Clear thoughts
When we are unsure about what’s going on within or without, an irresistible urge for clarity comes knocking at the door. When that happens, some word-users seek solace in instant gratification such as pleasant sleep, pills, religion, playing cards, spectator sports,…
The Study-to-Action Ratio
You can never learn less I learned about the Study-to-Action Ratio, SRA in short, about a dozen years ago, thanks to Jason Fladlien. Twelfe years ago, my SRA was 10:1 at best, meaning it was probably even worse than that. So, discovering the SRA blew my socks off,…
The story of words
Even though Even though in the beginning is the word. Even though everything we know is a word. Even though before the word nothing existed. Even though everything begins with the word. The story of words isn’t told when stories are told to a word-user’s child. The…
The ultimate productivity hack: Focus on what matters
The key to productivity? Ignoring almost everything. Instead of spreading yourself thin, do less to achieve more. Unproductive vs productive word-users Unproductive word-users Chase every opportunity like a distracted squirrel. Jump at every notification like it’s an…
Two types of animals
The Carnival of the Animals is a musical about animals that talk and sing — lions, hens, roosters donkeys, tortoises, elephants, kangaroos, fish, cuckoos, swans and other kinds of birds — composed by Camille Saint-Saëns 139 years ago. The Carnival of the Animals is…
Reunite with the intelligence within
If your smartphone told you you can reunite with an intelligence infinitely greater than yours, how would you react? Chill. Relax. It shan’t happen. Smartphones don’t know of any kind of intelligence not already embedded within. That’s not what smartphones are about,…
This is not a funnel
This is not a funnel Picasso received at his studio a visitor that believed the latter’s paintings were abstract. So Picasso asked his visitor in turn if he had a photo of his family to show him. When Picasso saw the photo he asked “Are they really that small?”…
Language vs tonguage
When we say tongue When we talk of tongue, we talk of mother tongue (langue maternelle in French and Muttersprache in German, to name two tongues other than English). Although fathers also come equipped with tongues, I’ve never heard of a father tongue. Have you?…
If we don’t know words
If we don’t know words We don’t know what we are, what we do, and what we have. We don’t know there’s a difference between the three. We don’t know what our ancestors, parents, sisters, and brothers are, do, and have. We don’t know what words do to us. Therefore we…
Stored words
The telling of stored words, also known as stories told by storytellers, lead to a payoff that never changes which is for the story to be believed. For many unbelievable stories, to be believed is easily done because most word-users don’t care whether a story…