There’s usually not perfect alignment between what’s right, and what’s easy. They’re usually far from opposite though! Taking a little time to figure out the best compromise between right and easy can pay extreme dividends as they compound over the years. And right isn’t the same as perfect, either.
Knowing the rules of the game seems like an indisputable prerequisite for winning. We’re used to systems with rules. The rules govern behaviour and limit potential outcomes to a manageable level. Systems with rules are easy. Systems with known rules are extremely easy. Most of life has no rules, and of the parts that do, most of the rules are unknown. Finding a rule that most people don’t know is a huge competitive advantage, and there’s a presumably infinite space to explore to find the rules....
My tiny brain LOVES the dopamine kick that comes out of winning virtual games and achievements. That might mean getting to level 80 in WoW, dominating the galaxy in an empire builder game, or getting all equipment upgrades in a FPS. They all work. And allll the little steps and unlocks on the way work as well. Most of the time, playing those games nets me only stupid prizes. However, every so often, I’m able to cage the mind in a positive reward loop – to gamify something that’s actually helpful....
I will routinely perform 10x better in a situation if I’ve spent roughly 1-2x the duration of the situation on preparing for the situation. That mean’s for a 30 minute meeting, with 30-60 minutes of prep, that meeting will see me deliver 10x better results than if I was winging it. Nothing else delivers that kind of ROI. No stimulant or nootropic comes close. The caveat is – of course – that the bill is paid with the only completely non-renewable resource available to me; time....
A few days ago, the chimney sweep visited. We don’t even have a fireplace, but the tenant downstairs does. The job of a chimney sweep is to sweep the chimney. Open it up, clean out soot with his chimney brush, close it, and hoover up any soot that spilled. The chimney sweep doesn’t have to do more than that, to get an A+. The guy visiting us did way more. He brought all of himself to his job, and showed up with energy, smiles, and a clear aim to deliver a pleasant experience....