Articles

How to be less busy, and have more impact

May 25, 2018

I’ve been through a major shift in how I plan my days and get things done over the last few years.

I used to think a good day was getting as many things done as possible. I felt productive as I ploughed through my lists. But now I realise, I was actually just busy. I could get lots of things done, but my impact was inconsistent.

A better way of putting it is, I didn’t get the return on investment for the amount of time I put in, or the number of things I completed. [Read more…] about How to be less busy, and have more impact

If you can master Practice, you’ll get the results you want

May 21, 2018

I’ve been consciously applying the concept of practice in my life recently and it’s giving me great results.

I first started thinking more mindfully about practice from doing GMB Elements. GMB workouts are built around a 5P methodology — Prepare, Practice, Play, Push and Ponder.

Focus and productivity is only half the battle

May 14, 2018

I’m fascinated with the topic of productivity. For me, it boils down to two things — being able to focus (identify and work on the right things), and then, actually getting things done.

It’s why I think and write alot about goals and the best way to set vision and areas of focus — that’s the ‘identify and work on the right things’ bit. I also geek out on habits, routines and planning frameworks — that’s the ‘getting things done’ bit.

This stuff is important. If you’re not deeply connected to who you want to be and where you want your life to go, you’re more likely to flap around and work on the wrong things. And if you don’t have self discipline and a system for planning, your productivity will suffer.

So, that stuff is super important. But, I realised recently that it’s only part of the battle. And without the other part, you’ll be severely limited and frustrated. The other part might even be more important.

The other part is mindset. [Read more…] about Focus and productivity is only half the battle

How to deal with long-term goal setting overwhelm and frustration

May 4, 2018

I think it’s important to have a long term vision and plan for your life. But, if you’re not careful, it becomes overwhelming and crippling.

A (very) simple strategy for beating procrastination

April 18, 2018

We all procrastinate, but there’s usually a simple strategy for beating it.

Just start.

That sounds such dumb advice to give, but it often really is that simple.

It’s never felt so good to be a loser

April 5, 2018

No one likes being last. But, I realised yesterday that you need to get comfortable with it. Sometimes, that’s exactly the right place to be.

From running 100 miles to living a full life

March 30, 2018

Every now and then, I stumble across a handful of awesome articles over the course of a few days. That happened this week, so I wanted to share them.

My favourite life changing books

February 12, 2018

I read a great article recently — If It’s Important, Learn It Repeatedly. It makes a good case for going back and re-reading important books.

So, I went back and read Deep Work by Cal Newport. It’s one of my favorite books and it was even better the second time round. It gave me a renewed enthusiasm for doing deep work and some fresh ideas for how to go about it.

It got me thinking, what other books could I go back and read again?

High risk investing & cryptocurrency

January 25, 2018

Whenever anyone asks me for advice about investing, I always give the same response:

Invest in indexes. Contribute regularly, hold for the long term and rarely check.

Then I point them towards two bits of reading — JL Collins Stock Series and Warren Buffett’s $1 million bet. These do a great job of outlining the above approach, with some proof that it actually works.

You’re gone in three generations and nobody cares

January 19, 2018

Yeah, that’s the cold truth.

OK. Maybe Elon Musk is an outlier. Benjamin Franklin definitely is. But, it’s lottery ticket probability that you’ll do something that has an impact beyond even a few generations.

For 99.99% of us, it’s true — you’re gone in three generations and nobody cares.