You can get decent deliverables with AI, but they're far from finished work. Getting what you actually envision takes a lot of trial and error. And if you want higher-quality outputs from better models, you need to pay a lot.

For example, I tried using Claude to build a swim lane diagram using Mermaid syntax. You can get a decent first draft, but making small adjustments after that is painful.

An investment banker can get a tidy and organized deck. But if you care at all about how it looks — and anyone who's worked in corporate finance knows how particular people get about this — you're going to spend a lot of time going back and forth with AI to get it exactly right.

That dynamic hits hardest early in your career. If you're a junior analyst in the financial world, it'll be harder, because AI amplifies what you bring to it. If you don't share the right context — business rules, conditions specific to your situation, decisions that aren't public knowledge — the output is going to be partial and not necessarily correct.

You are its manager. If you're a bad manager, you're going to get bad work from AI regardless.

For young analysts, the learning process will work the same way it's always worked: trial and error. Like everyone else, they'll have to build on what others figured out before them. That's how we've always learned. Apprenticeships work because they're structured trial and error.

AI just makes the feedback loop faster, but the fundamentals are the same. Some knowledge gets lost along the way, and some gets passed on. It's the same pattern with weapon-building, craftsmanship, or any trade. Just much faster.

So what will actually happen?

This AI boom is going to look a lot like the internet revolution. And career changes are also going to look a lot like the internet era.

When the internet arrived, did companies offer generous compensation packages to employees who weren't tech-savvy? Not necessarily. They mostly used the same methods they always had: restructuring, attrition, sometimes just being blunt about it. That's what I see happening here. The methods won't change.

The difference between companies will come down to who's willing to take the risk of changing fast. Some will move quickly, a lot will die in the process, and many will keep doing things the way they did them decades (even centuries) ago.

It's also not going to be as extreme as people fear. Robotics was supposed to replace most of the workforce, and it didn't. Because it's too expensive and there are things machines still can't do. There's a similar ceiling here. We're nowhere near AI doing everything, and I genuinely don't think we'll be living on this planet when that happens.

The landscape will shift, but the changes will be minimal. Yes, there'll be more knowledge work and more contract workers. But I don't see it being a 180 degree transformation. Even after the explosion of IT jobs, they're still not even close to half the workforce.

I do believe AI tools will make it easier to spin up something on your own. We're already seeing this happening. But the barrier is not the tools. It's the worldviews and beliefs of people:

1. Many are willing to trade financial freedom and creative freedom for the perceived security of having a 9-5 job.
2. Most people are risk-averse.
3. Not everyone is motivated to do something on the side. A lot of people just want the peace of mind of leaving all problems behind at five o'clock.

As long as that doesn't change, the work environment won't change much either. It'll come and go in waves. Like after COVID, when a lot of people went freelance for the flexibility, and then some burned out on finding clients and went back to employment. That cycle will keep happening.

People will keep rioting to secure jobs and income. Most riots in recent history come from economic reasons, like the price of bread, transportation, or housing. And as living standards rise, so do expectations. The poverty line gets higher, the minimum people will accept goes up. So they'll keep making demands.

The people confidently predicting either total transformation or everything staying the same are probably both wrong. History suggests it'll be messier and more gradual.

PS: This article was written as a response to questions raised by Paul Millerd on Twitter about AI, jobs, and the economy. If you haven't read his post, it's worth it.

I can't call myself bilingual yet, but I have good proficiency.

I owe this to my dad. He brought me games from his work trips to the US. As a little girl, I spent countless hours in front of the computer, as Mickey Mouse asked me to build puzzles in English.

Inevitably, I'll sometimes make mistakes, like directly translating Spanish idioms into English, resulting in phrases that sound odd to native speakers.

As a Project Manager, I lead calls with Australian clients. Recently, I noticed I was making many mistakes. I became self-conscious and started getting blocked in meetings. How could I be getting worse if I practice more than ever?

Then I remembered something. When you're learning the right way, it can feel like you're not making progress. You might feel things are getting more difficult instead of easier.

"The right ways to practice feel wrong. Deliberate practice is always just beyond our current ability/comfort zone."

—Kathy Sierra

Practicing the right way—"deliberate practice"—is hard. It can make you feel dumber, as if all your effort is worthless. But don't fall into this mental trap. Our feelings are not always accurate predictors of reality.

Doing a deadlift the right way might make you feel weaker. You'll have to push harder for the same weight you were lifting effortlessly a week before. It will feel like you're making little progress or even none at all, when in reality, you're getting better. Better form, doing the movement consciously, and focusing on the mind-body connection will actually help you build strength faster.

So keep growing, and keep doing the right things.

Growth comes from trusting the process.

Life is a marathon, not a sprint. You've probably heard this plenty of times. If you're running a marathon, why choose the hardest path as a beginner? Choosing a route with the steepest hills will only make you quit the race.

What does playing in easy and hard mode look like?:

• Work on hard mode is doing a job you don't enjoy. Work on easy mode is finding a career you enjoy.
• Business on hard mode is picking what you think is the most profitable niche. Business on easy mode is choosing a niche that aligns with your passions (first) and has enough demand (second).
• Building a product on hard mode is creating based on what you think users need and then figuring out how to sell it. Building a product on easy mode is developing a product based on actual user needs and then making them an offer.
• Reading on hard mode is forcing yourself through your list of must-reads and finishing every book. Reading on easy mode is reading what catches your attention and dropping books that don't serve you.
• Overcoming challenges on hard mode is trying to do everything by yourself and not asking for help. Overcoming challenges on easy mode is being humble enough to ask for help when you're stuck.
• Getting fit on hard mode is following what fit bros tell you to do, even if it drains your willpower. Getting fit on easy mode is finding an activity you enjoy and doing it with friends so you look forward to working out.
• Nutrition on hard mode is only eating "healthy" food and excluding anything "unhealthy" because it's not optimal. Nutrition on easy mode is eating healthy food 80% of the time and enjoying the freedom to indulge the other 20%.
• Playing life on hard mode is implementing tactics and strategies recommended by others, even if they're not suited for your particular situation. Playing life on easy mode is considering various perspectives and tinkering to find your own heuristics.

This doesn't mean you should look for quick fixes. It's good to challenge yourself, but don't take on too many at once. Be reasonable. Even in easy mode, fate will ensure you face some nice challenges.

But something inside of you says this might be just another form of procrastination. Deep down, you know it's probably better to just focus on monetization and product improvements. But the design bugs you because it feels cheap and clunky.

How much do you think a brand contributes to a product's success?
Can a company with a great product but a bad brand still succeed? I believe it can.
But a company with a lousy product and a great brand? It won't last.

If you've come up with a clever name, great! Keep it and move on. Overthinking the name and logo isn't worth it.

Your brand won't make your product, but it can break it. Ensure the name you pick doesn't leave you out of the game or force a change once you're established. Avoid trademark issues or unintended meanings in other languages.

So don't stress about coming up with an aesthetic name or a "proper" logo.
Focus on what matters: making a great product.
And the name? A good enough name will do.

So, yesterday I spent all day looking for different ways to promote my newsletter. The knowledge gained while studying how grew their newsletters while researching for UpGroves came in handy.

After this hard work, I came up with over 20 growth levers. Obviously, I can't tackle all of these at once - I want to work smart, not just hard.

I organized everything into a Notion board. This helped me filter options based on difficulty, effectiveness, and cost.

Here are the top 3 (free) strategies to grow your newsletter:

1. Reaching out to your network
2. Cross-promotions
3. Referrals

I've already tapped into my network, so cross-promotions were the next logical step.

What's a cross-promotion?

A cross-promotion or newsletter swap is when you collaborate with other newsletter writers or in your niche to cross-promote each other's content.

Below, you'll find a breakdown of my cross-promotion campaign strategy and the email templates I'm using to reach out to fellow newsletter writers.

Step 1. Identify Newsletters

Criteria

• Relevance: Choose partners whose content, products, or services complement yours. Their audience should be likely to find value in your newsletter.
• Similar Audience Size: Ideally, look for partners with a similar or slightly larger audience size to ensure mutual benefit.
• Credibility: Ensure potential partners have a good reputation and credibility in their field.

Where to find newsletter partners?

• Substack Recommendations
• ConvertKit Creator Network
• Newsletter creators communities:
  • Newsletter Blueprint Community
  • Newsletters Subreddit
  • IndieHackers Newsletter Crew
  • Newsletter Creators Facebook Group
  • Substack Subreddit
• Passionfroot
• Lettergrowth
• InboxReads Search
• Communities in your niche: look for newsletters that are recommended by members of the communities.
• Social media: look for hashtags relevant to your niche and check if the creators own a newsletter.

Once you’ve identified potential newsletter partners that might be a good fit, you can add them to your CRM to track your cross-promotion campaign results.

Step 2. Engage and Reach Out

• Engage with the identified newsletters. Leave them a comment and hit like a few times.
• If you get any replies it might be a good sign it’s the right moment to reach out.
• After a while, send a personalized message highlighting the benefits of the cross-promotion, stating clearly what you can offer.
• Be transparent about your audience size, engagement rates, and the type of content you produce.

Step 3. Plan

• Discuss and agree on how often and in what form each one will promote the other's content.
• Decide whether you'll share each other's existing content, create new content, or offer exclusive deals to each other's audiences.
• Ensure that the promotional messages are consistent and align with both creators' brand voices.
  • Here’s an example of a cross-promotion between Chenell Basilio from the newsletter Growth in Reverse and Alex Lull from The Steal Club:
    
    

Step 4. Execute

• Feature each other's content or offers in your respective newsletters. Share, retweet, or post about each other’s content on social media platforms.
• Track the results and tweak as needed.

Best practices to have in mind

• Audience First: Always keep the interests and preferences of your audience in mind.
• Transparency: Be transparent with your audience about the nature of the cross-promotion.
• Quality Over Quantity: It’s better to have a few meaningful partnerships than numerous low-value ones.

Doing cross-promotions offers a great opportunity to connect with other creators and reach new audiences.

Have you tried implementing this growth strategy? I would love to know how it worked for you! Leave a comment below and let me know.

It's easier to figure out your pricing after you look at what others are charging. Here I'll show you how and where to search and what to look to find your competitors' pricing.

Step 1. Search

Freelance Platforms

There are many platforms where you can look at the prices of other freelancers. Here I'll show you how to use Fiverr and UpWork for competitor research:

• On Fiverr, log in as a buyer and enter your service keywords in the top search bar.
• On UpWork, after typing your service in the top right search bar, select 'Projects' before hitting Enter.

Some results were unrelated, so I focused on offers similar to mine.

Not finding what you're looking for? Try different or fewer keywords. For example, in my previous example, I could try "HubSpot Set Up" instead of "HubSpot Implementation" for potentially more relevant results.

Consultant and Agency Websites

Use Google to search "{name of your service} pricing". You should get several alternatives from this search.

If you aren't getting relevant results try using these search operators:

• "{name of your service} inurl:pricing": this will search all the websites that have in the address the word "pricing." such as http://www.fakeagency.com/pricing
• "{name of your service} intitle:pricing": this will search all the websites that have in the title of the website the word "pricing."

This will help you see what agencies or individual consultants are charging. Remember that, if you're a freelancer, your rates might differ from those of larger agencies, but this gives you a solid reference point.

Step 2. Review and Compare

Pick a few results and explore their service pages.

Check out their service descriptions, pricing, and what each package includes. Pay attention to:

• Package offerings (such as extra-fast delivery)
• Additional features or add-ons
• Hourly rates
• Delivery times
• Special certifications and their impact on pricing
• Experience level and corresponding prices

Use this information to brainstorm ideas for things to include in your offer. You might find that some features you consider standard are valuable extras for your clients. Consider summarizing different price points to create your own "service packages."

By the end of this process, you should have a better understanding of the market and your competitors, making it easier to set your pricing.

I've spent more time than I'd like to admit devouring dozens of books on productivity, time management, goal setting, project management... I've read countless psychology papers (I learned how to read these types of texts in med school) and I've listened religiously to every Huberman Lab podcast episode and learned weird neuroanatomy concepts such as the Anterior Mid-Cingulate Cortex (which controls your willpower). All this to find out what works and what doesn't.

Through my journey, I've come across some good and some not-so-great stuff. I've carefully saved the best information in my Personal System. And now I've decided to start sharing my findings with you.

Year-End / New Year

If you're like me, you've probably done a year-end review and created a new-year plan. Props to you for that! It shows that a) you decided to gain more clarity and achieve more this year and b) you did something to move the needle forward.

I was looking at some online planners yesterday, and I couldn't help but notice none of them included one crucial part of the planning process.

But before I share what I discovered, I want you to think about these questions:

• Do you often feel unsure if what you're doing is effective?
• Do you feel like you're constantly busy but making little to no progress?
• Do you sometimes feel like a hamster stuck on an endless running wheel?
• Would you like to gain 2 extra hours each day so can finally watch that series on your to-watch list?
• Do you wish you were in a tropical place sipping a piña colada without worrying about the endless stream of emails awaiting your reply?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, I want you to start incorporating this simple but powerful process in your planning system (you do have a system, right?).

The Greatest Secret to be More Productive

This secret weapon is the review process.

If you ask me, there's no better technique to grow than reflecting on your past actions. You'll gain clarity about yourself and your strengths and weaknesses. You'll make more money and be much happier because you'll be able to know exactly what to do to achieve what you want.

Planning without considering your past is just dreaming. You must base your plans on facts to make them realistic. If you plan to run 10 kilometers every day but haven't run even 5 in years, you'll fail. There's nothing wrong with being ambitious, but the path to greatness starts from a ground in reality.

One of the worst planning mistakes is failing to look at the past and just doing stuff you "think" might work.

If you've done this in the past, you're not alone. I've done this multiple times and forget just to pause and think (That's why you have to incorporate this in your planning system, so you never miss it). Actually, not even companies do "retrospectives" (the corporate term for review) because they see this as a waste of time. I say it's a bigger waste to do what doesn't work.

The secret to mastery lies in setting up high-quality feedback loops that help you identify your mistakes and look for ways to improve.

A Good Review Process

A good process uses unbiased information. Looking at the facts is how you get accurate and relevant feedback.

You need to answer two questions and take two actions:

• Question 1: What did I do well? - Action 1: Give yourself a pat on the back.
• Question 2: What could I improve? - Action 2: Determine what you could do to avoid this from happening in the future.

Celebrating your successes from the past week will allow you to view your past with a compassionate and positive perspective, motivating you to achieve more.

To decide whether something you did was better or worse, you need to select the relevant criteria to judge your work against: Did you perform better than yourself before? Did you perform better than the average people who do this? Better than what you are expected to perform?

You can't control the weather but you can control taking a raincoat with you just in case it rains. Focus on what you could do to improve your chances of success (and decrease your chances of failure) that are in your control. This is what top athletes do. For example, the swimmer Natalie Coughlin said: “In general, I’m pretty inwardly focused . . . I like to concentrate on my stroke and do my race, because that’s all I can control.”

The best time for a review is right after completing an effective cycle of work. If you have a 9-5 job it would make sense to do it every week. If you're launching a product, you could do one each time you reach a milestone.

This shouldn't take more than 30 minutes of your time (if you've been tracking during the week). And investing just 30 minutes to improve your performance is a small price to pay, don't you agree?

This process will shift you from wondering, "Can I accomplish this?" to taking action and asking, "How can I accomplish this?" Adjust your course of action until you see results, and see yourself transitioning from a fixed mindset ("I can't do this") to a growth mindset ("I can learn how to improve").

This growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts, your strategies, and help from others.

—Carol Dweck, "Mindset"

You'll enjoy this process if you see it as a learning opportunity. As you acquire more skills and knowledge, you'll be capable of achieving more. There's immense power in setting a goal and successfully reaching it.

The Way Ahead

Reflection comes before action.

Reviews shouldn't be limited to the end of the year. They should happen every week, and actually every time an important cycle happens. Do this to adjust your course of action and ensure you're not wasting time doing stuff that doesn't work.

Start this week, and I'm sure by the end of the year you'll look back and say: "This is one of my most productive years."

• Your friends and family often don't understand what you're doing, which results in quite a few awkward conversations. They're not interested in what you want to talk about. You seem to be on different wavelengths.
• Turning down many social gatherings becomes the norm. You even start to feel like your friends have stopped inviting you altogether.
• You're eagerly waiting for your hustle to take off. You dream of reclaiming your nights and weekends and attending social events again.
• You're losing hope of finding people who share your experiences and understand this journey, people who can help you fight off this isolation.
• You keep telling yourself, "It won't always be like this. It's just a part of life." But knowing it's temporary doesn't make it any easier.

Have you felt this way?

Working from Cafes is Not My Thing

I've been working remotely for a while and am grateful for the freedom to work from almost anywhere. In Thailand, I've had the chance to work in some of the most beautiful cafes.

However, I quickly realized I couldn't focus well in public places.

That's when I decided to start working from my apartment. I love the routine, and the quiet boosts my productivity. But after a while, I started feeling lonely. Seeing my friends' Instagram posts didn't help because I felt like I was missing out. The worst part was that no one understood what I was going through.

So, instead of waining about it, I joined online communities of people facing similar challenges and began to build relationships. I made an effort to meet a friend for lunch here and there. This improved my mood, and I realized the quality of my work didn't deteriorate—quite the opposite.

I learned a valuable lesson: We need to consciously make time to connect with others.

Think of when you are trying to maintain a gym routine without setting a plan. If you try to exercise just when you have time, you'll end up not going for months. (Oh, the feeling of failure when you realize you have lost that monthly gym pass... AGAIN!)

To do more of something, you must make time for it.

Making Time to Connect

You have to take deliberate steps to build the habit. Block out time in your calendar and commit to it.

Successful online entrepreneurs and freelancers:

• Ensure they schedule at least one social activity each week, even if this means stepping away from work because they know this will make them more productive in the long term.
• Join communities of like-minded people and have regular Zoom meetings and Slack chats with them.
• Recognize that social activities can help them get a better perspective, improve creativity, and boost their energy levels.
• Stay positive and open to meeting new people.

Connecting with others can make your digital journey more productive, effective, and enjoyable.
We're here for such a short time, we better have fun while we're here.
It doesn't have to be lonely.

It's actually true. In fact, 72% of consumers want an integrated marketing approach.

So, spreading your content across different channels can boost your exposure.
But tackling multiple channels simultaneously can also risk spreading yourself too thin.

Imagine you're targeting software engineers and founders. They're two different audiences with very distinct characteristics. Using the same content for both won't work.

Consider your risk:

Posting the same content on both platforms might cause you to lose followers everywhere, making all your fruitless.

You don't want that.

As you're smart (and because you love to overthink things), you might want to consider a few things before deciding how to tackle this issue.

Posting on Multiple Channels

Take Justin Welsh, for example. He manages content across nine channels as a solopreneur!

But he started with just one. Justin first built a substantial LinkedIn following before moving to Twitter.

His advice is repeated by marketing strategists like Ross Simmonds:

Choosing the Right Platform

The right platform is the one where:

• Your audience hangs out, and that
• You're most comfortable with, that feels almost like play

Learn the ins and outs of that platform. Experiment with format, tone, length, and frequency. Figure out what type of content resonates with your audience.

As Anik Vigneault, a Marketing and Communication Specialist, advises:

Remember, your audience on each platform will likely react differently - tailor each post accordingly.

Handling Two Audiences

Focusing on one audience makes growth easier. Once you master your content process in one platform with your selected audience, THEN you can think of repurposing that content.

But serving two different audiences can be double the work. Coming back to the software engineers and founders' audiences dilemma, ask yourself if you're ready to manage what's essentially two separate businesses because it takes a lot of time and effort to:

• Know your audience
• Manage multiple accounts
• Find and create relevant content to post

You can still share your journey. I do light documentation on X, WIP.co, and the Small Bets Community.

But aside from documenting your journey, try to excel on one platform first, focusing on ONE SINGLE audience. This will let you focus your limited time and energy and make the workload more manageable.

If you focus on one platform and one audience, your progress will be 10x faster.

I tried to mimic the posts of other "LinkedIn influencers", but when I read my own posts, they felt like something a corporate robot would say. "This doesn't sound like me at all," I thought.

It wasn't that I didn't believe in what I was saying. It just felt... cringey. I didn't feel comfortable with how I was sharing my thoughts. So needless to say, I never posted on LinkedIn again.

Don't get me wrong. Sharing my thoughts online is one of the best things I've ever done. I truly believe you should do the same using whatever platform suits you best. That's why I kept posting on Twitter and on my blog because those platforms felt more comfortable sharing what I really thought.

Posting online has connected me to like-minded people—people who, like me, want to earn a living online doing things they enjoy. It can open the door to countless opportunities.

Sharing content online can lead you to true freedom. But this only comes when you create the right type of content, the right way.

Be Yourself

"Be authentic because it's what's going to set you apart from the others."

This is a very common idea among people content creators. Many believe that you just have to "be yourself" when exposing yourself online.

But before trying to be more authentic, we should ask ourselves: What does authenticity even mean? And should we actively try to be more authentic online?

Authenticity can be defined as how well a person knows and lives in accordance with their "true self." That is, “who a person really is, regardless of his or her outward behavior.”2

The first issue with this view is we only see a tiny portion of a person's life online. What you see on the internet is just a glimpse, far from what they truly are in real life.

"But Paulina, how can you trust someone who you know is acting differently than who they really are?"
You can't. There's no way to know if what a person shares online matches their real-life behavior.

The second problem relies on the assumption that there's a single, definitive "true self." But in fact, it might not be that simple:

[...] the notion of a true self is misleading because it implies a monolithic psychological entity that perfectly reflects who the person “really” is and that coordinates all of a person’s disparate psychological characteristics in a unified, coherent, and consistent fashion.1

People are just too complex to judge authenticity based on a single 'true self' idea.

Should you try to be more authentic?

Great news: you don't have to try to be more authentic.

You are already authentic. It's impossible to not be yourself. There's no one in the world who can say things in exactly the same way as you or see them through your unique perspective.

What you want instead is to both feel and be perceived as authentic:

• You'll feel more authentic by sharing content that aligns with your principles in a way that feels effortless to you.
• You'll be perceived as more authentic by creating relatable content that is easy to understand, consistently.

Perhaps you get easily distracted by interesting or low-hanging tasks that are stealing attention from what the 'rational you' want to work with. Sure, you could totally Google "Why isn't my code working," but first, let's check what's going on over on Reddit.

Maybe you've been procrastinating, feeling stuck because you haven't started writing that proposal due a few days ago. You're aware it's important, and you frequently remind yourself you should send it throughout the day.

Procrastination is not necessarily bad. It can be a tool to identify what you enjoy and what you don't. However, if you can't manage to do what needs to be done, you can end up feeling like a failure because you can't motivate yourself to do the things that are necessary to progress.

There's one thing that separates someone successfully earning online on their terms from someone struggling to make ends meet: They embrace discomfort.

Embracing Discomfort

A lot of times, productivity challenges can be emotional management issues in disguise. You need to accept that being your own boss requires effort. And effort often does not feel good. The key is to accept this as a fact.

I can do hard shit if I want to. My friends are often amazed at my consistency in going to the gym. They say "I can only go if I hire a Personal Trainer. Otherwise, I won't do anything."
For the past 5 years, I've been working out consistently. I go to the gym at least three times per week.
However, when it comes to work, it's an entirely different story.

When I worked in an office, I had my boss and deadlines to keep me on track, despite disliking certain tasks.

As a freelancer, no one is there to push me. I must motivate myself, especially for the tedious tasks. I knew this would happen, but living it was different.

People advised, "Do the hardest and most important task first" and "Do what needs to be done, even if it's boring." But no one explained HOW to handle the boring stuff.

I wondered: Is this normal? Am I just lazy? Will this phase pass?

I eventually realized it is normal, but it won't just pass. I learned to accept that tasks often feel unpleasant.

If you struggle to stay on task, it might be because you haven't learned how to sit with your uncomfortable feelings.

So, what's the first step to come to terms with feeling uncomfortable? You have to stop and pause.

The Exercise

Often the moment when we most need to pause is exactly when it feels most intolerable to do so.

—Tara Brach

Start by identifying a task you're avoiding. Visualize or begin the task, noting each step: 'OK I'll first sit at my desk and I'll open my browser, then I'll log in to the tasks management platform and I'll check the requirements'. The more realistic the picture you paint in your head, the more easily you can access the thoughts and feelings throughout your body.

As you do this, you'll start to feel uncomfortable. Take a deep breath and focus your attention on your body. Where do you feel the discomfort most intensely? It could be a tightness in your chest or a slight tension in your neck. How uncomfortable is this feeling? Are there any thoughts that come to mind? What about this situation triggers these strong sensations?

It's crucial not to run away from these feelings or judge them. Simply observe them. Trying to push them away might result in a more overwhelming wave of discomfort. Once you notice them, just watch them. Eventually, they will go.

Also, don't try to force positive thoughts or motivate yourself to tackle the dreaded task. I know it's challenging. But when you catch yourself judging and thinking things like "I should just get back to work," just acknowledge those thoughts by saying, "I'm judging this," and return to observing your emotions.

I recommend dedicating at least one week to this exercise, spending 10-15 minutes per day. You'll start to notice patterns and become more aware of when you engage in activities you prefer over what you know you need to do. Many times, we distract ourselves to avoid confronting uncomfortable feelings.

By doing this exercise, you'll be more in control of your life and less on autopilot. You'll begin to recognize how these uncomfortable feelings inside you often drive your actions. You may even become aware of beliefs like "I can't handle this; I don't know where to start, and I'm afraid of failing" or thoughts like "I'm not good enough." It's okay. You can challenge these beliefs later. The first step is becoming conscious of what's happening within you.

The Power of the Pause

The next time you catch yourself opening Reddit or TikTok instead of tackling that tedious task, consider it a signal to pause. When you pause, you give yourself the opportunity to understand what's truly happening inside you. Maybe you thought you were avoiding your tax paperwork because it's boring, but in reality, you might be afraid of facing your financial reality.

The pause empowers you to regain control over your actions. You'll be able to do what you genuinely want to do, not just what feels good in the moment.

The awareness you'll gain will set you apart. It will enable you to deliver on your promises, stay ahead of the competition, and ultimately, live life on your own terms.

Let's say you're trying to become wiser. Just saying 'I am wise' doesn't quite cut it. What you need is a true belief, the kind that gives you a good feeling every time you face a wisdom test.

As Derek Sivers says, when we grow up, we won’t believe anything unless we’re convinced that it’s true.

It's easier to believe in things you've seen and felt. That's where self-journaling and your role models come into play. The goal is to create a vivid story about yourself as a wise person and dive into it until it's part of your identity.

"The most powerful things that change our behavior and our character are the stories we tell ourselves"

—Alex Hormozi

Look for examples

Look up role models of people or fictional characters whom you consider wise. Search for a story about a moment when they had to make a decision that showed their wisdom. Immerse yourself in these stories. Imagine how they felt when they made that wise decision.

Look for evidence

Seek out evidence of your own wise choices. Think about a time when you had to make a tough decision and felt wiser afterward. Try to remember what led you to make that wise decision. How did it feel in the moment and afterward? What were you thinking?

If this is hard for you, talk with your inner circle (friends, family, coworkers). They can often see your virtues much easier than you can.

Visualize

Now, imagine yourself as a wise person. What principles guide your actions? What are your beliefs about wisdom? What does your inner monologue look like? And, most importantly, what's the feeling you get when being a wise person and making those wise choices? Let yourself bask in those sensations.

Practice

So, when you're right in the middle of a decision that calls for wisdom, ask yourself, 'What would [insert role model's name] do?'.

If you have a hard time with this, you can try the opposite and ask yourself, 'What would someone foolish do in this case?'

This works because of something called cognitive dissonance. When your beliefs sync up with your actions, your mind's at ease, and that's where the magic unfolds.

Watch others

One of the best ways to learn is by watching those who've already mastered the skills you're trying to learn (or at least, are on a higher level).

Seeing them in action can give you insight into their thought processes. And it's particularly useful when they voice their thought process: their objectives, the steps they took to get there, and their past trials and errors.
But the real learning goldmine is watching them struggle. It's in those moments where the real magic lies. Watching them try to identify what's the underlying problem and brainstorm solutions is where you’ll get the most out of it.

This is why good employee onboarding programs involve not just training, but also following them around to see how they work (AKA "shadowing").

Kathy Sierra calls this "Perceptual Learning". In her book "Badass", she says that those who become experts often get to see a lot of high-quality examples of the skills they want to master. This explains why top companies are filled with high performers, why children of elite athletes or musicians often end up just as good, and why talent hotbeds exist.

Examples

A good example of this learning approach can be found in some YouTube's 'watch me take notes' videos. Here are two I've watched several times because they always give me new insights. They show real-time use of note-taking apps to develop their ideas and process their thoughts.

• Andy Matuschak Note-writing Livestream: Andy Matuschak streamed his note-taking process. You see him working through issues, asking himself questions
• How to turn your notes into published articles and books using the Obsidian app with Eleanor Konik: Eleanor Konik's session with Linking Your Thinking is another gem. I love how she gets super excited while taking notes and coming up with ideas on the spot

How to do it

So, how can you put this into practice? While I don't have the ultimate solution, here's the process I'd suggest:

1. Pick a skill you want to improve
2. Find people who are proficient in that skill:
   • If you're running a business, chat with other business owners or listen to their interviews
   • If you're a new employee, find someone who's done the work before
   • If you're a content creator, look out for those creating great content.
     Surely someone in your field will come to mind. If you're struggling, you can ask for recommendations in communities or listen to podcasts.
3. Learn by watching them work. This might be the most challenging part. Here are a few things you could try:
   • Check if they offer courses where they walk you through their process
   • Look for their live streams or videos on Twitch or YouTube
   • See if they offer any form of mentorship
   • Ask if they'd be willing to do a recorded working session

I'd love to hear from you! Have you ever learned something new by watching someone else? How did you go about it? What strategies did you use to make the most out of it? Feel free to share your experiences and tips in the comment box below.

Not long ago, I was working full-time at a tech company in Santiago, Chile. I really liked what I did: the culture was great and I had amazing colleagues. However, everything changed in March 2023 with the onset of the pandemic. Suddenly, we found ourselves confined to our homes. Fortunately, I was sharing an apartment with a friend. But those three months of lockdown were not easy. I found myself working longer hours, sometimes up to 16 a day, and the stress piled up.

When the lockdown lifted, Chile announced the opening of its borders. A friend in Brazil sent me a selfie from an amazing beach. I felt so jealous! Then I thought, "Since I'm working remotely, why not do it from Brazil?". A week later, I landed in Salvador de Bahia.

But soon after, I learned about my impending layoff, which eventually happened. I felt so insecure: Should I go back to Chile? Should I start looking for a job? What should I do next?

I realized this was actually a blessing in disguise. With the severance pay, I decided to extend my stay in Brazil. And after three months, I returned to Santiago briefly to sell my belongings, say goodbye to my family and friends, and continue traveling.

Back in Brazil, a friend in Thailand told me about the high demand for English teachers there. So, along with another friend, we ventured to Southeast Asia. Despite the initial mandatory quarantine (with high associated costs), we quickly found work. And, lucky us, we were told that the classes would be online. A colleague recommended visiting Koh Tao. So we packed our stuff to spend 10 days there. I was instantly smitten with the place. So, when we were confirmed to continue working remotely, I decided to settle there.

By the end of 2021, we were asked to return to in-person classes. But I was already charmed with Koh Tao, with its nature, beaches, and incredible people. I decided to resign and, with some savings, began looking for freelance jobs. A few friends introduced me to freelance platforms like Upwork and Fiverr. It was challenging at first, but I gradually found more and better opportunities.

In early 2022, I started working part-time as a Project Manager for an architectural design studio in the U.S. Even though I hadn't held that specific position before, I had relevant experience from previous positions.

The real change came when an islander friend introduced me to an opportunity with an Australian company. This new role not only let me to stay in Koh Tao but also doubled my income.

Today, I work 20 hours a week remotely from Koh Tao, earning twice what I earned in Santiago.

Reflecting on my journey, I'm reminded of a phrase that goes something like: "Remember where you are now is where you wanted to be years ago".And indeed it is. It happened. And I feel so grateful for it.

10 Key learnings that helped me in my transition

1. Embrace uncertainty: Life is unpredictable. Being open to change can lead to unimaginable opportunities. You never know where your next client might come from.
2. Talk, talk, talk: Share what you seek and what you offer. Don't share your CV. Tell people about your achievements and what you have done. Tell your friends, post it on social media. If you want to increase your luck, you have to be willing to put yourself out there.
3. Trust your skills: trust in your abilities and experiences. Even if you haven't held a specific job title, your skills can be valuable across various roles and industries. Create a list of assets. If you're unsure about what to sell, just open up Fiverr and see if there's any offer that you could easily replicate.
4. Leverage your network: connections and friendships can lead to unexpected opportunities. Building and nurturing relationships can be a significant asset in your journey. And don't hesitate to ask for help when you need it.
5. Be financially prepared: Especially early on, when securing clients and your rates will usually be lower. Try to have always at least 6 months of savings. Having a financial cushion can provide the freedom to make choices that align with what you're seeking.
6. Optimize for Learning: Initially, I took varied jobs in different industries. Focus not just on income but also on learning how to attract clients and refining your fulfillment processes. Stay updated, learn new skills, be curious, experiment.
7. Know your limits: If you’re not willing to work from 11pm to 6am, then don’t do it. Please don't do things you hate, you'll end up hating your life. And don't work for bad clients. You'll learn along the way how to spot them. Avoid them at all costs.
8. Be like water: The ability to adjust to new environments, cultures, and ways of working is key. Flexibility can make your transition smoother and more enjoyable.
9. Resilience is key: Facing challenges, like the stress of the pandemic or the uncertainty of job security, can be tough. However, bouncing back and finding new paths requires to be resilient.
10. Stay optimistic: The world is vast and filled with opportunities. Venturing outside your comfort zone can lead to enriching experiences. There's always someone ready to help. Stay positive pays in the end.

Things can go wrong in many ways. How we see success or failure depends on our own expectations.

Let's say you wrote a book. How would you know if launching the book went well?
Maybe you hope it ranks in the top 100.
Maybe you want to sell a certain number of copies in a period of time.
Maybe you want the recognition from people you admire.
Maybe you want people talking about it.
Maybe you want to receive high ratings from critics.
Maybe you hope one reader feels their life changed by it.
Or, maybe just finishing and sharing the book feels like a win, even if only a few buy it.

Some might see the last scenario as failing. But for you, it could feel like a big win.
Failure is subjective. The same thing can look like a win or a loss, depending on how you view it.

If your idea of success relies on things you can't control, you might end up disappointed. But if you focus on what you can control - like choosing to write, share, and be brave, even if some don't like it or don't notice - you'll likely feel satisfied.

Deciding to take action, that's the real win. And it's what will keep you moving forward.

The most important skill to getting rich is becoming a perpetual learner. You have to know how to learn anything you want to learn.

— Naval Ravikant

The world around us keeps changing. Learning helps us adjust to these changes. When we learn, we grow.
If you don't keep learning, you don't just become stagnant; you devolve.
This is why learning how to learn is key to your progress.

Charlie Munger refers to the importance of being a perpetual learner in his Commencement Speech at USC:

Another idea that I got and this may remind you of Confucius too is that wisdom acquisition was a moral duty. It's not something you do just to advance in life wisdom acquisition is a moral duty. And as a corollary to that proposition - which is very important - it means that you're hooked for lifetime learning.
And without lifetime learning you people are not going to do very well.
You are not going to get very far in life based on what you already know.

He adds:

I constantly see people rise in life who were not the smartest, sometimes not even the most diligent. But they are learning machines. They go to bed every night a little wiser than they were when they got up and boy does that have it help. Particularly when you have a long run ahead of you.

The benefits of learning how to learn

• You can quickly adjust to new situations and new challenges.
• You become stronger and more adaptable.
• You have an advantage over others.
• You feel more confident. New challenges feel like puzzles you know you can solve.
• You can make smarter choices.
• You'll know the right questions to ask when facing problems.
• Learning becomes fun. When you're comfortable with learning, you become curious and will naturally want to know more.
• It'll become easy for you to pick up all ideas across different disciplines and build your own mental frameworks.

What does this mean for you?

If you have a job, you can learn new tasks or adapt to a new role faster.
If you provide a service, you can understand the needs of your new clients quickly and broaden your services offer fast if the demand requires it.
If you're a maker/indie hacker, you can learn new tools or languages to create and launch new products faster.

The main idea is simple. And you might have heard it hundreds of times. But we often forget the importance of getting better at this essential skill. Instead, we focus more on learning specific hard skills like using new tools or improving your programming skills.

So this is my invitation to you: prioritize the art of learning to learn.

We live in an unpredictable world. You can't guarantee the success of your business because there are too many factors outside of our control. However, you can increase the chances of randomness acting in your favor (i.e., "getting lucky").

We can amplify the likelihood of these unexpected "coincidences" that take us where we want to be.

There are many ways to increase your "Luck Surface Area." One of the key methods is active preparation. As Pasteur once said, “Luck favors the prepared.” This is why you need to ensure you are prepared for when Lady Fortuna reaches out.

Your Personal Assets Inventory

In his Small Bets course, Daniel Vassallo suggests that the first step in this preparation journey is to inventory your assets.

If you're looking to start a business, this involves asking, "What resources do I possess that can be monetized? What can I productize?"

For those trying to advance in their professional careers, this means taking note of all the skills, experiences, and credentials that could set you apart.

How Do Your Assets Amplify Your Luck?

• Credibility Boost: According to Louie Bacaj, leveraging your assets can help you build credibility. Your professional background might resonate with someone on a similar path. These assets can expedite trust-building with others.

• Connecting the Dots: Creating a comprehensive overview can aid in recognizing patterns and revealing a broader perspective.

  In your personal life or career, the different pieces you've assembled—your skills, knowledge, and experience—might not intuitively align at first, but over time they start to form a cohesive picture. Once you recognize this, possibly based on a passion that bridges diverse experiences, you can seek the missing elements.

  
  —The Serendipity Mindset, Christian Busch

• Mindset Shift: Focusing on assets causes a shift from dwelling on what you lack to leveraging what you possess.

Christian Busch highlights this through Yusuf Ssessanga's initiative with Reconstructed Living Labs (RLabs). In communities with resource constraints and many environmental limitations:

The team at RLabs challenged perceived resource limits and instead highlighted previously unrecognized or undervalued resources. They harnessed the resourcefulness of former drug dealers, bringing them on board to reshape opportunities. Not just things that might happen to locals but opportunities they could actively co-create. Through numerous meetings and training sessions, both online and offline, this approach spread. Consequently, Yusuf and his team began examining unused local assets and partners, figuring out how they might be utilized—for instance, transforming abandoned garages into training centers.

Examples of Assets

• Skills & Knowledge: Your gained abilities and insights.
• Experience: Including professional and personal experiences, such as challenges overcome and milestones achieved.
• Educational Assets: This includes credentials, certifications, and formal qualifications.
• Networking: Your personal and professional connections.
• Audience: Your followers or subscribers.
• Community Access: The communities you're affiliated with or can engage in.
• Reputation: Your personal brand and what you're known for in your circles.
• Personal Traits: Your personality strengths.
• Tangible Assets: Physical assets, like real estate.
• Digital Assets: Content such as articles, social media posts, courses, and books.
• Location: Your geographical location, which can be an asset.
• Time: How much time you have available.
• Financials: This can cover savings, access to capital, and loans.

List Your Assets to Get Lucky

Preparation is about strategically setting the stage for serendipity. Lady Fortuna favors the resourceful. Focus on optimizing your existing assets rather than complaining about what you lack.

Now go list your resources and start thinking about how to use them in your favor.

Our circle of influence is limited, and what we can actually control is even smaller. Sometimes, we can't even control our innermost thoughts and feelings. If you've ever practiced meditation, you'd know how thoughts can drift in and out unexpectedly, a phenomenon Buddhists refer to as the 'monkey mind'. The same is true for emotions. You might wake up feeling peaceful and calm, only to become furious when someone nearly crushes your car on the way to work. These swings are natural and it's key to accept them as a part of the human experience.

That's why we shouldn't identify with our thoughts, emotions, or even our actions. Because our actions can be constrained by outside forces. For example, you might wish to go to a festival on the other side of the world tonight. Yet even if you have the money, it's physically impossible to get there in time.

What's truly within your control are the decisions you make. Every moment presents an opportunity: the choice to act in a certain way. You might not be able to attend that festival, but you can choose to come to terms with it. While you may not have the power to alter your current circumstances, you can decide how to respond. Recognize the challenge, evaluate your options, set your intentions, and take action.

So, where should your focus be? On the choices before you. That's the real realm of your control and what truly matters.

Unfortunately, most learning advice focuses on formal learning situations such as courses or educational books. But most of our learning doesn't happen in a classroom. It happens in unstructured real-world settings: at work, in our day-to-day life, or while doing a personal project.

How do we make sure we learn effectively in these situations?

Life doesn't come with a step-by-step manual. There's not a textbook saying, "Here's how to do this specific report for this specific purpose in this specific industry." There's no course called, "Where should you ask for help and what specific questions to ask when you're stuck on that specific task."

Usually, we use a mixture of trial and error and memory to improve. Often, we just do stuff the best we can and hope for the best. When we do try to plan, we often don't factor in what we've previously learned. Instead, we base our plans on ideal outcomes, not on what we've learned works and what doesn't.

So, how can you get better at learning on the job? How do you get smarter about your creative process? How can you avoid repeating the same mistakes in your business as an entrepreneur? How can you improve your fulfillment process to deliver better and better services to your customers each time?

Have any ideas? I'd love to hear them. Drop them in the comments box below.

What can make someone run faster? The motivation to achieve and break a world record? Or the need to run away from a lion?

When an author publishes a book, are they doing it primarily because they enjoy writing? Or because they want to be recognized?

From the outside, two people doing the same thing may appear identical. But it's what happens inside these individuals that distinguishes them.

These differences will impact their long-term results. One person will be consistent, while the other will quit before reaching their potential. One person will feel miserable, while the other will find joy in their work.

Motivation matters a lot. Ask yourself why you are doing what you're doing. And when you have the answer, consider whether it is still worth pursuing what you're doing, or if it's better to find a different reason. Or maybe even quit entirely.

This video pairs well with Naval's tweetstorm on 'How to Get Rich.'

My Notes

Even if your outcome seems far off, often you only need a small shift to make a significant difference.

what matters is the small shifts that change your trajectory

Here are the small two-millimeter shifts that I believe most people need to make.

Shift #1: From Hard Work to Smart Work

The choices you make about the work you engage in and the people you surround yourself with have a far greater impact on your trajectory than just hard work.

What should you work on?

The goal is not to work as hard as you possibly can. So, what should you actually work on? That's the most important question.

Naval Ravikant captures it perfectly when he says, "Find the thing that feels like play to you and work to others."

Remember, it's not just about immediate gratification. It's about investing in activities you're willing to pursue, even if they don't yield immediate results.

From Consumption to Creation

Many of us are caught up in a cycle of consumption. We spend our time and money on things that provide short-term gratification but don't contribute to our long-term success. Instead, we need to shift our focus to creation. What can we create that adds value to others? What can we build that will generate income and opportunities?

By shifting from being consumers to creators, we can tap into our creative potential and build something meaningful.

From Fixed Mindset to Growth Mindset

The rich aren't just lucky. If we were to redistribute all the money in the world and give everyone an equal amount, let's say $100,000, most of the rich people would become rich again after ten years. Wealth building is a skill that can be learned.

A growth mindset recognizes that we can develop and improve our skills through effort, learning, and practice Embracing a growth mindset allows us to see challenges as opportunities for growth, to persist in the face of setbacks, and to continuously learn and improve.

Shift #2: From Being Far from Money to Hanging Out with Money

You need to think like a wealthy person, act like a wealthy person, and then become a wealthy person. You need to focus on their habits—the small things they do on a daily basis that contribute to their wealth.

There are three ways to hang out with money:

1. Peers: Surround yourself with like-minded individuals who share the same dreams and aspirations as you. Find five people who are as serious or even more serious than you about achieving their goals. Create a support system by establishing a group chat, organizing weekly dinners, or even living together. Immerse yourself in an environment where everyone is dedicated to their pursuits, and you will all push each other to improve.
2. Mentors: Seek out mentors who have already achieved what you aspire to accomplish. Instead of asking them to be your mentor outright, approach them with a specific question or situation you're dealing with. Ask for their advice, take massive action based on their guidance, and follow up with the results. Repeat this process three times, and you will naturally establish an informal mentor-mentee relationship. Remember, it's about asking specific questions and demonstrating that you've implemented their advice.
3. Information Diet: Be mindful of the information you consume. Ask successful individuals what they listen to, read, and follow. You can hang out with wealthy individuals virtually through books, podcasts, YouTube channels, and social media. By incorporating their knowledge and experiences into your life, you will change the conversations you have and, in turn, your thinking and actions. The impact of these interactions can be powerful, even if they're not in person.

Additionally, spending time with wealthy individuals in person can also broaden your perspective.

Immersing yourself in an environment where wealth is present can provide subconscious cues and make your dreams feel more tangible.

Shift number three: From Small Swings to Fat Pitches

Winners understand the value of waiting for fat pitches—those opportunities that offer high probability of success and significant upside. They don't swing at every opportunity that comes their way; instead, they wait for the perfect pitch to maximize their chances of success.

Warren Buffett exemplifies this approach in investing. He focuses on what he understands and waits for truly attractive opportunities. While others may chase every stock, Buffett patiently waits for a fat pitch that aligns with his investment strategy. He understands that you only need to get one thing right to achieve significant wealth.

Learning to recognize fat pitches takes time and experience. During the first 10 years of your career, it's crucial to work with the smartest and most resourceful people, engage in exciting projects, and reflect on your experiences.

Asymmetric information and asymmetric upside are important factors to consider when evaluating opportunities. Asymmetric information refers to having knowledge that others don't, giving you an advantage. Asymmetric upside means the potential for significant gains outweighs the potential losses.

The key is to focus on quality over quantity. Rather than taking numerous small swings, concentrate on identifying and pursuing fat pitches. These are the opportunities that have the highest probability of success and offer substantial rewards.

To truly succeed, you must swing hard.

Winners follow up relentlessly. They don't just make one attempt and give up. They double down on what's working. They take every opportunity to push forward. Winners are willing to go the extra mile, whether it's hopping on the next flight to meet someone in person or putting in the extra hours to make things happen.

Intensity is the real strategy.

The key takeaway is that winners don't necessarily have a superior strategy; they execute the obvious things with greater intensity than others. To understand what maximum intensity looks like, you must observe and learn from real winners. Surround yourself with people who embody intensity and observe how they attack opportunities and challenges.

Summary

In summary, the three shifts are:

1. Shifting from hard work to smart work, finding what feels like play to you but looks like work to others;
2. Shifting from being far from money to hanging out with money, immersing yourself in environments and relationships that align with your goals; and
3. Shifting from weak half swings to swinging hard, embracing intensity as the real strategy for success.

By implementing these shifts in your life, you can pave the way for remarkable achievements.

What your biggest takeaway?

It's crucial to figure out how YOU work best ('Know Thyself'). There's no magic, one-size-fits-all way to do things. All advice can be good or bad. It depends on the individual and even on where you're at in life. That's why I don't trust prescriptive advice.

Back in the day, people's work type and effort varied throughout the seasons. There was a time to work hard and a time to rest. For example, in many places, you can only harvest crops for a part of the year. The rest of the time, you live off what you've saved.

Working intensely for a season and taking the rest of the year off doesn't mean you're lazy. I live on a small island famous for scuba diving. I see many instructors work extremely hard during the high season (around 4-6 months), and spend the rest of the year traveling and relaxing. This way of work is healthier and more natural.

Take this "Season of No" concept from the Hormozis. It's a time when you say no to all that's not moving you forward to where you want to be in life.

Look at bodybuilders. They're not competition-ready all year round. There's an "off-season" for gaining muscle and strength, and then a "pre-contest" phase to "cut" and prepare for the competition. It's a big misunderstanding to think they're always at their 100%.

And this is why I'm not big on those "do something every day" tips. I'd rather take on challenges and conduct short experiments instead of doing something consistently for the long term.

What matters is knowing yourself, figuring out what works best for you, and searching for the best way to make it work.

What is this course about?

In Daniel's words, "This course is a presentation of a few important ideas that will help you become self-employed, but most importantly stay self-employed."

It's a cohort-based course with 6 classes spread across 2 weeks, each one about 2 hours long. There's no homework and no prep required.

Who's the instructor?

Daniel Vassallo is the instructor in all of the classes. He worked as a Software Development Engineer for Amazon.

Why do I trust him?

He practices what he preaches. He had success using this small bets approach.

Why did I decide to buy this course?

1. The principles are aligned with my own.
2. You get amazing guest classes from talented people (Loved Luca Dellana class on success and ergodicity).
3. You get access to a community of like-minded people that are on a similar mindset.
4. It's pretty affordable considering all you get.
5. It's short: it's a small bet. I won't lose much time if I ended up not liking the course (this was not the case).

What I got out of the Small Bets Course

1. Your first and main goal is to stay in the game

You can't win if you're not playing. Avoiding failure is way more important than winning more. It's about avoiding being bad, not about being good.

Take this tennis analogy:

[...] if you choose to win at tennis – as opposed to having a good time – the strategy for winning is to avoid mistakes."

How can you get out of the game?

• Working to the point of putting your health in danger: I've been through this: after one year in a stressful job, I burned out.
• Putting all your money in one business: good thing I haven't done this yet
• Spending all your time into one ingle "bet": I have felt tempted to put all my money and all of my time into one single business idea. I have spent a lot of time on one thing without any success.

2. Procrastinating is not always a bad thing

Procrastination can be a useful signal to guide what you should or shouldn't be doing. It can provide information you can use to reflect if what you're doing is what you should be doing.

I used to force myself to do the stuff that I really didn't feel like doing. I ended up trading my present enjoyment for a better future that often would never come.

Nassim Taleb says it best in his book, Antifragile:

Few understand that procrastination is our natural defense, letting things take care of themselves and exercise their antifragility; it results from some ecological or naturalistic wisdom, and is not always bad—at an existential level, it is my body rebelling against its entrapment.

3. Look for small wins

It's better to launch more often. You get tighter feedback loops and that means more learning.

Making and launching tiny or small products is a smart move. It's best to do stuff that has a clear beginning and an end.

Small "bets" don't need you to invest too much time and money. This makes more sense for an individual with a limited budget. We can't think like a big investor, we have to take our constraints into consideration. The small bets approach is a safer alternative because you limit your downside, and diversify your time and money in a way that makes sense for an individual.

Often, success brings more success. More wins will make you feel better and more motivated to keep going. More wins will earn you more credibility, which will make more people buy from you.

This course teaches you much more than how to make money. It tells you what are the right mental frameworks that can help you succeed.

Suddenly, you're handling a massive project with multiple layers of subtasks: SUBTASKS HELL.

Have you asked yourself why you would need so much detail? Because I don't think you need this. It's totally possible to manage these tasks to keep them clear and visible.

So, how to have the right amount of granularity so that you don't miss the bigger picture?

Granularity and Relationships

It's important to keep the bigger picture in mind and avoid missing the forest for the trees. To do this, you need to consider the tasks 'granularity' - the level of detail in a task, and their 'relationships' - how tasks relate to each other. Controlling these two aspects can impact your overall task management and visibility by:

1. Simplifying the management process
2. Providing a clear overview of the project progress (and identifying any blockers)
3. Ensuring no action item gets overlooked

Getting the Right Granularity Level

If you notice that your tasks are layered beyond the limit of your management tool, consider reorganizing your projects.

As a rule of thumb, each individual task or subtask should take around one day. And each larger task, including all its subtasks, should take no longer than a sprint (a set period dedicated to a specific task in agile methodology). In this way, the sum of all subtasks should equal one sprint.

Start with a certain level of task management and adjust as needed. You can try promoting some of your tasks to a higher level or chunking down large projects until you're satisfied.

You can even set up a project management review process. You can stop and reflect if you're getting the desired granularity level while also keeping what needs to be done on sight.

The Buts

• But I will keep track of the overall project progress!: No worries. You can use the power of relationships and other artifacts such as tags or custom fields to organize your tasks.
• This trial and error process will take too much time!: If you're delivering similar types of services, your task and project management process should improve over time. However, if your services are highly varied, consider standardizing at least some aspects of your offerings. This is called 'productizing'.

Staying in the game for the long haul is about:

1. Staying alive
2. Staying healthy
3. Staying sane
4. Ensuring your financial sustainability
5. Maintaining good relationships

You can use the inversion framework to identify the things you want to avoid. Ask yourself: "What's the quickest way to lose the game?"

1. Risky behavior that endangers your life: like riding on a motorcycle in a high-traffic city without a helmet
2. Unhealthy habits and activities: like exposing yourself to carcinogens (like smoke) and drinking alcohol often
3. Doing things that will make you mentally unstable: like overworking or doing stuff that you know make you anxious
4. Being financially irresponsible: like getting into more debt than you can pay
5. Doing things that jeopardize your relationships: like isolating yourself and being mean to others

You would say most of these are a no-brainer. But I have found myself doing many of these things. And if you take a moment to think, I bet you might find some things that you have also done recently.

Like any good game, the goal is to stay in it as long as you can, learn as you go, and make the most of it. If you're out of the game, well... Game Over.

Make your own list and channel your inner Dalek and... Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!

Avoid these and most of the other stuff will eventually fall into place.

The secret lies in the formula for compound interest: improve by 1% every day, and by the end of the year, you'll be 37.78% better.

Look at this graph if you want to convince yourself of what I'm saying:

Convinced? Sadly, this is wrong.

I've seen many people share this formula in self-improvement communities.

The idea sounds good in theory. I understand it's a simplification to exemplify the concept more easily. But I believe this simplification doesn't help; in fact, it can be harmful.

The flaws of compound growth in personal development

The first problem is that it assumes that skills grow at a compound rate, not a simple one. Every day you build on the progress of the previous day. If you're learning to play the guitar, for example, it suggests that the learning on day two is based on that of day one, and so on for a year. But in reality, learning doesn't always occur in this sequential way. Sometimes, what you learn one day has no relation to what you learned the day before.

Second, this theory doesn't consider growth limitations. Imagine that you lift weights and want to be 1% stronger every day. That would be a spectacular improvement, but you would eventually reach a limit. You can't infinitely increase the weight you lift by a compounded 1%. We have physical limitations that make this exponential growth impossible.

Third, the formula assumes a one-way growth path. If a marketer changes industries or specializes, are they better or worse than a year ago? If a writer learns to outline the topics of their articles faster, how much % have you improved that day? And if the next day you dedicate yourself to improving your vocabulary, is the % growth compounded from the previous day? If you change course, it's complicated to evaluate your progress compared to the past. You're on a completely different path.

The fourth problem lies in that you can't certainly measure whether you're improving or not. We use proxies or indirect indicators to approximate reality. Lifting more weight, for example, doesn't necessarily mean you're better. Maybe you have a poor technique that will end up hurting you in the long run. This is much more evident in areas like writing. What does it mean to be a better writer? Does it mean you write more words? Or that you have more followers? Does it mean you understand your clients' requirements better? Does receiving an award make you a better writer? Awards, word counts, number of followers... these are all proxies.

Lastly, improving your skills doesn't guarantee better results. Many measure their "improvement" based on results, often economic ones (I earn more money in my job, therefore I must be better than before). But this is a fallacy. Luck and other external factors greatly influence the final outcome. There are things you'll do that simply won't turn out the way you want, no matter how hard you try.

Don't misunderstand, I believe in continuous improvement. But we are much more than a simple formula. Personal improvement is a complex path that can't be simplified into a compound growth formula.

You thought you'd enjoy spending your holiday on a tropical island when in reality it turned out the heat and the mosquitoes made you hate every single second of it.

"Imagination has a hard time telling us how we will think about the future when we get there."

In Stumbling on Happiness, Daniel Gilbert explains how easy is to fool ourselves by trying to foresee future events, and how we will feel about them when they happen:

We insist on steering our boats because we think we have a pretty good idea of where we should go, but the truth is that much of our steering is in vain—not because the boat won’t respond, and not because we can’t find our destination, but because the future is fundamentally different than it appears through the prospectiscope. Just as we experience illusions of eyesight (“Isn’t it strange how one line looks longer than the other even though it isn’t?”) and illusions of hindsight (“Isn’t it strange how I can’t remember taking out the garbage even though I did?”), so too do we experience illusions of foresight—and all three types of illusion are explained by the same basic principles of human psychology.

So, how do we make decisions or set goals if we can't easily know how we’ll feel when we achieve them?

We're far better at knowing what we don't want because we are naturally more sensitive to negative outcomes.

Next time, instead of deciding what you want, ask yourself "What do I not want my future to look like?" and "How can I avoid getting there?".

So what is the first thing you do? You look for information on the internet but all advice is directed at consumers' business models. You can’t seem to find marketing resources for B2B companies, whose strategies are far more complex than B2C companies.

Hopefully, you are able to get a deliverable without a lot of work, even if you’re a single person team. This guideline will help you kickstart your marketing plan as quickly as possible.

What you have to keep in mind is that your main goal is to use your resources as efficiently as possible, reaching the companies with the highest conversion rate. These will be your ideal or best-fit customers. To get the target list of companies who would pay a higher price for your services because they are getting a lot of value from it, follow these 3 steps:

Step 1: Determine the current situation of your business

The first thing you need to do is to know where your company is standing right now. You have to find out as much as possible about the current situation of your business:

• Identify the current most profitable customers. According to the Pareto principle, 80% of your revenue should come from 20% of the customers. 
• Analyze and understand your main customers’ firmographics. It is really helpful to find the common characteristics. Depending on the business model of your company, you have to select what data you’re more interested in. It could be:
  • Industry: what products or services do they offer. a logistics company will have different attributes than a healthcare company. Hence, the message, channels and overall marketing tactics will be different. Your message and content will be much more tailored to what their industry needs and cares about.
  • Company size: how many employees? Annual revenue? Market share within their industry.
  • Geography / location: will affect how you handle your business meetings or which geographical regions you can direct your advertising.
  • Products or services they are currently buying from you: how much and at what price are the customers purchasing?
• Determine each segment's value: now you can determine the size and value of segments. How much revenue are each of these segments representing the total value? 
• Identify the most valuable segments.

A word of caution

Be wary of making a customer’s profile just with this data! A customer profile is a much deeper and thorough tool that lets you get the deepest insights of a customer. Right now we are trying to broadly define your current situation. Don’t invest too much time on this stage, you’ll get back to make a deeper analysis later on, incorporating customer’s behaviours and needs into the mix.

Step 2: Measure market size

It let’s you know how large the market segments you’re addressing. There are three ways to approach this:

1. Demand side: determine the size employing end-user data. Since it’s really difficult to find information with a high level of granularity for the specific segment you’re looking at, I don’t recommend this method.
2. Bottom-up: calculate the size of each company that is part of the market. This method is useful with industries that are highly concentrated.
3. Top-down: determine the size based on reports and macro data. This is a great place to start for a high level assessment. Although the values won’t be so accurate, You can cross-check the values using different sources.

Some tips for this step:

• Remember to keep things simple and avoid becoming lost in the details.
• If you are unsure about the data you’ve found, you can seek validation from your clients.
• Document your sources of information.

Now you can determine the largest potential segments by size.

Step 3: Identify potential customers

Look for companies with the same firmographics and who could benefit from the service / product you are delivering. They have to be within the largest potential segments defined in the previous step.

Where to find them?:

• Companies listings
• Company data tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Zoominfo or DiscoverOrg, or Mintigo.
• Facebook

This is your target list of potential customers. They are the ones you should approach with your marketing strategy.

TL;DR

How to define a target list of potential customers with a high conversion rate:

• Step 1: Define the current situation of your company determining the main customers, segmenting them and value their size.
• Step 2: Determine the market size to know each segment’s true potential.
• Step 3: Identify potential customers within the largest market segments.

Next steps

You have to define the message you are delivering to each segment. So don’t consider buying a contact lists tool yet.

You can also look at your sales pipeline and make an informed guess about which are the most and less valuable leads. If the prospect is not included in one of the most valuable segments, then maybe it’s not that profitable. You and the sales team won’t spend time chasing the wrong leads, and focus the marketing efforts in the target accounts.

You are asked by your boss to build a detailed report for next week.

You think it’s a good idea to show him sales trends, with Year over Year trends, ROI projections with lead sources, conversions, cost per lead, and make a nice high level summary dashboard with pretty charts and graphs.

But, where should you start?

Although it varies from company to company, there is one thing that you can do to assure you are working on the right thing.

The better way to start is by stating what are your boss / company trying to accomplish with this report:

• Do they want to discover significant variances on sales trends?
• What level of granularity are they looking for? High level (overall sales for the company) or hyper granular data (details for each product / salesperson)?
• In what frequency do they need it? Yearly, quarterly or monthly?
• Do they want to know why numbers are behaving a certain way?
• Is there a problem with sales that they are trying to solve?
• Is this report going to be used to make a critical decision?

When you state the problem and know what the objectives of the work you are doing are, you will be able to make a report that gives value and makes you stand out.

So don’t be afraid to ask clarifying questions and go and ask your boss straight up what he needs.