I have noticed I am more consistent with my commitment to write every day when I take the trolley, wait for a bus, or drive in the passenger seat. It is the only time of most of my days where it feels so frictionless to tap on a screen and start translating thoughts into digital…

In Latin America, your middle name usually is more important than your first name. Back in México, my family always called me “Carlos”, or when they were angry at me, they would call me by my full name, “José Carlos.” In high school, the personal trainers at my local gym referred to me as “Charlie”,…

I have started feeding my cat classical music when I’m away from home. He seems calmer, friendlier, and more sociable. He gets very comfortable with me. There must be something going on in the neurochemistry of his brain that is affected by the rhythmic sound waves hitting his ears. If music has such an effect…

Sometimes doing nothing is the most productive thing to do. Quiet reflection and wandering around feeds the soul.

It’s graduation season. I remember the day I graduated from NYU. My dad was still alive. My family traveled from México to be present with me. I was heading to Penn. A friend took a photo of me that captured everything I felt that day: Is this it? Is this what success feels like? Why…

Missing one is an accident. Missing twice is the start of a new habit. — James Clear I think the trick to daily blogging is to have a mindset not to miss a day. Even if it is a single paragraph. The habit forces you to be more attentive and responsive to the world as…

I am having a hard time thinking of a point in history where academia experienced a revolutionary change as profound as AI will have in the next few years. Besides the printing press, it is hard to tell. Academia is about to experience a profound change not seen since Plato founded the Academy. The role…

Improvisation is more than an ability. It is a skill. It demands a willingness to experiment, a proclivity for creativity, and a deep understanding of principles. Today I improvised in painting my bedroom. I was not happy with a color I purchased for the background walls. Commercially known by Sherwin-Williams as “Ice Blue,” the tone…

In the office lingo of American English, there is an expression for the act of protecting your reputation from bad actors or circumstances: to “cover your ass.” There is a missing equivalent for protecting who you are as a person, your ethical commitments, and your vibe. I hence-ford propose a new expression: to “cover your…

Sometimes the secret to get out of trouble and carry out the mission, one must play the dumb card. In certain cases, to be perceived as sharp makes people go up in arms. To speak your mind only hurts feelings. To play dumb prevents confrontations, judgements, and friction. It protects the boss’ ego when a…