Today’s interview is on Vlad Dolezal, a 20-year old university student in Leeds, UK originally born in the Czech Republic. He runs a blog on personal development and psychology which I’ve been reading for several years back when the blog was still called “An Amazing Mind.” Vlad is a math major but like me, his passions lie in learning new things using various productivity and “life-hacking” techniques.

1) How did you first develop a passion for psychology and personal development?

Vlad: It all started with wanting to get laid, actually. Back when I was a teenager, I didn’t have much success with girls, so one day I was browsing the internet and came across an e-book that dealt with dating, and decided to read it.

Long story short, while it didn’t magically get me laid overnight (that took another several years of personal development), it explained a lot of things I observed in my daily life – like why girls are turned off by “nice guys”, and fascinated by guys who tease them and give them a hard time. I realized that even in such a simple thing as dating, where you would think we’re all born with the ability, we can learn a TON from people who have more experience and have taken the time to write it down.

So when I saw a self-help book in a bookstore, I thought – “Hey, maybe there’s a lot of stuff I don’t know about life in general either!”. And boy, was I right!

2) How do go about discovering the various lifehacking techniques on your blog such as lucid dreaming and productivity boosting?

Vlad: You want the real secret? Write them down!

No, seriously. Every hour you browse the internet, you probably come across about half a dozen great things you could try, or apply in your life. There’s a crapton of great ideas out there… the real secret is remembering them and applying them.

Whenever you come across something where you think “Damn, that’s cool. I should try that!”… WRITE IT DOWN! Otherwise you’ll forget it within 10 minutes.

Once you get that handled, you can read blogs, or books, or just talk to people… you’ll always find tons of interesting ideas if you keep your eyes open.

3) Who are some of the biggest influences or role models who have changed the way you view the world?

Vlad: Bill Beaty from amasci.com. He’s just got an amazing light-hearted attitude, plus he’s fantastic at explaining his passion (science) in layman’s terms. Seriously, just check out his website.

Then there’s Richard Feynman. If you haven’t read “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman”, go to your local library or on amazon and get your copy right now! It’s one of the most awesome books ever. Again, I absolutely love that guy’s attitude towards life.

4) Do you have any long term goals in sharing your insights on psychology?

Vlad: One of my biggest dreams is to get personal development advice into schools. Students are being force-fed so much useless information (maths being a perfect example. Yes, I study maths at university, but I think normal people don’t need to know anywhere near as much as they’re being forced to learn.).

Instead, some personal development advice, like goal-setting, figuring out your core values, internal locus of control… those would be SO helpful to children in schools!

5) Are there any specific pieces of advice about personal development and psychology that you would like to share with readers?

Vlad: Have fun with it

Too many people treat personal development like it’s some hard, tedious work. It’s not. It’s a fun process, and the more you just play around with it, and don’t take yourself too seriously, the better it will work for you!

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Be sure to check out his blog and free e-book:

Vlad’s Blog

Free E-book