Reading Notes 📝

What if I…?

Define:
All of the 10-20 worst things that could happen if you take the step.

Prevent:
What could I do to prevent each of these points to happen or decrease the likelyhood?

Repair:
If the worst case scenario happen what could you do to repair the damage (even a little bit) or who could I ask for help.

What might be the benifits of an attempt or a partial success?

Think about what are the benefits you will acheive Emotionally, physically, financially, etc. for doing that. Think atleast for 10-15 minutes.

The cost of inaction.

Take a note about the cost of inaction (Emotionally, physically, financially, etc.) for 6 Months, 1 Years, and 3 Years.

References

YouTube

1. Stage 1 is a Failure of Tactics.
2. Stage 2 is a Failure of Strategy.
3. Stage 3 is a Failure of Vision.

Fixing a Failure of Tactics

1. Record your process.
2. Measure your outcomes.
3. Review and adjust your tactics.

Fixing a Failure of Strategy

1. Launch it quickly.
2. Do it cheaply.
3. Revise it rapidly.

Fixing a Failure of Vision

1. Take stock of your life.
2. Determine your non-negotiable.
3. Navigate criticism.

References

James Clear

Ivy Lee’s productivity method:

1. At the end of each work day, write down the six most important things you need to accomplish tomorrow. Do not write down more than six tasks.
2. Prioritize those six items in order of their true importance.
3. When you arrive tomorrow, concentrate only on the first task. Work until the first task is finished before moving on to the second task.
4. Approach the rest of your list in the same fashion. At the end of the day, move any unfinished items to a new list of six tasks for the following day.
5. Repeat this process every working day.

References

James Clear

The famous line from Musonius Rufus was that labor passes quickly but the fruit of labor endures. It’s the same with discipline: the vigilance is temporary, but the fruit of that vigilance can be enjoyed long after the sacrifice has been forgotten. When you’re on the fence about going for a long run or working on a big project, remind yourself: discipline now, freedom later. The labor will pass, and the rewards will last.

1. We suffer more in imagination than reality
2. Only associate with people who make you better
3. You’re dying every minute

Procrastinating “is the biggest waste of life,” the Stoic philosopher Seneca wrote. “It snatches away each day…and denies us the present by promising the future.”

Want to stop wasting your life?

Here are 8 Stoic tactics to beat procrastination:

1. Take it action by action.
2. Create a routine.
3. Cut out the inessential.
4. Create a sense of urgency.
5. Find the right company.
6. Get one small win.
7. Forget about outcomes.
8. Demand the best of yourself.

The Stoics come down hard on procrastinating. “Putting things off and always deferring the day after which you will attend to yourself,” Epictetus said, “you will live and die as someone quite ordinary.” Stop deferring.

Twitter

“In life it will be ideal to learn from others mistakes, if not your own.”

Wherever possible I prefer to learn from someone else’s mistake as there is no cost to me 😊 but it wont be possible always.

– Balaji

Think inside the box

Giving yourself tight constraints–in essence a small box to work within actually often pays huge dividends.“Picasso pioneered new art forms by denying himself of luxuries, thus forcing more creative rethinking of fundamentals,”. As the artist self-imposed experiment that limited him to working with a single color as an example.

Edit brutally

It’s natural to think of innovation as bringing more new stuff or ideas into the world, but as Snow points out, “innovation is often an exercise in reducing complexity.”

Iterate, don’t ruminate (Over thinking of something)

“Action is the foundational key to all success.” Have true words ever been spoken? If you want to be more creative, don’t sit around thinking about how to be more creative. Try stuff. And then try more stuff. Continuous iteration, experimentation, and hard work are the basic building blocks of breakthrough ideas.

Great creators like Picasso, Produce millions of variations of their ideas until they get it right."

Refernces

Inc

Life is easier when you know what you want—but most people don’t take the time to figure out what they want.

It’s not that we are completely lost, but our efforts are often slightly misdirected. People will work for years and ultimately achieve a lifestyle that isn’t quite what they were hoping for—often, simply, because they never clearly defined what they wanted.

An hour of thinking can save you a decade of work.

You have no responsibility to live up to what other people think you ought to accomplish. I have no responsibility to be like they expect me to be. It’s their mistake, not my failing.
– Feynman

You’re under no obligation to remain the same person you were a year ago, a month ago, or even a day ago. You are here to create yourself, continuously.

References

Twitter Feynman