best-of-unschooled.html

---
author: nicholasbs
date: '2011-04-20 00:08:52'
layout: page
slug: best-of-unschooled
status: publish
title: Best of Unschooled
wordpress_id: '980'
---

<h3>Starting up</h3> 
<ul> 
  <li> 
    <strong><a href="/2010/11/first-know-thyself/">First, know thyself</a></strong> 
      <blockquote>The most important thing for being an entrepreneur is to know yourself.</blockquote> 
  </li> 
  <li> 
    <strong><a href="/2011/03/looking-for-a-cofounder-reverse-the-order-of-operations/">Looking for a cofounder? Reverse the order of operations</a></strong> 
      <blockquote>Look for a cofounder before you seriously develop an idea, or at least keep yourself open to completely different ideas. Find someone you gel with, and then develop an idea together.</blockquote> 
  </li> 
  <li> 
    <strong><a href="/2011/04/the-next-peak//">The next peak</a></strong> 
      <blockquote>Doing a startup is like climbing a mountain. You usually only see the peak you're currently scaling, and it's rarely the summit.</blockquote> 
  </li> 
  <li> 
    <strong><a href="/2010/11/carcassonne-and-when-to-pivot/">Carcassonne and when to pivot</a></strong> 
      <blockquote>If you're on a path that, even if you execute perfectly, you won't end up where you want to be, then you know it's time to pivot.</blockquote> 
  </li> 
  <li> 
    <strong><a href="/2010/08/starting-a-company-is-hard-so-what/">Starting a company is hard. So what?</a></strong> 
      <blockquote>Startups face tons of obstacles, and that's what makes them fun.</blockquote> 
  </li> 
</ul> 
<h3>Life and productivity hacks</h3> 
<ul> 
  <li> 
    <strong><a href="/2011/03/how-to-ask-for-things/">How to ask for things</a></strong> 
      <blockquote>You can maximize your odds of getting what you want by minimizing the work the other person has to do to help you.</blockquote> 
  </li> 
  <li> 
    <strong><a href="/2010/12/dont-fool-yourself/">Don't fool yourself</a></strong> 
      <blockquote>One problem with having lots to do is you can trick yourself into always switching to the next thing without ever really doing anything.</blockquote> 
  </li> 
  <li> 
    <strong><a href="/2010/07/how-to-hack-your-motivation-function-and-stay-motivated/">How to hack your motivation function and stay motivated</a></strong> 
      <blockquote>Have a narrative for your life.</blockquote> 
  </li> 
  <li> 
    <strong><a href="/2010/03/living-in-80-square-feet/">Living in 80 square feet</a></strong> 
      <blockquote>Constraints breed innovation.</blockquote> 
  </li> 
  <li> 
    <strong><a href="/2010/01/trading-with-friends-for-fun-and-profit/">Trading with friends for fun and profit</a></strong> 
      <blockquote>Trade requires trust, but it also builds it.</blockquote> 
  </li> 
  <li> 
    <strong><a href="/2009/01/life-optimization-or-brief-thoughts-on-what-has-and-has-not-worked-in-improving-my-dad-to-day-life/">Life optimization, or, brief thoughts on what has and has not worked in improving my day-to-day life</a></strong> 
      <blockquote>Don't be afraid to experiment.</blockquote> 
  </li> 
</ul> 
<h3>Writing and thinking</h3> 
<ul> 
  <li> 
    <strong><a href="/2011/01/what-if-something-youre-certain-of-is-wrong/">What if something you're certain of is wrong?</a></strong> 
      <blockquote>If you want to think new thoughts, try this: Take something you think is true, and then assume it's false.</blockquote> 
  </li> 
  <li> 
    <strong><a href="/2010/12/can-interview-puzzles-help-find-startup-ideas/">Can interview puzzles help find startup ideas?</a></strong> 
      <blockquote>Their answers frequently lie in assumptions we don't even know we're making.</blockquote> 
  </li> 
  <li> 
    <strong><a href="/2010/12/thoughts-on-why-writing-is-valuable-and-how-to-do-it/">Thoughts on why writing is valuable and how to do it</a></strong> 
      <blockquote>A lot of writing is bad because it's written in a way that nobody would actually speak.</blockquote> 
  </li> 
</ul> 
<h3>Living life</h3> 
<ul> 
  <li> 
    <strong><a href="/2011/03/what-sam-altman-taught-me-about-risk/">What Sam Altman taught me about risk</a></strong> 
      <blockquote>Nothing is ever as risky as you think it is.</blockquote> 
  </li> 
  <li> 
    <strong><a href="/2011/02/live-without-regrets/">Live without regrets</a></strong> 
      <blockquote>When opportunities present themselves, take them, even if it's uncomfortable.</blockquote> 
  </li> 
  <li> 
    <strong><a href="/2010/03/an-open-letter-to-my-future-self/">An open letter to my future self</a></strong> 
      <blockquote>Humans tend to become less open to change.</blockquote> 
  </li> 
</ul> 
<h3>Miscellaneous</h3> 
<ul> 
  <li> 
    <strong><a href="/2011/03/the-value-of-symmetric-social-connections-decays/">The value of symmetric social connections decays</a></strong> 
      <blockquote>The network that figures out how to scale into the mainstream without sacrificing the value of its symmetric connections is going to be insanely valuable.</blockquote> 
  </li> 
  <li> 
    <strong><a href="/2011/01/another-advantage-of-specialized-apps/">Another advantage of specialized apps</a></strong> 
      <blockquote>One of the reasons I started using Foursquare and Instagram is that their specialization means I can feel less narcissistic.</blockquote> 
  </li> 
  <li> 
    <strong><a href="/2010/11/networking-shouldnt-be-a-dirty-word/">Networking shouldn't be a dirty word</a></strong> 
      <blockquote>Think of the five best connected people you know. Are they jerks?</blockquote> 
  </li> 
  <li> 
    <strong><a href="/2009/01/happy-birthday-macintosh/">Happy Birthday, Macintosh!</a></strong> 
      <blockquote>Thanks for all the memories.</blockquote> 
  </li> 
</ul>