Figures viii
Introduction xi
Part I: Breaking Bad Habits - The Problem 1
Chapter 1. The Traditional Psyche 3
Chapter 2. Pestilential Goal-Setting 17
Chapter 3. The Twenty-First-Century Dilemma 22
Chapter 4. Self-Limiting Reluctancy 32
Chapter 5. The Malleable Psyche 54
Chapter 6. Incessant Distraction 68
Chapter 7. Procreative Predisposition 79
Chapter 8. A Cursed Grail 87
Chapter 9. Shortsighted Limits 110
Part II: Revelations of Promise - The Theory 123
Chapter 10. The Waterfall Methodology 125
Chapter 11. The Agile Philosophy 141
Chapter 12. The Nexus of Chaos and Development 157
Chapter 13. Iterative Divergence 163
Chapter 14. Shades of Serendipity 171
Part III: Desperate Measures - The Last Resort 191
Chapter 15. A Sense of Urgency 193
Chapter 16. Perpetual Dissonance 200
Chapter 17. Suffer 206
Part IV: Direction - The Purpose 219
Chapter 18. The Quasi-Chaotic View 221
Part V: The Tool Kit - The Means 243
Chapter 19. Curiosity 245
Chapter 20. Osmosis 257
Chapter 21. Accountability 265
Chapter 22. Momentum 272
Chapter 23. Ambition 279
Chapter 24. Failure 284
Chapter 25. Pride 289
Part VI: Decisions - The Verdict 295
Chapter 26. Hard Problems 297
Chapter 27. The Three Pillars of Conviction 307
Chapter 28. The Quasi-Chaotic Decision-Making Model 319
Stage 1: Realizing a Decision 321
Stage 2: Acting on a Decision 327
Stage 3: Living with a Decision 332
Part VII: Execution - The Practice 339
Chapter 29. Learning By Example 341
Mike's Odyssey 344
Andrew's Odyssey 346
Rachel's Odyssey 348
Chapter 30. Step 1: The Setup 350
Chapter 31. Step 2: Scope of Influence 377
Chapter 32. Step 3: Navigating SOI 387
Chapter 33. Step 4: Five Whys 396
Chapter 34. Step 5: Cutting 415
Chapter 35. Step 6: Bulking 446
Chapter 36. Bringing it All Together 508
Part VIII: Triumph - The Finish Line 517
Chapter 37. Recap 519
Chapter 38. Giving Back 524
Chapter 39. Rebirth 527
Quasi-Chaotic Tips 530
Quasi-Chaotic Tool Kit Cheat Sheet 543
Effective Altruism and the Pledge 547
Glossary and Essentials 553
References 573
Index 595