Welcome to Snafu, a newsletter about behavior change. Speed matters. In business, being able to execute quickly is a competitive advantage – sometimes the difference between success and failure. When making big decisions, sometimes you need less evidence than you know. If you're enjoying Snafu, it would mean the world to me if you would share it! Was this sent to you? Subscribe here. ↓ How much evidence do you need to know that something is true? When I first walked into a gymnastics gym, I...
9 days ago • 4 min read
Welcome to Snafu, a newsletter about behavior change. Running self-experiments doesn't have to be hard. Here are some tactics that can help. If you're enjoying Snafu, it would mean the world to me if you would share it! Was this sent to you? Subscribe here. ↓ Self-experimentation I first heard the term “self-experimentation” as an undergraduate in behavioral psychology My professor gave a few examples of his own. He went a month with no sugar, which made carrots taste unbearably sweet. He...
16 days ago • 4 min read
Welcome to Snafu, a newsletter about behavior change. Several gay friends are preparing to leave the United States, while other people I know could not be more excited with the results of the election. Meanwhile, I'm over here falling in love. There’s a fair bit of cognitive dissonance going around right now. Today's article is about the emotional agility necessary to navigate complexity without giving up. If you're enjoying Snafu, it would mean the world to me if you would share it! Was this...
23 days ago • 4 min read
Welcome to Snafu, a newsletter about behavior change. I went more than 45 days without food last year. Fasting is simultaneously the hardest and most rewarding discipline I've undertaken. Here's what I learned. If you're enjoying Snafu, it would mean the world to me if you would share it! Was this sent to you? Subscribe here. ↓ How to fast A friend of mine is embarking on his first 4-day water only fast, so I sent him a voice memo with all of my lessons learned from fasting over the last few...
30 days ago • 8 min read
Welcome to Snafu, a newsletter about how to change behavior. In learning something new, it is easy to confuse practice with performance. They're both important in tackling a new skill, but serve distinctly different roles. If you're enjoying Snafu, it would mean the world to me if you would share it! Was this sent to you? Subscribe here. ↓ Know the difference between practice and performance As an undergraduate, I studied learning. Specifically, I became obsessed with the impact of variable...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Welcome to Snafu, a newsletter about work, life, and behavior change. When you are stuck, even activity in the opposite direction from your goal can be effective. Action begets action. Course correct once you’ve begun. If you're enjoying Snafu, it would mean the world to me if you would share it! Was this sent to you? Subscribe here. ↓ I hit a point – ten meetings or a hundred email into my day – where anything I try feels like failure. I can’t think clearly enough even to decide what to do...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Welcome to Snafu, a newsletter about behavior change. I like sales because selling is tactical, measurable. Success is determined by whether someone buys from you. But I'm ultimately less interested in commerce than in improving an individual life. If you're enjoying Snafu, it would mean the world to me if you would share it! Was this sent to you? Subscribe here. ↓ In the final weeks leading up to Responsive Conference, I hit an impasse. Since the beginning of 2024, I’ve written a weekly...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Welcome to Snafu, a newsletter about behavior change. Like many entrepreneurs I have the unfortunate habit of thinking that the grass is greener on the other side. Doing the opposite is a great way to generate returns, in business, learning, and life. If you're enjoying Snafu, it would mean the world to me if you would share it! Was this sent to you? Subscribe here. ↓ Like most entrepreneurs I have the unfortunate habit of thinking that the grass is greener on the other side. In just the last...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Welcome to Snafu, a newsletter about behavior change. I've recently realized that most people don't have a good definition of discipline. Let's come up with some better ones, together. If you're enjoying Snafu, it would mean the world to me if you would share it! Was this sent to you? Subscribe here. ↓ A few weeks ago, someone told me I was the most disciplined person she knows. That feedback was disconcerting because, growing up, I was often told that I lacked discipline. I’ve never been...
2 months ago • 4 min read