Second Month Detailed Schedule

Weeks 5-8: Complete Phase 1A - Personal Psychology

This schedule continues your day-by-day plan for Month 2. You’re finishing the cognitive biases and decision-making books, then moving to emotional intelligence.

How to Use This Schedule

Daily Time Commitment: 30-60 minutes

• Morning option: During baby’s first nap
• Evening option: After baby’s bedtime
• Split option: 15 min morning + 15-30 min evening

Flexibility Rules:

• Miss a day? Just continue where you left off
• Behind schedule? Skip optional items (marked with *)
• Ahead? Move to next day or go deeper on current material

Icons:

• :movie_camera: Video/Course
• :books: Reading
• :headphones: Audiobook-friendly
• :memo: Writing/Reflection
• :wrench: Setup task
• :brain: AI practice
• :zap: Quick task (< 15 min)

Week 5: Finish Thinking, Fast and Slow

Goal: Complete Chapters 13-25 + start Predictably Irrational

Day 29 (Monday)

Key concept: Regression to the mean - extreme events are usually followed by more ordinary ones.

Day 30 (Tuesday)

Key concept: The planning fallacy - we systematically underestimate time needed for tasks.

Day 31 (Wednesday)

AI prompt:

I've read Part 2 of "Thinking, Fast and Slow" about heuristics.
Quiz me on: availability heuristic, representativeness,
anchoring, and regression to the mean. Don't give answers
until I try to explain each with an example.

Day 32 (Thursday)

Key concepts: Overconfidence, validity illusion, expert intuition.

Day 33 (Friday)

Reflection exercise: Think of decisions where you were very confident but turned out wrong:

• What made you overconfident?
• What would System 2 thinking have revealed?

Day 34 (Saturday) - Lighter Day

TED Talk: Are We in Control of Our Decisions?

Day 35 (Sunday) - Catch-up & Review

Week 5 Checkpoint

Before moving to Week 6, you should have:

• Finished “Thinking, Fast and Slow” (or very close)
• Created 30+ flashcards (cumulative)
• Identified your own overconfidence patterns
• Reviewed Dan Ariely TED Talk
• Can explain System 1 vs System 2 in your own words

Celebrate: You’ve completed one of the most important books in behavioral economics!

Week 6: Predictably Irrational + Noise

Goal: Complete Predictably Irrational + Start Noise

Day 36 (Monday)

Book completed! Note your top 3 takeaways.

Day 37 (Tuesday)

Key insight: We don’t know what we want until we see it in context. The “decoy effect” manipulates our choices.

Day 38 (Wednesday)

Key concept: Social vs. Market Norms - once you pay people, you change the relationship forever.

Day 39 (Thursday)

AI prompt:

I'm learning about social vs. market norms from Dan Ariely.
Give me 3 workplace scenarios and ask me to identify whether
social or market norms should apply. Challenge my thinking.

Day 40 (Friday)

Day 41 (Saturday) - Lighter Day

Suggested: Search “Daniel Kahneman interview” - Tim Ferriss or Lex Fridman episodes are excellent.

Day 42 (Sunday) - Transition Day

Key distinction:

• Bias = systematic error in one direction
• Noise = random variability in judgment

Week 6 Checkpoint

Before moving to Week 7, you should have:

• Finished “Thinking, Fast and Slow”
• Finished “Predictably Irrational”
• Started “Noise”
• Created 40+ flashcards (cumulative)
• Can explain: FREE power, social vs. market norms, decoy effect

Major milestone: 2 of 5 Phase 1A books complete!

Week 7: Noise + Start Emotional Intelligence

Goal: Finish Noise + Start Emotional Intelligence + EQ self-assessment

Day 43 (Monday)

Key insight: Judges, doctors, managers - all show shocking variability in their decisions, even when given identical cases.

Day 44 (Tuesday)

Types of noise:

• Level noise: Some judges are consistently harsher
• Pattern noise: Different responses to different cases
• Occasion noise: Mood, weather, hunger affect decisions

Day 45 (Wednesday)

AI prompt:

I'm learning about "decision hygiene" from Noise by Kahneman.
Help me apply these principles to a decision I need to make
about [topic]. Ask me questions to structure my thinking.

Day 46 (Thursday)

Reflection: Think of similar decisions you made on different days. Did you decide consistently?

• Performance reviews?
• Spending decisions?
• Parenting choices?

Day 47 (Friday)

TED Talk: Why Aren’t We More Compassionate?

Day 48 (Saturday) - Lighter Day

TED Talk: The Power of Introverts

Day 49 (Sunday) - Review + EQ Assessment

EQ Self-Assessment: Rate yourself 1-10 on each component:

• Self-Awareness: ___
• Self-Regulation: ___
• Motivation: ___
• Empathy: ___
• Social Skills: ___

AI prompt:

I just rated myself on the 5 EQ components: [your ratings].
Ask me about specific situations where I demonstrated each
(or lacked it). Help me identify which areas need the most work.

Week 7 Checkpoint

Before moving to Week 8, you should have:

• Finished “Noise”
• Started “Emotional Intelligence”
• Completed EQ self-assessment
• Watched 2 TED Talks (Goleman, Cain)
• Created 50+ flashcards (cumulative)

Week 8: Complete Emotional Intelligence + Quiet + Finish Phase 1A

Goal: Complete both books + all Phase 1A reflection + transition to Phase 1B

Day 50 (Monday)

Key concept: Amygdala hijack - when emotions override rational thought. Learning to pause is the key skill.

Day 51 (Tuesday)

Why EQ > IQ for leaders: At senior levels, EQ differentiates top performers more than IQ.

Day 52 (Wednesday)

AI prompt:

Give me 3 workplace scenarios where I might experience
an "amygdala hijack." For each, ask me how I would:
1) Recognize it's happening
2) Pause before reacting
3) Choose a better response

Day 53 (Thursday)

Key distinction: Introversion isn’t shyness - it’s about where you get energy.

Day 54 (Friday)

The Extrovert Ideal: Western culture overvalues extroversion. This wastes enormous potential.

Day 55 (Saturday) - Lighter Day

Introverts’ strengths:

• Deep thinking and concentration
• Careful decision-making
• Strong listening skills
• Excellence in written communication

Day 56 (Sunday) - Phase 1A Completion

Phase 1A Reflection Questions

Complete these before moving to Phase 1B:

1. Which 3 cognitive biases do you fall for most often?

   • Bias 1: _______________ (Example: _______________)
   • Bias 2: _______________ (Example: _______________)
   • Bias 3: _______________ (Example: _______________)

2. Your EQ Profile (1-10):

   • Self-Awareness: ___
   • Self-Regulation: ___
   • Motivation: ___
   • Empathy: ___
   • Social Skills: ___
   • Biggest area for improvement: _______________

3. Your Energy Profile:

   • I am more: [ ] Introverted [ ] Extroverted [ ] Ambivert
   • This means I should:
     • Structure my learning: _______________
     • Design my work environment: _______________
     • Adapt my future leadership style: _______________

4. Noise in Your Decisions:

   • One decision I made recently that was affected by noise (mood, timing, random factors): _______________
   • How I could apply decision hygiene next time: _______________

Week 8 Checkpoint

After Week 8, you should have:

• Finished “Emotional Intelligence”
• Finished “Quiet”
• Completed all Phase 1A reflection questions
• Created 60+ flashcards (cumulative)
• Updated PROGRESS_TRACKER.md - Phase 1A complete!

Month 2 Complete!

What You’ve Accomplished

Phase 1A (Weeks 4-8):

• “Thinking, Fast and Slow” - Kahneman (Nobel Prize)
• “Predictably Irrational” - Ariely
• “Noise” - Kahneman et al.
• “Emotional Intelligence” - Goleman
• “Quiet” - Susan Cain
• 4 TED Talks
• 60+ flashcards
• Complete self-assessment (cognitive biases, EQ, introvert/extrovert)

Time Invested

• Month 2 Total: ~25-30 hours
• Daily average: ~45 minutes
• Running total: ~55-60 hours

You Now Understand:

• How your brain makes (flawed) decisions
• Why you’re “predictably irrational”
• How noise affects your judgment
• Your emotional intelligence profile
• Whether you’re introverted or extroverted

Next Steps: Phase 1B Preview

Phase 1B: Habits & Personal Effectiveness (Weeks 9-12)

You’ve learned HOW you think. Now learn how to CHANGE what you do.

Upcoming books:

Transition Day 57: Order/download “Atomic Habits”

Continue to Phase 1B: Habits & Personal Effectiveness

Troubleshooting

”I’m behind schedule”

This is completely normal! Options:

1. Compress: Read summaries first, then selected chapters
2. Audiobook switch: “Quiet” and “Predictably Irrational” are great audiobooks
3. Extend: Take 5 weeks instead of 4 - the content isn’t going anywhere
4. Skip: “Noise” is excellent but least essential of the five

”Thinking, Fast and Slow is too dense”

• Try 1.5x speed audiobook
• Read chapter summaries on Blinkist first
• Focus on Parts 1-3 (most practical)
• Use AI to explain difficult passages:

I'm struggling with [concept] in Thinking, Fast and Slow.
Explain it to me like I'm explaining it to a friend,
then give me an everyday example.

“I can’t focus for 45 minutes”

That’s okay! Try:

• 25-min Pomodoro + 5-min break + 15 more minutes
• Audiobook during walks (feeding time, stroller walks)
• Split into morning/evening 20-minute sessions

”Too many books at once”

Priority order if you must choose:

1. Finish “Thinking, Fast and Slow” (foundational)
2. “Emotional Intelligence” (practical for leadership)
3. “Quiet” (quick and personally insightful)
4. “Predictably Irrational” (fun, reinforces Kahneman)
5. “Noise” (can read later if needed)

Quick Reference Card

Daily Routine (30-45 min)

1. Flashcard review (5 min) - Do this first!
2. Main reading (25-35 min) - Current book
3. Quick reflection (5 min) - One insight to remember

Weekly Routine

• Monday-Friday: Main reading
• Saturday: TED Talk + lighter reading/audiobook
• Sunday: Review + catch-up + reflection

Book Order (Phase 1A)

1. Thinking, Fast and Slow (Week 4-6)
2. Predictably Irrational (Week 6)
3. Noise (Week 6-7)
4. Emotional Intelligence (Week 7-8)
5. Quiet (Week 8)

Two months down. You’ve built a solid foundation in learning science AND personal psychology. Phase 1B will give you the tools to turn these insights into lasting change.

Continue to Phase 1B: Habits & Personal Effectiveness

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