Strategy - @coffeeandjunk

Healthy Friction: When You Want Something, All The Universe Conspires Against You

As a kid, whenever I wanted something for myself, my father turned it into a challenge. This was his way of putting a “healthy friction” in my way to test my conviction—do I really want it? How much do I want it? How hard am I willing to work for it?

25 Common Logical Fallacies That Sway You From Winning Arguments

People knowingly and unknowingly engage in bad reasoning—especially in meetings and arguments. Here’s a list of common logical fallacies that would help you arm yourself against false arguments disguised to look good.

Control What You Can Control. Devise a Strategy For The Rest.

There are things that are in our control, and there are things that aren’t. But we often confuse between the two, and repent over spilt milk. Preparing for your upcoming physics exam is completely in your control. But wishing friends and families to live forever is foolish as it isn’t up to you.

Negative Visualisation: Contemplating The Worst to Make The Best

Humans are unhappy in large part because we are insatiable. After working hard to get what we want, we routinely lose interest in the object of our desire. Negative Visualisation helps us learn to appreciate the things we posses, and make the best of what we already have.

Regret Minimisation Framework: How to Live With Minimal Regret

Regret is the result of comparing what we actually did with what would have been best in hindsight. You cannot—in theory or practice—have a life completely devoid of regret. But you can achieve the next best thing: a life with minimal regret.

The Psychology of Optimism

Optimists see the world differently. No matter how bleak the outside world is, their mental image is different. In their head, their chances are more favourable than usual. But it’s not all sunshine and rainbow. Optimism may sound like a superpower, but it isn’t without its kryptonite.

Three Lessons From Stoicism To Deal With Difficult Situations

Reality is often different from your mental image. And it’s not always easy to deal with. No matter how smart or how cautious you are, reality always finds a way to hit you in the head with a brick. The sooner you beat it to the ground, the sooner you would get rid of anxiety and negative emotions.

3 Lessons from Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger is not only a successful actor, but also a brilliant strategist and a businessman. Here are three lessons on life and strategy that you can learn from him.

Capturing The Value You Create

There is a difference between the value you create and the value you capture. If you only create value you won’t be able to make a living. If you only capture value you’ll go out of business.

A Better Way of Saying, “I Don’t Know”

It’s better to stay quiet than blabber endlessly without any logic or coherence. While this way of thinking definitely helps you grow, it does have some downsides. Downside not in your growth, rather, downside in how others perceive you.

The High-Ground Manoeuvre: A Better Tactic to Justify Your Position

High-Ground Manoeuvre is a tactic used to get out of a debate when one is cornered. High-Ground Manoeuvre takes the debate out of the details, and elevates it to a level where there can be no disagreements.

Two Ways to Win. No Way to Lose.

“Two Ways to Win, No Way to Lose” is the process of finding an upside in the downside while devising strategies, thereby reducing or completely mitigating losses.

How to Discover Secrets

Knowing conventional truth is important, but this knowledge doesn’t give you an edge. Conventional truth is what you were taught in schools and colleges. But to build the future, you need to satisfy the hard goals.

Being Persuasive Without Authority

How do you persuade somebody when there’s a power hierarchy? This person is above you, and doesn’t have to listen to you. She has total authority over you, and can completely ignore your arguments without even giving you a proper reason. How do you get yourself heard in such a situation?

How to Make Decisions When You Have Limited Information

“In founding a startup, you throw yourself off a cliff and build an airplane on the way down.”— Reid Hoffman If you are a startup founder, you have to take business decisions every day. If you are like me, a lot of time you would be stuck with a conundrum, and there won’t be a good way to pick an option and just

How to Turn Your Mistakes Into Benefits

When you make a mistake it is often suggested that the right thing to do is to admit it at once, apologise, and move on. Admitting means you are taking ownership of you mistake, and it puts you in a good light as well. It’s good from an ethical standpoint. Does the same thing apply to businesses as well? If yes, why don’

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