Quick 123 Entry (08/15/2020 -- Tuscaloosa, AL)
0- Quick Brain Dump
Didn't leave my apartment at all yesterday. Was very productive, tried to get some new interviews set in motion, ordered some stuff I needed from amazon, did everything on the 'power list' and ate my leftovers. Also making really good progress on my press handstands. Had a nice call with my friend Grant and reconnected with a cousin for the first time in a while.
1- Gratitude
- My dishwasher is working again, I think it was just user error, but I'm just happy its washing things in bulk.
- My dad bought be a Boos Block (amazing cutting board). Looks great in my kitchen and I'm excited to do some cheffing.
- I found a Buddha head in my closet that I probably meant to give as a souvenir to someone back in January. Guess I never did. Anyway, I'm keeping it. Makes my room feel slightly more decorative.
2- Priorities for today (power list)
- gymnastics bodies workout (done)
- read 25 pages, put those notes on this website, do this journal
- edit and schedule for publish my interview with Will Brown from Achieve Intelligent Technologies
- spend 25 minutes researching options for getting podcasts transcribed
- work on coordinating 4 potential upcoming interviews
3- Reminders
- focus on what's your control
- take ownership of your problems
- alcohol is bad for gains
Quick 123 Entry (08/13/2020 -- Tuscaloosa, AL)
1- Gratitude
- I have a really nice view from this desk. Sitting near a window is pleasant.
- Kettlebells make really effective door stops.
- I had to move some furniture this morning and it wasn't loud.
- Brain.FM has been leading to some wild dreams, and having dreams is more fun than not having dreams
2- Priorities for today
- Edit and schedule for publish next podcast episode
- Sell Mason jars to neighbor
- Do 3-5 of my lingering tasks in Todoist
3- Ideas, Obervations, Reminders, Questions
- Starting to experiment with the 'Power List' from Andy Frisella. Pretty similar to something Cal talks about in his podcast. Just a few small things everyday that "move the needle" in the important areas of your life. Andy recommends 5.
- Dicks Sporting Goods was at maybe 3% inventory on kettlebells, dumbbells, etc
- Seeing and hearing an unusual amount of conversations about "manifestation." 3-4 different examples in past 3 days. A friend wanting to work at Apple, another friend wanting to be interviewed on his favorite podcast, listening to the concept of manifestation on another podcast, and another friend telling me he wants to start doing affirmations. Strange that I heard about it in so many places in the same few days.
Quick 123 Entry (08/10/2020 -- Tuscaloosa, AL)
1- Gratitude
- Tuscaloosa and Birmingham are beautiful. Trees everywhere is a welcome change from the past 5 months in the desert.
- Really enjoying Cal Newport's podcast.
- Really nice to be back in my apartment at school.
- Ate lunch and dinner on my balcony yesterday, that was great.
- Roasted sweet potato wedges and brocolli is my new easiest and best recipe.
- Great to finally see friends in person like Kyle, Emmett, Jack, and Zev.
- TJ Max had so many of the things on my shopping list and at a great price. Good on you.
2- Priorities for today
- Edit and schedule for publish Wes Kao interview.
- Do Gymnastics Bodies workout and nutrition.
- Continue move in/shopping/cleaning/organizing
3- Reminders
- Quality is a habit, don't cut corners
- Rereading books is highly undervalued
- Reading long form is a great habit, don't stop
- Writing long form is a great habit, I need to do more of it
Quick Journal Entry (07/30/2020 -- Scottsdale, AZ)
1 - Gratitude
- Sanding wood (with paper or a tool) is one of the most gratifying feelings
- The Magic Keyboard has the perfect tactile feedback and I enjoy using it
- The feeling of warm sunlight after being in a cold house. The feeling of a cold house after being in warm sunlight.
- The pink and blue Bang 💥 was kinda delicious (this habit must stop when I leave AZ)
- The feeling when you read a name somewhere and are familiar with it because of a book you read (Temple Grandin on the Butcher Box Website--I recognized the name from a profile about her in Mastery by Robert Greene)
- When an appointment unexpectedly gets cancelled and the workday ends earlier than planned
2 - Priorities for the next few days
- Finishing the MVP of my podcast website (MVP referring to minimum feature set and design quality to send traffic to a site and make a positive impression)
- Finish the food in the house instead of buying new stuff as much as I really want to go buy new stuff (don't buy Sardines at Costco no matter how much you think you like them or how many people you plan to divide them between)
- Podcast website
3 - Ideas On My Mind
- Go as many hours as possible WITHOUT outside influence. This means (if you can) avoid checking phone, email, news, financial markets until as late in the day as you can. This requires planning and notice but it will dramatically increase your mood and productivity in the mornings.
- Raw vegetables with lunch might help stave off afternoon energy crashes because of the fiber???
- Sunlight and cold showers will boost energy levels fairly reliably.
Quick Journal Entry (07/29/2020 -- Scottsdale, AZ)
1 - Gratitude
- My V1 prototype of my new gymnastics mini-invention is working perfectly
- I'm healthy and able to enjoy the process of physical improvement in strength and flexibility
- The podcast has gone better than expected by all accounts
- I made some roasted peanuts last night and they turned out to be fire 🔥 (thats a good thing)
- Brain.fm is kind of awesome (more so than expected)
2 - Next Priorities
- Podcast website (finish mvp v2)
- Hire freelancers to edit podcast transcripts
- Rest my shoulder (yes, not doing something can be a priority), handstand training is addictive
3 - Reminders
- Feeling great physically will have a stronger impact on productivity than anything else you do (sleep, sunlight, diet, exercise, hydration)
- Apparently it matters to buy eggs with greater than 115mg Omega 3 per egg (at least according to Thrive Nutrition)
- Caffeine only seems to affect me negatively when I break my 12pm cut-off rule
- Continue playing positive sum games, creating assets (digital content being one way), and finding opportunities for leverage
- Pursuit of short term optionality can (more often than not) harm long term optionality
- Alcohol is poison
A question -> what would happen if I refused to participate in group chats?
Quick Journal Entry (07/28/2020 -- Scottsdale, AZ)
1 - Gratitude
- Cotton Candy 🍭 Bang was delicious (probably not Lindy and a habit I am stopping when I leave AZ)
- The Webflow CMS - seriously, this thing is amazing
- The feel of writing with a fresh sharpie (y'all know the feeling)
- The 25 interviewees who helped me make the Louis and Kyle Show a reality in the first 4 months of its existence
- The sound of sizzling food on a pan
2 - Ways To Improve
- Journaling on specific and extreme questions (what could I do to 10x my productivity? what could I do to 10x the podcast?)
- Dumb phone. I'm thinking that's my answer for 10x productivity.
- Fewer Goals. Greater Investment In Each. Build One Bridge at a Time. Follow One Course Until Successful (FOCUS)
- Try a Session with a Therapist (Kyle told me I should try it--thanks?)
3 - Reminders and Ideas
- Just as a physical exercise is only complete with a concentric and eccentric phase, thinking is only complete with a consumption and production phase. Reading without writing amounts in low retention and cloudy thought. Writing without reading leads to unoriginal ideas. The disciplined and practical thinker engages in reading and writing in order to form a complete unit of thought. In and Out. Up and Down.
- Make in Public! Documenting your journey is useful to someone.
- Easy reading is hard writing. Easy writing is hard reading.
- Discipline leads to freedom.
Quick Journal Entry (07/27/2020 -- Scottsdale, AZ)
1 - Gratitude
- Lemon Flavored Bang 🍋 was delicious (probably not Lindy and a habit I am stopping when I leave AZ).
- Really had a great time with Kyle last night recording our 25 lessons from 25 episodes episode
- Grocery stores -- I can satisfy any food craving imaginable in about 30 minutes -- wild
2 - How Can I Improve
- Fewer projects with greater commitment to them (spread less thin)
- Budget additional buffer time when evaluating projects
- Take more rest days for handstand training, there is no rush and my wrists need to adapt
- Continue to focus on unlearning harmful beliefs (trading time for money) and installing better ones (think big, learning is its own benefit)
3 - Lessons to Remember
- Reading fewer books but DEEPLY understanding them is better than "reading" many and not assimilating the ideas 💡
- Deliberate practice is the only way to seriously improve, this is the benefit of coaches, mentors, books, and courses
- Something mentally strenuous provides a greater benefit to learning than something easy, prioritize active recall over passive review