> Early mornings are a very special time because no one else is up and it is the quietest and most productive part of the day.

For the exact same reason, so also are very late nights (~1 to 5am).

> We don’t deserve dogs.

I used to look at dogs and think that if any other sentient species came by, the things we'd done to an apex predator would be sufficient to mark our species for quarantine at best, but I was playing with a friend's dog the other day and it occurred to me that we've aggressively selected for the happiest, most loyal, friendliest critters we can find - that's what we want, that's what we want to be around*. The world's complicated and our actions in it don't always reflect us at our best, but there's something redemptive about our choice in companions.

(*Yes, some dogs are bred to be dicks, and some people are dicks, but most dogs are good dogs, and most people are, too.)

There are too many dogs.

In some countries, dog owners don’t give a shit and let their dogs poop everywhere (France for example).

Many dog owners can’t handle their dogs.

Dogs are scary for some people, especially children. Most dog owners don’t understand this and say "it’s a good dog, he doesn’t do anything" instead of doing the only sane thing: "you’re scared? I take the dog away".

It only takes one dick owner with a dick dog to instill fear in people (children) with significant and long-lasting consequences for their lives.

So yeah, some dogs are cute and whatnot, but unless you have a remote ranch or a huge property, and dogs can be dogs there, we actually need less dogs.

“Dogs are cute and whatnot”…

I suspect from your comment you have not had a good dog in your life before. I’m sorry for you for that.

Dogs, when raised well and taken care of, have incredible emotional intelligence and can communicate extremely well with humans. This combination can make them real friends and companions, not just cute animals. When people say, “man’s best friend” they really mean it.

Or, perhaps, OP has had good dogs in his life and recognizes the negative externalities many dog owners push onto the rest of us.

I'm still annoyed at whoever let their dog crap in my yard and didn't clean it up. I stepped in it while doing yard work, didn't discover it until the next day, then spent two hours and multiple runs through the washer cleaning the darned shoes to a usable state.

Clean up after your dog.

Did I do that somewhere?

> dog owners don’t give a shit and let their dogs poop everywhere (France for example).

This is an understatement. I’ve never seen sidewalks made out of dog poop instead of asphalt until France. It’s endemic, it’s everywhere, and people feel entitled to leave their dog poop where it dropped. You really have to see it to believe it.

Thailand, homeless dogs run around in packs in the streets. The Buddhist culture isn't going to put them down, but with folks actively feeding leftover food to the strays, there's a bit of a problem in almost every city--especially if rabies starts floating around. They'll get into hierarchical scuffles at night leading to a some very short but very loud howling. That said, unlike those with an owner, most would rather avoid you than bark and get needlessly aggressive for you just walking on a public sidewalk.

> In some countries, dog owners don’t give a shit and let their dogs poop everywhere (France for example).

I grew up in the American rust belt, and when taking family walks around the neighborhood, my parents were eternally yelling at me to not step in that broken glass, or that dog poop.

was this meant as a response to me or just a discourse on dogs?

> Understanding the incredibly high and hidden cost of conflict and anger. Films romanticize fighting the good fight. Avoiding a fight (legal, arguments, etc) until you absolutely can’t is worth a lot.

This is known to be great project management advice _and_ terrible relationship advice.

For interpersonal relationships, signaling misalignment early, directly, openly, with a sympathetic and reconciling demeanor, has been the best choice for me. Can't find sources anymore, sorry.

For projects, I won't expend more effort than what I have to.

Where does the project work stop and the interpersonal work starts, that's a vague art that demands a bit of intuition.

> Understanding the incredibly high and hidden cost of conflict and anger. Films romanticize fighting the good fight. Avoiding a fight (legal, arguments, etc) until you absolutely can’t is worth a lot.

That resonates strongly with me. It's better to just take the loss because entering a conflict because of it will cost more, even if you win, in almost all cases.

Another way it's been said: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turning_the_other_cheek

Bad idea. It's better to turn your ass to your adversary and move away from the conflict.

I’ve found that it’s okay to sit for 8+ hours most days so long as I’m getting out of my seat every hour and going for a short walk or two every day. Yoga, even a 15 minute session once a week, helps a lot, as you say. Using a vertical mouse, large text and staring out the window frequently are the other healthy habits I stick to while working.

I agree with most of these. This one needs to be careful though

> Yoga fixes lifelong back pain that drugs, swimming obsessively, chiropractors and workouts could not fix.

I'm healing a back problem that Yoga would definitely just make it worse

I haven't tried yoga yet because I luckily realized other items before I needed yoga :) Agreed fully

Great list - thank you.