William Liao @williamliao

Taiwanese American, daily blogger of ideas about impactful work in service of others, photographer (ephemera.photography)

William Liao last shared their writing spotting weeds
To be “lost in the weeds” is to be so caught up in minor detail as to completely miss the point.
Imagine two people getting a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum.
One person spends this opportunity scanning the painting while admiring da Vinci’s creation;...
William's Pantry
🍺 40 Beers
🥟 46 Dumplings
🧇 29 Waffles
🍪 29 Cookies
🍵 49 Teas
🍣 38 Sushis
☕️ 38 Coffees
🍫 41 Chocolate Bars
🍍 36 Pineapples
🥓 36 Bacons
🥚 36 Eggs
🥩 26 Steaks
🍊 45 Tangerines
🍓 25 Strawberries
🥃 28 Whiskeys
Collections

singing your songs

Henry David Thoreau is credited with writing his book Walden: “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with songs left in them.” 

Here’s the thing, he never actually said that. 

Thoreau actually wrote, “the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” 

...
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2022-02-24 04:24:22

can or can't

Every new challenge puts you at the same fork: 

Either you think you can or you think you can’t. 

In the case of can, you generate the confidence to try in spite of fear. And in trying, you create the opportunity to conquer the challenge or, at the...
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2022-02-23 02:31:23

prioritize with your actions

Declaring that something is a priority doesn’t make it a priority. 

You can say a project, goal, or relationship is important to you, but if you’re hardly spending time on it, then the reality is that it’s not as important as you’d have yourself believe. 

Priorities are made...
2022-02-22 02:41:31

everyone is figuring life out

Everyone is in a perpetual process of figuring their life out. 

Even the most seemingly well-put-together (whatever that means) individuals remain in a mode figuring life out — ever curious, and ever in search of challenge and meaning. 

This is important background because so many social circles and...
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2022-02-21 05:00:56

attention and direct experience

Today’s post is my third on the development of personal philosophy — a short phrase or sentence that performance psychologist Michael Gervais suggests we establish to help prevent our fear of other peoples’ thoughts (FOPO) from removing your attention from the beliefs, talents, and values that empower us to thrive...
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2022-02-20 01:55:26

incubation

Earlier this week, I wrote about incorporating the Pomodoro Technique into my daily routine.

For those not familiar, the spirit of the Pomodoro Technique is very simple: it’s the incorporation of time-bound periods of work followed by time-bound breaks.  That’s it. 

In my case, I performed 25-minute chunks of...
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2022-02-19 04:41:13

this is 28

New Year's Day and birthdays are unique in that they tend to make the short-lived, blink-of-an-eye nature of a human life span especially salient for me — more so than the changing of the seasons or any other day of the year. 

You only get to ring in the...
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2022-02-18 03:34:42

theory of constraints

The Theory of Constraints is a problem-solving methodology that involves identifying and addressing the biggest limiting factor getting in the way of progress. 

It is a pragmatic theory at heart, implying that you’re much better off focusing on solving one piece of a problem than several pieces at once.

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2022-02-17 02:38:27

learning

Dr. Lisa Barrett, a professor of psychology at Northeastern University, wrote on Twitter the other day, “The most expensive tasks that brains do are (1) moving your body and (2) learning something new. They have a metabolic cost that may feel unpleasant. So feeling bad doesn’t always mean that something...
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2022-02-16 01:28:56

breaks & movement

On the recommendation of a friend, I spent the day working in 25-minute blocks followed by 5-minute breaks and a 10-minute walk every 2 hours. 

Some of you may be more familiar with the name of this approach — The Pomodoro Technique — which Francesco Cirillo developed in the...
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2022-02-15 01:11:49