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McKinley Valentine

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It's okay to do something in a sub-optimal way

It's okay to do something in a sub-optimal way

More importantly: it's okay for someone else to do something in a sub-optimal way.

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Fidgeting is good for you

Fidgeting is good for you

It annoys other people but they should learn to put up with it because It counteracts some of the negative effects of sitting and reduces stress.

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Accepting invitations that are weeks or months in advance

Accepting invitations that are weeks or months in advance

When someone invites you to something in the distant future, ask: Would I say Yes to it if it was this weekend? That's the first method.

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How to approach a potential mentor (if you want a mentor)

How to approach a potential mentor (if you want a mentor)

Step 1, how you've done the obvious things that would be on the front page of google.

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Words don’t have meanings, they have uses

Words don’t have meanings, they have uses

Don't ask "what does it mean?" but "what can you use it for?" This is fundamentally a much more true and useful way to think about words and definitions.

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Why trouble comes in bunches

Why trouble comes in bunches

So a thing I do pretty often is catch the wrong tram and not realise until I've gone way past the point where the two tramlines diverge, and then have to walk a bunch of blocks across to where my proper tram is. And I swear this always

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Add predictable distractions to your To Do list

Add predictable distractions to your To Do list

After every Covid press conference, I'd spend a good 20 minutes worrying and discussing. Don't let it blindside you!

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Make your failures a controlled retreat, not a rout

Make your failures a controlled retreat, not a rout

A controlled retreat is where you’re losing, so you gather your soldiers together in a defensive formation, and slowly, as safely as possible, withdraw from battle.

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Don’t talk to the cops even if you’ve done nothing wrong: A lawyer explains every reason why it’s a terrible idea

Don’t talk to the cops even if you’ve done nothing wrong: A lawyer explains every reason why it’s a terrible idea

You don’t know if you’re in trouble. You don't even know if you're lying or not. You can't even talk properly.

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“If someone gifts you money, are they allowed to tell you what to do with it?"

“If someone gifts you money, are they allowed to tell you what to do with it?"

Debt is a mental and emotional construct, not a tangible thing. There's a difference between technical debt and the emotion of indebtedness