Amy Schaffer

Amy Schaffer started Guiding Principles in 2024 as part of her own experiment to be more herself and less everyone else. Her essays are inspired by the material she's constantly learning, her every day interactions, and her own experiences.

Southern California

You are the secret sauce

The other day I listened to some leaked audio from a Meta all hands meeting. They had just finished talking about layoffs and then moved

The onion layers of life

It's funny how the same patterns have a tendency to come up again and again, no matter how much you've worked

Distraction from discomfort

Changing something about your life is wildly uncomfortable. I've been experiencing this first hand as I ponder the question, "What would it

Priorities

I read a LinkedIn post yesterday (which was probably where I went wrong) where this guy was responding to someone who asked how anyone has

Force vs. Surrender

I've been thinking a lot about force lately and how embedded it is in our society. It can be seen in phrases like

Facing uncomfortable truths

When I was laid off, I decided to take February to just enjoy life and revel in creative projects. I told myself that as soon

What I'm doing post-layoff

This last month has been a whirlwind. Despite the fact that I haven't had a full-time job, I think I've been