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The Catalyst Project
Plain-language definitions with formulas. Every term links to a free calculator or evidence-based answer. 40 terms.
The maximum weight a person can lift for a single repetition of a given exercise.
A weight-to-height ratio used as a population screening tool — weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared.
The number of calories your body burns at complete rest, sustaining breathing, circulation, and basic cellular function.
The percentage of total bodyweight composed of fat mass.
The time for the body to metabolize half the caffeine in your bloodstream. Typically 5-6 hours in adults.
A heart-rate-zone formula that accounts for resting heart rate, more accurate than percent-of-max-HR alone.
Protein, carbohydrate, and fat — the three energy-providing nutrients measured in grams.
A unit expressing energy cost relative to resting metabolic rate. 1 MET ≈ 1 kcal per kg per hour.
The most accurate everyday formula for estimating basal metabolic rate (BMR), recommended by the ADA.
The total calories you burn in a day — BMR times an activity factor.
The maximum rate at which the body can use oxygen during exercise, measured in ml O2 / kg bodyweight / minute.
The lingering cognitive impact of an interrupted task — your brain stays partly on the previous task even after switching.
A systematic deviation from rational judgment caused by mental shortcuts (heuristics).
The amount of information held in working memory at one time. Capacity is roughly 4±1 items for most adults.
The progressive degradation of decision quality through the day as cumulative choices deplete cognitive resources.
Cal Newport's term for focused, distraction-free cognitive effort on demanding tasks.
A cognitive bias where people with low ability in a domain overestimate their competence.
Continuing an investment of time, money, or energy because of past expenditure, regardless of future prospects.
A psychological pattern shaping how people relate emotionally to others, formed in early childhood.
The ability to identify, understand, and manage emotions in oneself and others.
The ratio of positive to negative interactions that predicts healthy relationships.
Chapman's five categories of how people prefer to give and receive affection.
The process of paying off a debt through scheduled, periodic payments of principal and interest.
The yearly interest rate on a loan or credit, before compounding.
Two debt payoff strategies: avalanche prioritizes the highest APR; snowball prioritizes the smallest balance.
A FIRE variant: invest enough now, then stop contributing and let compound growth carry you to retirement age.
Interest calculated on both the original principal AND the accumulated interest from previous periods.
Cash reserves covering 3-12 months of essential expenses, held in a liquid account.
US payroll tax funding Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%). 7.65% total on wages, paid by both employee and employer.
The portfolio size at which annual investment income covers your annual expenses indefinitely.
Marginal = rate on your next dollar. Effective = total tax divided by total income. The common error: assuming the whole salary is taxed at the marginal rate.
Total assets minus total liabilities. The single best snapshot of financial position.
The value of the best alternative not chosen. The true cost of any decision includes what you gave up.
A measure of whether buying or renting is more economical: home price divided by annual rent for an equivalent property.
A mental-math shortcut: years to double money ≈ 72 / annual return rate.
The percentage of a retirement portfolio that can be withdrawn annually with high probability of never running out.
Csikszentmihalyi's term for fully absorbed concentration in an activity where challenge and skill are balanced.
A Japanese concept describing the intersection of what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for.
Latin for "remember you must die" — an ancient Stoic practice of contemplating mortality to clarify what matters.
Jeff Bezos's decision tool: project yourself to age 80 and ask which option you would regret NOT having taken.