Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 1hBe sparing in how often you tell someone their negative feelings are wrong; it rarely helps a sad person to be told that they are also a liar. 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 7hTake a walk in a place that has lots of leaves and grass and other natural, irregular patterns. It stimulates dopamine, plus you should probably be walking more anyway. (Thanks, Tom L.) 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 13hLife would be simpler if we got to choose which things made us a little less dumb or ugly. If something has made you rethink how you roll, just humbly take the win, and keep getting better without regard to what caused it and when. 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 19hRelated: buy some decent toilet paper. You're a fucking adult. 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 19/10/2026Related: feelings are *real*. (Thanks, Mike S.) 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 19/10/2026Few journalists get to choose the headline for their piece. So, whenever the clickbait of a terrible, search-engine-optimized headline belies an actually-good article, consider getting mad at the editor. Not the writer. 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 19/10/2026To clean out a junky drawer, remove the contents and put it in a box. Only when you've used one of the items in the box *twice* is it allowed to live in the drawer again. After a month, pitch or donate the remaining contents—or move the precious or useful stuff to deeper storage. But, yeah, you […]mastodon.socialOriginal post on mastodon.social 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 18/10/2026Frequently ask yourself: do I want to be right, or do I want to be happy? 001 1
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 18/10/2026Be sparing in how often you tell someone their negative feelings are wrong; it rarely helps a sad person to be told that they are also a liar. 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 18/10/2026Related: when you get stuck and frustrated about how to solve a problem, stop, take a breath, and ask yourself, “What am I *actually* trying to accomplish here?” Because, that’s the outcome on the other side of a new and less ambiguous strategy. 011 1
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 18/10/2026Related: these are each also true for real people. 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/10/2026Your photos will get more interesting once you've learned to lie prone on the ground for a surprisingly long time. 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/10/2026Related: this also goes for most other scary personal anecdotes. 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/10/2026Related: Imodium works by sucking liquid out of your bowels, so compensate by drinking more water than you normally would. The Imodium will still work fine. 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/10/2026Sometimes, an email is just a way to say, “I love you.” 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 16/10/2026When you order delivery food from a new place that looks promising, use it as an opportunity to explore. Set a baseline by ordering a dish you love, especially if it seems hard to screw up. But, as a flyer, also consider ordering an appetizer or side dish they claim people love. 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 16/10/2026Unrelated: this also goes for the notional expertise portfolio of billionaires. Sometimes, perversely so. 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 16/10/2026Sometimes, people ask you how you're doing when they're especially concerned about how *they’re* doing. 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 16/10/2026You are not obligated to have a strong opinion about everything. Get fewer opinions about way fewer things, and then strive always to interrogate the basis of your strongest opinions. This is very difficult, so be grateful if you've found fewer strong opinions to interrogate. 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 15/10/2026People think about you much less than you either hope or fear. 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 15/10/2026*Collecting* and *Hoarding* are insanely different things. It's only a "collection" if it's actively displayed and curated. Six unread magazines, on the other hand, is not a collection; it's a recycling project and a personal affliction. 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 15/10/2026There are things that you always want with you when you leave the house. Keys, wallet, phone, etc. That's why, when you *are* at home, they always (and only) ever belong in exactly one place—a bowl, a shelf, a hook, or what have you. Setting them down anyplace else is madness, and you know in […]mastodon.socialOriginal post on mastodon.social 001 1
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 15/10/2026Whenever you switch to having two of something, change is happening, and you need to be aware of that. If you had one lover, but then suddenly find yourself with two, change is afoot. If you recently had one-thousand dollars, but are now down to two? Something big has changed. 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 14/10/2026If the soap in a guest bathroom is new and shaped like anything besides a bar of soap, do not use it. Also, do not eat it. Because I know you kinda want to. Especially those shiny little sea shells. 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 14/10/2026Relatedly related: have you leavened your estimate of the project with your hunches about the credibility of the client? Have you accounted for human foibles and flakiness in your estimate? 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 14/10/2026Until you learn the distinction between an adversary and an enemy, you're likely to accumulate quite a few of the latter. 001 1
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 14/10/2026Related: knowing whether a problem is something you might be able to figure out on your own is arguably as important as actually "solving" the problem. Just ask anyone who's ever assumed they knew how to fix their own brakes or diagnose a weird lump. 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 13/10/2026Treat every person you encounter as though they are having a way worse day than you. 002 2
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 13/10/2026Lean away from self-pity. Self-pity is also self-basting. Which is gross. 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 13/10/2026Related corollary: navigate an urban sidewalk by *avoiding* eye contact. Not because you're anti-social, but because eyes tell you little about where your fellow pedestrians are headed. Monitor feet and footsteps for imminent direction; unfix your gaze ~two head-heights above the crowd to detect […]mastodon.socialOriginal post on mastodon.social 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 13/10/2026Related: you'll rarely earn points in life for repeatedly thinking about something you're not doing. Unless worrying and fretting about something you're not doing makes you happy, you may wish to worry and fret less. 001 1
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 12/10/2026Just because you know something doesn't mean everybody knows it. Every day, somebody's born who's never seen *The Flintstones*. 001 1
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 12/10/2026Learn about Chesterton's Fence. Then, actively resist altering a given situation before you understand the reasons why it's remained unchanged for so long. (Thanks, G. K. C.) 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 12/10/2026Try not to guess too much about other people's motivations. Yes: even when you can easily imagine what they are guessing about yours. 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 12/10/2026If you're noticing a new name or phrase being used to refer to something you know by an older or more familiar name, try to keep an open mind. Rather than focusing on your own annoyance or discomfort, ask yourself in which direction the new name is encouraging people to move. If it feels like a […]mastodon.socialOriginal post on mastodon.social 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 11/10/2026You cannot alter history by choosing not to use words. But, you do stand a small chance of improving the future by choosing better words. 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 11/10/2026If the soap in a guest bathroom is new and shaped like anything besides a bar of soap, do not use it. Also, do not eat it. Because I know you kinda want to. Especially those shiny little sea shells. 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 11/10/2026In thinking about optimizing how you work, try to distinguish between the parts of your job that are *necessarily difficult* versus the parts that are harder than they actually need to be. The former is the reason that you get the big bucks, and the latter is the reason why you may often feel […]mastodon.socialOriginal post on mastodon.social 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 11/10/2026Relatedly related: if you really don't want mustard on your food? Yeah, maybe just tell them "It's for a kid." 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 10/10/2026Don't buy food to get a free toy, and don't buy toys to get free food. 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 10/10/2026Related: ask yourself how you might become the least annoying stranger that a given person met today. If you became the subject of a private anecdote, how great would you feel about hearing it? 001 1
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 10/10/2026Related: start noticing the people in your world who try to motivate you with fear. It's often because they don't have anything more appealing to offer, and, they know it. 001 1
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 10/10/2026Don't say you've lost something if you've merely *mislaid* it. "Lost" is a really special word, best reserved for describing a precious thing you've accepted you'll never see again. 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 09/10/2026Never argue on the internet. No one will remember whether you won or lost the argument; they'll just remember that you are the sort of person who argues on the internet. 101 1
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 09/10/2026Related: if you don't think you sometimes have *big* feelings about how you feel, please permit me to gently recommend your looking into mindfulness. 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 09/10/2026Close the door behind you. 001 1
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 09/10/2026Thoughts and feelings are real, but they do not have to define you. Remember that you are the sky—*not the weather*. (Thanks, Pema C.) 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 08/10/2026Almost every task in life benefits from the addition of a nearby trash bag. 000 0
Merlin's Wisdom Project @merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 08/10/2026Related: This also goes for almost everything else. 000 0