Monday, December 31, 2018

8 things every person should do before 8 am to be successful | Ladders

8 things every person should do before 8 am to be successful | Ladders: In order to move forward in your life, you’ll need to embrace difficulty and uncertainty — or what you might typically consider “anxiety.

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

50 Great Clean Jokes for Funny People Who Don't Swear | Fatherly

50 Great Clean Jokes for Funny People Who Don't Swear | Fatherly: These clean dad jokes will make your friend and family either laugh hysterically or roll their eyes at you. Either way, you'll get a reaction!

Monday, November 26, 2018

Dealing with China, America goes for Confucian honesty - Chaguan

Dealing with China, America goes for Confucian honesty - Chaguan: IT TAKES nerve for a White House official to pick a fight with China’s government and claim that Confucius gave him the idea. Matt Pottinger, senior director for Asia at the National Security Council, did just that with a speech at the Chinese embassy in Washington on September 29th.

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

The Privilege Trap: Can Rich Kids Become Good Leaders? - WSJ

The Privilege Trap: Can Rich Kids Become Good Leaders? - WSJ: The Senate summoned Brett Kavanaugh to Capitol Hill last week to assess the allegations of sexual misconduct against him. To a lesser degree, his testimony also forced Americans to grapple with another difficult subject.

Worried Zimbabweans fill up cars and stockpile goods, bank sees improvement soon | Reuters

Worried Zimbabweans fill up cars and stockpile goods, bank sees improvement soon | Reuters: Zimbabwe's central bank governor sought to reassure the public on Saturday as people again formed long queues to fill up their cars in the capital, with others panic-buying basic goods like cooking oil and sugar.

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Africa’s high birth rate is keeping the continent poor - Demography

Africa’s high birth rate is keeping the continent poor - Demography: JOHN MAGUFULI, the president of Tanzania, has strong views about birth control. He does not see the point. In 2016 he announced that state schools would be free, and, as a result, women could throw away their contraceptives. On September 9th this year he told a rally that birth control was a sign of parental laziness.

Opinion | Trump to China: ‘I Own You.’ Guess Again. - The New York Times

Opinion | Trump to China: ‘I Own You.’ Guess Again. - The New York Times: It happens that we have three huge assets that China doesn’t have, and is unlikely to acquire them anytime soon. We should be doubling down on our strengths: immigration, allies and values.

You Have to Stop Canceling and Rescheduling Things. Really.

You Have to Stop Canceling and Rescheduling Things. Really.: You’ll gain confidence in yourself and build trust with others.

Monday, September 24, 2018

The Two Contagious Behaviors of a Great Boss - WSJ

The Two Contagious Behaviors of a Great Boss - WSJ: Rather than adopting a leadership style that works only sometimes, or toggling between several depending on the situation, leaders ought to study the two consistent behaviors Washington displayed.

The first was a combination of seriousness, courage, tenacity and outsize effort—I’ll call it relentlessness. Ron Chernow’s vivid 2010 biography showed that when Washington pushed his troops to the limits of their endurance, he was always right beside them.
Washington’s second leadership posture was ironclad emotional control.

Monday, August 27, 2018

Benefits Of Waking Up Early | Men's Health

Benefits Of Waking Up Early | Men's Health: Waking up at 4 a.m. isn't easy, but the price comes with some serious perks. Here's what happened when one writer tried it.

When The U.S. Government Tried To Replace Migrant Farmworkers With High Schoolers : The Salt : NPR

When The U.S. Government Tried To Replace Migrant Farmworkers With High Schoolers : The Salt : NPR: In 1964, a program that brought migrant Mexican laborers to the U.S. ended. So the U.S. recruited American students to pick crops instead. When they saw their living conditions, strikes ensued.

Skim reading is the new normal. The effect on society is profound | Maryanne Wolf | Opinion | The Guardian

Skim reading is the new normal. The effect on society is profound | Maryanne Wolf | Opinion | The Guardian: When the reading brain skims texts, we don’t have time to grasp complexity, to understand another’s feelings or to perceive beauty. We need a new literacy for the digital age writes Maryanne Wolf, author of Reader, Come Home

Friday, August 24, 2018

How to Argue With a Young Socialist - WSJ

How to Argue With a Young Socialist - WSJ: So you can’t stand Trump. Do you want him to control the universities and run the hospitals?

Thursday, August 23, 2018

Become a More Productive Learner

Become a More Productive Learner:





We’re
consuming more information than ever before — but retaining all that knowledge
is another story. If you find yourself struggling to use what you read (or even
just remember it), you probably aren’t learning productively. To be a more
efficient learner, try three things. First, focus your reading on a single
topic for several months. The deeper you go into a subject, the stronger a
foundation you’ll have for learning about it in the future. Second, regularly
synthesize what you have learned. When you finish reading something, ask
yourself, “What are the key takeaways here?” If you can’t explain an idea to
yourself, you probably didn’t learn it very well. And third, take occasional
breaks from consuming new information. Reflecting on what you’ve read in the
past is an important part of processing it — and constantly taking in new
information can interfere with that. Give yourself time to review, consider,
and apply what you’ve already read.

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Why high-performers don’t use to-do lists – The Startup – Medium

Why high-performers don’t use to-do lists – The Startup – Medium: . . . begin by thinking about the one thing you can accomplish today that would have the most impact. If you’re having trouble thinking of something I’ll give you a hint — it’s usually the thing you least want to do.

Friday, August 17, 2018

How to Actually Start the Task You’ve Been Avoiding

How to Actually Start the Task You’ve Been Avoiding: The biggest challenge to moving forward on anything is the transition to working on it. It almost always represents a shift from doing something comfortable (a warm bath, sending simple emails, knocking straightforward tasks off a to-do list, completing transactional conversations) to doing something uncomfortable (a cold bath, starting that proposal, initiating that hard conversation, facing a blank page).



. . . the skill we really need to develop — and it is a skill — is transitioning.

12 Things Mentally Strong People Do That Nobody Else Does

12 Things Mentally Strong People Do That Nobody Else Does: Most people run away from their fears, but not the mentally strong.

Thursday, August 16, 2018

How far behind is America is in paid time off from rest of world?

How far behind is America is in paid time off from rest of world?: Compared to the amount of paid time off afforded to workers in other countries, American employees are woefully undercompensated. A chart illustrates just how wide the discrepancy in vacation days actually is between the U.S. and the rest of the world.

Friday, August 10, 2018

Sunday, August 5, 2018

Why Does the Federal Government Issue Damaging Dietary Guidelines? Lessons from Thomas Jefferson to Today | Cato Institute

Why Does the Federal Government Issue Damaging Dietary Guidelines? Lessons from Thomas Jefferson to Today | Cato Institute: In 2015 the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture released the latest iteration of their dietary advice, Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015–2020. Upon receiving it, Congress, citing concerns over scientific integrity, commissioned the National Academy of Medicine to review the process of generating those guidelines. In its commission, Congress asked the National Academy of Med...

Saturday, August 4, 2018

A tarnished victory for Emmerson Mnangagwa in Zimbabwe - Crocodile fears

A tarnished victory for Emmerson Mnangagwa in Zimbabwe - Crocodile fears: ON THE morning of July 30th packed flights left from Johannesburg, in South Africa, to Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe. Scores of Zimbabweans were returning to vote in the country’s first election since 1980 without Robert Mugabe on the ballot.

Friday, July 27, 2018

Sunday, July 15, 2018

The Biggest Myths About the Resurrection

The Biggest Myths About the Resurrection: Everyone has their opinion about what happened that day even if, in many cases, they’re missing some facts.

Friday, July 13, 2018

Reassessing the Facts about Inequality, Poverty, and Redistribution | Cato Institute

Reassessing the Facts about Inequality, Poverty, and Redistribution | Cato Institute: Many U.S. politicians are promoting policies to reduce income inequality and poverty by increasing taxes and transferring more income to lower-income households. These proposals rest in part on claims that income inequality in the United States is greater than that in other Western democracies and is growing, and that poverty persists at high levels. The usual statistics invoked to support those claims, however, a...

Wednesday, July 4, 2018

YPO | Ensure You Stay Ahead of Your Own Organization - YPO

YPO | Ensure You Stay Ahead of Your Own Organization - YPO: Many CEOs have had that moment when they realize they are no longer leading the charge but are instead watching their business surge ahead of them, getting caught in a stall. Learn how to avoid the leadership stall.

How to Focus on What’s Important, Not Just What’s Urgent

How to Focus on What’s Important, Not Just What’s Urgent: If you habitually set goals so lofty you end up putting them off, try this: When you consider a goal, also consider a half-size version. Mentally put your original version and the half-size version side by side, and ask yourself which is the better (more realistic) goal. If your task still feels intimidating, shrink it further until it feels doable. You might end up with a goal that’s one-fourth or one-tenth the size of what you initially considered but that’s more achievable — and once you start, you can always keep going.

How Perfectionists Can Get Out of Their Own Way

How Perfectionists Can Get Out of Their Own Way: Five ways they self-sabotage, and how to stop.

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Tuesday, June 5, 2018

The Overprotected American Child - WSJ

The Overprotected American Child - WSJ: Why not let them walk to school alone? Parents and communities are figuring out ways to give their children more independence—and it just may help them to become less anxious, more self-reliant adults.

Number One In Poverty, California Isn't Our Most Progressive State -- It's Our Most Racist One

Number One In Poverty, California Isn't Our Most Progressive State -- It's Our Most Racist One: California seems to be a progressive paradise, but it is number one in poverty and inequality in America. How can this be? And how does California maintain its reputation as a progressive leader given the reality on the ground?

Sunday, May 20, 2018

The Negative Impact of the #MeToo Movement - Imprimis

The Negative Impact of the #MeToo Movement - Imprimis: #MeToo is going to unleash a new torrent of gender and race quotas throughout the economy and culture, on the theory that all disparities in employment and institutional representation are due to harassment and bias. The resulting distortions of decision-making will be largely invisible; we will usually not know of the superior candidates for a job who were passed over in the drive for gender parity. But the net consequence will be a loss of American competitiveness and scientific achievement.

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

The Uncomfortable Truth About Entrepreneurship That Nobody Wants To Talk About | Inc.com

The Uncomfortable Truth About Entrepreneurship That Nobody Wants To Talk About | Inc.com:

We all want to believe that our ideas have value, that they can change
the world. And, after all, it's ideas that spark the entrepreneurial
journey. Wrong. The world is not lacking ideas. There is no greater
commodity. In fact, their abundance makes ideas pretty much worthless.What's
far more valuable, to an entrepreneur, than a good idea, is their
commitment to execution. They will endure any hardship to bring their
idea to market and prove that it has merit. You see, the level of
commitment to execution means that everything else takes second
place--often a distant second place. While we love to talk about life
balance, mindfulness, making time for what's important, taking care of
your physical and mental well-being, the reality is that I've yet to
meet a successful entrepreneur who has not made sacrifices that are (at
least for some reasonable period of time) diametrically opposed to those
ideals. Ignoring that reality offers an incredibly naive view of what
it means to be an entrepreneur.

How Humble Leadership Really Works

How Humble Leadership Really Works: Top-down leadership is outdated and counterproductive.

Monday, April 16, 2018

How to Save a Meeting That’s Gotten Tense

How to Save a Meeting That’s Gotten Tense: Regardless of what’s happening in your specific meeting, the principal cause of most conflicts is a struggle for validation. This means that most conflict is not intractable because the root cause is not irreconcilable differences, but a basic unmet need.

Top 20% of Americans Will Pay 87% of Income Tax - WSJ

Top 20% of Americans Will Pay 87% of Income Tax - WSJ: One of the least discussed parts of America’s income tax is how progressive it is, and the tax overhaul didn’t change that fact. In 2018, top earners will pay a higher share of income taxes.

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Your Strategic Plans Probably Aren’t Strategic, or Even Plans

Your Strategic Plans Probably Aren’t Strategic, or Even Plans: An “objective” is something you’re trying to achieve — a marker of the success of the organization. At the other end of the spectrum is “action.” This occurs at the individual level — a level that managers are presented with day after day. So naturally when they think “strategy” they focus on what they do. But this isn’t strategy either. “Strategy” takes place between these two at the organization level and managers can’t “feel” that in the same way. It’s abstract. CEOs have an advantage here because only they have a total view of the organization.

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Taming the Epic To-Do List

Taming the Epic To-Do List: You need two of them, plus a list of things you’ve decided aren’t worth your time.

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

How Russia and China Could Come Unhinged - WSJ

How Russia and China Could Come Unhinged - WSJ: Democratic triumphalism was wrong 20 years ago, but now authoritarianism may not be sustainable.

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Zimbabwe’s new president has changed his tone, but has he changed his mind? - An interview with Emmerson Mnangagwa

Zimbabwe’s new president has changed his tone, but has he changed his mind? - An interview with Emmerson Mnangagwa: This is an extended version of an interview with Emmerson Mnangagwa that was published on March 3rd 2018
“THE land resettlement was a huge success in terms of our people, 367,000 of our people, back in possession of the land,” says President Emmerson Mnangagwa of the expropriation of most of Zimbabwe’s white-owned farmland since 2000—...

It’s Time to Get Rid of the To-Do List - WSJ

It’s Time to Get Rid of the To-Do List - WSJ: How I gave up my old way of getting my tasks done—so I could actually get my tasks done.

8 Questions to Ask Someone Other Than “What Do You Do?”

8 Questions to Ask Someone Other Than “What Do You Do?”: Start a more interesting conversation.

The Fastest Path to the CEO Job, According to a 10-Year Study

The Fastest Path to the CEO Job, According to a 10-Year Study: Three moves can catapult your career.

Sunday, March 4, 2018

America's Malls and Department Stores Are Dying Off | Time

America's Malls and Department Stores Are Dying Off | Time: There are still about 1,100 malls in the U.S. today, but a quarter of them are at risk of closing over the next five years.

Saturday, March 3, 2018

Self-driving cars offer huge benefits—but have a dark side - Who is behind the wheel?

Self-driving cars offer huge benefits—but have a dark side - Who is behind the wheel?: A NEW kind of vehicle is taking to the roads, and people are not sure what to make of it. Is it safe? How will it get along with other road users? Will it really shake up the way we travel? These questions are being asked today about autonomous vehicles (AVs).

Sunday, February 18, 2018

Real Scientists Admit When They're Wrong | WIRED

Real Scientists Admit When They're Wrong | WIRED: Right now society has an epidemic of the opposite: too many people with a bulldog unwillingness to admit when they’re factually wrong.

Friday, February 2, 2018

Charity Funds Take Off as Tax Law Reshapes Giving - WSJ

Charity Funds Take Off as Tax Law Reshapes Giving - WSJ: U.S. taxpayers late last year flooded into charitable-giving vehicles known as donor-advised funds that distribute to nonprofits over time, a sign that the new tax law could reshape how Americans give away money for years to come.

Sunday, January 28, 2018

Failure and Rescue | The New Yorker

Failure and Rescue | The New Yorker

Scientists have given a new name to the deaths that occur in surgery
after something goes wrong—whether it is an infection or some bizarre
twist of the stomach. They call them a “failure to rescue.” More than
anything, this is what distinguished the great from the mediocre. They
didn’t fail less. They rescued more.

. . . you will take risks, and you will
have failures. But it’s what happens afterward that is defining. A
failure often does not have to be a failure at all. However, you have to
be ready for it—will you admit when things go wrong? Will you take
steps to set them right?—because the difference between triumph and
defeat, you’ll find, isn’t about willingness to take risks. It’s about
mastery of rescue.

Monday, January 15, 2018

How to Succeed in Business? Do Less - WSJ

How to Succeed in Business? Do Less - WSJ: Most top performers in business have one thing in common: They accept fewer tasks and then obsess over getting them right

Sunday, January 14, 2018

Pope on Epiphany: Don't make money, career your whole life

Pope on Epiphany: Don't make money, career your whole life: Many Christians observe Epiphany to recall the three wise men who followed a star to find the baby Jesus. Francis suggested asking "what star we have chosen to follow in our lives?"

"Some stars may be bright, but do not point the way. So it is with success, money, career, honors and pleasures, when these become our lives," the pope said, adding that path won't ensure peace and joy.

How to Decide Which Tasks to Delegate

How to Decide Which Tasks to Delegate: This time, you’re really going to do it.