his time and infered based on them. But to synthesize something so precise and practical from these abstract and often incorrect sources is nothing short of genius. Having never done any experiments, his claims cannot be called scientific or even emperical, nevertheless as works of fiction and philosophy they contain great ideas that we can investigate today using the scientific method.

Casey Neistat

Mon, 30 Oct 2023 20:59:31 +0000

I try to stay away from the internet meme culture as much as possible. I no longer find it funny to make fun of people unintentionally (I do still love absurd humor and find many of the controversial comics funny).

I saw a Casey Neistat thumbnail on Nerdwriter1’s channel but I stayed away from it thinking that he’s just another internet meme personality.

But for some reason, I watched one video of Neistat and got hooked. I immediately realized that this wasn’t another internet troll but a master at his craft.

Starting Your Day Right

Wed, 23 Aug 2023 10:00:00 +0000

There is a strong correlation between my daily habits and my level of productivity. When I’m at my peak performance, everything feels automated and flowing.

In the past month, I relocated to Baltimore. Prior to that, I was frequently on the move, both for work and family commitments. As a result of which, my routine has been completely upended, and my habits are in complete disarray.

I came across this post on Stoicism (something I greatly admire) which, among other things, talks about starting your day right. This made me realize how I’ve been swept up by the unproductive habit of checking my phone first thing in the morning.