Categories are much broader than subjects within the Subject Index, with the goal of chunking content into groupings that are mostly mutually exclusive (although not all the time). The categories are listed below, each having a brief summary of the sorts of things contained therein.
Productivity and Efficiency
The Productivity and Efficiency Category deals mostly with the efficiency and improvement of processes.
- Metalearning: study techniques and other processes for more efficient knowledge acquisition.
- Systems of productivity and task management (e.g., Kanban, GTD, Pomodoro Technique, etc.).
- Organization
- Effective planning and goal-setting
- Decision-making
- Process controls
- Etc.
Gear
The Gear Category deals mostly with the efficiency and improvement of physical products. Basically all physical possessions fall into this category (including, for example, houses and cars), as well as the things you might expect more (backpacks, knives, clothing, bikes, etc.). The reason why I use the word “gear” for everything is mostly because I view all physical possessions through the same sort of lens as ultralight backpackers might view items in their loadout: as physical purchases with distinct purpose and intended use.
Of note is that all content relating to computer hardware is included in this category. Computers are aggregations of hardware and software (with the line getting a little blurry at the lower levels of computer systems).
This category also includes collections of related objects (“kitchen stuff,” “camping stuff,” and so forth), and explanations regarding the purpose and functionality of these collections.
Software
The Software Category deals mostly with the efficiency and improvement of software. I have particular interest in software that has the potential to increase workflow efficiency by a great deal (so, for example, Vim rather than Microsoft Word). I am also interested in human computer interaction (HCI) and workflow relating to text interaction with computer systems (both via keyboards and via voice-recognition software).
- Operating systems
- Programming languages
- Browsers
- Terminals
- Text editors
- File explorers
- Window managers
- Task switchers
- Application launchers
- Etc.
Exercise
The Exercise Category deals mostly with the efficiency and improvement of exercise, with the goal of maximizing personal fitness.
- Strength training
- High intensity interval training (HIIT)
- Moderate intensity cardio
- Low intensity steady state (LISS) cardio
- Flexibility training
- Recovery
- Injury prevention
- Etc.
Food and Nutrition
The Food and Nutrition Category deals mostly with the efficiency and improvement of nutrition, again with the goal of maximizing personal fitness.
- Macronutrients
- Micronutrients
- Human metabolism
- Appetite and hunger-related endocrinology
- Recipes
- Shopping lists and specific products to buy
- Etc.
General Health
The General Health Category deals mostly with the efficiency and improvement of health, excluding exercise and nutrition which are covered in their own separate categories (since they are so important). I am strongly supportive of the idea of preventative medicine (of the “eat lots of vegetables, exercise, and get enough sleep” variety rather than the “Eastern mysticism and essential oil aromatherapy” variety, e.g.), and for that reason focus more on optimal wellness than dealing with health problems. I understand and respect the need for discussion of the latter, but this site is not really targeted toward such.
- Optimizing sleep
- Stress management
- Meditation
- Managing addiction and other counterproductive thought patterns
- Dealing with depression, anxiety, and other mental health pressures
- Sex and health
- Social needs and health
- Emotional needs and health
- Improving self-esteem
- Etc.
Finances
The Finances Category deals mostly with the efficiency and improvement of personal finance, spending, and investing. As a rule of thumb, the spending habits that I argue for are those that yield maximum added value per dollar without significant diminishing returns. You can contrast this approach with optimizing for either lowest cost (which saves money but leads to suboptimal overall utility) or highest quality (which brings maximum overall utility, but leads to unnecessary expense).
Other
The Other Category contains things that don’t seem to immediately fit into any of the other categories. Eventually, I may make one or more more new categories, in which case some things would move from Other to the new category or categories.