Decision-Making

I had just learned about microservices. They were amazing. Scalable. Independent. Deployable separately. The future of architecture. So naturally, I rewrote my side project as microservices. The project: A simple todo app. Maybe 100 users. What I built: 7 separate services Docker containers for each Kubernetes for orchestration API gateway Service mesh Distributed logging Service discovery Time to build: 3 weeks Time to build as a monolith: 2 days My manager saw it and laughed. ...

It’s 9 AM. You walk into a conference room at Amazon for a major product decision. No one is talking. Everyone is reading. For 20 minutes, the room is completely silent. Executives, directors, engineers-all reading the same six-page document. No PowerPoint deck. No bullet points. No presenter standing at the front of the room. Just reading. Then, after everyone finishes, the discussion begins. Welcome to Amazon’s most powerful cultural practice: the 6-pager. ...

You have 37,482 unread emails. 14,000 photos on your phone (5,000 screenshots you’ll never look at again). A Downloads folder with 2,000 files dating back to 2014. 42 browser tabs open right now. 7 note-taking apps, each with hundreds of notes you’ll never revisit. You tell yourself: “I might need this someday.” You never do. But you can’t delete it. Welcome to digital hoarding-the modern epidemic of keeping everything and finding nothing. ...

In April 1961, just three months into his presidency, John F. Kennedy approved one of the most catastrophic military operations in U.S. history. 1,400 Cuban exiles, trained and equipped by the CIA, would invade Cuba at the Bay of Pigs. They would spark a popular uprising, overthrow Fidel Castro, and install a democratic government. That was the plan. The reality? The invasion failed within 72 hours. Most of the brigade was killed or captured. No uprising occurred. The U.S. was humiliated internationally. Castro’s regime was strengthened, not weakened. ...

Imagine a game where one strategy is best no matter what your opponent does. You don’t need to predict their behavior, guess their intentions, or outthink them. You just pick the dominant strategy and you’re done. This is the simplest situation in game theory-and when you have a dominant strategy, your decision becomes trivial. Let’s understand this powerful concept. What is a Dominant Strategy? A dominant strategy is a strategy that gives you a better outcome than any other strategy, regardless of what your opponents do. ...

It’s a hot summer afternoon in Coleman, Texas. A family is relaxing on the porch, playing dominoes and enjoying the fan. The father-in-law says, “Let’s drive to Abilene for dinner.” Nobody really wants to go. It’s 53 miles away in 104°F heat, in a car without air conditioning. But nobody speaks up. The wife says, “Sounds good to me.” The husband, not wanting to disappoint, says, “Sure, I’m in.” The mother-in-law agrees. ...

On January 28, 1986, millions of Americans watched the Space Shuttle Challenger lift off from Kennedy Space Center. Among the seven crew members was Christa McAuliffe, a high school teacher chosen to be the first civilian in space. Students across America watched live from their classrooms, excited to see their teacher reach the stars. Seventy-three seconds into the flight, Challenger exploded. All seven crew members died instantly. The nation was devastated. ...

You’re in a meeting at Apple. The agenda has 12 items. Next to each item is a name. iOS notification improvements: Sarah Chen Battery optimization: Marcus Rodriguez App Store review process: Jennifer Wu That name isn’t the person who does all the work. It’s the person who is directly responsible for that outcome. One person. Completely accountable. Not a committee. Not a team. One person. If it succeeds, they get credit. If it fails, it’s on them. ...

Obscure methods and mental models that change how you think about thinking. Each one a tool most people never discover. The Zettelkasten Method Note-taking system that builds a “second brain.” The origin: German sociologist Niklas Luhmann used it to write: 70 books 400+ academic articles In 40 years He said his productivity came from his Zettelkasten (slip-box). How it works: Fleeting notes: Capture ideas immediately Literature notes: Summarize what you read (in your own words) Permanent notes: One idea per note, written clearly Link notes: Connect related ideas Index: Entry points to chains of thought The magic: Your notes become a thinking partner. ...

I once spent $299 on a course I never watched. Not because I needed it. Not because I researched it. Not because it fit my learning style. I bought it because I saw “47,329 students enrolled.” My brain did the math: “47,000 people can’t be wrong. This must be good.” Spoiler: It wasn’t good. For me, anyway. The content was basic, the pacing was wrong, and I could’ve learned the same material for free. ...