Strategy - @coffeeandjunk

Chasing Uncertainty

The future is uncertain. No matter what we think or believe, we have no control over it. Uncertainty will be a factor in everything we undertake. It makes no sense to try to guess it. The best we can do is to learn to control what we can, i.e., our thinking, our decision process, and our reactions.

What it Takes to be a Contrarian

When you take a position the market disagrees with, or when you build upon an idea that everyone says is ridiculous, it pays off tremendously. Being a contrarian has its benefits. The question is, how do you become one?

Know Your Competition

Whenever there’s a finite resource, there’s competition. It’s not important to lose your sleep over that, but it would be foolish to ignore it. Knowing where you are standing is important, because that helps you find leverage, and build a specific strategy.

The 85% Rule: Why You Should Not Do Your Best

“Do your best and forget about the rest” is good advice. It prevents you from the anxiety of results, but that’s half of the problem. The other half of the problem is the continuous pressure while performing at full-throttle. Truth is, you don’t produce your best work when you give your 100%.

Compound Thinking: How to Make Time Work For You

When we plan to improve ourselves or grow a business, we pursue dramatic changes like, run 10 km everyday, or grow 10x a month. It’s not sustainable. There’s a better approach.

Demand-Side Sales: Everybody Wants to Buy, But Nobody Wants to be Sold to

The art of selling has got a bad rap. For some reason, it feels icky. Like an unnatural push to get people to buy what you’re offering. Mostly because we’ve got the whole narrative of selling backwards.

The Novelty-Familiarity Gap: Be Original, Just Not Too Much.

Arijit Singh is an extremely popular Bollywood singer. Have you wondered why all his hit songs sound similar? Also, why are all talkshow and sitcom formats so similar? Why are franchises more popular than standalone films?

Don’t be Number One. Be The Only One.

People don’t back you because you are right. They back you because you’ve got a backbone. It doesn’t matter if you are right or wrong. What matter is that you have skin in the game. You stand up for what you believe in. You are not number one. What matters is you are a “Category of One”.

You Don’t Need More If You Have Enough

We are brainwashed by society and culture to assume that more money equals more success, and hence more happiness. How true is that? Is it okay to be content with just enough? How much is just enough? Is the threshold same for everybody?

The Perks of Being A Renaissance Man

People who try out different things and dabble with new domains are labelled as "jack of all trades, master of none." It cannot be further from the truth.

Kind v Wicked Domains: Why Sports Champions Aren’t Your Success Gurus

Knowledge and experience cannot be generalised. Skillset in one domain isn’t always transferable to another domain, i.e., they are often domain dependent. A great chess player isn’t automatically a great strategist. A good poker player isn’t automatically a good dealmaker.

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?

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