Newsletter Week 13 | 2022

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Hey there.

I hope you've had a great week.

What I've made for you

Book Notes—Your Next Five Moves: Master the Art of Business Strategy by Patrick Bet-DavidIt's a decent book. I used it for self-reflection and found some value.

Learn to balance your energy with your schedule

I learned a painful lesson this week. I worked too hard for too long, I pushed too hard—my wings burned.The result was me, Friday at around midday, being completely drained and void of anything resembling energy, motivation, and clarity.

• My brain was completely fogged. I couldn't even make the simplest decision.

• I didn't want to do anything. Not even getting dinner.

• Even just holding my eyes open hurt.

So yeah. Lesson learned*. Be very careful overworking yourself. It's OK to do it some days, but not every day for an extended period.

Your body has limited energy in a given day. This energy fluctuates throughout the day.If you want to get the most "bang for your buck," you'd do best to do the most important tasks while your energy is high.

Some activities give energy and some activities drain energy. I think we can optimize it such that we get the most out of our day. No matter if it's draining or giving, an activity can still be a positive contribution to your day and life.

• Sleep gives energy,

• Working out takes energy, but also gives it,

• Working can take energy, but less so if you achieve flow,

• Recreational activities usually give energy, but can take it,

• and so on...

We try to hack this through unnatural means—e.g., stimulants like coffee, energy drinks, etc.We try to brute force our will against our natural energy fluctuations.While this can be OK to a certain degree, there are probably drawbacks in doing so.

Maximizing energy is a whole science. The equations are tough, but learning to do so will make you much more productive in the long run.

* And after some reflection, I decided to take the weekend off. This was well worth it.

The Ivy Lee Method for Daily Planning

Ivy Lee was a productivity consultant that Charles Schwab used.

The story goes that, in Schwab's quest to improve his productivity, he found and set a meeting with Lee. During the meeting, Schwab asked Lee to make him more productive.Lee responded that all he needed was 15 minutes with each of Schwab's executives, and that it wouldn't cost anything... unless it worked, in which case Schwab could send a check for whatever he felt it was worth.

So this is the Ivy Lee method. It's what Lee explained during the 15 minutes with each executive.

• At the end of each work day, write down the 6 most important things you need to do tomorrow. No more.

• Prioritize them in terms of their true importance.

• When you arrive the next day, concentrate only on the first task. Work until it's complete before moving on to the next one. Do the same for the rest of the list.

• At the end of the day, move any unfinished stuff to the next day's list. Repeat every day.

Generalization for all areasThis method can be done either the day before or in the morning, before you start your work.To generalize the method for all areas of life, one can define a set amount of tasks for each area that one is focusing on. The greater the focus, the more tasks are allocated in that area.Potential areas:

• Health—both physical, mental, and spiritual

• Work—involves any aspect of work or professional tasks

• Relationships—anything involving other people, except working together for a focused session (goes under work) and family

• Personal—recreation, love, household, and similar

Why does the method work?

• It's simple, which helps reduce friction to getting back on track, in case you get off.

• It forces you to prioritize where you expend your time. It takes sacrifice to be productive

• It removes friction from starting new tasks. You already know what to do; you decided it yesterday.

• You single-task, not multi-task—and multitasking Hurts Your Productivity.

Most importantly:You do the most important thing first every day.

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To your success. Regards,

Christian Bager Bach Houmann