Surya Prakash Jayanti

"Stolen Focus" is very interesting book written by Johann Hari, if I have it my way I will make this book mandatory for all students before they complete high school. Here are few quotes from that book that I really loved. On an average an adult working in an office stays on one task for 3 minutes. Obesity is not a medical epidemic - it's a social epidemic. We have more bad food choices available so people are getting fat. When attention breaks down, problem solving breaks down. Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. Average American spends 3 hours and 15 minutes on phone. We touch our phones 2,617 times every 24 hours. We cannot put off living until we are ready, life is fired at us point-blank. - Jose Ortega y Gasset Twitter makes you feel that the whole world is obsessed with you and your little ego, it loves you, it hates you, it's talking about you right now. The ocean makes you feel like the world is greeting y

Continued from   " Quotes from the book "Stolen Focus" Part I " Flow state: This is when you are so absorbed in what you are doing that you lose all sense of yourself, and time seems to fall away, and you are flowing into the experience itself. Distraction and multitasking kill flow, and nobody will reach flow if they are trying to do two are more things at the same time. Flow requires all of your brainpower, deployed toward one mission. You have to be doing something that is meaningful to you. It will help if you are doing something that is at the edge of your abilities. Fragmentation makes you smaller, shallower, angrier. Flow makes you bigger, deeper, calmer. Fragmentation shrinks us. National sleep foundation has calculated that the amount of sleep we get has dropped by 20% in just a hundred years. If everyone sleep one hour more on an average, it would be an earthquake for our economic system.  Because our economic system has become dependent on sleep-depriving

Year 2022 is kind to me several ways, Overall decent year I would say and here are somethings I really enjoyed. 663 miles ran during this year  It is more than the distance between Bentonville, AR to Minneapolis, MN. Read 18 books this year.  http://jnsuryaprakash.blogspot.com/2009/03/books-i-read.html for the books i read so far And here is my good reads link  https://www.goodreads.com/friend/i?feature=friend-invite-   url&invite_token=YzliNTcwNjItZmYwMi00YmZiLTk3ZDktYWRiNmY5OWRmYjIy 17 blogs written refer  http://jnsuryaprakash.blogspot.com/ More than 300 games of chess. Still struggling with ELO 1500 rated bots.

Interesting quotes from the book "Good Strategy/Bad Strategy - the difference and why it matters". You can't concentrate on the crisis if flying isn't automatic. If a chain must not fail, there is no point in strengthening only some of the links. Quality matters when quantity is an inadequate substitute. If a building contractor finds that her two-ton truck is on another job, she may easily substitute two one-ton trucks to carry landfill. On the other hand, if a three star chef is ill, no number of short-order cooks is an adequate replacement. As an investor, one wants to find limiting factors that can be fixed, such as paint, rather than factors that cannot be fixed, such as highway noise. If you have a special skill or insight at removing limiting factors, then you can be very successful. unfortunately, humans have put more effort, over more time, into thinking about war than any other subject. It is often said that a strategy is a choice or a decision.  Doing strat

This is pretty interesting book from Grant Cardone, It took some time for me to get convinced to the point author is making but half way through the book I am convinced. Here are some quotes that hit me. Anyone that suggest to me to do less is either not a real friend or very confused. Your thoughts and actions are the reason why you are where you are right now. Success is the degree or measure of attaining some desired object or end. Once you attain this end, the issue is whether you can maintain, multiply and repeat your actions. This isn't about attaining one goal one time but rather about what we can persist in creating. A person who limits his or her potential success will limit what he or she will do to create it and keep it. Mankind seems to have this built-in, automatic calculator whose only purpose is to explain away failure. "In it to win it whatever it takes"  mind set. Sound too aggressive? sorry, but that is the outlook required to win nowadays. The harder I

Here are some interesting quotes from the boom "Moon Walking with Einstein - Joshua Foerr". Junk food in: junk brain. Healthy food in: healthy brain. Exceptional memorizers: Made, Not Born. We can only think about roughly seven things at a time. A great memory isn't just a by-product of expertise; it is the essence of expertise. The secret to becoming a chess grand master was to learn old games, the secret to becoming a grand master of life was to learn old texts. One book, printed in the heart's own wax/ Is worth a thousand in the stacks. Being good at being a lawyer means merely, on average, maximizing injustice. The brain best remembers things that are repeated, rhythmic, rhyming, structured, and above all easily visualized. "OK Plateau", the point at which you decide you're OK with how good you are at something, turn on autopilot, and stop improving. When you want to get good at something, how you spend your time practicing is far more important than

Continued from   Quotes from "Limitless - Jim Kwik" Part I ... Somewhere between 40% to 50 % of what we do everyday is the product of a habit. The habits you repeat (or don't repeat) every day largely determine your health, wealth, and happiness. Habit is either best of servants or the worst of masters. Perfectionism reduces creativity and innovation. Concentration is at the crux of all human success and endeavor. Concentration muscle will become incredibly strong, and your focus will reach limitless levels. The human brain has the capacity to digest as much as 400 words per minute of information. On an average people can write 10-12 words a minute, and the average speaker speaks at around 100 words a minute. The man who does not read good books has NO advantage over the man who can't read them. LEADERS ARE READERS. There were 5 Exabytes of information created between the dawn of civilization through 2003, but that much information is now created every 2 days. If you

Few of the quotes that are really interesting from Jim Kwik's books "Limitless". There is No pill for genius, but there is a process to get there. No problem can be solved from same level of consciousness that created it. If knowledge is power, then learning is our super power. The average person consumes three times as much information as we did in the 1960's. Digital deluge, Digital distraction, digital dementia and digital deduction are the four sins of modern world. Compared to the 15th century, we now consume as much data in a single day as an average person from 1400s would have absorbed in an entire lifetime. Short term memory pathways will start to deteriorate from underuse if we overuse technology. In a research conducted on London taxi drivers, It seemed that the longer someone had been driving a taxi, the larger his hippocampus, as though the brain expanded to accommodate the cognitive demands of navigating London's streets. Give a person an idea, and y

Continued from: For previous blog,  Quotes from the book "Think like a Monk" - Part IV: What did you fail at today ? Failing meant they were trying, and that was more important than the immediate result. Lets not confuse an inflated ego with healthy self-esteem. The ego wants everyone to like you. High self-esteem is just fine if they don't. We either ask everyone for advice about one problem or we ask one person for advice about all of our problems. You shouldn't feel small compared to others, but you should feel small compared to your goals. Believe those who search for the truth; doubt those who have found it. If you are creating a memory, keep your eyes open. if you are reconnecting , then close them. Appreciate everything, even the ordinary. Especially the ordinary - Pema Chodron. If thankfulness were a drug, it would be the world's best-selling product. The salt is the pain of life. It is constant, but if you put it in a small glass, it tastes bitter. If you

Continued from: For previous blog, Quotes from the book "Think like a Monk" - Part III: There  are three routes to happiness, all of them centered on knowledge: learning, progressing and achieving. Make your mind your friend. All spiritual teaching - this is not an oversimplification - is about how to be present to the moment... but the problem is, we're almost always somewhere else: reliving the past or worrying about the future. The crane stands still in water, ignoring the small fish as they pass by. Her stillness allows her to catch the bigger fish. Detachment is not that you own nothing, but that nothing should own you. We train our brains. In the end, it is your mind that translates the outside world into happiness or misery. Pride of wealth destroys wealth, pride of strength destroys strength and in the same manner pride of knowledge destroys knowledge. There is a meme that shows warren Buffett and Bill Gates standing side by side. The caption reads, "$162 Bil

Continued from: For previous blog, Quotes from the book "Think like a Monk" - Part II: Success doesn't guarantee happiness and happiness doesn't require success. we can better handle discomfort when we can associate it with a goal, purpose, or person we care about. As monks, we learned to clarify our intentions through the analogy of seeds and weeds. When we plant seed it grows taller, when you have weed it never grows into something wonderful. External goals cannot fill internal voids. When Picasso charged $30,000 for a 30 seconds picture, he said, It took me thirty years of practice to be that perfect. So the charge is just NOT for the time it took to paint. Living intentionally means stepping back from  external goals, letting go of outward definitions of success, and looking within. When your natural talents and passions (Varna) connect with what the universe needs (Seva) and become your purpose, you are living in your dharma. Passion + Expertise + Usefulness = Dh

Continued from: Quotes from the book "Think like a Monk" - Part I: It is impossible to build one's own happiness on the unhappiness of others. - Daisaku Ikeda. Cancers of the Mind: Comparing, Complaining, Criticizing. Do not give your attention to what others do or fail to do; give it to what you do or fail to do. Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our hear, we still cling to anything - anger, anxiety, or possessions-we cannot be free. Don't count the teeth in someone else's mouth. Similarly, don't attempt to fix a problem unless you have the necessary skills. Letting go doesn't mean wiping away negative thoughts, feelings, and ideas completely. The truth is that these thoughts will always arise- it is what we do with them that makes the difference. Spot, Stop, Swap: This is the most important thing in the book. Spot your thoughts, stop the bad ones and swap them for something better. If you think you are t

There is a series of 5 Blogposts about the quotes I collected from this book of Jay Shetty - "Think like a Monk". Out of 67 books I read so far this is my most favorite book till date.  If you want happiness for an hour - go sleep. If you want happiness for a day - go fishing. If you want happiness for a year - inherit wealth. if you want happiness for life - go help someone else. Helpers High and Givers Glory. A layperson who is consciously aiming to be continuously alive in the Now is a monk. In the last three thousand years humans haven't really changed. It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else's life with perfection - Bhagavad Gita 3.35 I am Not what I think I am , and I am not what you think I am, I am what I think you think I am - Charles Horton Cooley We live in a perception of a perception of ourselves, and we've lost our real selves as a result. When you try to live your most authentic life, some of your

Most of the quotes are from the books "Elon Musk" and "Start with Why". I think there are too many smart people pursuing internet stuff, finance and Law. That is part of the reason why we haven't seen as much innovation. The best minds of our generation are thinking about how to make people click ads, that sucks. Innovation is a finite resource,  the probability of finding another top 100 type Innovation is getting thinner. The proven way to handle crime in NY subways was, control graffiti and fare beating. Think simple. Convictions of your heart, content of your thought are less important in guiding your action, than the immediate context. Peer influence and community influence more important than genes. The longer you wait to fire someone, the longer it has been since you should have fired them - Elon Musk Elon's biggest enemy is himself and the way he treats people. One good engineer is better than 3 above average one's. MLK gave  I have a dream speec

We rate fast talkers as more competent and likable. Finland is nation of introverts. There is a joke about finlanders, how do you know if a Finnish guy likes you, he stares at your shoes instead of his own. You can be introvert, extrovert and ambivert ,all three based on situations. Pure introvert and pure extroverts are found in mental asylum. Introverts have higher sensitivity. In 1790 , 3% of us population lived in cities. In 2020 , 82% of us population lives in cities and urban areas. People live in cities tend to be more extroverts than introverts. All around you people are judging you, silently. Everybody has inferiority complex, you just need back bone with it. Prepare a face to meet the faces you meet. We moved as a society from Character to charisma. It will take at-least up-to age 10 to even out difference in maturity for kids. Thats why Denmark doesn't allow grouping into grades until that age. Autonomy, complexity and connection are the three qualities between efforts

Time for few more quotes from the books I read. Mostly from Infinite games and Rising strong. When we die nobody will be declared as winner. In finite games there is a clear winner at the end of the duration based on metrics. In the infinite game, people drop out overtime but game lives on. Finite leaders look at metrics, infinite leader looks at continued inspiration. Finite games are seductive and addictive,  we must resist that urge. Kodak is the first company to introduce stock dividend. You can choose courage or comfort,  not both, not at the same time. Lot of seats in the arena filled with critics never ventured on the floor.  Knowledge is a rumor until it lives in the muscle memory.  - Indonesian Tribe Humans are feeling machines, that can think. You can change your life by charging thoughts, actions and feelings. When we know better, we do better. Expectations are resentments waiting to happen.  Vision without execution is hallucination. Resentment is like drinking poison and t

Some quotes from the earlier books I read: We know more than we can tell There are 2x10^270 possibilities in the game GO. More than atoms in universe.  Half the money I spent on advertising is wasted,  the trouble is I don't know which half. FB solved this problem. When compared, Cocaine is 20% of natural endorphin. The tallest oak in the forest was once a nut, who stood his ground. Strategy can not be created by committees. You are going to make mistake. The sin is to make same mistake twice. The best is to learn from others mistakes. If you take a penny and double it every day for next 30 days, you have more than 5million. People are endlessly complicated. During the 2nd world war US Air-force tried to train the pigeons to spot the bombing target for the bomber flights. It didn't work well, so they have to discard the program. Confirmation bias, endowment effect, halo effect. google it, pretty interesting. Similarity Judgements : when you give two things to a human, he will i

Random quotes I liked from few books like Empowered, Inspired and others. Quality of work = time spent × intensity of focus. Our brains construct world view based on what we pay attention to. A factory of the future Will have two jobs, human and dog. Human is responsible for feeding dog, dog's responsibility is to make sure human is not touching machines. In future people with commonsense design machines, people with less commonsense will be ordered by machines. One person gets hired every 15 seconds on Linkedin. two and half times more likely to apply if the job is remote. one in seven jobs is now remote. Product manager should have deep knowledge of customer, data, stakeholders and industry. “A's hire A's, but B's hire C's.” speed, scale and discipline to implement it are the 3 fundamentals of product success. Collaboration doesn't mean consensus. Three rules of decision making: The first rule is to identify the issue as such and make the decision. The second