SCHOPENHAUER'S 38 STRATAGEMS, OR 38 WAYS TO WIN AN ARGUMENT Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), was a brilliant German philosopher. These 38 Stratagems are excerpts from "The Art of Controversy", first translated into English and published in 1896. Carry your opponent's proposition beyond its natural limits; exaggerate it. The more general your opponent's statement becomes, the more objections you can find against it. The more restricted and narrow his or her propositions remain, the easier they are to defend by him or her. (abstracted from the book:Numerical Lists You Never Knew or Once Knew and Probably Forget, by: John Boswell and Dan Starer) Heading Out on Your Own — Day 21: Know Your Way Around a Kitchen If there remains a lingering sense among older generations of men that cooking is “women’s work,” I would think it is probably fading greatly among the younger set. True, for much of human history men did the hunting/farming and women did the cooking, and this arrangement continued to work well into the 20th century. Young men made a quick transition from living with their flapjack-flipping mother, to settling down with a meatloaf-making wife. But those days are long gone; accommodations that come with a cook are now virtually non-existent (although it lives on in fraternity houses), and men are remaining bachelors longer – well into their late 20s and early 30s. Maturing into a grown man means becoming self-sufficient, so daily dependence isn’t an option. Keeps you healthy and strong. Saves you money. Impresses the ladies. Gives you enjoyment. Now, I’m not a home cooking zealot. Let’s get started. Stocking Your Kitchen: Essential Equipment Hardware: Pots/Pans/Baking Dishes Thanks Matt!
Little Steps: 100 Great Tips For Saving Money For Those Just Getting Started Yesterday, I discussed how anyone can turn their financial life around if they just take that first step – the first step is always the hardest one. After that, you start taking more and more little steps and before you know it, your financial life is getting better and better. What follows is a list of 100 more steps to take. Each of these tactics are simple little moves you can make to improve your financial situation. Some of them take just a few minutes, others might take an hour or two, some of them require a bit of regular effort, but they’re all incredibly simple – anyone can do them. Each of them also save significant money, especially over the long haul, and when combined together these tips can save you a lot of money now. Obviously, not all of these tips will apply to everyone. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43.
Heading Out on Your Own — Day 27: How to Shop for Groceries This is the one post we didn’t originally have on the schedule for this series, but when we saw it listed several times when we asked for recommendations at the start, we decided to include it. I can definitely see why it was requested. There are many chores that parents have their children participate in while they’re growing up, but usually mom and dad retain exclusive control over grocery shopping. Thus, when a young man leaves home, he finds himself blinking under the fluorescent lights of the local supermarket, thousands of products stretched out before him. Below we share some basic tips so that you can cruise the aisles of the supermarket with confidence and get the most bang for your buck. Deciding Where to Shop Back in the old days you either made your own food or bought what you needed from the single general store in town. Traditional Supermarket (Safeway, Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market, Kroger) Warehouse Store (Sam’s Club, Costco) Ethnic Grocery Stores Farmer’s Market Skip coupons.
How to Moonwalk Heading Out on Your Own — Day 24: How to Be a Savvy Consumer We’ve talked before about how as men, we should strive to create more, and consume less. But less doesn’t mean nothing. Unless you’re Dick Proenneke, you’re going to spend most of your life as a consumer of goods and services like cars, clothes, healthcare, and even your education. Never in human history have there been so many choices as to what to spend your money on. Now, I don’t want to paint too sinister a face on it – companies are simply offering products and services that people want – but to the degree that marketers track you, they are essentially “predators” on the hunt. Understand the Principle of Value vs. A few years ago, we did a project where we asked AoM readers to write up “Lessons in Manliness” profiles on the ordinary men in our lives, describing how these mentors embodied manliness and inspired us. My grandfather was this kind of savvy consumer, and yours probably was (or is) too. Gauging Price per Use Let’s start with the example of a leather briefcase.
How to Become a Productivity Ninja Believe it or not, productivity can be learned, grasshopper. Yeah, I didn’t believe it either..until I transformed myself into a productivity ninja. Today, I’m going to teach you to maximize your time at your computer, dominate your email in-box, and spend less time on unimportant tasks to focus on what really matters. Like Neo learning Kung Fu, today I shall teach you the skill of productivity. My story I am the world’s best procrastinator. For the past three years: Every single article you’ve read on Nerd Fitness was either written very late the night before or the morning of its publication.I would spend 10-15+ hours a week on just Nerd Fitness emails.I usually slept somewhere between five and seven hours a night.I would freak out before traveling, work WHILE traveling (instead of enjoying my trip), and then spend weeks afterward catching up.I always felt like I was behind and overwhelmed. I finally came to the harsh realization that I was lying to myself. The issue with multi-tasking -Steve
Heading Out on Your Own — Day 25: Establish an Exercise Routine When I was in high school, I didn’t have to worry about creating and sticking to a fitness routine. I had football coaches who took care of that for me. I just had to show up at the weight room at the designated time with the rest of my teammates and do the scheduled workout. Because of that consistency, along with a lot of hard work, I was in really good shape when I graduated and headed off to college. With my football days behind me, I pretty much stopped working out once I arrived on campus. I’d play the occasional pick-up basketball game, but I didn’t have a set fitness routine to maintain the strength and conditioning I achieved while in high school. I’ve noticed that a lot of young men heading out on their own fall into the same trap I did. If you didn’t exercise regularly in high school, without working out (and a healthy diet) you won’t become a fat ex-jock, you’ll just become fat. Why You Need a Fitness Routine Increases testosterone. Good for your brain. Reduced health costs.