What really separates one person from another It's there decision and choices. The decision to act. The decision to care. And making the better choice.
Everyone has the same 24 hours. Over a long enough time horizon, those 24 hours stack, and yes, that alone can separate two people. But time by itself isn't enough. The quality of decisions made inside those 24 hours outweighs raw time by a lot.
You can show up every day and still go nowhere if your decisions are bad. You can also move fast with fewer hours if your decisions are clear, intentional, and aligned.
So with that said, what actually accounts for consistency and quality action - both in the long term and in day-to-day execution?
what I think are the core pillars.
- Raw willpower
Consistency is hard. You can stay consistent using pure willpower, and sometimes you have no choice but to rely on it. But doing this for long periods becomes painful. Life is short person should not always rely on this.
- Doing what you actually love
This sounds trivial, but it matters a lot. If you work on things you truly care about - or you think you care about - work becomes less painful and more sustainable. If you are going to work either way might as well work on the things you love or the field you love.
- Pick a big problem over a long time horizon
If you're ambitious and want to inspire yourself (and possibly your team), pick a big problem. This is a general rule. Big problems make the work feel worthwhile.
- Break big goals into small milestones
- Understand the problem first. This alone is real work.
- Break it down into simple, exact milestones.
- Use those milestones as stepping stones toward the larger goal.
- Shrink the time horizon
We live in a world where distraction and self-numbing are effortless - doom scrolling, endless consumption, delaying learning. Urgency matters. Shrink your time horizon aggressively it will make the day to day more fun.
- Find the right people
The world is large, and there are people interested in everything. As people grow older, most become unambitious and distracted. Almost everyone had a spark at some point - many just let it fade. Being around people who match your level of ambition, have high agency, and are borderline obsessive about the actual work makes a massive difference. It also gives you a sense of belonging.
- Learn to say no
There is only so much you can do in 24 hours. Saying no to anything that isn't a priority simplifies everything.
- Observe yourself honestly
Most people who get what they want from life are self-analytical. They can look at themselves objectively and make behavioral changes. Pay attention to your actions, thoughts, and words. If you don't like what you see, change it. The faster you do this - without lying to yourself - the faster you improve.
- Understand hell phases: agony, and hell mode
These phases are inevitable. These you have to shut emotions off completely. Don't fixate on the outcome. Be directionally correct. Make decisions in un-emotional and analytically clear states. These periods is a real test of life and where most of growth happens. Take a anti fragile view of the situation, and look at what it could shape you into and most imporantly don't feel sorry for yourself in these times.
Day-to-Day Actionables
- Attack the day head-on. Start with the hardest task in the morning. The point is to jump straight into work.
- Eliminate distractions aggressively.
- Use point-of-contact focus. Pick one task and work on it until it's done. Even better, time-block it to create urgency.
- Work with others when possible. With the right people, day-to-day execution becomes easier.
- Minimize friction. Make starting the work effortless.
- Get to the core of the task first. Once that's done, everything else becomes easier and often falls into place.
Enjoy the work, and don't take yourself too seriously. Take the work seriously, not your ego. Still take care of yourself - but remember death is comming and Maximize yourself through your actions while yout can
note: above points are mainly notes to self.
