Artful Dodger

History, AI, Ethics, Literature, Dragons

[🕊️ @lichthauch]

Most genuinely talented people i have ever known share the same pathetic affliction, this whingeing reluctance to use what they have dressed up as decency. they tuck their abilities away in some grubby mental corner and convince themselves this is some kind of noble self restraint, when in reality it is plain gutless flinching. ive watched brilliant people rot for years because they were too cowardly to admit they were brilliant, and too comfortable in some small, squalid version of themselves they assembled out of other peoples opinions. your talent is not yours to bury. you didn't earn it and you don't get to decide it should be still. either it gets used or it eats you from the inside. there is no happy middle ground where a talented person sits on what they have and lives to any fucking satisfaction, ive never met one who pulled it off

[M. Castells @shamol_coder]

BEFORE HE PASSED, MY GRANDFATHER LEFT A LETTER WITH 15 LESSONS FOR LIVING. NUMBER 10 MADE ME CRY. 🧵

1. Marry your best friend.

[Artful Dodger @aertful_dodger]

@17gamepace Great calls

[Artful Dodger @aertful_dodger]

@edbatista Thank you for this. Wonderful

[Artful Dodger @aertful_dodger]

@moorehn Thanks for this. Very helpful!

[Big Brain Business @BigBrainBizness]

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt explains how a simple pen-and-paper habit on weekends helped him take charge of every week:

The habit came from his late coach, Bill Campbell, the legendary executive coach featured in the book Trillion Dollar Coach.

"He really saved me from you know utter destitution and helped me become a proper CEO," Schmidt explains.

The rule is deceptively simple:

Work as hard as you can during the week, then deliberately carve out quiet thinking time on the weekend.

Schmidt describes it like this:

"You work really hard during the week as hard as you can you know 12 hours 14 hour days whatever and on the weekends when you're at home or with your family or whatever carve out a few hours to think... and write down your assessment of what you did last week and then what you need to do next week to address the things you forgot to do last week."

The mechanism that makes it work is the writing itself.

Putting pen to paper turns passive reflection into an active audit of the week behind you and a deliberate plan for the week ahead.

@ericschmidt acknowledges how basic it sounds, but insists that's the point:

"I know that that sounds kind of obvious, but it's a good trick cuz it forces you to take charge of your next week."

He gives concrete examples of what surfaces during these sessions:

"Like, oh, I forgot that I have a sales problem over there, or I forgot I was supposed to call this person. Oh, I didn't have this proposal and I had this idea, but I didn't get to it."

Leadership isn't sustained by working harder inside the week. A few quiet hours and an honest review of what you missed are often what separates reactive operators from CEOs in command of their priorities.

[Tiago Forte @fortelabs]

I think the main thing AI has taught me, through all the time savings it brings, is that I’m not a very interesting person

Faced with a surplus of free time, I realize I don’t really have hobbies besides content consumption

I’m forced to conclude that I don’t have very deep friendships, and am not a core member of any particular community

I’m not very cultured, I’m finding, and don’t have abiding interests in art or literature or history or much that isn’t directly related to my work

I have a work-centric life, in other words. AI pulls back the curtain on just how impoverished such an existence is, by disabusing me of its necessity

Given the freedom I’ve always said I wanted, I’m at a loss as to what to do with it, except plow myself even harder into work, thus exacerbating the lesson

There’s nothing more confronting to humans than freedom

[Rian Doris @RianSweetDoris]

When I realize 90 minutes of weekly planning would have saved me three wasted years

[Artful Dodger @aertful_dodger]

@thebeautyofsaas I really enjoy your posts. You’ve been on a roll this week!

[Paul Schofield @pschofie79]

The Chronicle of Higher Education published a rebuttal to my essay, which you can read here.

https://t.co/6gjSDLAdVX

[Artful Dodger @aertful_dodger]

@StephenGrtLife @ThomasDHowes @McGillPatterson Well said!

[Artful Dodger @aertful_dodger]

@TheStingisBack He was also excellent as the explosives guy in Force 10 From Navarone

[Artful Dodger @aertful_dodger]

@teachrobotslove So well said. Thank you

["Doc" Hypnosis 🧠 | BowTied Brain-Hacking @BowTiedTrance]

Scott Adams: "This is one of the best reframes I've ever used."

Focus on curiosity, instead of focusing on the problem.

[Artful Dodger @aertful_dodger]

@anishmoonka This explains a ton about the workplace

[alpha man @alphaman_111]

Your Life will Never be the Same after These 7 Solo Challenges

1. No sugar for 30 days.
No chocolates. No sodas. No hidden sugars.
After day 20, your skin, energy, and clarity begin to change. You’ll realize sugar was controlling your mood all along.

2. The 5L water rule for 21 days.
Drink 5 liters daily. Most people are dehydrated and calling it anxiety. Your brain is mostly water—treat it that way.

3. No screens after 10 PM for 14 days.
Put your phone down. No reels. No texting. Your mind will finally get the rest it’s been begging for.

4. Daily meditation for 21 days.
Just 10 minutes. Sit. Breathe. Be still. The chaos you feel is exactly why you need this.

5. Cold exposure for 30 days.
End every shower with 60 seconds of cold water. It trains your mind to stay in control.

6. The 3-hour disappear (weekly).
Once a week, disconnect for 3 hours. No phone. No people. Just you. This is where clarity begins.

7. Journaling for 30 days.
Every night, write what you did, what drained you, and what you’ll do differently. You’ll notice patterns most people take years to understand.

[Growth Labs @growthhub_]

He literally shared the scientific method to stop repeating negative thoughts.

[Artful Dodger @aertful_dodger]

@jmthrivept Great call. Great film (Silence)

[Artful Dodger @aertful_dodger]

@TheStingisBack These are wonderful. Thank you!

[Darshak Rana ⚡️ @thedarshakrana]

This is literally the number one reason people fail to change their habits.

And it’s incredibly simple.

You’re waiting for time to do what only a decision can do.

Yet half the internet keeps repeating the “21-day rule” because it sounds comforting, predictable, and easy to sell.

If you take five minutes to read this, I bet you will see a shift in how you see yourself.