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3 Stoic Principles To Live By

Stoicism

3 Stoic Principles To Live By

“Some things are up to us and some things are not.”

One of the most important things to remember as a Stoic is that some things are up to us and other things are not. This is an area that many people never realize throughout life. They end up mad or angry at things that are just completely out of their control.

We cannot control the weather, how much money we make, or who our parents were. We can control what we eat, where we go, and what we do with our time though.

The Stoics would remind us that if something is not in our power then it’s better for us to accept whatever happens. If someone cuts you off on the road or you get stuck in traffic on your way home from work – don’t worry about those things because they aren’t under your control! For further reading, check out these 15 daily stoic exercises.

You’ve only got so much control over your feelings.

It’s important to remember that you’ve only got so much control over your feelings. In fact, you can’t even control how you feel about something in the first place. For example, if someone tells me they don’t like my shirt and I take it personally, that is my fault because I chose to take it as an insult. It’s not their job to make sure that I’m comfortable with what they say—it’s my job to realize that not everyone is going to like me or approve of everything I do. It doesn’t mean they dislike me; it just means they have different tastes than me!

So next time someone tries to make you angry or upset by saying something negative about something related directly back into yourself? Don’t worry about it! Just focus on yourself instead: Are there things within your own control? Can these things improve? Even if other people think badly about us most of the time (which is usually not our fault), those opinions are still theirs alone—not ours! We shouldn’t try too hard when we’re trying so hard anyway–just let things flow naturally from moment to moment without worrying too much about them beforehand.”

When you focus on what’s within your control, you step back from the things that aren’t.

Because of the way that Stoicism is taught, many people get the wrong idea about it. They think that it’s about being bitter and angry at the world for not giving you what you want, when in fact Stoicism is all about accepting the things which are out of our control.

It’s true: there are many things that are out of our control—the weather, other people’s actions, and behaviors, etc.—but there are also a lot of things we can control or change. So while it may be tempting to focus on what we cannot change or alter (what others say or do), it’s better if we focus on what can be changed (our own behaviors).

Focus on what you can do and let the rest go. This is one of the most important stoic principles to live by.

Nothing is more beneficial than being able to master your emotions. If a problem arises and you can’t change it, there’s no point in getting upset about it. Instead of wasting energy on anger or frustration, focus on what you can do to change the situation for the better.

This will lead to greater peace of mind and allow you to enjoy life more fully. You’ll be less likely to dwell on past mistakes when they haven’t been helpful in fixing the problem at hand.

How To Be Selfish: The Case For Selfishness

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How To Be Selfish

Ok, here me out. In this quick post, I’m just gonna share some of my thoughts on being selfish. And don’t worry, I’m not gonna go all Ayn Rand on you. Nor am I going to talk about how selfishness is ingrained in all humans and therefore serves some evolutionary purpose. (though I do believe that to be true).

What Is Seflishness Anyway?

Many people think being selfish means doing what you want at the cost of others. That is a fair definition. But, I want to stress something here. I think you are really only being selfish when your decision harms someone else that didn’t have to be harmed.

The world is a tough place and there are many aspects of life that are zero-sum. For example, is it selfish to compete and win in a baseball game? In some ways, yes it is. Because you must take an action that places you in front of another person that you “beat”. You literally hurt them (in an emotional sense) and even sometimes in a physical sense.

However, if we didn’t compete to win, I doubt many of us would ever give our best. And what would happen then? This is why it’s not always wrong to ask how to be selfish.

The Circle Of Selfishness

If you think about it, being selfish really means focusing on yourself. If you are acting selfish, someone else may call you out on it. Usually, though, the people who call you selfish are in fact doing so because you are not granting them what they want. This is a way of them being selfish.

This is the circle of selfishness and it makes it hard to know when you’re really being selfish or when the person is using that “slur” as a way to get what they want out of you. So, pay attention to this and ask multiple people if you are really being selfish or if you are being manipulated. It’s usually one or the other. Just make sure you don’t end up losing a ton of time focusing on it. You need to instead pursue strategies that save time.

Selfishness Is Not What You Think

Now, I want to get you thinking about another idea when it comes to the question of how to be selfish. And that is that you need to completely rethink the idea of selfishness. Because, what does it really mean to be selfish? Above, we talked about putting yourself first and not harming others, right?

But, it is WAY deeper than that.

You see, you aren’t a single person. In fact, you represent many different people throughout time. You are the you now that you are. But you once were 10 years old, and if you’re lucky, you’ll be 80 years old.

So, life is this forever progression of who you are. So, being selfish right now can actually be harmful to your future self, who is another version of you. Case in point, our food choices. And this is something I struggle with as well, so no judgement here.

But, if you think about it, if we were being truly selfish, we would make the best decisions for our most fragile self. The self that has the highest chance of death and disease. That would most likely be our oldest possible selves.

All of our decisions should be geared around serving that person well. And that person is indeed us. In that way, most of us aren’t being selfish, just short-sighted.

Final Thoughts On Selfishness

I wrote this quick thought article in one sitting. So, everything I’ve written is in no way my absolute 100% belief on the topic. This is part of an experiment where I just write free flowing thoughts on a topic and see where it goes.

While these types of articles won’t be my best “thought-work” I am hopeful they will spur discussion and further research.

Now, what are your thoughts about selfishness? Are you selfish? Should you be?

Oh and make sure you check out my Instagram post on this topic.

5 Strategies For Writing Better Tweets

productivity, Writing

5 Strategies For Writing Better Tweets

You know Twitter is important and that you can build an active and engaged audience with simple tweets, but you may not know how to get started.

The blank tweet can be unnerving.  The non-replied to tweet disheartening. I’ve been there. That’s why I’ve decided to share my own personal experiences and strategies for writing better tweets.

These are insights I’ve gleaned over time using Twitter. Insights and strategies based on what I’ve seen work for myself, and work for countless others on Twitter. Write more tweets, increase your impressions, gain followers, and expand your growth using these 5 strategies.

write better tweets
Write Better Tweets

So, Why Listen To Me?

I will start by saying I am not a giant Twitter Account… yet. I consistently grow my Twitter account on my own, when I have the time to do so. That’s one thing I love about my 5 strategies for writing better tweets – you don’t have to dedicate huge blocks of time every day to see substantial growth.

I’ve made a lot of progress on Twitter the past few months.

Shortcode

Every day, when I get a few minutes free, I simply write a quick tweet , or queue-up pre-written tweets, and make sure to engage with any replies from prior tweets. And I make sure to do this just about every single day. Why everyday? Because it’s all about the “long game” for Twitter growth.

Twitter wants to see consistent and interactive content from its users. The more people see and interactive with your tweets, the more you have the potential to grow. The more unique content, not just re-tweets, the more opportunities you have to engage with other Twitter uses. The more you can grow.

Tweeting everyday may seem like a lot, but once you learn my 5 strategies for writing better tweets, it’ll seem intuitive and an easy goal to accomplish every day. A goal that can pay dividends in the long run.

Writing Better Tweets

The 5 strategies for growing your Twitter account basically boil down to execution. In other words, what you’re actually writing in your tweets. If you know the emotional angle of your tweet, you’ll be able to connect with your audience in meaningful ways. Emotion combined with genuineness goes a long way.

Writing Better Tweets – Educate

One of the best ways to interact with people on Twitter is to share something educational. 

  • Teach From Internal Knowledge – This is something you already know and can expound upon easily.  Keep your tweet and tweet threads short, but you can add value in replies and future re-tweets of your own tweets, as applicable.
  • Link To Outside Knowledge – Similar to above, except someone else is the expert in what you’re talking about.  Or, they can say it better than you. This can be a blog link, a YouTube video, or anything linkable. Writing better tweets can often come down to sharing relevant information, adding a few words of your own as you tweet the link. 
  • Share A Relevant Tweet – One of the most common experiences on Twitter is the Retweet. It can be something you wrote previously, or something someone else tweeted. Retweets can be simple shares of interesting things, or targeted value added to your feed, or in someone else’s thread.
  • Add Value – Always add value, that’s the short and sweet of it. Writing better tweets always comes down to adding value for your followers, or to the people who read other’s tweets if you reply to someone else. When in doubt, add value. 

Writing Better Tweets – Entertain

I have to admit, I am not a natural entertainer. You know the type, that can make a room laugh, cheer, cry.  But I am a people person, and that kind of friendliness comes across in genuine texts.

One way to write better tweets is to entertain your followers.

  •  Be Funny Or Witty – A joke, unique or well-work said with a little irony and wink. A funny reply (make sure you know how the person may react, and use a smiling emoji.) A pun. People love puns. Have fun with your tweets (but always keep in mind your overall purpose on Twitter.) 
  • Reference A Song, Or Movie, Or Something Big In The Culture – Not only are pop-culture references a good way to write better tweets by relating to people, but you can also tap into “trending” topics by discussing what’s hot in the moment, whether in your specific niches, or in general on Twitter. 
  • If You Have A Particular Set of Skills, Share Them – If you can sing or rap, share your talents with others. (Warning: you may or may not come across as corny, if you do, own it! People love a little self-deprecating humor.) Whether you write or paint, are a comedian or woodworker – find a way to talk about your talents and SHOW them off as well, but always in a relatable way. (This can also come across in sharing interests and hobbies, which we’ll talk about below in Encourage.)
  • In Short, Make Your Follower Happy – If you can make them smile, engage with them, make them feel good, they’re more likely to follow you, come back for me, and check out what you’re all about. All good things. 

Writing Better Tweets – Encourage

Twitter is becoming more and more personal for some people as time goes by, and this can be a good thing for your growth.  You don’t need to treat your Twitter feed as a chat room, but it is good to connect with your followers in a way that doesn’t seem disingenuous, corporate-y, or fake. Whether you’re interacting with a long time, active follower, or a complete Twitter stranger, you can always encourage someone to believe in themselves, or share your own experiences as examples , or even a simple encouraging Flame emoji or Bicep Flex emoji when someone you follow shares something personally encouraging.

I definitely love Encouragement. I truly love making a difference in people’s lives, and that’s why I encourage you to encourage others when you write better tweets.

  • Congratulate People On A Job Well Done – Always reply to tweets when you see someone talking about a goal met (or made), any kind of accomplishment, or even any kind of positive story. Hearts (likes) and replies can make someone’s day.
  •  Share A Personal Story Where You Overcame Obstacles – Share what you’ve been through. For instance, I shared my weight loss journey and accomplishments and it got a lot of reaction. People want to see your human side, and they want and need encouragement. If you can do it, so can they.
  • Share Inspirational Quotes, Images, Memes – Whether you have a ton of personal accomplishments to share or feel that you don’t have any, share other’s stories. (If it’s a rather personal story told on Twitter, you may want to tweet or Direct Message the person to ask first.)  You can share any public inspirational stories. You can share encouraging or inspiring images, gifs, memes, links, etc. Share what you find meaningful.
  • In Short, Inspire and Encourage! – We want to inspire people. We want to lift people up. 

Writing Better Tweets – Endorse

Endorsements are powerful. Scroll through Twitter long enough and you’ll see endorsements everywhere. I don’t mean corporate advertisements, I mean people endorsing each other, whether it’s small companies or brands, celebrities, or “blue checkmarks”, or two regular people endorsing friends or acquaintances, it is a powerful thing. 

One rock solid tip for writing better tweets is to endorse someone. Not only is it kind and often reciprocal, but it also tickles the ol’ ego. People love hearing that something they’ve said, done, created has impacted others. An endorsement of someone else and/or their work/action is one of the most impactful things one can do with Twitter.

  • Mention Someone And Share How They Helped – For instance, let’s say you just finished a book that really impacted you. You can tweet (or make a tweet thread) about how the book has truly made a difference for you. It’s up to you whether you tag or hash-tag the author, or just the book title. Be specific with your tweet, mention how when they said X, you reacted with Y, and what it meant to you. They will like hearing specifics, and it increases the likelihood of interactions.

You can apply the same to a creator of any kind of materials, art, business principles, or even just someone who tweeted something really good. Whether endorsing a work, a tweet, or a person, be specific. This will greatly increase a chance of a response, and retweets. Retweets are highly valuable, and can increase your reach and response exponentially. 

  • Share Your Work/Idea And Who Inspired It – This can be a great way to write better tweets. If you have a work, goal, or idea that was inspired by someone else, and they are on twitter, talk about it and tag (and/or hashtag) them in your tweet. For instance, if a John Doe quote inspired you come with Example A, write a tweet about it and tag John. Whether John is a professional, or a random Twitter user, he will likely appreciate the inspiration and interact with you. This benefits both of you as far as growth and interaction is concerned.  
  • Create Tweet Threads With What You Learned – Whether a summary of a book or concept you recently consumed, or a collection of ideas or themes, this can be a great way to grow your Twitter presence and practice writing better tweets.  For example, you may have some favorite quotes by certain authors. Make a Top Ten list of these quotes in a tweet thread, and tag the authors mentioned (you can hashtag the author name if they are not on Twitter). This is a great way to not only interact with those authors, but with fans of those authors as well. It’s a good way to introduce one set of fans of one author to another author, and even get a few new followers yourself as well! (Another example is – Top Ten quotes by the same author, this increases the likelihood of that particular author interacting with you.) 
  • In Short, Let Others Know How They’ve Helped You – Appreciate and celebrate others who have helped or inspired (or even amused) you. Not only does this build relatability and community, but it can give everyone involved street-cred and appreciation, especially the person you are endorsing. 

Writing Better Tweets – Engage

Engagement is the word used to describe how people interact on Twitter. The better your tweet, the better your engagement. Twitter growth is all about the number of impressions your tweet gets based on engagement. 

I believe Engagement to be arguably the best way to write better tweets and grow your Twitter audience. This is how to get real, true, good quality conversations with people who want to interact with you. Be you, and be true to the goals you have for your Twitter account, business, or project. 

  • Ask A Thought Provoking Question – Ask questions people will want to respond to, whether that’s something someone on your Twitter feed said, or something random you’ve thought of, or something tied into your business or project. As something interesting, and ask why people believe it. Ask questions that keep the convo going.
  • Bring Up A Counter-Point To Another Tweet – If someone tweets something interesting, you can always reply with the opposite, or an alternative point. Don’t be negative or the devil’s advocate (unless you have rapport with the person,) but simply say something like, “Have you considered X?” or “Interesting, but what about Y?” Hone in on a counterpoint, and it’s a great way to get the original poster (and others) to reply.
  • Get Involved In An Ongoing Discussion – If there’s an ongoing Twitter discussion happening, jump in and engage. Twitter is all about engagement and impressions.  It’s all about how many times people see your name pop up in niches and hashtags they frequent.
  • In Short, Join The Conversation – When in doubt, Tweet. The best way to grow your Twitter account by writing better tweets is to – write more tweets.  Be a part of the conversation in your niches, amongst your followers, and amongst relevant or hot trending hashtags and topics. Jump in, join, add value, and reply to others. The more you do this, the better you’ll get at it, and the less time it will take. 

Writing Better Tweets BONUS – Enrage

“Don’t Feed The Trolls!”

  • While tweeting “Enrage” type tweets can grow your Twitter following, it may not be the best type of following for growing a business or a project. 
  • “Trolling”, snarkiness, or even “righteous anger” engagements may do well with politics, some social issues, and simply for attention getting, it is best to avoid this with what we’re trying to do here, grow positive engagement and write better tweets.
  • While it is good to be relatable, honest, and to show your passion (and to be funny), the Enrage angle takes full dedication and impacts how people see you. Unless that is your very unique angle, or niche, I recommend using it lightly or not at all. 

Enjoy!

And those are my 5 strategies for writing better tweets. 5 ways for you to get started tweeting today, and set yourself up for solid twitter growth. 

And truly, the most important tip I have for you to write better tweets is to simply ENJOY the process.  Enjoy tweeting. Enjoy interacting. Enjoy reading both what’s going on in your niches, but also what’s going on with your followers. (I also suggest either following back most of those who follow you who seem legit, or selectively and sporadically following some of them. It’s good to see what’s going on in the worlds of those who follow you.)

Please stay tuned to this blog and my twitter 😉 for more insights into building your Twitter following. I will be going into more details behind the nuts and bolts of Twitter growth, and strategies you can take to build your following. Writing better tweets starts with writing your first one using one of these 5 strategies. 

Follow me on Twitter! – http://twitter.com/mikegiannulis

Keep checking my Blog for more updates!

3 Practical Takeaways From Naval Ravikant How To Get Rich Without Getting Lucky

habits

When I came across the massive Twitter thread from the Naval Ravikant how to get rich without getting lucky “tweetstorm”, it really spoke to me. I had never really heard of Naval at that point and didn’t know who he was. In fact, his Twitter name being just Naval with just a weird image made me think he was some sort of anonymous account in tribute to the Navy lol.

However, as I started reading and learning more about Naval, I became more and more intrigued. What I found the most fascinating is that he laid out the path by which I had come into a certain financial “status”. I won’t say I’m rich yet because to me rich means you have the kind of money to just walk away from everything you want and never work another day in your life (for money).

Supersett-program i muskulasjon testo kvinne ben kroppsbyggingsprogram.

If I sell my shares/interests in the company I am involved in, it’s possible I could be there (depending on the valuations, etc) but as it sits today a lot of my wealth is in paper, not cash.

Regardless, I will outline in this brief article 3 practical takeaways from Naval Ravikant’s How To Get Rich Without Getting Lucky Twitter thread. I’ll also add that this article is all made possible because of my evergreen notes process which I also recommend you check out.

Here’s the thread:

This is the “famous” thread that started it all. Definitely check it out when you have a minute if you haven’t yet.

And if you want to really dive in deep on this, I highly recommend you give this a listen:

Takeaway # 1 – Naval Ravikant How To Get Rich: Seek Wealth, Not Status

From Naval Ravikant:

“Seek wealth, not money or status. Wealth is having assets that earn while you sleep. Money is how we transfer time and wealth. Status is your place in the social hierarchy.”

This is missed by so many people. Wealth is really setting up a system by which you can earn money without having to trade time for hours. Most of us work hard at jobs or even as freelancers, but in reality, we are trading time for dollars.

I want to say that this is in no way wrong. In fact, I would venture to say that working at a job is probably right for 99% of people. It takes a certain kind of person with an aptitude for business to start or grow their own business.

That being said, everyone should still focus on acquiring assets that appreciate over time and also create cash without your direct involvement. Real estate and business ownership (as an angel investor for example) are great vehicles for this. Focus on wealth building slowly, and in 10 years the results can be pretty epic.

Don’t fall for the get-rich-quick stuff. I’ve been down that path and it’s dark and filled with people who are driven by hope without a sense of purpose for their vision. Without purpose, I don’t think any business idea will really work, apart from the occasional lucky break.

And one final thought on status. Status is the facade of wealth. If you want to see the facade of wealth, look on Instagram. 99% of millionaires don’t flaunt it because they don’t need to. Usually, people flaunting their wealth on social media are either trying to sell a product or they are the children of the rich who are fulfilling some internal need for validation.

Practical takeaway # 1:

Buy real estate in some way and invest for the long term. If you are looking for a completely passive real estate investment I recommend one of the companies I work with. They are called HIS Capital Group. They have an SEC-exempt Regulation A+ fund. You can learn more about them here:

HIS Capital Group

As far as investing in a business, I have really been enjoying making small investments in companies through Replublic.co

Takeaway # 2 – Solve A Big Problem With A Solution That Scales

From Naval Ravikant:

“You will get rich by giving society what it wants but does not yet know how to get. At scale.”

This is the heart of the issue. If you truly want to get rich without getting lucky you have to create something that people want and are willing to pay for. This is where we have to get a little bit granular though.

See, I think that you can make enough money to retire and live a good life even if you don’t do something that scales big time. By that I mean, you could probably work as a freelancer or agency owner for 10 years, make about $5MM over those 10 years, save most of it, and then retire.

The issue is a lot of people (myself included) have a hard time saving most of the money they earn. Also, I think Naval is talking here about making that real life-changing sort of “rich” money. In order to do this, you must create a solution for a mass market, with mass appeal, with an addressable market.

Going back to the agency model, it is hard to scale. Every time you bring on a client, you must also bring out more copywriters, designers, marketers, programmers, media buyers, etc.

It scales linearly and you can use mini-economies of scale. An example would be having one copywriter who can write for 3 different companies at once. If you can get past the context switching for the copywriter, this is a win for the business.

However, something that is better at scaling is software. This is another maxim from Naval’s Twitter thread:

“Code and media are permissionless leverage. They’re the leverage behind the newly rich. You can create software and media that works for you while you sleep.”

This is a great example of how to create something that solves a problem and scales. Take for example writing a book. If you write a book that solves a specific problem for a large group of people you can sell that book to millions of people. Maybe you only make $1 or $2 per book, but you sell 1 million copies.

Now you have made a few million, but more importantly you have an audience you can sell further things to including consulting and other training programs, especially on the corporate side of things.

Of course we all understand the scaling power of coding. You can build a website like Facebook and put billions of people on it, all at the same time. That’s scale that makes you massively rich.

Practical takeaway # 2

Improve your writing and/or improve your ability to code. If you are interested in learning copywriting or improving on it then I recommend my company Copywriter Brain. I think we do a lot of good and really help people become better at writing ads.

If you are looking for non-fiction writing I have heard amazing things about Write of Passage. I’ve not taken it yet, but everyone I know who has said it’s a game-changer for them.

When it comes to coding I am not much help. I have heard good things about Lambda School which can teach you to code without any money upfront (you pay after you get a job). There’s also a small company I am involved with called codebender which has an IDE for Arduino you can check out. We are working behind the scenes now on something really cool there.

Takeaway # 3 – Work Really Hard

From Naval Ravikant:

“Work as hard as you can. Even though who you work with and what you work on are more important than how hard you work.”

This one should go without saying, but it is often missed by a lot of the people who want to start or grow a business. Being in business for yourself is extremely hard work. It’s an emotional roller coaster.

You are dealing with people, emotions, problems, and market forces that are way too advanced or big for you to simply figure out. The best you can hope for is to pick the general right direction and head that way.

It’s very difficult to create a “roadmap” of exactly what to do or where to go. Plus, even when you are on the right track, you have to make sure every stakeholder wants to go the same way and is on board for the long haul.

So, all you really can do is plan for the worst, hope for the best – and work your butt off. Naval is right here, the people you work with will be the ultimate arbiters of where you end up, but you must put in the time.

One cool benefit of working hard is that you get used to it and you really come to like it. If there’s any “get rich” secret it’s that you must get addicted to the act of working to the point that it doesn’t feel like work.

It should feel like play. And it should be fun. Apart from the times of utter disaster and ruin that happen every now and again haha.

Once you are having fun, you’ll “work” so hard without the struggle or feel of working. And then you’ll beat just about everybody because you can’t outwork someone who isn’t working.

Practical Takeaway # 3

What are the takeaways here? There’s not really a class or a course on how to have fun in business. But my recommendation is that you look for something you truly love and like. It doesn’t mean that every day will be easy.

It just means that you will naturally WANT to pursue the topic. I will say this though. You may not have that love at first. It may just be something you like or something you want to learn more about.

Let your inquisitive nature take you towards different options. There are many opportunities that are before me now that I never would have chosen myself. But, given the opportunity, I am enjoying them so much.

I think this can be the case for anyone.

Final Thoughts: Naval Ravikant How To Get Rich Without Trying

There are so many more takeaways from these ideas that Naval laid out. I highly recommend you listen to the podcast and go through each one and really think about ways you can practically apply these lessons to your life.

For me, writing and business judgement have helped me earn a lot more money than I ever thought was possible. What will it be for you?

Tell me more about what you do, I’d love to hear from you in the comments or privately through my contact page.

Projects Over Goals: Revealing Why End Goals Don’t Really Work

productivity

I will be rich. I will have the perfect body. I will be super organized. Goals, we all have them. We write them down, and what happens? They just stay in our notebooks or journal or a file on our computer. That is because end goals are what we think we need to set. But the reality is that end goals don’t really work. What does work? Converting your goals into projects. Projects get done. Goals get talked about.

The Truth About End Goals

An end goal is the final place you want to “end up” in a certain aspect of your life. This could be better health, more money, more travel, getting closer to your spouse, whatever. But the truth is, most people don’t achieve the goals they set out to achieve.

According to the Times-Tribune, only 8% of people complete or achieve their New Year’s Resolution. Clinical Psychologists blame this on self-sabotage caused by a lack of self-discipline.

Source: Ray Williams

And while self-discipline is a major contributor, I think a big factor is the whole idea of goals and end goal setting. Goals, in our society, have turned into another word for a dream. A goal is treated like something I would like to see happen someday.

This is not the attitude you need to have in order to get things done. In fact, just having a goal sort of sets you up for failure if you tell everyone about it. This is because you get a hit of dopamine just by talking about your lofty goals. This sense of accomplishment actually prevents you from then going on to pursue the goal.

So, in short, if less than 1 in 10 people achieve a goal, there’s probably something wrong with the way we set goals.

What Is The Difference Between An End Goal & A Project?

My current view (and I am working on this as I write this) is that we need to turn goals into projects. Think about it. Goals get talked about. Projects get done. Imagine you had a goal to paint the walls in your bedroom.

If you used the “goal setting” formula, you would bust out a piece of paper and write down your goal. You may even go cut out pictures of people smiling next to their beautifully painted bedroom walls. You would tell all your friends and family your intentions. You might join a Facebook group and share your goal of painting your bedroom wall.

Heck, you might even pick out a color or two or three!

And then you would wait. You would talk about it when it comes up, but you wouldn’t really “do” anything. Maybe you read a book about painting or go to a painting class, or even funnier – buy an online course about painting your bedroom walls.

But at the end of the day, it seems like nothing gets done when you set an “end goal” and do nothing further.

Instead, think about turning that goal into a project. If painting your bedroom becomes a project, you would actually create a plan. First, you would choose a deadline when the walls have to be painted by. Then, everything else would work backward from that point.

Here are the aspects I’ve uncovered when it comes to what to focus on in a project. Again, this is a work in progress, but it’s a good starting point:

  • Time – an indefinite period (usually marked by specific attributes or activities)
  • Talent – aptitude or skill
  • Tenacity – the quality or fact of continuing to exist; persistence
  • Tribe – External group community that supports you and provides feedback
  • Team – Internal group who works on the project with you
  • Trail- Your steps to get there. This is like a Plan or Strategy
  • Target- The end goal you want to achieve including your vision.

What you want to do is focus on each of these areas and fill in the gaps. Obviously, there’s so much more that can be said about this topic and I’ll continue to write about it. But, you really want to change the way you think about goals from now on.

So, to complete the analogy. If you were going to paint your bedroom as a project, you would choose the date it will be done by and the dates you will do the painting. You will make sure you or someone you hire has the talent to perform the task. Your tenacity must exist or you’ll never do the job.

You can consult your tribe (aka Home Depot) for help on choosing the right type of paint, etc. You assemble your team of painters from people you know who can help you. You create the plan of attack. Who will tape the corners, who will paint, who will move the bed?

And you have your final target set – your end goal. You make sure that everyone knows what is expected of them.

Then you go do what you have to do.

Final Thoughts On End Goals

End goals aren’t bad things. I don’t want to come across in that way. I just want you to start thinking of goals as one small part of the bigger picture. Goals are dreams. They are fun to talk about, but rarely do they come to pass.

Projects, on the other hand, are very tangible. They require thought and planning. They get done. The really great news is there’s a whole world of project management theory out there to learn from.

My goal is to take everything I’ve picked up from project management and planning (I got an MBA btw lol) and apply it to goal setting. I hope you’ll join me on this journey.

Any questions, comments, advice, etc please share below.

How To Save Time: 15 Real-World Strategies

productivity

How To Save Time

Let’s share a truth about how to save time. There is a common theme among the top performers in all fields: they know how to get more done in less time. They are productivity machines. They don’t do everything perfectly—no one can (and if you think you can, you’re wrong), but they do everything well enough. And they save huge amounts of time and energy by making sure that what they do does the biggest possible impact. I’ve worked with many of these high-achieving individuals. And in this post, I’m going to share with you some of their secrets for saving time so you can reach your potential faster than before.

Setup A Calendar And Stick To It As Best You Can

Looking at your calendar everyday is a great way to save time. You don’t have to keep a calendar to be productive, but all the productive people I know do. Personally, I use Google Calendar because it’s free and because it integrates so well into all my existing G-Suite setups.

What you want to do is check your calendar for the week. Set aside about an hour to plan out your week by looking at the calendar and writing down all your meetings and calls or class times, etc. Whatever you “have'” to do that week.

Write them down and order them by date. Now, go back through and add into your week all the “soft” things you have to do. I always add time blocks for thinking, planning, and working on my own personal projects.

If you don’t set aside time for yourself, you’ll always have a struggle with time management.

Prioritize Your Most Important Things First

This one is pretty simple but it’s important. You want to go back through your to do list and put the items in priority of importance. Make sure you do get the big stuff done first. This will allow you to save time because you’ll soon discover that only the big items really matter that much as far as productivity goes.

This is due to the 80/20 principle, also known as the Pareto principle. If you haven’t seen that before, this video should help:

Plan And Schedule Around Your Most Productive Time Of Day

Us humans are very interesting. We have certain times of day where we function better than others. Interesting. So, what I tell people is to figure out how to take advantage of that. Are you an early bird or a night owl?

If you’re an early bird, try to get up even earlier and work first on your most productive tasks. You can (and should) be in a quiet area where you can focus. For me, I prefer total silence. Others like to have music playing. For me, the music is a distraction.

The key is intense focus on the right tasks.

Same goes for night owls. I used to be a night owl, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve morphed into more of a morning person. But, when you’re up late, you can get a lot done because again it’s quiet and you’re not getting interrupted constantly by kids, co-workers, or other people.

Don’t Give Up Your Breaks And Lunch Time

This is more of a “don’t” but I figured I would add it in. If you are looking for how to save time, don’t steal it from yourself. You should take full advantage of your breaks and of lunch time.

Just working through every break and lunch can be ok in crunch time, but over the long haul you’ll tend to burn yourself out. What I like to do during lunch is to watch an educational show on YouTube or even listen to a podcast.

Now, when I am going through an intermittent fasting protocol, I do sometimes work through lunch and that’s been great for me. So, there is that option. However, like all things in life, balance is important.

Prioritize Right, The First Time Around

Another easy one, but I want to reiterate it. You want to really make sure you are focusing on doing the right things, instead of doing everything. One way to do that is to rank your priorities with a prioritization matrix, like this one from Process.st:

From Process.st

The first things you want to do are the things that are both important and highly urgent. I know this seems like common sense, but many times we get lured into doing things that are urgent but low on the importance list.

These things rob of our time but make us feel like we are accomplishing things. So, be very careful with those types of items.

Learn How To Say ‘No’ Gracefully)

Saying no took me a long time to get right. I still struggle with it every now and again, but I have gotten way better at it. If you really are asking how to save time, then saying NO is probably your best answer.

We get so caught up in saying yes, because in our minds yes means more opportunity. But the reality is we don’t need more opportunity, we need more execution. And saying yes to new things actually forces you to say no to other things.

So, if you struggle with the idea of saying no, just remember that there isn’t a world in which you can’t say no. In fact, when we say yes to things we really shouldn’t say yes to, we end up saying no to those we love most – usually friends and family.

And that’s a real tragedy.

Fight The Time Crunch By Doing Just 2 Things Each Day

This one isn’t a “command” so to speak, but a suggestion. If you want to really get things done, try focusing on less things. Imagine if you just got 2 big things done per day, 5 days a week. That’s 10 big things.

Over an average working year, that’s 500 BIG things you got done. And if you focus really hard for 4-5 hours a day, odds are you can get 2 things done each day. This is a real secret of effective time management.

You can get more done in less time because you are doing less and focusing on what really moves the needle. This is a key time-saving tactic.

Find A Way To Delegate Things You Don’t Enjoy

Delegation is a time-savers best friend. Forget trying to do everything. If what you’re doing doesn’t “spark” joy or really get results for you then either stop doing it or outsource it to someone else.

This one can be tough until you get some money built up, so one strategy you can look for is to time trade with other people. Look for a person who will do a job for you and you can do a job for them.

It makes it a lot easier to trade time when you have more time than money. Eventually though, when you can afford it, you’ll want to outsource any task that you are uniquely qualified for.

Get The Biggest Payoff For Your Time Investment

This one is more of a question you must ask yourself. Am I getting the biggest payoff for my time? You should assign yourself an hourly rate. Could be $10 or it could be $1000. The point is that the rate must be in the realm of possiblity.

Use that number as your payoff number. Would you pay someone that much money per hour to do the task for you? If not, then you really shouldn’t do it. If your average earnings per hour is $50,then why mow your own lawn unless you really enjoy it?

Again, you will save time using this strategy and you’ll ultimately save money if your put your time savings to work for you and earn more money with that time.

But that being said…

Maximize Your Free Time

When you’re asking about how to save time, you may be asking the wrong question. You see, you need to ask yourself what the purpose is of your new free time. I submit to you that you should focus on how to maximize your free time, which is another way of saying getting the most out of it.

Do you LOVE working and producing? That’s great then, do more of that. Do you love to read? Read more! Watching TV your thing, though it’s not mine, hey more power to you!

Just make sure that you take time to enjoy life, that’s my point. Get the most out of life because you only get one shot.

Cut Down On The Number Of Meetings You Attend

Let’s face it. Most meetings are boring. You really can’t get out of them through, right? Actually, you can and you should. At work, if someone suggests a meeting just reply with something like..

Is there a particular reason we need to have a meeting on this? Can we try to resolve it via email first? I have a very full week and can’t do another meeting right now.

That’s it. Just try it and you’ll be amazed. This works face to face, over zoom, in your inbox, slack, wherever. It wont’ work 100% of the time, but it will cut down on meetings. Meetings eat up a ton of time because of the pleasantries involved.

If you must have a meeting, make sure you stick to a tight schedule and stay focused. Don’t go off into planning detailed executions. Save that for another time.

Get More Done With Less Effort (MEMO Principle)

I created a name for getting more done with less effort. I call it the MEMO principle. Minimum Effort Maximum Outcome. This doesn’t mean you want to slack off, instead if means you want to look for points of leverage in everything you do.

Case in point, I used to spend about 90 minutes a day exercising. This included driving to the gym working out for 45 minutes, driving back home, etc.

Then I discovered a system known as the X3, you can see my X3 Review here. This workout system allows me to workout in 10 minutes from home. I now save 80 minutes a day, 6 days a week.

That’s leverage. And the best part? I actually get better results too!

Set A Time To Check And Respond To Emails

Here’s another simple hack for how to save time. Set aside a time of day to check emails. I recommend during a break after your first working session. There’s no law that says you have to check email constantly.

Imagine how weird it would be if the mail carrier showed up and rang the doorbell everytime you got a letter. Multiple times per day. You would get super annoyed. Yet, with email we allow that.

Do your best to turn off the notifcations and check your email on your schedule. Let your co-workers know this is how you do email and they’ll accept it.

Double Up On Tasks

I call this trick the two-fer. Look to combine tasks that can be combined. They say you can’t do two things at once, but that’s not entirely true. It’s near impossible to do two tasks at once that both require cognitive function.

For example, it is impossible to listen to an audiobook while reading on your kindle. But, what you can do is combine something like listening to an audiobook while walking. Now, you get in your walking and your audiobook.

I do this all the time with phone calls. I pretty much walk on every call I do. This gets me out of the office, increases my steps, and makes me more creative on my calls. Most of my calls these days are all about strategy anyway, so the better I can think the better the results will be.

Use The Power Of The Tomato Timer

Ok, you may know it as the Pomodoro Timer, but Pomodoro is actually Italian for Tomato. All you do with this strategy is to set a timer for 25 minutes and focus on a single task during that time.

When the timer goes off, take a 5 minute mental break. It helps to stand up and walk a bit and stretch. At the end of the 5 minutes, sit and work again for a 25 minute block.

By doing this, you’ll find that you can work a solid, focused 50 minutes out of the hour. I’ve not found a better way to get creative projects done especially, then with this method.

Final Thoughts

I am hopeful this article gave you some strategies you can use as you continue to ask how to save time in your life. Some apply more to business, but all of them can be taken and used by you if you just think them through.

Whether you want to just have more free time or spend more time on your business, saving time from the mundane is the way to go. Focus on outsourcing or delegating what you can to other people, cut down on meetings, keep to your calendar, and combine tasks whenever you can.

By doing this, you will be more productive than you ever thought possible.

If you enjoyed this article, please check out my series on how to take good notes, which is another potential way to save time by allowing you to learn faster.