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Kindle Notes & Highlights
by
Scott Adams
Read between
February 4 - February 10, 2020
Recapping my skill set: I have poor art skills, mediocre business skills, good but not great writing talent, and an early knowledge of the Internet. And I have a good but not great sense of humor. I’m like one big mediocre soup. None of my skills are world-class, but when my mediocre skills are combined, they become a powerful market force.
The Knowledge Formula: The More You Know, the More You Can Know
The simple entry point for developing a news-reading habit is that you read only the topics that interest you, no matter how trivial they might be.
A smarter approach is to think of learning as a system in which you continually expose yourself to new topics, primarily the ones you find interesting.
The idea I’m promoting here is that it helps to see the world as math and not magic.
The best way to increase your odds of success—in a way that might look like luck to others—is to systematically become good, but not amazing, at the types of skills that work well together and are highly useful for just about any job.
The most important is the transformative power of praise versus the corrosive impact of criticism.
When you understand the power of honest praise (as opposed to bullshitting, flattery, and sucking up), you realize that withholding it borders on immoral. If you see something that impresses you, a decent respect to humanity insists you voice your praise.
When I look at the list of my personal failures and successes, one of the things that stand out is psychology. When I got the psychology right, either by accident or by cleverness, things worked out better. When I was blind to the psychology, things went badly.
Quality is not an independent force in the universe; it depends on what you choose as your frame of reference.
My best guess is that there are a few hundred rules in psychology that you should have a passing familiarity with.
The reality is that reason is just one of the drivers of our decisions, and often the smallest one.
You’re wasting your time if you try to make someone see reason when reason is not influencing the decision.
business writing is all about getting to the point and leaving out all of the noise.
Business writing also teaches that brains are wired to better understand concepts that are presented in a certain order.
When you design a PowerPoint slide or a Web page, it’s the same idea. You leave one quadrant less busy than the rest.
Learn just a few design tricks and people will think you’re smarter without knowing exactly why.
I’ll paraphrase the Dale Carnegie question stack as best I remember it. It goes something like this: What’s your name? Where do you live? Do you have a family? What do you do for a living? Do you have any hobbies/sports? Do you have any travel plans?
The secret to making the list of six questions work without seeming awkward is in understanding that the person you meet will feel every bit as awkward as you.
Your job as a conversationalist is to keep asking questions and keep looking for something you have in common with the stranger, or something that interests you enough to wade into the topic.
Here’s a summary of good conversation technique. Ask questions. Don’t complain (much). Don’t talk about boring experiences (TV show, meal, dream, etc.). Don’t dominate the conversation. Let others talk. Don’t get stuck on a topic. Keep moving. Planning is useful but it isn’t conversation. Keep the sad stories short, especially medical stories.
The point of conversation is to make the other person feel good.
The most important key to good storytelling is preparation.
The basic parts of a good party story are: Setup
Pattern
Foreshadowing
The Characters
Relatability
The Twist
Smile, ask questions, avoid complaining and sad topics, and have some entertaining stories ready to go. It’s all you need to be in the top 10 percent of all conversationalists.
the secret of overcoming shyness by imagining you are acting instead of interacting. And by that I mean literally acting.
most people feel awkward in social situations at least some of the time.
The single best tip for avoiding shyness involves harnessing the power of acting interested in other people.
You should also try to figure out which people are thing people and which ones are people people.
I also find it helpful to remind myself that every human is a mess on the inside.
Success builds confidence and confidence suppresses shyness.
The thing that golf does well is that it allows males, especially, to bond.
No matter how smart you are, educated people will think you’re a moron if your grammar is lacking.
Nearly every interaction with others involves some form of persuasion, even if it’s subtle.
Being a good persuader is like having a magic power.
some words and phrases are simply more persuasive than others,
Persuasive Words and Phrases Because Would you mind . . . ? I’m not interested. I don’t do that. I have a rule . . . I just wanted to clarify . . . Is there anything you can do for me? Thank you This is just between you and me.
Sadly, we do not live in a world where good arguments always win. Sometimes you need to nudge people onto the right path even if they firmly believe it to be wrong.
Technology is part of the fabric of civilization, and you need to jack into it if you haven’t already. Learn the basics and you’ll be a lot happier.
voice quality is far more important to your overall health and happiness than you might imagine.
I think my fake professional voice and body language were at least half of the reason I was seen as having management potential.
Here’s my own list of the important patterns for success that I’ve noticed over the years. This is purely anecdotal. I exclude the ones that are 100 percent genetic. Lack of fear of embarrassment Education (the right kind) Exercise
People who enjoy humor are simply more attractive than people who don’t.
For in-person humor, quality isn’t as important as you might think. Your attitude and effort count for a lot.
Allow me to map the traps for you. I’ll start with a summary then explain. Overcomplaining is never funny. Don’t overdo the self-deprecation. Don’t mock people. Avoid puns and wordplay.
