the deck
Internal · inspiration library

Essays worth
actually applying.

A small internal deck of essays we keep coming back to. Each one gets a clean reader, plus two application tabs — how to run its idea if you're 16 years into tech, and how to run it if you're starting from zero.

Tab 1 — the essay, reformatted Tab 2 — apply it · 16 yrs in tech Tab 3 — apply it · starting fresh
Mindset · Dan Koe · future/proof

How to fix your entire life in one day

Resolutions fail 80–90% of the time because people change their actions and never touch the thing underneath: who they believe they are. Seven ideas, then a one-day pen-and-paper protocol to reach dissonance, move through uncertainty, and hit discovery.

Essay Apply · 16 yrs Apply · fresh start ~16 min
Mindset · Dan Koe · future/proof

The most important skill for the next 10 years

Most skills may be irrelevant in 10–20 years. Agency won't be — the ability to set your own direction, do what it takes, and resist the distractions. Five ideas: iterating without permission, why AI doesn't threaten the high-agency, why generalists win, the five human capabilities, and a practice loop.

Essay Apply · 16 yrs Apply · fresh start ~14 min
Craft · Dan Koe · future/proof

If you have multiple interests, don't waste the next 2–3 years

Range was sold to you as a weakness. It's the edge — if you give it a vessel that turns every interest into work you own. Seven ideas: the self-education / self-interest / self-sufficiency triad, why the intersection beats expertise, brand as environment, the idea museum, and building one system that compounds.

Essay Apply · 16 yrs Apply · fresh start ~15 min
AI workflow · Garry Tan · via The AI Corner

Personal AGI: own your context, rent the models

Garry Tan claims a ~400× output multiplier from an 80,000-page personal knowledge system. The lesson isn't a smarter model — it's that your context (markdown memory + reusable skill files) is an asset you build and keep, while the model is a commodity you rent. Five principles, plus the 2× vs 100× workflow gap.

Essay Apply · 16 yrs Apply · fresh start ~11 min
Open slot

Drop the next essay here — same 3-tab format.