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Notebook

Welcome to my second brain. My notebook is where I test my ideas in public.

A collection of ideas I get while reading, but too immature for an essay. If a note resonates with others, I develop it into an essay. Think of my essays as complete paintings and my notebook as rough sketches. You get the idea.

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Going through the motions

How can we build good habits like exercising? Ever since lockdown began in Malaysia, I've often been jogging as they're the only allowed form of exercise around here. I prefer doing my exercises indoors, or at the gym, so home workouts are a big no. Before this, I've been exercising

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The re-reading myth: The 1 Habit that has been holding you back in your studies

When we think about study tips, we always think about things to add, the things that can finally break the code turn us into Einstein overnight. But what if we remove the habits that have been holding us back this whole time? One of these habits is re-reading. While it

The re-reading myth: The 1 Habit that has been holding you back in your studies
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How to Upgrade your To-Do List with Willpower Paradox

Want to upgrade your to-do list? Try telling yourself that "you might" do the task instead of "you will". This is called the Willpower Paradox, the phenomenon where we benefit by being speculative on our goals. Research shows that people using interrogative self-talk such as "Will I?" and "I might"

How to Upgrade your To-Do List with Willpower Paradox
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5 Minute Journaling - Journaling Made Easy

Need a simple, fast and easy journaling practice? Try out 5 Minute Journaling. This is a simple practice that you can use to prioritise your days and to practise gratitude. It only takes 5 minutes in the morning and evening! We all know journaling is good for us, but not

5 Minute Journaling - Journaling Made Easy
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Need help waking up without abusing the snooze button?

I dread waking up so much that the snooze button becomes my best friend in the morning. I tried everything to stop myself from going back to bed, but I recently read something that might be the answer. In the book Miracle Morning, Hal Elrod talked about the Five-Minute Snooze-Proof

Need help waking up without abusing the snooze button?
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Practising in Public

I haven't written my newsletter in almost 2 months. Sometimes, I feel like I don't have much to share at times, and I've been a bit hectic recently - I just got out of self-isolation as a COVID Close Contact. That being said, I finally came to my senses that

Practising in Public
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Direct learning - the only way to learn

The easiest way to learn is simply by spending a lot of time doing what you want to become good at. If you want to learn how to write, write articles instead of reading books on writing. If you want to learn how to play the piano, play a song

Direct learning - the only way to learn
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Screw motivation

Does this sound familiar to you? You wake up, realise that you have to get some work done. However, there's a nagging voice telling you that you don't feel like it. That you shouldn't do it. That you should do something more fun instead. A few minutes later, you end

Screw motivation
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Why I've been slacking off the past few weeks

I've been really sluggish, unproductive, and easily distracted for the past few days. I've been slacking off with my studies, writing, and doing exercises for the Roam Book Club. As I go through my weekly review, I think I understood the reason why I've been in a slump lately -

Why I've been slacking off the past few weeks
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Implementation intention: a simple trick to achieve your goals

Need a simple trick to make you more likely to follow through with your plans? Try out implementation intention. Implementation intention means to decide where and when you will do something. For example, "I will write for 30 minutes [ACTION] on 25 April 2021 [DATE] in the library [PLACE] at