Achieve More with Less Work, Remove Labels, Prescribe Expert Advice
Achieve More with Less Work, Remove Labels, Prescribe Expert Advice
Achieve More with Less Work, Remove Labels, Prescribe Expert Advice
Jan Krokos
•
Jun 29, 2024
1) Your business, your rules.
I was reading Tim Ferris’ Tools of the Giants and I stumbled across Derek Sivers for the first time in my life. What I read from Sivers with his business blew my mind.
Not only did he sell cdbaby.com for roughly $22 million then gave his money away to charity, but the way he handled his business operations was incredible: he would only work a handful of hours every six months.
When I read the passage from Ferris’ book, I was just in awe.
“How can a person possibly do such a thing?” I thought.
Then again, that is the power of knowing how to actually be productive vs. just working to be active.
From my own personal research and digging online, when you’re able to compress work hours, identify the key levels that move the business and your life forward, and only focus on that, that’s where the magic happens.
You force yourself to only work on the most critical tasks daily. It could take you an hour or so a day and that’s it.
Guess what after? You’re done.
This drives the point home though: more work doesn’t necessarily mean you’re achieving more.
It’s more so about finding the right things to work on rather than staying busy.
Too much busy work can often lead to a decreased amount of progress where what we actually want is the opposite.
When we decrease time and also 80/20 our work, it laser-focuses us on the essential, cutting out the unnecessary.
2) You’re only X, today.
Here’s another one from Derek Sivers I got this week, either from a podcast with Tim Ferris or from Tools of the Titans.
What this means here is that any label we attach to ourselves, our lives, what we’re feeling, who we are, or whatever, can make or break us.
Meaning, let’s say for the longest time you’ve never been into programming and you know you want to learn.
Instead of telling yourself the story that “I’m not a programmer”—because that is limiting anyway—tell yourself “I’m not a programmer, today.”
All we’re doing is just adding “today” to the end of any statement or thought.
You don’t like olives?
“I don’t like olives, today.”
You suck at dating?
“I’m terrible with girls, today.”
This is so powerful because our labels can influence who we are, who we become, what we do, what we believe, and so on.
By simply just adding “today” to the end of whatever limiting thought, statement, or belief you have about yourself, you free yourself.
You open possibility for change.
What’s something you believe that has been holding you back for the longest time?
3) Solomon’s paradox.
Biblical King Solomon was known to be one of the richest and wisest men yet at the same time, a paradox. How is this so?
Human nature.
We give better advice to others than following it ourselves.
When someone comes to you for advice, it’s incredibly easy to just prescribe them some advice to follow. But really. Are you willing to follow it yourself?
Objectively, since the problem is outside of you it is much easier to tell someone what to do.
However, in the spotlight, that’s a different story. Can anyone relate here?
An interesting “hack” I started doing a few years back was writing to my higher self in my note system. The way this would work is I’d give this person all the traits, beliefs, and accomplishments I desire to have. What I’d do with this is then write back and forth between who I am currently and from that person’s perspective.
It’s almost as if you’re talking to your future self.
Back and forth I’d go talking to this figure I named (Ambrose) in my journal, and miraculously, I’d get some really great advice and feedback as to how to solve problems or navigate things I am processing through writing.
So if we know exactly what advice to prescribe ourselves, a hack you can immediately implement is to give it some sort of shape, form, and personality to a “higher version” of yourself and actually write to this person.
What you’ll find is that you’re not only receiving some great advice, but also externalizing your thinking and problems onto something tangible to process everything going on in your life.
If you’re the only one in life who knows yourself better than anyone else, doesn’t it make sense then to talk to a superior version of yourself to get the right answers and solutions to problems where others may be lacking context or insight?
Try it. (:
Until next one.
1) Your business, your rules.
I was reading Tim Ferris’ Tools of the Giants and I stumbled across Derek Sivers for the first time in my life. What I read from Sivers with his business blew my mind.
Not only did he sell cdbaby.com for roughly $22 million then gave his money away to charity, but the way he handled his business operations was incredible: he would only work a handful of hours every six months.
When I read the passage from Ferris’ book, I was just in awe.
“How can a person possibly do such a thing?” I thought.
Then again, that is the power of knowing how to actually be productive vs. just working to be active.
From my own personal research and digging online, when you’re able to compress work hours, identify the key levels that move the business and your life forward, and only focus on that, that’s where the magic happens.
You force yourself to only work on the most critical tasks daily. It could take you an hour or so a day and that’s it.
Guess what after? You’re done.
This drives the point home though: more work doesn’t necessarily mean you’re achieving more.
It’s more so about finding the right things to work on rather than staying busy.
Too much busy work can often lead to a decreased amount of progress where what we actually want is the opposite.
When we decrease time and also 80/20 our work, it laser-focuses us on the essential, cutting out the unnecessary.
2) You’re only X, today.
Here’s another one from Derek Sivers I got this week, either from a podcast with Tim Ferris or from Tools of the Titans.
What this means here is that any label we attach to ourselves, our lives, what we’re feeling, who we are, or whatever, can make or break us.
Meaning, let’s say for the longest time you’ve never been into programming and you know you want to learn.
Instead of telling yourself the story that “I’m not a programmer”—because that is limiting anyway—tell yourself “I’m not a programmer, today.”
All we’re doing is just adding “today” to the end of any statement or thought.
You don’t like olives?
“I don’t like olives, today.”
You suck at dating?
“I’m terrible with girls, today.”
This is so powerful because our labels can influence who we are, who we become, what we do, what we believe, and so on.
By simply just adding “today” to the end of whatever limiting thought, statement, or belief you have about yourself, you free yourself.
You open possibility for change.
What’s something you believe that has been holding you back for the longest time?
3) Solomon’s paradox.
Biblical King Solomon was known to be one of the richest and wisest men yet at the same time, a paradox. How is this so?
Human nature.
We give better advice to others than following it ourselves.
When someone comes to you for advice, it’s incredibly easy to just prescribe them some advice to follow. But really. Are you willing to follow it yourself?
Objectively, since the problem is outside of you it is much easier to tell someone what to do.
However, in the spotlight, that’s a different story. Can anyone relate here?
An interesting “hack” I started doing a few years back was writing to my higher self in my note system. The way this would work is I’d give this person all the traits, beliefs, and accomplishments I desire to have. What I’d do with this is then write back and forth between who I am currently and from that person’s perspective.
It’s almost as if you’re talking to your future self.
Back and forth I’d go talking to this figure I named (Ambrose) in my journal, and miraculously, I’d get some really great advice and feedback as to how to solve problems or navigate things I am processing through writing.
So if we know exactly what advice to prescribe ourselves, a hack you can immediately implement is to give it some sort of shape, form, and personality to a “higher version” of yourself and actually write to this person.
What you’ll find is that you’re not only receiving some great advice, but also externalizing your thinking and problems onto something tangible to process everything going on in your life.
If you’re the only one in life who knows yourself better than anyone else, doesn’t it make sense then to talk to a superior version of yourself to get the right answers and solutions to problems where others may be lacking context or insight?
Try it. (:
Until next one.
1) Your business, your rules.
I was reading Tim Ferris’ Tools of the Giants and I stumbled across Derek Sivers for the first time in my life. What I read from Sivers with his business blew my mind.
Not only did he sell cdbaby.com for roughly $22 million then gave his money away to charity, but the way he handled his business operations was incredible: he would only work a handful of hours every six months.
When I read the passage from Ferris’ book, I was just in awe.
“How can a person possibly do such a thing?” I thought.
Then again, that is the power of knowing how to actually be productive vs. just working to be active.
From my own personal research and digging online, when you’re able to compress work hours, identify the key levels that move the business and your life forward, and only focus on that, that’s where the magic happens.
You force yourself to only work on the most critical tasks daily. It could take you an hour or so a day and that’s it.
Guess what after? You’re done.
This drives the point home though: more work doesn’t necessarily mean you’re achieving more.
It’s more so about finding the right things to work on rather than staying busy.
Too much busy work can often lead to a decreased amount of progress where what we actually want is the opposite.
When we decrease time and also 80/20 our work, it laser-focuses us on the essential, cutting out the unnecessary.
2) You’re only X, today.
Here’s another one from Derek Sivers I got this week, either from a podcast with Tim Ferris or from Tools of the Titans.
What this means here is that any label we attach to ourselves, our lives, what we’re feeling, who we are, or whatever, can make or break us.
Meaning, let’s say for the longest time you’ve never been into programming and you know you want to learn.
Instead of telling yourself the story that “I’m not a programmer”—because that is limiting anyway—tell yourself “I’m not a programmer, today.”
All we’re doing is just adding “today” to the end of any statement or thought.
You don’t like olives?
“I don’t like olives, today.”
You suck at dating?
“I’m terrible with girls, today.”
This is so powerful because our labels can influence who we are, who we become, what we do, what we believe, and so on.
By simply just adding “today” to the end of whatever limiting thought, statement, or belief you have about yourself, you free yourself.
You open possibility for change.
What’s something you believe that has been holding you back for the longest time?
3) Solomon’s paradox.
Biblical King Solomon was known to be one of the richest and wisest men yet at the same time, a paradox. How is this so?
Human nature.
We give better advice to others than following it ourselves.
When someone comes to you for advice, it’s incredibly easy to just prescribe them some advice to follow. But really. Are you willing to follow it yourself?
Objectively, since the problem is outside of you it is much easier to tell someone what to do.
However, in the spotlight, that’s a different story. Can anyone relate here?
An interesting “hack” I started doing a few years back was writing to my higher self in my note system. The way this would work is I’d give this person all the traits, beliefs, and accomplishments I desire to have. What I’d do with this is then write back and forth between who I am currently and from that person’s perspective.
It’s almost as if you’re talking to your future self.
Back and forth I’d go talking to this figure I named (Ambrose) in my journal, and miraculously, I’d get some really great advice and feedback as to how to solve problems or navigate things I am processing through writing.
So if we know exactly what advice to prescribe ourselves, a hack you can immediately implement is to give it some sort of shape, form, and personality to a “higher version” of yourself and actually write to this person.
What you’ll find is that you’re not only receiving some great advice, but also externalizing your thinking and problems onto something tangible to process everything going on in your life.
If you’re the only one in life who knows yourself better than anyone else, doesn’t it make sense then to talk to a superior version of yourself to get the right answers and solutions to problems where others may be lacking context or insight?
Try it. (:
Until next one.
