Manan's notes

Things you're allowed to do

This is a list of things you’re allowed to do that you thought you couldn’t, or didn’t even know you could.


  1. Ask questions online.
    • You know those answers you enjoy reading on Stack Exchange, Reddit, Quora, etc.? Someone had to ask those questions. It can be you.
    • If you’re embarrassed by the question, it’s easy to be anonymous.
  2. Host small gatherings or conferences on topics you care about.
    • These are much easier to set up than you’d think, especially in the age of Zoom.
  3. Not tell white lies.
    • You can be nice and tell the truth at the same time.
    • Especially to kids when they annoy you!
  4. Travel to friends just to visit them.
    • Ask your acquaintances, “Hey, I want to leave my house more, are there any cool events you’re going to soon?”
  5. You really can, to the best of our knowledge, save someone’s (statistical) life with not that much money. This is a big deal.
  6. Write on a post-it note affixed to a greeting card rather than on the greeting card itself, so the recipient can throw away the post-it and reuse your card.
    • Employ similar logic for any disposable/consumable item.
  7. Ignore what’s on the jobs page and directly pitch someone at a company on hiring you.
    • The jobs page is always out-of-date anyway.
    • Figure out what their needs are before you make your pitch.
  8. Travel solo.