Cedric Chin

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Cedric Chin

Word slinger, bug fixer, and operator.

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.

Being an Effective Decision Maker

The final chapter of Ray Dalio's Life Principles — which has to do with better decision-making.

Understand that People are Wired Very Differently

Understanding how the human brain works helps with managing yourself, as well as with orchestrating other people.

On Lying To Yourself

Your two biggest barriers to achieving your goals: lying to yourself and blind-spots. The cure? Being 'radically open-minded'.