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AI is useful because you can blame it
Imagine you’re about to do something brave. Maybe you’re writing a cold email to someone you admire, or applying for a job. If you wanted a second pair of eyes or gut check for your email, you needed to ask a smart friend. That way, you’d feel confident—at least another person thinks your work is…
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Three lessons from giving dishes an extra rinse at dim sum
When I was growing up, my parents and I went to dim sum every Sunday afternoon with my grandparents. The first thing we did after we sat down was order a teapot of boiled water to wash our cutlery. We started by pouring boiled water in our cups, which we then poured over a pair…
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Respond to mistakes with guilt and gratitude
When someone points out or fixes a mistake you made, you can decide to respond with guilt for making the mistake in the first place, or gratitude for their support. Guilt helps you create change. It also makes sure you don’t make the same mistake again. Once you have made the change, you don’t need…
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Aerial roots can strengthen a tree’s foundation and absorb water and nutrients
Every tree has roots that set the foundation for the trunk and branches in the ground. I learned recently that some trees, like banyan trees, also grow aerial roots from the branches. Like the roots in the ground, some of these roots can absorb water and nutrients from the air. As these roots grow and…
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The schedule is your project’s most important feature
Imagine you come across a job post you’re interested in. You spend a week editing your resume and cover letter for the opportunity. When you go to apply, you don’t see the post anymore—in the time you were editing, the company took the listing down. Or, as you were submitting, you looked more closely and…
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Make a list of things you want to do while you wait
Sometimes, small chunks open up in the marble of the day. A restaurant asks you to wait. A friend runs late. A meeting ends early. In these moments, life presents you with the rare gift of spare time. You could sit down and use your phone. You could also make something more energizing happen. Here’s…