Friday Links 08-04-25

From the Web

The Zen Valedictorian – Cal Newport’s advice for being relaxed without curbing your ambition. Although the advice is aimed towards university students, the productivity tips can apply to almost everyone. The motto? “Do Less. Live More. Get Ahead.”

What NOT to do When Changing a Habit – Another great post from Leo at ZenHabits. Most of the 13 tips he’s mentioned I’ve written about elsewhere, and it’s nice to see them all in one page. A must read for anyone interested in changing habits.

The Key to Maintaining Motivation – NubTub offers some advice on staying motivated. The key? It’s all about giving specific, timely feedback.

Being a Better Mentee – Ben Casnocha is the right guy to ask if want to know how to find mentors. When running a software startup in Silicon Valley at the age of 14, it pays to get great advice. Here Ben shares a list of tips he’s found useful in how to be the kind of person who mentors will want to share wisdom to.

From the Archives

Creative Constraints – When it comes to choices, less can be more.

From the Shelf

The Man Who Fell to Earth – I stumbled across this book accidentally and it turned out to be a happy surprise. Not only is it a great read, it also has an important message. The story follows an alien who comes to earth as the eccentric genius, T. J. Newton. He is on a mission to save his race from extinction. While he starts off wise and noble, he starts succumbing to the different vices and failings of mankind.