Author: Brett and Kate McKay

Editor’s note: The excerpt below comes from a book published in 1875: A Gentleman’s Guide to Etiquette by Cecil B. Hartley. Hartley has previously edified us with some incisive and amusing conversation rules. Today he offers tips on how to travel like a gentleman, especially when going abroad. While it’s no longer advisable to refer to the common folk in the countries you visit as “the peasantry,” the bulk of Hartley’s advice still holds true.  If you are going to travel in other countries, in Europe, especially, I would advise you to study the languages, before you attempt to go abroad. French is the … Continue reading →

A few months ago I published an article on how to pick a lock. One of the reasons I showed folks how to do that (besides fulfilling a goal to become more like Jason Bourne) was to demonstrate how locks provide an “illusion of security.” Locks make you feel safe, but if someone wanted to get into your house, they could easily pick their way inside. Hopefully, the takeaway from that post was that you can’t just rely on locks as your only means of home security. You need to utilize other tools and tactics in order to create multiple … Continue reading →

Your boss consistently asks you at the last minute to come into work on the weekend. You say “yes” every time even though you have family plans. You stew with resentment as you pore over TPS reports on a Saturday. You order an expensive steak at a restaurant, but when the waiter brings it to you it’s way over-cooked. When he asks, “How is everything?” you respond, “Fine,” while you glumly saw your charred hunk of meat.  You want to take a jiu-jitsu class, but you don’t think your wife will be too happy with you spending an hour or two every … Continue reading →

In this series on mastering your attention, we have emphasized the fact that attention is not just the ability to focus on a single task without being distracted, but in fact is comprised of several different elements that must be effectively managed. But this doesn’t mean that single-minded focus is not of paramount importance. Yesterday we compared managing your different kinds of attention to being the supreme commander of your mind – you must be able to deftly maneuver and deploy your units to various battles. But good management can only get you so far; to win the war on … Continue reading →