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title = "My way of working"
date = 2026-01-04
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Being better at anything takes time and is hard. I try to enjoy the process rather than celebrating the achievement of goals. If I forget everything else, I just try to remember to **work against resistance**.
> One must imagine sisyphus happy. - **Camus**
Although I am not productive all the time or [even want to](https://sohl-dickstein.github.io/2022/11/06/strong-Goodhart.html), I still try to use my time efficiently. With this in mind, I came up with a process. According to [Atomic Habits](https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits-summary), following a process and creating habits slowly is the best way to improve. Creating a habit requires that the task is obvious, attractive, easy and satisfying. The opposite should be done to break bad habits. Any changes I make I should be willing to make permanently. I am motivated when I am learning something or delivering something of value. I approach my life both top-down and bottom-up.
## Top-Down
A top-down starts being identifying areas of improvement every year and creating SMART goals for each area and achieving them via [time bound](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle) projects. This needs to set at a sustainable pace. I let people in my life know about this so that I can be accountable. The projects need to be either hell yes; or no and projects don't always need to be [completed](https://cassidoo.co/post/questions-when-i-need-to-finish-something/). I try to block at least [5 slots](https://calnewport.com/deep-work-rules-for-focused-success-in-a-distracted-world/) of 2 hour at minimum to work on projects that matter to me deeply. I try to limit active projects to 1 or 2 and maintain a list of next actions for each of them. Tasks don’t all need to be done by me; I do not mind delegation if possible.
## Bottom-Up
While working, I try to store information either via this blog or being documenting projects. I also try to study something new or refresh something from my past experience to keep myself up to date. Studying more doesn't help; studying effectively leads to better results. I try to learn conceptually; facts can be looked up. I start with a quick-read to create an overview of what I am learning. I follow this by fully reading what I am studying without stopping and do a third pass while taking brief [notes](https://www2.cortland.edu/offices/asap/student-resources/cornell-note-taking). I then expand them with my own words and then summarize what I have learnt in my own words. I also try to connect them to things I already know. Some key learnings:
- Remembering things and recognizing them read are not the same. Test yourself.
- Using mnemonics instead of rote memorization provides better results.
## References
- [PARA Method](https://fortelabs.com/blog/para/)
- [How To Take Better Lecture Notes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bvsf591rYWE)
- [You Must Read At Least One Book To Ride](https://ludic.mataroa.blog/blog/you-must-read-at-least-one-book-to-ride/)
- [Study Less Study Smart](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlU-zDU6aQ0)
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