Cedric Chin

All posts by

Cedric Chin

Word slinger, bug fixer, and operator.

If You Want a Great Career, Go After Rare & Valuable Skills

Cal Newport argues that great careers come from building rare & valuable skills. But what does 'rare & valuable’ actually mean?

So Good They Can't Ignore You

Following your passion is the worst career advice you can get. Cal Newport argues for a more effective alternative.

Writing Doesn’t Make You A Genius

Writers seem smarter than they are because the act of writing is the act of thinking clearly. This doesn't make them geniuses.

A Nuanced Take on Preventing Burnout

A technique to prevent burnout from my old bosses in Silicon Valley. And then some moral philosophising.

Robin Hanson on Ray Dalio

We explore what happens when an academic reviews a practitioner's book.

Announcing the Commonplace Mailing List

The Commonplace Mailing List — every Friday, with a smattering of links related to building career moats.

Optimise for Usefulness

Optimising for usefulness is my current stab at a core principle that underpins the effective life. A first draft of a life philosophy.

Dismissively Stubborn

Dismissive stubbornness is the worst kind of stubborn, and the only character trait I can’t tolerate on my team.

The Superiority of ‘Trial & Error’

Nassem Taleb and a mozzarella video show us how trial & error is actually a superior life strategy.

The End of the Principles Sequence

I spent a few weeks reading Ray Dalio's Principles and summarising the contents. This is the end, in which I take a final stab at contextualising the book.