A Linchpin's Journey

I've recently been putting active effort into polymathing. I'd wake up at 2:30am (but actually get up an hour later), then get to the gym by 4:30. I'd work out until 5:30, then get to the office by 6. Then 6-7am is polymathing time. 7am-4pm I do my job. then I get home by 5pm. The rest is just chores (groceries, laundry, etc.) and spending time with the kids. Watching a movie, or playing a video game, maybe if I have the time. I'm ready for bed by 8:30pm. People asked me, isn't that schedule too difficult to follow? What about "me" time? How did I develop the discipline to follow this schedule? Well, following the schedule IS "me" time. I do love the journey of my growth, and doing what I do is quite enjoyable. Perhaps the biggest motivation is self-love. I recently started becoming concerned about my growth, that I thought of gaining more skills. So I set my sights on becoming a polymath. I realized immediately that I had to set aside at least a...

There's so much to learn and you want to be able to maximize your time in doing so. That way you learn the most in the least amount of time. Such endeavors require a syllabus for each subject. Nowadays, it's so easy to prepare one. AI can do that for you. A syllabus can provide you with source material you can study - be it videos, books, or infographics. If tools are needed, AI can easily provide you with links where you can find or purchase such tools. You will be undertaking a new path, and it's best to have a roadmap. A mentor may also be able to help here. If you're working on a career in music, self-studying is good. But there are parts of a skill that you may miss out without actual interaction from a mentor, such as playing drum rudiments. A guide who has already gone through the path to learning what you want to learn will definitely be helpful. Finally, once again, output is key. You learn so much faster the more often you practice and create. So get motivated...

There are two ways a polymath learns. Near Transfer: Learning a new subject that is closely related to an already known subject Far Transfer: Learning a new subject that has little relation to an already known subject. Each has its advantages. If you have an ultimate goal, say start a business, of course you would need to learn a lot of things related to the goal -- getting good at sales, marketing, accounting, supply chain management, etc. In this case, near transfer would be appropriate. Far transfer is good for finding new perspectives since you'd be making new connections and gaining new insights between two totally different subjects. Far transfer is sometimes slower since the learning and training may not be familiar. If you want to maximize the time you have into learning faster, I recommend near transfer. This way, you learn subjects that may already be easier to learn, since you would be using a foundation you have already built from other subjects. There is a more directe...

Looking back, perhaps one of the most memorable experiences of becoming a polymath was when I started playing the guitar. I grew up learning music. At 10 years old, I took piano lessons. I learned how to read music sheets, the notes, the scales, the time signatures, and all that. But playing the piano wasn't something I looked for. It was something my parents had me do. While learning the piano was somewhat forced upon me, I'm actually grateful that I actually went through with piano lessons. Music exercises the brain (maybe through one's reading notes and timing, and activation through harmonic vibrations and frequencies), soothes, regulates breathing, and improves hand-eye coordination. You can say it makes one smarter. But moreover, lessons helped me appreciate and even gain interest in learning other instruments, particularly the guitar. I told my parents I was interested in playing the guitar, so they signed me up for lessons at Yamaha. Being my 13 year old self, I was...

It's been a while since I've posted anything. I have to admit, I may have gotten preoccupied with other things in the past year. As much as I'd like to blame changes in my routine since I stopped working from home -- I now go to the gym every weekday morning, plus travel time to and from the office, I acknowledge that it's only myself that's stopping me from providing insights into sharing my ideas to becoming a linchpin. One word that's been on my mind lately is the word Polymath . So why has this word been crossing my mind lately? Perhaps it's because I'd like to consider myself one, maybe it's because I'm interested in so many things. Or at the very least, gain the advantages a polymath has. The advantages? You can gain a whole new range of skills. You are able to produce new output you wouldn't think possible. You learn lateral thinking: taking something from one subject, then applying it to another. You get to meet people and see new per...

This is a concept I fabricated. Sometimes users would ask me to create a saved search and have a filter for a checkbox. That seems simple enough. NetSuite does allow users to filter based on the checkbox status - either unticked or ticked. But users would sometimes request to be able to filter ticked, unticked, or both in the results. As a workaround, I recommended to use a formula (text) as an available filter, where users can type t , f , or all . The criteria filter would be a formula (text), returning tall or fall (true or false respectively). It worked I guess. When doing this however, I recommend not adding other formula (text) filters in the criteria. Doing so will apply AND logic, and can mess up search results.

I am deeply saddened by the news about the recent layoffs happening in Oracle worldwide. I know what it feels like to unexpectedly lose a job. I even know the heartbreak of giving your all just to get fired, and even unpaid, after all your effort. I know the shame and disrespect of an angry boss (after my Oracle experience) that extorts you for their self-interest. In fact, I myself was fired from my previous employment. I held back from sharing this because I feared sharing this wouldn't inspire people to become linchpins if they'd get fired anyway. But I have come to realize why this story may be worth sharing. I left Oracle early this year as I would be taking up a NetSuite Admin role for a NetSuite partner. The company would be setting up operations in the Philippines, and the owner and CEO of the partner company saw my application. He proceeded to interview me and said he was very impressed with my profile. He told me that it was not easy to impress him. I thought to mys...