A – Z

The self-development glossary.

Plain-English definitions of the ideas we cite most — no jargon, no fluff, no gurus.

Atomic Habit: A tiny routine so small it feels almost embarrassing to skip — the smallest unit of behavior change.
Attachment Style: Recurring pattern in how you seek closeness or distance in relationships — secure, anxious, avoidant, disorganized.
Compound Interest of Behavior: Small daily improvements accumulate into radically different long-term outcomes.
Deep Work: Focused, undistracted cognitive effort on a demanding task, coined by Cal Newport.
Divergent Thinking: Generating many possible solutions to a problem — the raw material of creativity.
FIRE: Financial Independence, Retire Early — a movement built on high savings and lean living.
Flow State: The state of full absorption in an activity that matches skill to challenge, coined by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.
Growth Mindset: Belief that abilities can be developed through effort, coined by Carol Dweck.
Ikigai: Japanese concept of the reason for being — the intersection of what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs and what pays.
Locus of Control: The degree to which you believe you influence outcomes in your life vs. external forces.
Personal Brand: The public perception of your professional identity, shaped deliberately over time.
Positive Discipline: A parenting approach that is firm and kind — teaching skills instead of punishing.
Product-Market Fit: The moment your product finally satisfies a strong market demand.
Sabbatical: An intentional pause from work — a month, quarter or year — used for rest, learning or reinvention.
Servant Leadership: A leadership philosophy where the primary role is to serve the team, coined by Robert Greenleaf.
Sleep Hygiene: The set of behaviors that make consistent, restorative sleep more likely.
Stoicism: Ancient philosophy of virtue and equanimity focused on what you can control.
Time Blocking: Assigning specific hours to specific work in advance instead of reacting to a to-do list.