On Learning the Big Ideas
"You have to learn all the big ideas in the key disciplines in a way that they're in a mental latticework in your head."
On First-Order and Second-Order Consequences
"First-order consequences often have opposite desirabilities from second-order consequences. Exercise: first-order is pain and time; second-order is better health."
On Reducing Your Targets
"Never reduce a target. Instead, increase actions. When you start rethinking your targets, making up excuses, you are giving up on your dreams!"
On Working Backwards
"Work backwards. Begin at the finish. If you're opening a restaurant, begin with the experience you want the diner to have."
On Fluctuating Energy
"Alternating periods of activity and rest is necessary to survive. Capacity, interest, and mental endurance all wax and wane. Plan accordingly."
On Relaxing While Working
"We scowl when we concentrate. We hunch up our shoulders. Relax! Relax! Relax! Learn to relax while you are doing your work!"
On Getting Older
"As you grow, you learn more. Aging is not just decay — it's growth. It's the positive that you understand you're going to die, and you live a better life because of it."
How did this week's discipline theme land for you? Which day's reading challenged you most?