Life is a long game

Key Insight

● All methods and principles described here are optimized for the long game, 50 - 200 years (Yes! There is a high likelihood you will live 200 years). Many productivity courses forget the aspects of nutrition, longevity, sleep, and health, which are actually fundamental for success. If we succeed financially, and pay for it with psychophysical health, is that really success?

● Inner peace and happiness are hardly mentioned, yet they are the main reason why we want to be productive and effective in the first place.

● Generally we see some “hacks” or shortcuts, but most of that is hollow talk, and it’s also not a healthy mindset. The only thing that exists is knowledge and science, and acquiring knowledge and testing science requires a lot of effort.

● Precisely because we play the long game, a certain portion of activity must be set aside for “self-care” and “sharpening the axe.” That portion of time and energy strategically and wisely we take away from current effectiveness and invest in future and long-term effectiveness.

● In the long run, reputation and integrity are extremely valuable things. Not mentioned in any course, however, the voice that follows us can quite significantly make us more productive and effective, or, on the other hand, can take away a lot of productivity and effectiveness. Protecting your reputation and integrity is one of the most effective things you can do. Kindness, culture, civility, good manners, nice words, a pleasant joke, good deeds — your most effective allies in maintaining good interpersonal relationships and building a good reputation, and they’re completely free!

● Where do most people make a big mistake in this long game? They worry about things they cannot change long-term. They worry about them constantly, every day, follow the news, think and talk about them with friends. Whether it’s climate change, wars, celebrity dramas, obstetric violence, train crashes and floods in Greece, geopolitical topics, or anything like that, there’s a very small likelihood we’ll influence any of it, so it’s best to invest minimal energy in it (if we’re really interested), ideally 0.

● Refocus maximum energy on two things: either on the most effective work and thinking about things we can directly influence, or on the most effective rest.

● For the long game a good plan is important, and that’s where vision comes in. If we don’t know exactly where we want to go, we’re basically wandering, and no plan can help us get there. Vision is set for a period of 5 to 10 years and describes in detail the state we want to reach. What is it we are aiming for? How will we know we have succeeded? What is the guiding force that gets us up in the morning?

● Vision is extremely important both personally and professionally, and as leaders you have the duty to set a vision in your company and communicate it well to everyone.

● There is a certain magic that happens when things are written down (digital or analog) and therefore it is very important that it is written.

● It can be in any format, but a good format is V2MOM (google "v2mom"). That document should be created and reviewed at least once per quarter.

● In this course we will adhere strictly to science, however, there is one thing that is scientifically hard to prove, but I 100% believe is true: "The thoughts you have are the life you lead"! For some reason, thoughts affect the material world. Don’t ask me how it works, but it does. (google "E squared book")

● Self-fulfilling prophecy - Something that can quite easily happen to you in both good and bad sense. Many people embed in their heads some thoughts that begin to shape their life. If you don’t believe you can succeed, then you certainly won’t. If you convince yourself that you are "eternally ineffective," you certainly won’t be effective. If you convince yourself that you are "sickly," you will often get sick. On the other hand, if you convince yourself that success is your only option and a cosmic predestined fate, and that it will happen 10,000%, it will happen. Success must first happen in our minds before it happens in reality. For that reason, optimism is extremely important, because there will certainly be setbacks, and they must not shake us in the long run. On the other hand, optimism is contagious, and people love to spend time with optimists, so optimism is also a key trait of a good leader. An unnoticed side effect of these methods is that they convince you that you can succeed and put you in the role of someone who succeeds. By buying the best training equipment you become the person who trains. You enter that role. By buying the best supplements you become the person who cares about health. You enter that role. By buying the best tools and creating the best working conditions you enter that role. You become effective both consciously and subconsciously. You create a prophecy that will be fulfilled.

● Toxicity and pessimism we must literally bring down to strict 0. 0.0. For us personally, and then in our environment, even if we have to cut ties with good friends, family, or even a spouse. People who don’t root for your success simply have no business in your life.

○ Narcotics, alcohol, nicotine and other cheap dopamine-inducing substances are extremely dangerous for this reason because they chronically create depression and pessimism.

○ Physical activity, sex, sauna and cold showers, meditation, good sleep, healthy nutrition, time in nature, time with family and friends... these are your best tools because they long-term create optimism.

● We live in the best times ever, and achieving exceptional effectiveness has actually become very easy.