1. Automate your success: Habits are behaviors you do repeatedly. The wealthy know this, so they create habits that create wealth over time. This could be dollar cost averaging into the S&P or exercising daily. The rich leverage the two Cs and avoid another. They leverage Consistency and Compounding and stay away from Complexity. Complexity creates unnecessary friction, which makes it harder to do something consistently over the long term.

2. Wealth comes from ownership: You can get rich by earning a salary, but you will only get wealthy through ownership. This means you own a slice of the business. This could be your own business or ownership via owning stocks such as S&P. It’s surprising how many people waste time on Facebook yet don’t own Facebook stock. Facebook owns you and is getting richer, but you can too, by owning their stock. ( caution: this is not financial advice)

3. Obsess over your reputation: Warren Buffett said, “Lose money for the firm, and I will be understanding, but lose an ounce of reputation, and I will be ruthless. “ You will lose reputation by being short-sighted. You might make a dollar today by being cheeky, but rest assured your reputation will ensure you’re not a part of any future deals. The market values integrity over intelligence. Don’t be the smart guy who was left behind because he wanted to make a quick buck.

4. Follow through: Sounds obvious, perhaps, but the difference between average and exceptional is to follow through. Keep your promises- to yourself and others. Do what you said you will.

5. Control where you spend time: Do you spend time with people better than you? People who are richer, healthier or happier than you? If not, why not? Are you scared your current friends will think you are becoming holier than thou? Realize that you are limiting your potential by spending time watching Netflix or with friends who don’t want you to grow. Like a plant needs pruning, sometimes your social circle does too. Only spend time with people or on things with a positive ROI. This doesn’t mean you shun your friends. This just means you limit your investment.

6. Move with urgency. Urgency forces action, which builds momentum. Doers win because the speed of action creates results. Even if you fail, you fail faster so you can quickly adapt and morph into something more productive. Wealthy people are insanely productive because they apply shorter timelines. Do you think writing your book will take 2 years? Wrong. Ask how you can publish it in 3 months. Compressed timelines reduce wasteful effort. They create the kind of pressure that makes diamonds.

7. Keep going after it gets hard: Get excited when shit gets hard because people who are better than you are there because they keep going. Every successful story has a hero overcoming challenges. There are no glorified quitters for a reason.

Try at least one of these rules in the next quarter.

Wishing you riches in 2025.

PM

Harness attention online and divert it to your products and services.

&

The formula to harness attention online is simple:

Produce 10-15 pieces of content daily across 2 or 3 social media platforms.

TikTok has a lot of attention and eyeballs at the minute, while Instagram and FB ads are still steady channels for growth and exposure.

This isn’t new. You already knew this.

And this isn’t a matter of ‘you don’t have the time to produce content.’ Because if you believe that online exposure and attention will make you more money, you will find the time. Won’t you?

But the biggest reason you won’t do even 10% of this is because you are insecure.

Insecure about what people will say. The feedback. The negative comments.

You are too scared and insecure to post and handle the exposure and negative feedback.

Here is the trick to get you out of this funk:

Think about the person who took the time to leave you a mean comment. Think of their life. This person has nothing meaningful to focus on, so they bash you on your pursuits. Should you really care about what they think of you?

Stoics had this formula to evaluate someone’s opinion by asking:

‘is this a person you know and hold in high regard? Do you wish to be more like this person or accomplish what they have accomplished?’

If the answer is no, don’t give them the power to influence anything you do by caring about their opinions about you or your work.

But the algorithm hates me!

If you are producing content and not getting exposure, then don’t blame the ‘algorithm’.

If you are not getting any exposure to your content, then chances are that your content sucks. or your marketing needs work. Be accountable and try something different. Expand your network of creators and seek collaborations. Be where the people you want to sell to hang out already.

The biggest opportunity to grow your business lies in understanding where the most underpriced attention is. Example: YouTube shorts because YT is the second biggest search engine after Google.

In a nutshell:

• Get over your fear and insecurities about what others will think of you

• Use channels and platforms where people you seek already hang out

• Look for the most underpriced attention, such as Substack and YT shorts

Try this, and let me know how you make out.

I am trying things on TikTok and got up to 1K+ followers rather quickly (while I steadily build on Substack)

Sources: The Gary Vee Audio Experience

Having debuted in 1921, It has been one of the most popular cereals in America for over 100 years.

But, it almost died an early death due to low sales. In 1921, Wheaties launched the first-ever singing ad campaign: a jingle.

Thanks to the popularity of this jingle, Wheaties not only survived but thrived.

Why jingles might be one of the most under-utilized marketing opportunities of modern times.

Remember the commercials from your childhood?

You may not be able to remember your parents' cell phone number, but I bet you can sing along to an ad commercial from your childhood.

Music makes things memorable.

With enough repetition, music etches things in your brain.

This can be powerful for your brand.

Can a jingle save or boost your brand? Before you decide that, let’s look at the anatomy of a successful jingle:

3 keys to a perfect jingle:

• Catchy, almost cringe-worthy lyrics with a rhythm

• Repeats your brand or product name

• Call to action: Tell the consumer what to do next

• Optional - Contains a Memorable slogan, i.e., McDonald's 'I'm lovin it' or Arby's 'We have the meats' 

Watch the following video if the topic intrigues you.

The Unexpected Death Of The Ad Jingle - Cheddar Explains

For those wanting to share your creative ideas, Chime in with your thoughts on Jingles and Jingle Ideas on our community Thread.

What could be a jingle for the Actionable Wisdom Newsletter?

Let the creative juices flow :)

Whether you like it or not, we are all selling something. Sometimes, it's physical products, and other times, it's our preference to go to a certain restaurant.

Good marketers understand how humans make decisions; they understand the core drivers and motivations of humans.

Josh Kaufman’s recent appearance on The Diary of A CEO podcast (which has over 6 million subscribers on YT and is hosted by Steven Bartlett, a marketing prodigy who is the youngest dragon on Dragon’s Den show) delved into the four core human drivers behind buying something or taking action.

Josh Kaufman is a New York Times best-selling author best known for his insights into business, solo entrepreneurship, skill acquisition, productivity, and practical wisdom.

The core drivers mentioned come from a book called Drive. The key drivers for humans taking action are:

Take Apple, for example. People buy Apple products because of the following:

• Drive to acquire - Acquire status of being an Apple user, carrying an iPhone

• Drive to bond - Connect with your loved ones and the world

• Drive to defend - Apple is one of the best at security and privacy

• Drive to learn - Ability to learn anything you wish, when you wish

• Bonus driver: Drive to feel  - A thousand songs in your pocket - feeling of all the feelings those songs bring you

This is how I am applying this for my newsletter:

Drive to acquire: Readers acquire knowledge and new skills via the newsletter.

Drive to bond: Connect with a community of people with similar goals, chat, share ideas on a group chat on Substack, and create accountability and positive social pressure.

Drive to defend: Defend against degradation from doing nothing to improve yourself; defend against confusion and complexity created by the sheer amount of information that is out there.

Drive to learn: Readers learn faster via summarized ideas shared in the newsletter that can be implemented immediately.

Drive to feel: Feel in control by taking action. Be productive and joyful by intentionally building the life you want.

Your turn?

Complete the following for your product or service.

• Drive to acquire

• Drive to bond

• Drive to defend

• Drive to learn

• Drive to feel

Side note: My favorite insight from Josh’s work is the idea of being a well-rounded human who has skills in many areas.

I hope this was useful. If Entrepreneurship or marketing isn’t your thing, please navigate to the other sections below.

Much Love

PM

• Being better at business will make you a better investor, and vice versa. Your brain uses the same part for either activity.

• Your brain is the fastest-growing organ for the first five years of your life. Then, from age 11-20, your brain starts to specialize. Unfortunately, our education system doesn’t recognize this.

• Stories about Warren Buffet that you have probably never heard. His first business was called Stable Boy Selections, where he provided tips on race track bets at Ak-Sar-Ben Race Track (Nebraska spelled backward). His second business venture was fixing scrapped pinball machines (leveraging his friend Don Danly, a mechanically inclined tinkerer). Warren and his tinkerer friend created a company called Wilson Coin Amusement Company, run by a fictitious Mr. Wilson, who employed these two 15-year-olds to place these pin bowl machines in barber shops at 50-50 split. They scaled this business to 40 barber shops. Warren and Don also fixed up a beat up Rolls Royce they purchased for $300 and put in $50 to fix it. They rented this car for weddings at $100 on the weekends and drove to high school in

• Mohnish Pabrai's investment philosophy: Heads I win, Tails I don’t lose much: Look for things where the odds are asymmetrically in your favor. This goes for people and investing. Look for these in industries that are hated and unloved. Mohnish is considering investing in coal at the minute.

• For 99% of humans, investing in long-term Index funds is the way to go. Unless you have the talent, experience, and patience to analyze what a business is worth, buy them way below their worth and hold them for a long time.

• #1 trait of being a good investor is patience. If you can sit and watch the paint dry, you will make a good investor.

• Compounding is the 8th wonder of the world. Here are the three variables that matter when it comes to compounding. 1. The starting capital. 2. Annualized returns 3. Length of the runway

• The rule of 72

• When you own (even partially) a small, profitable, stable business, find something else to do with your time and let this investment mature. The biggest decision Berkshire & Hathaway made was never to sell their good bets like Coke and See's Candies.

• Trouble is opportunity. Always look for what is hated and unloved. There lies the opportunity.

• Read this book if you are interested in investing.

• Charlie Munger's biggest teaching is 'Be useful to others, selflessly.'’

• See's Candies was one of the most crucial purchases for Berkshire & Hathaway. They paid 25 million, which has turned into billions and enabled Berkshire & Hathaway to invest in Coke. See's Candies also taught Warren Buffet and Charlie Munger the importance of branding. They raised See's candy prices by over 10% year over year and met with no resistance from the consumer because of a strong brand-based demand.

• Better entrepreneurs know how to minimize risk.

• Ideas are like assholes; everyone has one. It’s the implementation that matters. You can tell your competitor all your trade secrets, but it won't elicit any behavioral change because that requires action, and action is uncomfortable.

• Charlie Munger recommended that you be a harsh judge of people's character. Don't waste your time if the person is not exceptionally better than you. Only cultivate deep friendships with people who are exceptional.

• According to Adam Grant, There are three types of humans - Givers, Takers, and Matchers. You should seek out to be a giver and seek out the givers. The Universe always conspires to help the givers. The best way to get everything is not to ask for it. Focus on giving instead.

  ---

Did you know?

What country nods to say no?

There are few exceptions, with some countries swapping the meanings between nodding and shaking head: in Greece, Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Albania, a single nod of the head up (not down) indicates a "no”.

Category - Health & Wellness

Huberman Lab Podcast

Episode: Dr. Gary Steinberg - How to improve brain health and offset neurodegeneration

Podcast episode length: 1 hour 55 mins

• A stroke is a heart attack of the brain. 85% of strokes are due to a clot. 13% are caused by hemorrhage (bursting of a blood artery or vessel)

• Smoking and hypertension both increase the chance of stroke.

• Neurosurgery is not as invasive. A skilled neurosurgeon can go through the groin and reverse the catheter into a very specific region of the brain. There are focus beams (cyber knives) and lasers to make precise entries.

• Electrodes can be placed in the brain to treat Parkinson’s, epilepsy, and pain from neuralgia.

•  To avoid having a stroke, limit your consumption of alcohol (0-2 drinks per week is ok) and avoid consuming drugs such as cocaine, heroin, etc.

• In rare instances, neck manipulation by a chiropractor can rupture an artery, resulting in a clot/stroke.

• Vagus Nerve stimulation, coupled with physical therapy and the use of stem cells, can regenerate brain tissue after a stroke or injury. This was previously thought to be impossible. The 'dead' tissue can be regenerated.

• Stem cells release extra proteins and modulate the immune system, resulting in healing.

• Lowering the body temperature by 1-3 degrees can protect the brain post-injury.

Modern Wisdom

Episode #786: Steve Stewart-Williams (an evolutionary biologist) - Why are differences between men and women being denied?

Podcast episode length: 1 hour 35 minutes

• Humans are machines designed to have grandchildren and spread our genes by helping our kin survive.

• Studies show that identical twins feel the strongest attachment and emotions towards each other compared to regular siblings. It comes down to identical physical features that make them relate more deeply.

• Humans are hard-wired to like and prefer people with similar interests and physical features. In addition, different accents act as a primal marker for differences in culture and, therefore, create distance, caution, or potentially a dislike.

• Some differences between men and women:

1. Most men are sexually interested in women and vice versa. This is the physics of sex for our species, but we take it for granted.

2. The desire for sexual variety, frequency of sex, and casual sex.

3. Face-to-face aggression and violence

4. Parental inclinations

5. Sexual infidelity and jealousy (would you rather your girlfriend have casual sex with someone once or fall in love with another person? Emotionally, there is a difference, and men and women react to each differently)

6. Men are more conscious of infidelity (No mother has ever given birth to a child and wondered if that was her baby; men mostly do whether they like to admit it or not)

7. Humans are one of the few species that have recreational sex.

8. Environmental security hypothesis: Studies have shown that men are more attracted to thinner women when the economy is thriving and heavier women when the economy is struggling (the rationale is that heavier women can withstand a famine if needed).

9. The number of divorces recorded in the year Charles Darwin was born was 4.

10. The size of male testes indicates the potential sperm count in a male and the propensity for reproduction.

11. Evolutionary biology gives us the option and freedom to choose our destiny by proving that we aren’t simply doomed and destined by our genes. We can influence our trajectory by controlling our environment and, thus, our choices.

12. John Toby’s crumbling genome theory of population claims that modern technology and medical advancement are rescuing genomes that would not have survived in the past. So, nature’s compensation or mutation is to create other ways to slow down or eradicate gene replication. The theory claims mental disorders, declining sexual desire, and impotency are those mutations.

Category - Self Improvement & Lifestyle design

Think Fast, Talk Smart

Episode 142 - Adopting a VC mindset: Achieve more by thinking and communicating like a Venture Capitalist - Ilya Strebulaev

Podcast episode length: 21 mins

• VCs make faster and more efficient decisions by asking why we should not (in their case, invest). But this can be applied to any decision. This mental framework assumes you will proceed, which gets you a step closer to action already. So, if you can't detect any good reasons for not proceeding, you're already in action mode, which creates excitement and momentum.

• You should Implement these 3 VC ideas: 

  1. Say No more often.

  2. Think long term.

  3. Think differently by questioning the existing definitions and assumptions

• To create excitement about a topic, use familiar terms and combine them with new terms and ideas. This combines familiarity with novelty which will make people feel comfortable and curious.

• Invest in building a diverse network - outside your current domain or industry.

• Effective communicators convey the simple truths. Don’t overcomplicate your message.

• 3 ingredients to effective communication - Listen, Listen and Listen.

• Learn more about the Venture Mindset.

A Bit of Optimism

Episode: Be Necessary with war journalist Sebastian Junger

Podcast episode length: 40 minutes

• When you truly understand how fragile life is, you will make the most of the time you have.

• How well would you do in real adversity, high-risk, life-or-death situations? For thousands of years, humans have been proving this to themselves. With modern comforts, humans don’t get tested. This is a problem. The remedy is to challenge yourself and put yourself in difficult positions intentionally. Do a hard workout. Have a hard conversation.

• Are you necessary? Humans desire to be a part of something meaningful. That is why soldiers miss combat. Perhaps it's not the combat; it’s the camaraderie they miss, the idea of being a part of something bigger and worth fighting for. Each person's contribution holds a deeper meaning. Each person is needed. How can you cultivate a purpose and meaning? Example: Your purpose can be to provide financial freedom to your family. Be a role model to your children. Work 10/week for a local charity with a worthy cause. Help teach underprivileged kids in your community.

• Cultivate skills and capacity that make you valuable and necessary to the people around you. Be useful and dependable. This will bring you honor, joy, and fulfillment - things you cannot buy.

Category - Productivity & Business

The Productivity Show

Episode : Peak Energy - Set smart priorities for success

Podcast episode length: 44 minutes

• Key productivity philosophies:

  1. Happy people are productive people.

  2. One tweak can lead to massive productivity gains.

  3. Your systems should be simple and actionable.

• You will be more productive when you manage your time, energy, and attention (TEA).

• Determine whether you are a night owl or an early riser. Align your most important tasks around times when you feel energized and creative.

• Move around in between tasks to create more energy.

• Take dedicated breaks where you physically walk away from work - unplug.

• Create automated gaps between meetings using apps such as Outlook or Calendly. These gaps will provide time to mentally prepare for the next meeting rather than exhausting yourself from a meeting marathon.

Deep questions with Cal Newport

Episode 301: Reclaiming time and focus with Jordan Harbinger

Podcast episode length: 1 hour 33 minutes

• Slow productivity: Aim to produce high-quality stuff over long periods of time

• Committing to doing less things does not mean you are doing less with your life. You are controlling the admin overhead that comes with every Yes you say. So, by saying No, you are creating more time to invest in things that really matter.

• Switching between tasks is less efficient for your brain than doing one task at a time. So, don't try to work on your next presentation; answer emails simultaneously. It’s the equivalent of an athlete taking Tequila shots every ten minutes during a game. 

• Be known for protecting your time instead of saying Yes to any project thrown your way.

Category - Relationships & Love 

Category - Relationships & Love 

Relationship Advice

458: When expectations are not met

Podcast duration: 46 minutes

• What should you do when your partner is not what you expected? Start by writing down what behaviors are creating this perception. For example, you always have to ask them to do certain things (take the garbage out or put away the dishes etc.)

• Realize that you are comparing these expectations to your family. You had a 20+ year runway with your family to establish behavioral expectations. So, you probably don’t even remember working through the same friction with them. So, I shouldn’t have to ask you to do X is not a rational expectation early on in the relationship.

• Communicate your expectations clearly. Ask your partner how they fell about your asks and if they need something from you. For example, you want them to pick up the kids every Thursday. Would they like a reminder on Wednesday?

• Tell your partner what you like or dislike clearly, then reinforce it. If you like being hugged while cooking, tell your partner. If they hug you while cooking, tell them you liked it. This will reinforce that behavior.

I hope this was helpful.

Please share it.

Much Love

PM

Category - Self Improvement & Lifestyle design

Category - Fun Fact

Where did hamburgers originally come from?

Another version of the creation of the hamburger is that of German cook Otto Kuasw, who created a very popular sailors' sandwich made of a fillet of beef patty fried in butter, served with a fried egg, between two toasted buns in 1891, at a post in Hamburg, Germany.

Category - Self Improvement & Lifestyle design

Modern Wisdom

Episode #777 - Gary Vaynerchuk - Predicting the future, dealing with hate, and living in the dirt.

Podcast length: 1 hour 55 minutes

Business tips from Gary Vaynerchuk

• Most people make content for selfish reasons instead of asking what's in it for the consumer.

• Authenticity is the only long-term strategy.

• Small creators and marketers have never had a bigger opportunity to have a major market share.

• Anyone can win by saying the 'right' things, but is it really you? Be you rather than chasing the urge to be 'seen as (insert categorical expertise)'

• If you do you, you can never do it wrong.

• Go after something you know, or you love.

• Video is the holy grail but not necessary.

• Don’t chase views; chase engaged audiences that want to interact with your brand.

• Don’t chase attention. Attention travels from trends and one social media platform to another. Create lasting content that is centered around value. Have the fortitude to start on a brand-new platform with no followers.

• Entrepreneurship is constantly failing with the occasional win.

• Love yourself enough, so you don’t internalize other people's subjective ideas about you.

• Humans' biggest asset is their ability to change. For example, change your friend circle if you don’t like your current friends. If you don’t like your income, get further education or new skills.

• There is nothing better than selling a product you love and care about.

• Naval Ravikant quote - "Your doing sales because you suck at marketing. Your doing marketing because you suck at the product."

• What is currently being ignored by the media that historians will study?

• Social media didn’t change us; it exposed us.

• 30 years ago, the kid being bullied at school could recreate their life like the kid can today. If they are being bullied at TikTok, they can delete TikTok and find new friends on Twitch or play Fortnite. This wasn’t available 30 years ago and might be a positive of the social media that we ignore.

Think Fast, Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

Episode 140: How to handle a skeptical audience

Podcast length: 17 minutes

• Stop being defensive. If someone disagrees with you and remarks, 'That will never work for me,' earn trust by saying, 'You are right, it won’t work in every situation.'

• Predict and prepare for common objections in advance. Have relevant statistics, case studies, and examples handy.

• Reframing and paraphrasing. Reiterating the questions or objections is helpful. However, ensure that you are still addressing the question/objection directly, or the audience will lose confidence in your opinion and authority over the subject. Stay on topic.

• Acknowledge the emotion. If an audience member is angry. Acknowledge it. But do not acknowledge their anger. That is not helpful or makes the audience feel any better. Instead, reframe it as 'I feel that this is very important to you.'

• Communication advice: It's not what you need to say; it's what they need to hear.

• The top 3 ingredients of clear communication are: 1. Passion 2. Preparation and Personality

Category - Productivity

The Productivity Show - Asian Efficiency

Episode: Unplugged - The productive power of a digital detox

Podcast length: 40 minutes

• What is a digital detox? A set period of time where you do not use any digital technology at all. No cell phones, TV, etc.

• Another idea is to limit your tech consumption to set times. Example: Only check social media between 6-8 pm.

• Create areas of your house where there is no technology. Example: Remove the TV from your bedroom.

• Give yourself the gift of disconnection to connect to what matters.

Category - Productivity

Beyond The To-Do List

Episode: Matt Abrahams on how to speak successfully when you're put on the spot

Podcast length: 43 minutes

• Your brain is designed to have ideas, not hold them. Learn to capture them.

• Visual Note-Taking.

• Manage your anxiety. The rule of thumb or the rule of the lung is to breathe deeply, with longer exhales. Stop thinking about the potential negative outcome. Instead, be present.

• Overcome your fear of saying something wrong: Don’t overanalyze your words. Instead, focus on connecting with the audience. You will make mistakes. Reframe them as mis-takes (missed takes). Learn from them and do better next time. 

• Follow a structure to construct your conversation or speech. Some common structures are: 1) Compare, contrast, and conclude. 2) STAR - STAR stands for situation, task, action, and result. This method will help you prepare clear and concise responses using real-life examples.

• Focus on servicing the audience and creating a connection with them. Reframe threats as opportunities. Listen. Package information in frameworks that are easy to digest. Be clear and concise.

• Be present. Focus on serving your audience. Be interested as much as being ‘interesting.’

Category - Fun

Did you know what the first-ever computer was called?

ENIAC - Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer) was the first electronic general-purpose computer. It was Turing-complete, digital, and capable of being reprogrammed to solve "a large class of numerical problems".

Category - Productivity

The Greg McKeown Podcast

Episode: The power of mindset with Dr. Josh Axe

Podcast length - 37 minutes

• A fixed outcome mindset in healthcare serves no one. For example, the doctor tells you that you have to take this medication for the rest of your life. It may be true, but don’t accept it without researching and exploring it further yourself. In too many cases, people were told they would only live for three months, but because they chose the right mindset of conquering their challenges (instead of giving up), they are still thriving years later.

• Don’t turn other people’s opinions into truths about you. Don’t turn their opinions into your beliefs.

• The people who do the most in this life spend the most time thinking about the life after.

• To have the right mindset, ask what the 1% of a given category thinks. For example, what does Warren Buffet think about money and investing?

• To maximize the good you can create in this world or make the highest positive impact, become virtuous (cultivate courage, discipline, patience, etc.) and improve upon your unique talents to serve others.

• Maximize these two forces: Conscious ( your inner voice that tells you what not to do)and Calling (using your unique talents for the greater good and service of others).

Category - Productivity

Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal

Episode: Confronting my CEO Coach - Eric Partaker

Podcast length - 1 hour 30 minutes

• Eric had a heart attack mid-air on a flight 35,000 miles in the air.

• Optimize these three areas to live a full life - Work, Health, and Home (Relationships)

• There is nothing wrong with being goal-oriented. Humans are hard-wired to pursue goals. Use them to push you in the right direction. Happiness comes from the pursuit of the right things. And the right pursuit is using your unique talents to serve others.

•  Schedule what matters in your calendar. Want to write a book? Show me the 4-hour time block in your calendar to write. Want to get fit? Show me the scheduled time block for exercise in your calendar.

• Wish you had more time in your day? Your problem is the misuse of your time and a lack of focused work. Don’t believe me? For the next three days, manually write down where you spend time in a timesheet manner. For example, at 9 am, I started the work day at 9:05 am. I checked my email. Responded to a Slack message - at 9:10 am. You will quickly learn that your attention is fragmented. Fix this to focus on one task at a time. Example: 9 - 10 am - Process email and respond to messages. 10-12 pm - Deep-focused work on a key problem or project. Don’t jump from one task to another. Create longer time blocks for focused work. This will improve your productivity and free up time.

• Language of self-oppression. "I should be doing X, or I have to do X." For Example, I should/must exercise every day. Stop your internal voice from framing things with 'should' or 'must'’ It creates a deep, subconscious sense of guilt and oppression. Over time, you will resent the things framed in that way. Instead, frame them with excitement and gratitude. For example, I am grateful to have the ability to exercise. This will induce motivation instead of drudgery.

• If you continually start on the right things, the finishing will take care of itself.

• Only credit yourself when you implement the knowledge you have. Knowing isn't enough. The biggest difference between high achievers and low achievers is the willingness to do what's required, even if it is difficult.

Category - Self Improvement & Lifestyle design

Tim Ferris Show Podcast

Episode #735: Craig Foster of my Octopus teacher - How to Find the Wild in a tame world

Podcast episode length: 2 hours 31mins

• Always have a backup. 2 is 1, and 1 is none.

• You can get better at tracking by paying attention to changes in one single tree in your urban environment.

• Human relationships suffer more because humans are now disconnected from nature and the relationships humans would have had with other creatures in nature. This disconnection puts more stress on your human relationships.

• Song-catching: Trackers go into the wild and open themselves to the wild. They look for inspiration to create a song or music.

• If you are a parent, spend time to create experiences with your children. Your children need to know you love them unconditionally. They need to feel wanted.

• Give your kids the gift of your undivided attention.

• Know which words to use during a contentious conversation. Avoid using words that trigger people. Read this to learn to use words more skillfully.

I hope this was useful.

PM

PS: Please share your favorite nugget of wisdom in the comments below or share it with a friend who needs to hear it. You can use the share button below :) 

Disclaimers: I have no affiliation with any of the sources linked above. The information mentioned should not be used for medical diagnosis or treatment purposes, and it is not financial advice.

Since you've made it this far, you deserve to watch this brilliant short film. It's entertaining and worth watching.

Episode: Q&A on constructing your worldview

• Are you waiting to discover your life’s passion? Don’t wait. Create your passions by exploring your curiosities and interests. Focus on things that come easy to you, then work hard on them.

  Start by building your identity:

  1) Study your mentors or people who inspire you deeply.

  2) Follow and study people that empower you.

  3) Try different things. Commit to doing the boring stuff. Figure out if you’re being lazy or you genuinely don’t care about this thing.

• Become a great learner. Aim for the truth, not being right.

• You don’t discover your ‘Why’. You build it by exploring the things you find interesting.

• Struggling to choose which interests to pursue? Choose the one that directly moves you towards your goals and your dream life.

• Happiness should not be left to chance. Happiness is biochemistry which can be hacked. Your brain can be trained and tricked to be happier.

• Don’t lead with money. Care about people and help them. Lead with value.

______________________________________________

Tim Ferris Show Podcast

Episode#728: Legendary actor Scott Glenn - How to be super fit at 85, Lessons from Marlon Brando, How to pursue your passion

• This is an episode you should listen to. Scott Glenn is the grandpa you want telling stories around a campfire.

• Scott converted to the Jewish faith. His reason was that if his wife had a target on her back for being Jewish (due to anti-Semitism), then he wanted the same.

Life lessons - 1) If you love it, make it your life. 2) After being knocked down, always get back up. Get up Every time and go after what you want

• Lao Tzu - The way of life. Be present in the moment. Dissolution of the Ego, the self. The mystical side of the faith is the practical side. The impractical side is the orthodoxy.

• Orthodoxy claims that what is written in the religious text is the literal truth. Mysticism claims that it is poetry from God to teach humans how to live their lives.

• Orthodoxy claims that if you follow certain rules, your soul will be fine. Mysticism is interested in the complete dissolution of the self - a true merger of the soul with the Divine.

• To memorize something long, start at the end. This removes the anxiety about knowing the ending. Trailing an ending back to a beginning is much easier.

• Don’t try to squeeze something out of a moment without waiting to see what the moment is presenting. Don’t always push your agenda. You will miss the magic.

• Marlon Brando supported 2 villages in the Philippines from his pay that no one knew about.

• Scott’s morning routine:

  Wake up at 5:30 am. Vigorous ear massage and tapping (Chinese Medicine System)

  Walk outside and hum. This activates the Vagas Nerve.

  Take Vitamins and minerals and make the bed.

  Russian special ops - Baby Fit Movements

• At 85 years old, Scott can hold his breath for 1:40 minutes and firmly believes in breathwork and natural movements. He considers the diaphragm to be the most important muscle. He trains with Erwan Le Corre (MovNat)

• To be a good student, be ready to fall on your ass in front of people.

• Life lessons - 1) If you love it, make it your life. 2) After being knocked down, always get back up. Get up Every time and go after what you want.

• This is one of my all-time favorite episodes on the Tim Ferris Podcast. Give it a listen. It’s worth it.

The Productivity Show: Asian Efficiency

Episode - Beyong the alarm clock ‘Rise Rituals’ & A guide to effective time audits

• To become more productive, manage your time, energy, and attention.

• Don’t create an elaborate 10-step morning routine. Instead. Think in categories. Categoric things that make you have a more productive day. Example: Category 1 - Movement & Exercise. Category 2 - Reading or Mindfulness

• Instead of tracking every minute of your day, keep a rough log of how you spend your time. Write down blocks of time per task spent.

• Review this log. You will find that you don’t spend your time on things you think you do.

• Review your calendar at the end of the day to ensure you spent your time as allocated. Look for delegations or adjustments i.e. allocate more or less time for a specific task.

• Create a list of things/projects you can ditch, push back on, or de-prioritize. Don’t ignore or push back on important categories such as health, exercise, and relationships.

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Huberman Lab Podcast

Episode: Asi Wind - What Magic and Mind Reading Reveal About The Brain

• Smarter people are easier to fool by magic.

• To a magician, empathy from the audience and a connection with them are more important than deception.

• A great magician is constantly collecting data by presenting a series of words, phrases, and questions to routinely studied choices. No matter what choice the participant makes, that data provides the magician with possible outcomes with a high degree of certainty.

• If you want to get good at something faster, study the subject intensely for a set amount of time, followed by gaps where there is no stimulation. Example: study hard for 30 minutes then go for a walk where you are not on your phone or listening to music etc. This will allow the brain to ingest and arrange all the information you just studied. Rinse and repeat.

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Relationship Advice Podcast

Episode 450: Fixing Common Relationship Issues with Kelli Miller

• Two types of Love: 1) Beginning Love - Initial relationship stage driven by hormones 2. True Intimacy - More about safety, security

• Do this if you're not having frequent sex with your partner anymore - Focus on sensation and connection with your partner, not an orgasm.

• Don’t wait for intimacy to appear magically. Do more things that create intimacy. For example, Go for a hike with a waterfall at the end, go for a drive-thru movie night, etc. Be present during the activity.

• If you fear that you are falling out of love with your partner, write a love letter to her/him. This will remind you why you fell in love with this person initially.

• Create clear rules with your partner about not being on social media or phone. Example: no phones during dinner.

• Thirst trapping: How do you handle your partner posting sexy selfies on social media? Ask him/her if they still need validation or attention from others. Do they not feel secure in your relationship or feel like you give them enough attention?

• Use more ‘I’ sentences when communicating with your partner, especially during an argument. Example: I feel upset.

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Amazon jungle still has many indigenous tribes who have no contact with the developed world. After he declined any help from the developed world, the Brazilian government provided over 3000 acres of land for this one man so he could live out his life in natural ways.

Allegedly he died recently.

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Deep Questions with Cal Newport

Ep.292: Can A.I. empty my inbox?

• AI tools such as ChatGPT are largely based on language models with limitations. A language model can’t look ahead and measure the impact of what you're about to do.

• Currently, ChatGPT is good at summarising text but not so good at thoughtfully responding. It’s reasonably good but lacks the human touch.

• AI needs multiple models, including language models, forecasting, planning engines, and probability models (symbolic reasoning) combined with psychological and interpersonal skills before you can hand over your inbox to AI. Much like this project from Meta

• If you are scared of becoming obsolete as a software programmer because of AI, fear not. Software code and its application in daily life will increase due to AI. The demand for complex systems will grow. Focus on learning complex AI tools and codes to ensure you have the relevant skill set.

• Don’t use ChatGPT for professional writing. Instead, use it for brainstorming ideas. Writing is thinking so don’t outsource it to AI.

• For productivity, location and environment matter.

• In a job, look for autonomy. Autonomy is a nutrient for motivation.

• Plan in decades - 20s, 30s, 40s etc. What you want out of your 20s (i.e. adventure, experience) will be vastly different than your 40s (i.e. security, stability).

• Create a vision with your partner that you both feel committed to.

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The Greg McKeown Podcast

Episode: The Art of Subtraction with Leidy Klotz Part 2

• Solve by simplification first esp. technology. Think about removing existing technology before adding new ones.

• Implement subtraction by writing down areas that take a lot of your time. List things you can say no to or remove to make this activity more efficient, or more fun.

• Create a ’Say NO to’ list. Example: offer to party with friends over working on a side hustle. Every time you say no to this offer, write it down. You will be empowered by this.

• What do you have to say NO to for you to say Yes to this? Ask this before you make decisions.

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My First Million

Episode: It’s the most taboo business model we have ever seen

• If you cannot afford to freeze your eggs, look up this company

• Co-fertility is a rising trend. This is where a guy donates the sperm to a female who is ovulating. The sperm is then injected into the ovulating female (sometimes using DIY kits). The success rate is decent.

• It will be cool to see a collective regret scale on life decisions. Example: Of 100k surveyed, 5% regretted having children.

• Parenting advice is a very profitable niche. Here is the business model: 1) Become a thought leader by providing good, relatable advice. 2) Create a community of followers on social media or blog 3) Create membership ~$200-$300/year. 4) Host paid live events and then sell a premium course for ~$1000. Miss Excel and V-shred use a similar model.

• Quitting has a function. It’s harder to quit the slow burn of mediocrity. A thing that’s not taking all your attention but some. Some results are creating a lure for you to keep going. Something where you know your time will be better invested elsewhere. So, quit already.

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Beyond the To-Do List

Episode: Jeff Sieh on the rapidly

• Descript - Text-based Ai editor

• Ai artwork - Midjourney (can create images including text) or Dalle3.

• Edit Ai generated images with Adobe - If your AI-generated image has 9 fingers, import it into Photoshop. Highlight the specific area you want to edit and Adobe will provide multiple options for you to replace it with. You can remove people from pictures also.

• Text to video - Write a script and Ai will create a video

• Ai can de-age movie actors - Harrison Ford in the latest StarWars movie was de-aged using Ai

• Businesses that can use AI to create faster, more efficient workflows to serve their customers will win.

• If you want to win with Ai, learn how to prompt it. Use tools like this to copy better prompts.

  

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Hope you found this useful.

Thanks

PM

Episode - The most overrated productivity hacks

• To become more productive, implement one new tactic each week - no big, dramatic changes are necessary.

• 3 top resources: a) 4 Disciplines of Execution, b) You can use your library card to gain access to online courses on LinkedIn. c) Simply Scan for scanning documents at home with ease.

• Create positive associations around stressful things. Example: When you feel stressed at work, instead of reaching for junk food, go for a walk.

• For habit formation, building a streak is critical. Example: Simply driving to the gym for 2 weeks in a row, even if you don’t work out will program a new habit. This will increase your chances of actually working out exponentially.

• Zero base calendar or Hyper Scheduling: This approach of scheduling is akin to zero based budgeting where you are allocating where each dollar you make goes. You schedule every minute of your day including leisure time. My personal opinion is that this approach is overrated as it will create too much friction with reality. It will cause frustration and discouragement. Who wants to be micro-managed by their calendar anyway? I don’t. I am however all about allocating blocks of time for specific tasks (batching).

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Tim Ferris Show Podcast

Episode - Barbara Corcoran - How she turned 1,000 into a $5 Billion Empire.

• Barbara is dyslexic and came from humble beginnings (a household of 10 kids). But, she invested early in developing skills she naturally gravitated to. These skills were entertaining people with her imagination and storytelling. This investment made Barbara incredibly savvy at PR and creating a buzz around a product. Lesson: lean into your natural tendencies and work at them till they turn into your superpower.

• Never take a victim mentality. Barbara “The difference between rich and poor people is that poor people spend too much time feeling sorry for themselves.”

• Recovering from failures is critical to building a good life.

• Opportunities come to people with enthusiasm. People who are happy and have a positive outlook.

• Use your difficulty. Barbara was often the only woman in a male-dominated industry. She used it to her advantage by dressing the part and grabbing attention she could turn into meaningful conversation/leads and business opportunities.

• The best question in sales is to ask - ‘When do you need it by?’. It reinforces the customer’s need and creates urgency.

• The best close is the ‘reverse close’. Take the pressure off the customer by telling them ‘Promise me you won’t buy anything today'. Think about it and then make a decision tomorrow.’ This can relieve the buyer from the stress of making a decision and put them at ease. It also earns you (the seller) a lot of trust because you are looking out for the buyer’s best interest.

• After-sale care: The most important follow-up is the follow-up. Do it frequently and consistently.

• Exercise and pulling weeds is the best therapy in the world.

• You regret the things you don’t confront, particularly when they are a moral fight.

• If you have the means, be willing to overpay for things you really like. Money can help bypass a lot of unwanted stress and delays.

• Hire happy people.

• Check out Barbara in your pocket on Patreon where you can interact with Barbara and get her feedback.

• What Barbara will put on a billboard for millions of people to see - ‘You are a lot more capable than you think you are.” Don’t write yourself off too early.

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Beyond the To-Do List

Episode: Terri Sjodin on improving your presentation skills and public speaking

• 3 mistakes to avoid during a business presentation: 1. Don’t wing it, 2. Concluding/ending without making an ask, 3. Being informative over being persuasive

• To remedy these mistakes, prepare an outline of your discussion with the top 3 points based on your audience. Balance information with persuasive arguments. Always end with an ask.

• Making an ask is all about delivery. After a sales presentation, ending with ‘ok, do you have any questions’ vs. ‘How would you like to proceed from here?’ will have a materially different net result. This can be the difference between a sale or no sale. Making an ask is about showing the path forward. if the audience is engaged and interested then show them the next logical steps. Example: ‘You seem interested in our services, so the next step will be an agreement which will include the terms we discussed,’ etc.

• Using the above-mentioned framework will lead to further questions which is what you want. You want further dialog. This will help you understand what the audience really needs.

• The most common and consistent feedback about sales presentations is that they are boring. If you are a sales professional, pay attention. The remedy is to use stories to make your presentations more engaging and entertaining.

• Effective communication is THE great leveler. It negates where you came from, your socio-economic background, and to some degree how much you know about the subject matter.

• If you are a business professional, I recommend reading Terri Sjodin’s book.

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Deep dive with Ali Abdaal

Episode: The emotions expert: Why avoiding feelings is dangerous

• The body keeps the score of your emotional trauma. Cultivate a practice where you are always aware of your body and its sensations to some degree. For example, awareness that you are clinching your jaw, grinding your teeth, making a fist, etc. We experience the world through our bodies but don’t take the time to process or reset all this incoming information.

• Emotional abuse occurs when somebody holds you responsible for their emotional state or somebody tells you what you are feeling is not valid.

• Putting your chin up is a somatic coping mechanism to avoid the feelings. Putting the chin down consciously will take your attention inwards and help process the feelings deeply.

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Huberman Lab Podcast

Episode: How to enhance focus and improve productivity

• Focus is a habit. It can be cultivated by using techniques like productivity meditation (Cal Newport’s book Deep Work has much more on this topic)

• Astrologers need telescopes. Thinkers need whiteboards.  Your brain processes information written vertically in a different/better way which can help work through complex ideas.

• The best way to learn is by using ‘Active Recall.’  Study a topic, underline the key ideas, and then walk away (take a break from it). While away, try to reconstruct the ideas in your head. Check how far you got and fill the gaps. The brain learns by making educated failures/mistakes followed by calibrated corrections.

• Practice makes perfect. But, what you practice and how you practice matters. Focus on attacking the pieces you find difficult to learn. Study them intensely (highly focused). Done this way, even small practice sessions can lead to exponential growth over time. One way to know you are doing it right will be by the sheer frustration generated by the process. Learning intensely is meant to be difficult and frustration is natural. Keep going.

• Failure or being bad at something provides the exact conditions for the brain to create plasticity (an environment that facilitates change/growth).

• Deep work is not flow state. Do not look for a ‘flow state’ while doing deep, concentrated work. You may reach the flow state as a by-product but to rely on it or aim for it will be unproductive.

• Your brain has to pay a price for switching from one task to another - cognitive disorder. For instance, if you are working on a complex problem but switch to checking email, or texting in between, your brain has to activate different pathways for that switch. This can hamper your overall brain power and how much cognitive output you can apply to a specific task. Instead, if you focus on one task, your brain will find the ‘groove’ and you will get more done (and of better quality). Try the Pomodoro technique.

• Pseudo-Productivity: Modern definitions of productivity come from agriculture and industry where the focus is on measuring and finding optimal ratios. This output-based thinking cannot be applied to modern work life (or personal). Pseudo-productivity can also be described as being busy or passing time doing things that seem productive i.e. checking email.

• Giving your time a job ie. blocking time for specific tasks works better than making a To-do list. A list helps document what needs to be done but doesn’t define when it will be done. There is no internal accountability or external mechanism to produce the work. Time blocking solves this problem as long as you do the assigned task in the time slot allotted for it.

• Have a long-term mindset around productivity. Think in decades. What do you want to produce in your 20s, 30s, and 40s? Audit if you are happy with the quality of work you are producing.

• List all the distractions you would deploy for your biggest rival or competitor. Make sure you are not falling victim to those distractions. In some terms, your most focused and productive version always competes with your distracted version.

• A large part of the attention deficiet crisis is caused by the bad selection of a working environment. Just like an athlete has parameters around eating, exercise, technique, not smoking, etc., anyone focused on learning and being productive must also pay attention to all contributing factors. Choosing or creating an environment conducive to learning or managing distractions is critical. Both physical and cognitive excellence demand that you pay attention to the details.

• “It’s easy to be exceptional these days because so many people are distracted.”- David Goggins.

• Cal Newport’s top 3 recommendations:

  1. ‘Pull’ work on your plate intentionally rather than allowing others to ‘push’ work on your plate.

  2. Plan on three levels: Quarterly - Weekly - Daily. Quarterly vision feeds the weekly time blocking and the weekly plan determines what your day looks like.

  3. Have a shutdown ritual. Make sure the urgent things are taken care of and you have a plan for the next day. Write down things that are on your mind - mind dump. Then, have a demonstrative step that declares that you are done for the day. Cal Newport says this out load - ‘ Scheduled shutdown complete’

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The Greg McKeown Podcast

Episode: What’s essential: The power of systems with Rob Dyrdek

• Systems are more important than effort.

• Everything is created twice, once mentally/emotionally/spiritually and the second time, physically.

• Rythym of Existence: This is a documented operating system of your life. It’s built to drive all aspects of life to automation and then optimization.

• Aim for systems that help you excel in all the key areas of life i.e. health, wealth, relationships, etc.

• Focus on dynamic equilibrium. Constantly calibrate/adjust while living a balanced life - not a life where you're sacrificing your time with your loved ones over making money/work.

• Create 4 key categories of your life (The Core Four). Examples: health, wealth, skill acquisition, and relationships. Rank order how you are performing in each category from 1-10. Doing this will provide you with quantitative data over time. This will help you discover unknown triggers for your behavior. For example: You drank too much on Saturday and your sleep pattern for the rest of the week was impacted because each day was a 6.

• What gets measured gets managed.

• Mega trade-offs: What’s the first thing you trade-off when work gets busy or there are demands on your time/schedule? The common answers are health (no exercise), diet (more junk food), and relationships (no time for loved ones). These are bad trade-offs. So, you need a system that prevents you from trading your time from other key categories. If you allot 30% of your time to work activities, then the focus is to optimize that 30% to get as much done as possible and not borrow time from other categories. One word - balance.

• If you think creating such a system sounds cumbersome, consider that you already have a highly complex system. The difference is now you are implementing a system, deliberately and intentionally.

• This year alone, Rob created 250 episodes for his TV show which was viewed over 55 billion minutes on cable TV. He accomplished that with only 4% of his total allocated work time. That’s the value of an intentional system.

Hope you found these summaries valuable.

Which segment or tactic are you going to implement this week? Comment below.

Much Love,

PM