Hello everyone,
4 days ago, I made a mistake. I was looking into Google’s Domain hosting services to see if I could move manazir.org to them; this would allow me to use Google Drive and other services on @manazir.org emails.
The good news was that Google accepted us with open arms.
The bad news was that my old provider, BlueHost, decided that we didn’t need our website anymore and voided it. That’s right: because I didn’t make any backups or check with BlueHost beforehand, I accidentally deleted manazir.org.
This came as a huge shock. In the moments after realizing what had happened, I frantically began looking up BlueHost’s customer service line and dialing their number. But then, as the phone line was ringing, I realized something.
This was a blessing.
I hung up, set down my phone, and got to work.
I had anyway planned on switching to Webflow, a fancy new company which would provide a much cleaner interface, faster load times, and would drastically reduce the effort it would take to post new content.
I originally intended to spend a month tinkering and perfecting my designs, until I would host a grand unveiling of Manazir 2.0 in late August.
Instead of 4 weeks, I now had 4 days to rebuild my website before this email went out.
There's this concept called Parkinson's Law. According to Tim Ferriss, "Parkinson’s Law dictates that a task will swell in (perceived) importance and complexity in relation to the time allotted for its completion." Basically, if we have a deadline, we will produce essentially the same amount of output in a much smaller time period.
This is how masters students have the ability to write their entire dissertation in a week when they can't do it in the many months prior.
Because of Parkinson's Law, I was able to put my head down and rebuild Manazir.org from scratch in half a week. I was forced to skip all the bells and whistles I would normally be preoccupied with and to focus only on the essentials; this alone cut my production time in half, if not more.
Use Parkinson's Law to your advantage, and assign yourself absurdly short deadlines when completing pieces of large projects.
Trust me, you'll find yourself producing more than you previously knew was even possible.
Have a great week,
Aman
This week, I listened to mathematician Eric Weinstein's podcast episode
where he interviewed his son, Zev, on the day before his 15th birthday. I was blown away by the conversational intelligence of this kid. What was I doing when I was 14? I highly recommend you give it a listen.
A few days ago, I read computer scientist Paul Graham's essay on The Four Quadrants of Conformism. It shed light on the nature of social media and conformity in 2020. Graham's essays are incredibly well written, and everyone could benefit but taking a look at them.
I just discovered this podcast app called Castro. I don't know why I'd been using the Apple Podcasts app for so long; Castro is far superior in its features, design, and user experience. Anyone who loves podcasts should give it a try.
“Professionals stick to the schedule; amateurs let life get in the way.” - James Clear, Atomic Habits
The Problem with High School Exams - Aadil Manazir | This article examines why the high school testing structure doesn't encourage long-term retention, and a simple solution to this problem.
Manazir 2.0 - I chose three targets to focus on while constructing Manazir 2.0: speed, cleanliness, and reading experience. You can read about the changes in detail at the bottom of the About page.
Subscribe if you'd like to receive a short weekly email from us with an original thought, plus updates on our content and products.