# About these notes
Hi, I’m [Max](https://mxstbr.com)! 👋

These are my [[Evergreen notes]], which I [[Write to think]]. They are written for myself and they contain my opinions and principles. I am sharing these publicly because I strongly believe in [[Work in public]].

Just do me one tiny favour while reading them: if anything here triggers interesting thoughts in your mind (whether you agree, disagree or take it further) send me [an email](mailto:contact@mxstbr.com) or [a direct message on Twitter](https://twitter.com/messages/compose?recipient_id=2451223458) and let’s talk!

These notes are “Choose your own adventure”: there is no index of all of them anywhere. Click on whatever links strike your fancy and see where they lead you!

At the moment, I’m thinking a lot about life (particularly [[Invest in force multipliers]]) and React (particularly [[Gatsby is inventing a new category of websites]] and [[strict-ui]]), so any of those notes might be interesting places to jump in.

✌️

---

_Note that I did not build this system, [Andy Matuschak](https://andymatuschak.org) did for [his own exceptionally interesting notes](https://notes.andymatuschak.org). He was kind enough to let me use it._




Have an aptitude for serendipity

Get more parts on the table

Invest in force multipliers

Work in public

Talk to people

Be interested

Sell your story

Personal brand as moat

# Build a diverse network

The more people I know, and the more diverse their perspectives are, the more parts I can theoretically access. ([[Get more parts on the table]]) This requires me to [[Be open]] to new perspectives and to [[Seek discomfort]].

The more I talk to my big diverse network ([[Talk to people]]) and [[Work in public]], the higher the chance that one of them serendipitously connects my ideas to something I had not considered before. ([[Have an aptitude for serendipity]])

It also makes it easier to [[Iterate as fast as possible]]. I can solicit good feedback quicker, which lets me speed up some of my iteration loops.

> _”This is not the wisdom of the crowd, but the wisdom of someone in the crowd. It’s not that the network itself is smart; it’s that the individuals get smarter because they’re connected to the network.” — Where good ideas come from_




Build a diverse network

Invent by combining things in new ways

Seek discomfort

Sketching exercises

# Get more parts on the table

> _“The trick to having good ideas is not to sit around in glorious isolation and try to think big thoughts. The trick is to get more parts on the table." — Where good ideas come from_

The more "parts you have on the table", the easier it is to [[Invent by combining things in new ways]] and explore the [[Adjacent possible]]. The more connections you make, the more good ideas you can have. The more good ideas you have, the more you [[Have an aptitude for serendipity]] and the more you [[Always be shipping]]!

[[Build a diverse network]] and [[Work in public]] are two ways to increase the amount of parts I have on the table. The bigger and more diverse my friend group and the more I [[Talk to people]], the higher the chance somebody has that unique part on their table that connects my ideas to their thoughts. A good way of knowing if you’re on the right track is to [[Seek discomfort]].




My morning routine

Write to think

# Have a great morning routine

A good morning routine is a force multiplier for every day of my life. ([[Invest in force multipliers]]) Principally, I want [[My morning routine]] to include:

* Fitness, both mental and physical.
* Something that helps me stay creative and innovative.
* Coffee practice.
* At least one healthy calorie-rich meal.

Prompted by [Andy Matuschak](https://notes.andymatuschak.org/My_daily_routine) I have also noticed that it is important for me not to look at my phone before the morning routine is done. Days where I look at my phone first thing in the morning are much less productive.




Always be shipping

Solve your own problems

# Have an aptitude for serendipity

My career is almost entirely based on serendipitous connections. While they are random chance, of course, the one thing I take credit for is having (what I like to call) an “aptitude for serendipity”. I try to create as many opportunities for luck to strike me as possible.

Some ways I try to influence serendipity are:

* [[Iterate as fast as possible]] and [[Get more parts on the table]] so I have a higher chance of inventing something novel. ([[Invent by combining things in new ways]])
* [[Always be shipping]] so serendipity has as many chances as possible to strike one of them.
* [[Work in public]], [[Talk to people]] and [[Build a diverse network]] so more people have a chance of stumbling upon my ideas and connecting them with their own thoughts.

Personally, publishing open source projects has been a great way to do this. There is no downside, assuming you [[Solve your own problems]], and the upside could be career-defining. My career was defined by react-boilerplate being posted and upvoted to the HackerNews frontpage!




Iterate as fast as possible

Thinking practice

Have a great morning routine

Invest in the best tools

About these notes

My mental models

# Invest in force multipliers


Force multipliers are anything that increase your effectiveness by (ideally many) multiples. Adding new or improving your force multipliers is a great way to move faster towards your goal.

These are some force multipliers I am thinking about at the moment:

* [[Get more parts on the table]]
	* [[Build a diverse network]] and [[Talk to people]]
	* [[Work in public]]
	* [[Seek discomfort]]
* [[Have an aptitude for serendipity]]
* [[Iterate as fast as possible]]
* [[Invest in the best tools]]
* [[Have a great morning routine]]
* [[Thinking practice]]




My filters for potential business ideas

# Invest in the best tools

> _“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” — Abraham Lincoln_

Great tools are a force multiplier and worth investing in. ([[Invest in force multipliers]]) An axe is a great example: you can be the strongest lumberjack on the planet, but if you have a dull axe a weaker lumberjack will still cut down trees more quickly than you.

Caveat: even the best tools are useless when used improperly, and [[Avoid shaving yaks]].

> “**Always choose the best tools that you can obtain and afford.** Quality tools give you maximum output with a minimum of input. By investing in force multipliers, you free up your time, energy, and attention to focus on building your business instead of simply operating it." — The Personal MBA ([source](https://personalmba.com/force-multiplier/))




Stay motivated with recurring small dopamine hits

Be as cross-functional as necessary

Incremental correctness

Keep it simple, stupid

Measure output, not outcomes

Non-technical regrets at Spectrum

# Iterate as fast as possible

The more iterations cycles I can go through the faster I will arrive at a great result. ([[Incremental correctness]]) It also helps with [[Always be shipping]], if you have lots of iterations you have lots to ship. Iteration cycle speed is a force multiplier, and keeping it as fast as possible is crucial. ([[Invest in force multipliers]]) 

Some ways I improve my iteration speed are [[Invest in force multipliers]], [[Keep it simple, stupid]] and [[Be as cross-functional as necessary]].

For example at the micro level, I make sure my build setups are fast enough that I never have to wait to see changes in development. For example at the macro level, I try to give my users a quick and easy way to submit feedback and for me to see it.

Hunch: Anecdotally, I think the 80/20 rule applies to iteration speed bottlenecks. There seems to be bottlenecks which will speed up iteration cycles 80% without a lot of work, the hard part is figuring out where they are.

> _“Speed of developer iteration is the single most important factor in how quickly a technology company can move." — Paul Biggar, founder of Darklang and CircleCI_




# My mental models
Here are some mental models that I have internalised and frequently use:

- [[Consider the extremes]] to figure out where correlations might exist
- Look out for and [[Invest in force multipliers]]
- [[Seek discomfort]] to put yourself in a position to learn new things




Evergreen notes

2020-03-24

# My morning routine

For me to [[Have a great morning routine]] is a force multiplier. ([[Invest in force multipliers]]) It sets every single one of my days off on a good foot, which makes it more likely for everything to work out.

As of Mar. 2020, I am trying a new morning routine heavily inspired by [Andy Matuschak’s](https://notes.andymatuschak.org/My_daily_routine), slightly adapted for my specific goals:

* Get up early (7am)
* Eat small breakfast (usually a banana) and drink lots of water
* Go for a run
* Shower
* Meditate
* Coffee + breakfast
* [[Thinking practice]]




Be open

# Seek discomfort

If I am uncomfortable, by definition that means I am doing something new, something outside of my comfort zone. The chance for [[Get more parts on the table]] when doing something new is infinitely higher than when doing something I always do. 

In an ideal world this would be habitual: discomfort should be the default and (ironically) too much comfort would make me uncomfortable.

Some ways I try to do this are [[Be open]], [[Talk to people]] and [[Work in public]].




Lower your inhibitions

# Talk to people

Having lots of friends and a diverse audience ([[Build a diverse network]]) is great to [[Get more parts on the table]], but completely useless if I don't talk to them. By bouncing my thoughts off of them, they might be able to connect some of them to something I had not considered before.

The scaled version of this is [[Work in public]]. That makes it possible for my audience to serendipitously stumble upon my thoughts without me having to do an active action. ([[Have an aptitude for serendipity]])

To build meaningful connections, it is important [[Be interested]] and [[Be open]].




 Make it easy to jump in

# Thinking practice

Inspired by [Andy Matuschak](https://notes.andymatuschak.org/My_daily_routine?stackedNotes=My_morning_writing_practice), I started dedicating an hour every morning during [[My morning routine]] to thinking. Specifically, I [[Write to think]], which means I sit down in from of my computer and write anything I want to think through—which usually leads down many interesting rabbit holes.

This has been transformative to help me clear up my thoughts. Having a dedicated time for thinking is a big force multiplier for my creativity. ([[Invest in force multipliers]])




# Work in public

By sharing as much as possible publicly and being transparent ([[Be open]]), I invite serendipity to help me. ([[Have an aptitude for serendipity]]) Since I [[Build a diverse network]], whenever I [[Talk to people]] the chance is high that one of them connects my ideas to something I had not considered before.

This is a big force multiplier and a core part of how I want to work. ([[Invest in force multipliers]])




@mxstbr's working notes

Invest in force multipliers

Links to this note

What do you think?