Nodira - 101 Ways to Stay Sane

mental models: why smart people still make dumb decisions 1/2 "If you want to be a good thinker, you must develop a mind that can jump the jurisdictional boundaries. You don’t have to know it all. Just take in the best big ideas from all these disciplines. And it’s not that hard to do." - Charlie Munger there are certain universal truths that one can take advantage of. for example, velocity shows that both speed and direction matter. reciprocity reveals how being positive and taking initiative gets the world to do most of the work for you. Margin of Safety reminds that things don’t always go as planned. relativity exposes our blind spots and shows how a different perspective can reveal new information. mental models can be quite useful tools to avoid being "a man with a hammer to whom everything looks like a nail." if you only know one way of thinking, you'll force every problem into that framework. the thing is, your intuitions can be systematically wrong your brain evolved for small tribe dynamics 50,000 years ago. it's terrible at: exponential growth (you think linearly) probability (you overweight recent vivid events) compound interest (you don't get it intuitively) incentives (you trust stated motives over structural forces) models correct these built-in bugs. we like to believe we reason our way through life. in reality tho, most of the time we react. going to 8th grade physics, think of inertia. at its core, inertia is a property of mass. The more massive an object is, the more it resists changes to its state of motion. but it isn’t just a physical phenomenon. its an illuminating lens to see habits, beliefs, and our resistance to change. the longer we’ve held them, the larger the mass and the more force required to change them. the path of least resistance is always the status quo. getting started is the hardest part. once something moves in a direction, keeping it in motion is much easier. but once something is in motion, it’s hard to stop. thats why most self-­help books about positive habits break things down into very small steps - to reduce the force required to overcome the status quo. for example, if you want to get in the habit of doing push-­ups daily, start with one rather than fifty. after all, the bigger the mass - in this case, the gap between where you are and where you want to be - the more effort required. inertia can be both a challenge and an opportunity. successful companies struggle with the inertia of their success and the resistance to change that comes with size, complexity, and entrenched interests. on the other hand, startups can leverage their lack of inertia - their agility, their willingness to pivot and adapt - as a competitive advantage. momentum and inertia are closely related. while inertia is the tendency to resist change, momentum is the oomph an object has when it’s moving. the more momentum something has, the harder it is to stop or redirect. surely the point is to pick the right direction and build momentum so inertia works to your advantage and carries you forward. in essense its the concept of “flywheel” in business - success breeds success, and small wins compound into big gains.

i'm deeply convinced that forcing business students to memorize the 7Ps and PESTLE frameworks to get an A is like killing creativity in a young artist through rigid art classes that dictate how art "should be" done. never heard of Jobs or Altman taking consulting classes. zero intuition, zero sense of messy reality. that's how u accidentally manufacture mediocrity.

best guys indeed! if ur planning to prepare for AP, way to go

how to guarantee a life of misery? "First, be unreliable. Do not faithfully do what you have engaged to do. If you will only master this one habit you will more than counterbalance the combined effect of all your virtues, howsoever great. If you like being distrusted and excluded from the best human contribution and company, this prescription is for you. Master this one habit and you can always play the role of the hare in the fable, except that instead of being outrun by one fine turtle you will be outrun by hordes and hordes of mediocre turtles and even by some mediocre turtles on crutches. I must warn you that if you don’t follow my first prescription, it may be hard to end up miserable, even if you start disadvantaged. I had a roommate in college who was and is severely dyslexic. But he is perhaps the most reliable man I have ever known. He has had a wonderful life so far, with an outstanding wife and children and as chief executive of a multibillion-dollar corporation. If you want to avoid a conventional, main-culture, establishment result of this kind, you simply can’t count on your other handicaps to hold you back if you persist in being reliable.” - Charles Munger @summernotes

with such programs and initiatives, i can almost always guarantee that at least 70% of applicants will be girls. same was the case with 101 Teens of Uzb, with over 75% of stories coming from them. ladies, slay

with such programs and initiatives, i can almost guarantee that at least 70% of applicants will be girls. the same was the case for 101 Teens of Uzb with around 75-78% of stories coming from them slay

💫CALLING ALL YOUNG RESEARCHERS💫 Want to contribute to a nation-wide research on the youth of Uzbekistan, their ambitions and life choices? Join us! Uzbekistan is going through a lot of changes. To capture that, we are launching a Research Review supported by Central Asian University that will regularly study and publish on topics most important in Uzbekistan at the moment: youth, education, and socio-economic developments in our country. And we need your help to make it real! Our volunteers will: 🔭help collect data across all regions of Uzbekistan 👩‍🔬 support with surveys and interviews 🔬 assist in analyzing data Requirements: ✔️be 17 years or older ✔️currently residing in Uzbekistan ✔️able to communicate with schools and universities in your city In return, we provide: 🌟 certificates of participation 📄 letters of recommendation from our Research Center 📊 Hands-on experience in conducting real empirical research Highly engaged volunteers may also be invited to contribute to later stages of the project, including selected writing tasks. 📌 Registration link: https://forms.gle/CKuLji1FQYaR3va97 If you care about where Uzbek youth is heading – and want to help to document the voices shaping the future of Uzbekistan – join the team. Carpe diem! @summernotes

remembered that i actually wrote a post on this, a year ago on the old channel, saying that none of it is "proven or thoroughly researched," but that will change soon. we're working on something that tries to capture this moment. on a large scale, systematically, and nationwide. already hired some people for the project. tomorrow will share quite an exciting opportunity for some of you out there😌

remembered that i actually wrote a post on this, a year ago on the old channel, saying that none of it is "proven or thoroughly researched," but that will change soon. we're working on something that tries to capture this moment. on a large scale, systematically, and nationwide. already hired some people for the project. tomorrow will share quite an exciting opportunity for some of you out there😌

remembered that i actually wrote a post on this, a year ago on the old channel, saying that none of it is "proven or thoroughly researched," but that will change soon. we're working on something that tries to capture this moment. on a large scale, systematically, and nationwide. already hired some people for the project. tomorrow will share quite an exciting opportunity for some of you out there😌

Haven’t put the post through much editing Basically stream of consciousness Still, recommend to stop for a while and read

4. 2023 was a new bang for the education system. 2022, too, but especially 2023. It was only starting from these years that students around the country saw that studying abroad isn’t that much of a mystery. Uzbek children got into most prestigious universities in the world – Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Brown, to name a few – and here we have got “abroad rush.” Even if not every, but still many, teenagers decided that if they want to get a proper education, they must go abroad. It is especially true for U.S. universities. Education USA (U.S. department) began providing local students with free courses (both online and offline in American Spaces) on how to get into U.S. universities. The government started heavily investing in this sphere in many ways including EYUF (El-Yurt Umidi Foundation) – a state grant which covers your tuition fees and/or expenses abroad. Now, getting into the top 100 university became less of a distant dream for many. A lot of admission consultants started running their businesses promising to help students to get into a university abroad, be that America or South Korea or any other. Now students focused not only on getting IELTS but also SAT and doing extracurricular activities, as it is required by those schools. And it’s amazing. It really is. In 2024, we have got many more students who got into prestigious schools. And we as a country must be proud that our youth is finally entering the world arena. But here is the thing. It really should not be your end goal. I can see countless teenagers having their confidence plummeting because they couldn’t go abroad or get a scholarship to study abroad. It now seems as if the only way you can be an accomplished young person is through getting into a prestigious university. I understand why. Universities, good ones, give you many opportunities to develop and build a large network. It is completely different to have such an experience. But you know what? Most people are obsessed with all this only because of how fancy it sounds. Because they want to show off. Because it raises their popularity. Which is bad. If you are planning to study abroad, ask yourself first “why?” 5. Here comes the fifth wave, which I believe more of us should focus on. What is the end goal of education? Of getting into those universities? To become masters in whatever sphere we are pursuing, isn’t? To create something bigger than ourselves. To contribute to the development. To be great, in short, whatever job it is. Studying abroad certainly increases your chances of reaching that goal. But it is not the only way. Not at all. A hardworking and persistent person will succeed no matter where they studied or graduated. You must look at university as a tool that helps you get closer to your goals. But it should never be the end goal. Work on yourself. Learn. Challenge yourself. The 5th wave of the modern movement in Uzbekistan is probably going to be that of great masters of their work. Those who create what the whole world is going to recognize – be that great doctors, engineers, lawyers or writers. It is a high time we enter the bigger world stage. @Sunny_Youth

If you look at the progression of the modern movements of the youth in Uzbekistan, you can actually notice different waves throughout the years. I am not stating that any of this is proven or thoroughly researched, but rather comes from my personal observation of my peers and the generations that came before me. 1. When our brothers and sisters (those in their mid-twenties) were preparing for university entrance exams, their main focus was the DTM (Davlat Test Markazi) – the entrance exam for governmental universities throughout the country. Between 2010 and 2015, the preparation was especially intense, with students going to special cram schools that prepare them for the exams. I remember my own cousins coming from their classes in heat and instead of cooling down in their bedrooms they would grab their book and continue studying at home. We could talk with them only during lunch and supper times when a few months were left till the DTM days. 2. While DTM remained prevalent in the next few years too, more and more parents began sending their children to additional English classes. This wave of English learning could have begun much earlier but its popularity grew starting from 2015 and 2017. Each city would have a few major learning centers where students would go to after their school classes. I started learning English later, but I remember my classmates (we all were born in 2005-2007) carrying around their big English books from which they would learn long lists of words and cram those into their heads through a lot of repetition and making hundreds of example sentences. 3. Starting from 2017, IELTS – International English Language Testing System – grew in popularity. Many more students began preparing for this English proficiency test and aiming at certain band scores. The more widely recognized IELTS got in Uzbekistan, the higher the average score became as more teachers would find better ways of approaching the test. If in 2017 the band 7.0 was considered very high, now rarely can you surprise anyone with band 8.0. This caused the establishment of countless language learning centers which all would promise you “7+ in 3 months.” I call this period (up until 2024) “IELTS Mania” as it seemed that everyone around was obsessed with this certificate so much so that the first question a person could ask when getting to know you would be “What is your IELTS score?” IELTS preparation became a country-wide business, and while it is great that now more people than ever in Uzbekistan know English, many began to neglect other subjects at school. Or school whatsoever. It became a very common practice for students to get a permission from the school principals and not attend school at all because “they are preparing for IELTS and school is a distraction.” And it is so, actually. Schools seemingly lost their core value – teaching children – and instead became a mundane obligation which students would rather skip and spend their time more productively at libraries or learning centers. Most public schools didn’t (and do not still) have enough teachers so that students would come to school only to sit and talk. It’s a shame, really. If in any other normal country extra classes are only additional material to school studies, in Uzbekistan we have the exact opposite – students don’t get enough or any knowledge in most public schools. (I have to note here that it’s mostly true for high schools – primary schools are still doing their job)

“I have led a toothless life’, he thought. ‘ A toothless life. I have never bitten into anything. I was waiting. I was reserving myself for later on-and I have just noticed that my teeth have gone.” - Jean-Paul Sartre

kill your darlings i think its still written on my bio. yes, it is. in writing, “kill your darlings” means removing any element (sentence, paragraph, character, subplot) that you love but that weakens clarity, structure, or impact of the piece overall. the advice is often associated with Faulkner and goes back at least to Arthur Quiller-Couch, who told writers to “murder your darlings” in revision. its also reiterated by Stephen King in his “On Writing.” but i think you can go even further with this and apply it broadly to your life in general. anything that gives you pleasure and joy - your darlings, in other words - but that you know worsens your future prospects, should be killed. habits. sweets addiction. doomscrolling. you name it. sometimes it’s subtler. like maintaining the “smart and competent” image by avoiding situations where you have to try something new and risk looking slow or stupid. it feels safe. and it sabotages you in the long run. but i’m sure this can be applied to clinging to old and wrong ideas too. there’s a story mentioned in “Poor Charlie’s Almanack”. he tells a story (fictional, as far as i remember) of a certain businessman named Hyman Liebowitz. Hyman spent his whole life building this nails manufacturing company, prospered, made money, and then it was time for his son to take over the business. he left to Florida to rest but kept receiving financial reports from his son. pretty soon, the results kept getting worse and worse. he had to go and check. as he left the airport on the way to the factory he saw this enormous outdoor advertising sign lighted up. and there was Jesus, spread out on the cross. and under it was a big legend, “They Used Liebowitz’s Nails.” so he stormed into the factory and said, “you dumb son! what do you think you’re doing? it took me 50 years to create this business!” “Papa,” he said, “trust me. I will fix it.” Hyman went back to Florida, and while he was in Florida he got more reports, and the results kept getting worse. so he got on the airplane again. left the airport, drove by the sign, looked up at this big lighted sign, and now there’s a vacant cross. and, low and behold, Jesus is crumpled on the ground under the cross, and the sign said, “They Didn’t Use Liebowitz’s Nails.” Keynes said “It’s not bringing in the new ideas that’s so hard. It’s getting rid of the old ones.” and Einstein said it better, attributing his mental success to “curiosity, concentration, perseverance, and self-criticism.” by self-criticism, he meant becoming good at destroying your own best-loved and hardest-won ideas. if you can get really good at destroying your own wrong ideas, that is a great gift. oh, i think Leila said smth similar too. you can’t get fit if you’re eating healthy food but without cutting sweets and sodas. removing what doesn’t work is usually a far better solution than adding smth new. @summernotes

немного о больном и родном this post is for girls out there only. so if ur a guy, u might simply wanna skip it (unless ur a loving boyfriend willing to understand ur partner?) a few days ago, i’ve been approached by a girl on the street (i still wonder how some recognize me with my zero online presence lol). she told quite a few kind and warm words (such a sweet person, really) and also asked how i manage everything. everything? i don’t post much to begin with, prefer to cut the noise (plus, being online for long overwhelms me). well, u know. studies, work, research and overall being the best version of yourself. the question came right after several days of a messy battle with my hormones and walking at the tip of existential confusion with all the “now what?” questions. late luteal phase, in other words. you might not track your hormonal cycle all the time, and that’s okay. i’ve also been there, thinking that knowing when my periods will come is more than enough. but i’d highly encourage you still to educate yourself properly on the topic at least to stop being constantly at war with your own body. you might simply do that through apps, or learn by heart a very simplified version of the cycle: periods, the first 1-7 days. alias, “don’t bother me” phase. low energy, low patience, and a puffy body that will be slowly deflating soon. walk more and don’t judge yourself too hard. ur shedding an organ linen, after all. then comes follicular phase. the period when you think you’ve finally fixed your life and started conquering the world again. feels like spring. days 12-16 are what called ovulation, or your prime days ahah. face sharper, jeans sit just right and you look amazing effortlessly. most energetic, ready to take on any project and work full mode. the last phase, days 17-28, is called luteal. early luteal phase is comparatively tolerable, but the last few days are what you call PMS - food cravings, irritability and high self-criticism. no fun at all. oh, and of course, ur face gets puffier (good thing is, no one except for you notices that). the only suggestion here is.. just make through it. if you can’t workout, walk. some people go through these better than others. some (like i used to) can sit for hours with a stomach ache without moving. and yeah, i know, it sucks. unfortunately or not, you are influenced by your hormones a bit more than your male colleagues. is it a disadvantage tho? only if you decide so. good thing about knowing all this is that you’ll be aware of what to expect. and when you know that it is normal to feel this way for the following few days and that nothing is really wrong with you - it’s actually liberating, you know. that means that you can separate your emotions and still continue working because these are the conditions so you have no other choice but to accept. you know you’ll feel this way, so you don’t let that affect your behavior. work is still work cuz that’s just how it is. @summernotes

wtf reminds me of how we made friends back in kindergarten where you could come up to a random kid and ask to be friends😭😭😭 i usually don’t respond to random people but this. ahah. either someone among my friends is pranking me well or i’m talking with an alien

wtf reminds me of how we made friends back in kindergarten where you could come up to a random kid and ask to be friends😭😭😭 either someone among my friends is pranking me well or i’m talking with an alien