'Happiness' is a poor metric for engineers as it is influenced by many non-work factors. A more useful and actionable metric is 'satisfaction.' You can directly measure and improve satisfaction with specific tools, processes, and team dynamics, which in turn leads to better work.

Relationship satisfaction can be improved with small cognitive shifts called "love hacks." These involve changing one's internal narrative rather than external realities, such as adopting a "growth mindset" about compatibility or reinterpreting a partner's negative behavior more charitably (e.g., as situational rather than characterological).

Just like in venture capital, personal and professional goals often follow a power law. Each month or quarter, one single accomplishment is typically worth more than all others combined. The key is to identify that 'one thing' and go all-in on it, rather than diluting focus across a long list of lesser goals.

Systems—repeatable processes that save time, energy, and stress—are more reliable than willpower, which fades. Instead of just setting goals, build systems that make achieving them the default outcome, even when motivation is low.

High achievers often apply immense rigor to their companies while neglecting their personal lives. To avoid this imbalance, treat your life like a business by implementing formal processes like quarterly reviews for relationships and personal goals, ensuring they receive the purposeful investment they need to thrive.

Pursuing huge, multi-year goals creates a constant anxiety of not doing "enough." To combat this, break the grand vision into smaller, concrete milestones (e.g., "what does a win look like in 12 months?"). This makes progress measurable and shifts the guiding question from the paralyzing "Am I doing enough?" to the strategic "Is my work aligned with the long-term goal?"

Solely measuring a team's output fails to capture the health of their collaboration. A more robust assessment includes tracking goal achievement, team psychological safety, role clarity, and the speed of execution. This provides a holistic view of team effectiveness.

While goals set direction, they are temporary. A system is the collection of daily habits and processes that drives long-term, repeatable success. Winners and losers often have the same goals; the system is what differentiates them. Focus on the process, and the results will follow.

When goals depend on external partners, it's hard to pace your outreach. Instead of guessing, treat it like an experiment. Set a weekly conversation goal as a hypothesis (e.g., two meetings/week) and measure the yield (e.g., one "yes" to collaborate). This data-informed approach helps quantify the actual effort needed to reach larger strategic goals.