George Mack Quotes

Good rule of thumb for creating content: Don't optimise for views. Optimise for memory. 100 people remembering your work 1 year later > 1 million views today that are forgotten tomorrow. You don't want an audience that has dementia.

Some people live hundreds of lives. Some people barely live one.

Great interview question: Tell me about a time you solved a problem with extreme attention to detail? It’s hard to lie about extreme attention to detail on the spot.

Rule of thumb for spotting upcoming trends: If it’s a talking point on Reddit, you’re probably early. If it’s a talking point on LinkedIn, you’re definitely late.

The adults don't exist. Normal doesn't exist. If you don't think someone is weird, you've simply not spent enough time with them.

A good rule of thumb is to assume you’re always neglecting non-linear games. Think 10x more about these things than your minds default response: What city you live in, mattress, hiring a personal trainer, literally any form of hiring, dating app profile, how you introduce yourself, salary negotiations, how close you live to friends, what you want in a partner. You have to fight Parkinson’s law because you could do these tasks in minutes, which is why most people spend mere minutes on 1000x giga-decisions.

3-factor authenticator for decisions: 1). Luck razor - What do I think will produce the most luck in the future 2). Story razor - What do I think will make for the best story 5 years from now? 3). Alive razor - What makes me feel the most alive behind the eyes? If all 3, go.

The best writing advice I’ve found is to read your writing on Kindle. When I read my work in Google docs, I think I’m a genius and I need to say more. When I read my work on Kindle, I think I’m an idiot and need to say less.

If you compliment someone behind their back, the listener respects your loyalty. If you gossip about someone behind their back, the listener starts wondering if you'll do the same once their back is turned.

Wonderful rule of thumb: Don't count your age in days, count your age in the days worth remembering.

The single biggest thing the most successful people I've met have in common is that they have nothing in common. They rejected "the way" and did it their own way. Rather than fit into some pre-defined hole in the wall, they drilled a me shaped hole in the wall.

The easiest way I’ve found to increase my agency is to create two characters in my head:

Person A - Low agency self
Person B - High agency self

Ask: What would person A do? And what would person B do?

Ironically, Person A never asks this question. He acts on autopilot.

The idiot razor: When stuck between two equal options, choose the one that feels like stupidity over the one that feels like cowardice. It’s better to be an idiot than a coward. At least you’ll be fun at dinner parties.

Alive mode = When you make choices based off what makes you feel the most alive, regardless of the status of the choice.

Dead mode = When you make choices based off status and sacrifice what makes you feel the most alive behind the eyes.

If you create something and you're disappointed that nobody noticed, about 90% of the disappointment can be killed by reminding yourself that nobody noticed that nobody noticed.