Marginal Gains and Doing the Things you Actually Want to
Hey friends, happy Sunday!
It's been a strange week for me. The first half was wiped out by an illness [I thought it was appendicitis but luckily not]. Which lead to me having a lot of work to do in the second half as I finish up client projects for 2020.
This meant no time to get the Youtube channel up but I did manage to launch my personal site - I'm really happy with how it turned out and excited to use this as a base for creating over the next few years.
Let me know what you think: stephenwise.co
One more days worth of client work left to do this year and the rest of the festive period will be dedicated to taking some much needed time off and focusing on writing + making videos.
Anyway let's get into this weeks filter!
Marginal Gains and Doing the Things you Actually Want to.
This week I want to share how I approach productivity.
Ever since I started working for myself I've struggled with the concept of productivity. I'd constantly fall into productivity traps, berate myself for not getting enough done and set unrealistic expectations of how much I could pack into the week.
Over the last few years I've developed a system to reduce overwhelm and make "being productive" my default state.
This system is made up of two parts:
1. Psychological - Do the things you actually want to do.
Forcing yourself to do things you don't want to do is miserable. Of course discipline is needed at times but you shouldn't have to force yourself to do your work all the time.
Step one to becoming more productive is to design your life so that 80% of the time you're doing the thing you want to most at any given time.
2. Marginal Gains - 1% improvements
"The doctrine of marginal gains is all about small incremental improvements in any process adding up to a significant improvement when they are all added together."
Avoid productivity "Hacks" like the plague, they don't work and make you miserable.
Instead just focus on tiny 1% improvements in all aspects of your life and your work.
You don't have to make drastic changes to be more productive you just need to take consistent action over a long period of time.
Make tiny changes in how you eat, how you sleep, teach yourself new skills, just do something every day.
1% improvements made every day for 10 years really add up...
Here are this week's finds:
Being out sick half of this week has me re-visiting some of the older articles I'd read this year. Here are 3 of the best posts I've read in 2020.
(Article)
In this great article Justin Jackson talks about how entrepreneurship is a lot like surfing. You first have to “develop fundamentals” and then “make it happen”.
“Surfers spend most of their time paddling. The paddling stage is important because it gives them a feel for the water, and how it moves. They learn to read the waves by being in the water.
Likewise, before they started their business, most founders spent a lot of time paddling.
What does this look like? Learn everything you can about a specific industry. If you’re an employee, gain as many crossfunctional skills as you can. Consulting is also a great way to work with a variety of clients. You can also participate in online communities, go to local meetups, and meet people in other cities.
All the while, keep your eyes open for opportunities”
I’d highly recommend checking out this post if you’re looking to start a business in future.
If You Commit to Nothing, You'll Be Distracted by Everything
(Article)
Optionality is often seen as a good thing yet often keeping your options open is what holds you back.
In this post Jame Clear talks about The Kaihogyo, a 1000-day challenge that Tendai Buddhist monks undertake over the course of 7 years.
My biggest take away from this post was to complete or kill goals, projects and work.
"The Marathon Monks are an extreme version of the “complete or kill” mentality. But you can take the same approach to your goals, projects, and work.
If something is important to you, complete it. If not, kill it.
If you’re anything like me, then you probably have a bunch of half–finished, half–completed projects and ideas. You don’t need all of those loose ends.
Either something is important enough to you to complete, or it’s time to kill it. Fill your life with goals that are worth finishing and eliminate the rest."
How to Be Great? Just Be Good, Repeatably
(Article)
As the year draws to a close it's that time where everyone sets goals and resolutions. This essay from Steph Smith on How to be great is a timely read.
In the post Steph talks about making consistent progress, what it takes to become great and how to be stack the odds in your favour.
"On your journey to greatness, you need to fall in love with the process which includes many local minima and maxima. Staying consistent and pushing through both of these continuously is what will truly differentiate you from those that are simply “good” and isolate you as one of the few that are “great’. "
This is one of those posts that's so good I often re-visit!
End Notes
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Have a great Christmas,
- Stephen