Self-defined "first principles" I try to live or reason by.
Core principles that guide my decisions and worldview. These are the foundational beliefs I return to when facing uncertainty or complexity.[^1]
Embrace beginner's mind: Every expert was once a beginner. Approach new domains with curiosity rather than the need to appear knowledgeable.[^2]
Learn by building: Understanding comes through creation, not consumption. The best way to learn something is to try to make it.[^3]
Seek disconfirming evidence: Actively look for information that challenges your beliefs. Being wrong quickly is better than being wrong for a long time.[^4]
Questions > Answers: The quality of your questions determines the quality of your thinking. Good questions are more valuable than clever answers.
[^1]: The term "axiom" here is used loosely—these are more like heuristics than logical axioms. Unlike mathematical axioms, they are revisable and context-dependent.
[^2]: This concept originates from Zen Buddhism as shoshin (初心). Shunryu Suzuki wrote: "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few."
[^3]: Related to the Feynman Technique: "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." Building forces you to confront your gaps in understanding.
[^4]: Karl Popper's falsificationism argues that scientific theories can never be proven true, only falsified. Seeking disconfirmation is more epistemically productive than seeking confirmation.
Optimize for learning over earning: Early in your career, choose opportunities that teach you the most. Skills compound faster than salary.[^5]
Do things that don't scale: The most valuable work often can't be automated or systematized. Embrace the inefficient and personal.[^6]
Default to action: When in doubt, do something. Imperfect action beats perfect inaction every time.
Build things people want: The market is the ultimate judge of value. Build for real people with real problems.
[^5]: Naval Ravikant calls this "specific knowledge"—expertise that can't be easily trained or replicated. It compounds over time and becomes increasingly valuable.
[^6]: From Paul Graham's essay of the same name. The most successful startups often begin by doing things manually that they later automate.
Assume positive intent: Most conflicts arise from misunderstanding rather than malice. Start with curiosity, not judgment.
Be specific with praise, general with criticism: "You did X well" is more helpful than "You're good at this." "This could be better" is kinder than "You did Y wrong."
Listen to understand, not to reply: The goal of conversation is connection, not winning. Seek to understand before seeking to be understood.
Show up consistently: Reliability is a form of respect. Small, consistent actions build stronger relationships than grand gestures.
Choose reversible decisions quickly: Most decisions are two-way doors. Make them fast and change course if needed.[^7]
Optimize for optionality: When uncertain, choose paths that keep more doors open rather than closing them.[^8]
Focus on inputs, not outcomes: You can't control results, but you can control effort, process, and choices.
When in doubt, choose the harder path: Easy choices often lead to hard lives. Hard choices often lead to easy lives.
[^7]: Jeff Bezos distinguishes "Type 1" decisions (irreversible, high-stakes) from "Type 2" decisions (reversible, low-stakes). Most decisions are Type 2, yet we treat them as Type 1.
[^8]: Nassim Taleb calls this "antifragility"—positioning yourself to benefit from uncertainty rather than just survive it. Options have asymmetric payoffs.
Tools amplify intent: Technology magnifies whatever you were already doing. If you were distracted before, it will make you more distracted.
Simple beats complex: The best solutions are often the simplest ones. Complexity is easy; simplicity is hard.
Local first, cloud second: Control your own data and tools when possible. The cloud is just someone else's computer.
Build for humans: Technology should serve human needs, not the other way around. If it makes life worse, it's bad technology.
Time is the ultimate currency: You can make more money, but you can't make more time. Spend it intentionally.[^9]
Enough is a decision: Wealth is not an amount of money; it's when you have enough. Decide what "enough" means for you.
[^9]: This concept has deep roots in Stoic philosophy, particularly in Seneca's "On the Shortness of Life" where he argues that life is long enough if we use it wisely. The modern interpretation often draws from the economic concept of opportunity cost—every hour spent on one activity is an hour not spent on another. Research in behavioral economics by Daniel Kahneman and others has shown that people systematically undervalue their time relative to money, leading to suboptimal life decisions. The "time affluence" literature suggests that feeling rich in time correlates more strongly with well-being than monetary wealth beyond a certain threshold. This is why wealthy people who feel time-poor often report lower life satisfaction than those with moderate income but abundant leisure. The practical implication is to regularly audit how you spend your hours with the same rigor you might apply to financial budgeting. Tools like time-tracking apps can reveal surprising patterns—many people discover they spend far more time on low-value activities than they realized. The goal isn't to optimize every moment for productivity, but to ensure your time allocation reflects your actual values and priorities. Marcus Aurelius wrote extensively about the proper use of time in his Meditations, reminding himself that each day could be his last and therefore must be lived with intention. Epictetus taught that we should focus only on what is within our control—and how we spend our time is one of the few things truly under our dominion. The Buddhist concept of "right livelihood" similarly emphasizes that how we spend our working hours should align with our deepest values. In the modern context, Cal Newport's "Deep Work" argues that the ability to focus without distraction on cognitively demanding tasks is becoming increasingly rare and therefore increasingly valuable. The attention economy has made time management more challenging than ever, with endless notifications and dopamine-driven feedback loops competing for our limited attention. Studies show that the average knowledge worker checks their email 74 times per day and switches tasks every 3 minutes. This fragmentation of attention has profound implications for our ability to do meaningful work and experience the satisfaction that comes from deep engagement with challenging problems.
Invest in yourself first: The best investment is developing skills that can't be taken away from you.
Money follows value: Focus on creating value for others, and money will follow. Chase money directly, and it becomes elusive.
Sleep is not optional: Almost every problem is worse when you're tired. Prioritize sleep above almost everything else.
Move every day: The human body is designed for movement. Find ways to move that you enjoy, not endure.
Mental health is health: Taking care of your mind is as important as taking care of your body. Both require attention and maintenance.
Stress is information: Anxiety and stress are signals, not just problems to eliminate. Listen to what they're telling you.
Progress over perfection: Done is better than perfect. Perfect is often the enemy of good enough.
Embrace uncertainty: Life is fundamentally uncertain. Learn to be comfortable with not knowing.
You are not your thoughts: You have thoughts; you are not your thoughts. Observe them without being controlled by them.
Everything is temporary: Both good times and bad times pass. This perspective brings gratitude in success and hope in failure.
These axioms are not universal truths but personal operating principles. They've served me well, but your mileage may vary.