A Learning a Day

A simple way to understand the health of an organization is to calculate the percentage of people who think their job is to review and criticize vs. find ways to build on interesting ideas.

“The thing I have noticed is when the anecdotes and the data disagree, the anecdotes are usually right. There’s something wrong with the way you are measuring it.”— Bezos

This resonated.

Ever since we moved into our home, a problem that annoyed me was the time it took for hot water to show up in our shower. As the pipes got cold overnight, the hot water had to first displace the cold water ahead and then heat up the pipes.

In winter, it often meant a minute’s wait with water wasted along the way.

Along the way, we tried a few solutions – including pouring it into a bucket and using it to water plants. We also asked a couple of handymen who didn’t seem to know. And, in retrospect, I clearly didn’t do a good job researching this online. Anyway, nothing worked/lasted and the problem continued to annoy me.

Until I learnt about the recirculator pump via a post my wife spotted on Nextdoor.

This magical device can be programmed to recirculate hot water during specific times in the day. Now we have hot water on demand. It is a game changer.

I don’t know why this pump isn’t mandatory with every hot water heater. I assume the water savings alone would make it worth everyone’s while. As a bonus, the user experience is significantly better as well.

If you’re not already using one, I hope you give it a try.

“Ego is a dysfunctional relationship with the present moment.” | Eckhart Tolle

It resonated.

It also beautifully captures why say “ego blinds” – it removes our ability to see what is actually happening.

Dysfunctional relationship with the present indeed.

I was reminded of a wonderful post by venture capitalist Bryce Roberts.

Most people want to be fit, most people aren’t.

Most people want to build a successful business, most people won’t.

Most people want to be the best version of themselves, most people aren’t.

Most people have dreams they want to fulfill, most people won’t.

Everyone wants to quit something, build something, be something, do something. Most people won’t.

How many things have we wanted? How many opportunities have we craved? How many broken things have we wanted to fix? 

And how many of those have we shrunk from. Hid from. Or, excused away.

We’re not alone.

Most people won’t.

But every once in a while someone puts themselves out there. Makes the leap. Faces rejection or failure or worse. And comes out the other side. Better. Changed. Bolder.

Most people won’t. Which means those that do change everything.

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It resonated – both because of its wisdom but also because of its manifesto-like character.

The root of the word thrift is “thrive.”

The idea is that thrift enables us to have savings that in turn enable us to thrive.

It pays to be thrifty – in our personal lives and in how we manage resources on our teams.

Thrift enables us to thrive.

In moments when we need a lift, many of us turn to music. We listen to songs that feel like a balm for our souls.

I turn to songs like New Slang, Yeh Pal, The Shape of Us, Heartbeats, Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, Re:Stacks, and Janeman among others. Each of these songs and the many others I turn to evoke different memories and remind me of what matters.

They help me dig deep into whatever it is I’m feeling, accept it, and help me find my way back by reminding me of the many times I’ve been there before.

I often think about just how big a gift this is. For centuries, listening to great music was a privilege only enjoyed by royalty.

Widespread access to the incredible music around the world is a phenomenon that is just a couple of decades old.

A wonder that is so easy to take for granted.

A wonder I’m deeply grateful for.

There’s no point giving yourself directions to a destination and expecting yourself to reach it if you’re using the wrong map.

And there’s no point changing your strategy and expecting victory if you’re playing the wrong game.

There’s no point screaming in frustration in either case.

It’s like complaining about gravity.

From time to time, it is helpful to take a step back and ask ourselves if we’re using the right map and playing the right game.

It starts with becoming aware about the game we’re playing, being clear about what we want to get out of it, and then making the right moves.

“And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.” | an excerpt from Desiderata by Max Ehrmann

In a conversation about fitness recently, we talked about water intake. I knew this was an area I wasn’t paying enough attention to. So I did some quick math.

The recommended average intake for males is ~3.7L per day. Multiple sources I checked were remarkably consistent on this. So, using this as the baseline, the next step was to subtract the fluids gotten from food – that’s about 20%. So, we’re looking at a number close to 3L per day.

I walk around with a 0.5L bottle. A quick look at the trends from the previous week is that I typically did 2 or so full refills of that bottle. So, I’m in the range of 1-1.5L or between 33% and 50% of the recommended levels.

In one word, abysmal.

It was a good wake up call. I’ve begun changing up my systems – e.g., drinking one bottle as soon as I’m up – to make a step-change here. Time to start climbing those stairs.