On the spur of the moment, with no particular psychological or literary theory in mind to justify it, I developed my Rule of 50:

Give a book 50 pages. When you get to the bottom of Page 50, ask yourself if you’re really liking the book. If you are, of course, then great, keep on reading. But if you’re not, then put it down and look for another. (Always keep in mind that there’s nothing to stop you from going back to it later, whether that might be in six days or six years. Or 60 years. There is many a book that I couldn’t get into the first time, or even two, that I tried to read it, and then, giving it one more chance, totally fell under its spell. The book obviously hadn’t changed - but I had.)

When you are 51 years of age or older, subtract your age from 100, and the resulting number (which, of course, gets smaller every year) is the number of pages you should read before you can guiltlessly give up on a book. As the saying goes, “Age has its privileges.”

And the ultimate privilege of age, of course, is that when you turn 100, you are authorized (by the Rule of 50) to judge a book by its cover.

source: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/nancy-pearls-rule-of-50-for-dropping-a-bad-book/article565170/

(Thread) Heuristics for deciding on meetings. Please feel free to add yours / challenge mine.

1. If you wouldn’t do it right now, say no.

2. Say no to everything outside of work hours you wouldn’t call your partner and bail on dinner for.

3. Say no to all recurring meetings with the exception of ones from your boss if you have one. Tell people you’ll opt-in on a per-agenda basis.

4. Cut all meetings in 1/2

5. If you’re in a meeting and it’s clearly pointless, politely excuse yourself.

6. Keep an internal calculation of what your time is worth. Raise this every year.

7. If you’re going for the drink, don’t go.

8. If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong meeting.

9. Even if you can’t get out of a meeting, rather than sit there an be bored or make a grocery list, become a detective and see what you can learn from/about everyone else in the meeting.

10. If everyone is on their phone or laptop at the meeting, leave. The decision has already been made.

11. If you’re talking to signal how smart you are just shut up.

12. If you’re going to “add value” to someone else’s idea, just skip the meeting. That type of stuff is best-done one-on-one and not in a group setting where you reduce the motivation of the other person. (See signally how smart you are (11) and shut up.)

I’ve long enjoyed his detailed notes from reading 200+ books but found new found respect when he tried to distill knowledge + wisdom he gained into a set of directives through his latest post. Thank you Derek!

Reproducing it as a cheatsheet for my easy reference: 

How to be useful to others

1. Get famous. The more people you reach, the more useful you are. 2. Get rich. Getting rich is double-useful, you add value + spend it in useful ways 3. Share strong opinions. People will either adopt or aruge against you. 4. Be expensive. People will value it more and get more use of it.

How to get rich

1. Live where luck strikes. Be right in the middle of everything. 2. Say yes to everything. Nothing is too small. Do it all. Like lottery tickets. 3. Learn the multiplying skills. Skills that multiply the success of your main pursuit. 4. Pursue market value not personal value. Follow the money. It tells you where you’re most valuable. 5. Shamelessly imitate success. Get great at executing other people’s ideas as well as your own. 6. Be the owner, not just inventor. To get rich, be the owner. Own as close to 100% as possible. 7. Benefit from human nature. Just learn the game, then play it

How to thrive in an unknowable future

1. Prepare for the worst. Just prepare, then carry on appreciating the good times. 2. Expect disaster. Expect it all to disappear. 3. Own as little as possible. The less you own, the less you’re affected by disaster. 4. Choose opportunity, not loyalty. Have loyalty for only your most important human relationships. 5. Choose the plan with the most options. That lets you change your plans. 6. Avoid planning. Wait until the last moment to make each decision.

How to like people

1. Assume it’s their last day. Treat them accordingly. 2. Be who you’d be when alone. When in a crowd, be the same person you’d be when alone. 3. Assume men and women are the same. Counteract your tendency to exaggerate the differences. 4. Always make new friends. Let go of people that don’t welcome and encourage your change. 5. Avoid harming the relationship. It’s more effective than seeking the positive. 6. Act calm and kind. Regardless of how you feel. 7. Don’t try to change them. Don’t teach a lesson… unless they asked you to. 8. Find wisdom in your opponents. Engage those who think opposite of you. 9. Purge the vampires. Get rid of people that drain you.

What to do when you get successful

1. Change yes to “Hell yeah!” or no. Now say no to anything that makes you say anything less than “Hell yeah!” 2. Keep momentum. If you stop that forward motion you can never get it back.

How to stop being rich and happy

1. Prioritize lifestyle design. Make your immediate gratification the most important thing. 2. Chase that comparison moment. Do it! Be happy for a week. After, seek happiness from another new thing. 3. Buy, not rent. 4. Internalize your new status. 5. Be a connoisseur. 6. Get to know your possessions. 7. Acclimate to comfort.