Yakir's Blog

Rough Polish Ideas Daily

Have A Bias Towards Action

Success comes from taking action. Often times waiting for perfect instructions or the fear of failure can lead to inaction. Fundamentally, it must be internalized that the key is to start, then to make adjustments along the way, and most importantly learn from mistakes.

The converse of this is to do nothing by default, awaiting a reason to act, which doesn’t sound like a good way to live. It means no learning, no growth, no habit of creation. The fear of wasting your time and resources can itself turn into a waste of your time and resources due to inaction.

Action leads to progress, even if it’s imperfect. The mindset should be: “I either win or I learn.” (And learning is a future win, in any case.) Don’t wait for perfection, start now. Action is the very bridge between ideas and results.

What are you waiting to get started on?

Learn It Like You Have to Teach It

My default mindset for learning is to study the topic with the intention of teaching it. When I read a book, I don’t just absorb the information; I think about how I’d explain it to someone else. This framing forces me to engage with a deeper curiosity of the perspectives and atomized concepts in the subject matter. Importantly, it helps me to organize my thoughts clearly.

In this case, teaching isn’t just about sharing knowledge; it’s about solidifying your own understanding. By preparing to teach, I uncover gaps in my knowledge, refine my perspectives, and gain confidence in the material. Just because I’m the student, doesn’t mean I’m not also the teacher.

I often rant out loud to an AI about some idea or project and I ask it to find inconsistencies, logical fallacies, and just generally provide me with feedback. (This in itself is a skill to learn to teach; asking AI better questions.) Sometimes it can be a bit like playing ping pong with a wall, but if you practice it does still sharpen mental agility and often times you get a fascinating curve ball that will pique your curiosity still further.

What’s something you’ve learned recently and could you now teach it?

An Atomized List of Me

I made a comprehensive list of my personal attributes; the good, the bad, and the technical. As I look at it on the screen, I notice I have some emotional attachments to these self-perceptions. Recognizing this allows me to set those emotions aside, which is crucial because I want to approach my attributes like mathematical functions, a more left-brain approach.

Skill mapping is a simple yet powerful way to start listing your attributes. I rate my skills on a 0–10 scale and use a spreadsheet to organize this process. The spreadsheet contains a few essential columns: one for the category (such as programming or communication skills), another for the specific skill, a third for my self-rating, and a fourth for a brief description providing context for the number. Without that explanation, a “7” could mean anything. Recording these details helps me understand my evolving self-perception as I review the spreadsheet each month and consider which skills to invest in next.

Grouping attributes is an excellent method for determining what type of business to start or what grand art installation to create. This exercise is both humbling and enlightening, revealing hidden gaps and acknowledging opportunities for growth. Whether in business, life, or any pursuit of excellence, understanding your true abilities is a core competency.

Be brutally honest and update your assessments regularly. (I do it monthly.)

I Love to Learn at Warp Speed

Heraclitus famously said, “The only constant is change,” and in today’s world, those words sing with a thrilling intensity. We’re on a technological rocket ride, hurtling through an era of unprecedented acceleration. Every generation faces its disruptions, but the sheer velocity of change now is overwhelming. Think about Marshall McLuhan’s idea that media isn’t simply a tool, but an extension of ourselves, rewiring the very way we think and perceive. The printing press, the telegraph, the radio – each was a seismic shift, but allowed time for assimilation. Now, consider the digital revolution, the explosion of artificial intelligence, pulling us through a fundamental reshaping of reality itself.

I find it exhilarating, though disorienting. Who wouldn’t feel a twinge of vertigo as the ground shifts beneath our feet? But there’s a liberating freedom in surrendering to this whirlwind. It’s a crucible for intellectual evolution, a constant challenge and the necessary tooling to expand our minds, refine our perspectives, and sharpen our wits. With AI poised to become the ultimate tutor, the pace of learning itself is accelerating in (what feels to me like) an exponential function.

I recall a scene from an old Star Trek movie where a woman from the past steps into the future and watches a room of nine-year-olds tackling complex astrophysics, one child answering with such precise clarity that it leaves her utterly astonished. That moment of unexpected and nonchalant brilliance of a child, I think, offers an accurate if optimistic portrayal of how AI is reshaping our world.

We might not fully grasp where this journey ultimately leads, but the very act of navigating it, of being swept along by this relentless tide of progress, is a profoundly enriching experience. Don’t just watch the wave; ride it! Let it carry you to uncharted territories of thought and possibility. A bit hyperbolic, but true nonetheless.

What is one cornerstone of your world that is now changing rapidly? And how can you ride the wave, instead of fighting it?

I Already Have Everything I Need to Succeed

Constraints. They’re the sandpaper of innovation, rough and unforgiving, but they polish your thinking to a sharp edge. I used to see limitations as obstacles, walls to be knocked down. Now, I see them as boundaries that force me to be more creative, more resourceful, more focused. Strip away the excess, the distractions, the comfortable assumptions, and what remains is pure, distilled ingenuity.

The Wrong Decision is Better Than No Decision

When you’re stuck in analysis paralysis, endlessly weighing options but never taking action, even the wrong decision is better than no decision at all. Indecision keeps you stuck, while a decision (even a flawed one) gives you data to learn from and adapt.

Navigating a maze, standing still gets you nowhere, but taking a step, even in the wrong direction, helps you see the layout and adjust your path. The same applies to general decision-making. Every choice, good or bad, provides feedback. Did it work? Why or why not? What can you do differently next time? This iterative process is how you refine your judgment and build confidence. It’s how you gain real world experience and data to make better decisions.

Don’t let fear of being wrong hold you back. Make the call, observe the outcome, and use that information, unapologetically, to improve. Your ability to roll with the punches and iterate is what keeps them coming back for more.

What’s one decision you’ve been putting off that you can act on today?

Flow State is My Favorite State

Flow state is that magical zone where you’re fully immersed in an activity, and everything just clicks, dare I say it’s fun. While practicing the same skill over and over strengthens specific neural pathways, true growth comes from exploring a range of variations within that skill, strengthening interconnected neural networks. A dancer doesn’t master movement by doing the same step endlessly; they expand their abilities by exploring different movements, styles, rhythms, and expressions. This balance of repetition and variety keeps the brain agile, allowing it to adapt and innovate.

Repetition with attention is powerful. It’s how we build and reinforce neural networks (as with AI). But too much rigidity can trap us in a single way of thinking or moving, limiting our potential. On the other hand, refusing to practice anything leaves us stagnant. The sweet spot lies in marrying focused practice with creative exploration. Whether it’s painting, writing, dancing, or juggling, the key is to use the tools you’ve learned in diverse ways. Paint different subjects, write in various styles, or let the music guide your dance. This keeps your brain flexible, preventing it from becoming overly rigid or repetitive.

Flow state emerges when you’ve trained your brain to navigate a skill with ease while remaining open to spontaneity. For me, juggling became a flow activity not just because I practiced the basics, but because I allowed myself to experiment throwing props in unpredictable ways, moving my body freely, and letting my instincts take over. The same principle applies to anything: the more agile your practice, the more agile your mind becomes. So, whether it’s physical, creative, or intellectual, embrace the balance of structure and exploration. It’s a powerful tool for honing mind and body, and it’ll often get you out of those pesky mental ruts.

What gets you into flow state? And where is your mind right after you’ve been in flow state?