20 short tips to help you reach your biggest goals in half the time and twice the energy
If you want to learn faster, you need Shortform
I always talk about the power of writing, for personal happiness as well as growing your audience online. But to sustain good writing you need to consume.
When I stall for ideas, learning from the great books out there is a regular necessity.
But many books are long-winded and take a long time to read.
Shortform allows me to filter through the best ideas in a book every morning, so I effectively read an entire book in a single sitting. Now, I have fresh ideas every day as I start writing, which has benefitted my business significantly.
If you want access to thousands of book guides for the price of a book a month, join Shortform today.
Untethered Mind readers get 5 free days of unlimited access, as well as a 20% discount on annual memberships when you click here: Shortform.com/alexmathers.
Happy learning!
—
20 short tips to help you reach your biggest goals in half the time and twice the energy
Did you ever hear about Parkinson's Law? It states that we allocate the work we need to do based on the time we have to complete it.
So, if we give ourselves a month to finish an essay, it will take a month.
If we give ourselves three days, it will take three days.
This works because, as human beans, we're insanely and often unexpectedly resourceful.
This is one of several pieces of understanding we can use to bend time.
Here are some others:
Do more things that make you a bit nervous instead of avoiding them.
They often give you far more significant rewards in the same time frame.
Give yourself self-compassion.
It may seem like berating yourself continually with harsh words will spur you into action, but it does the opposite.
You break yourself down with your smarting prods. Find a way to be nice to yourself. That's where performance starts.
Stop trying to focus,' and just do one thing at a time with as much enjoyment as possible.
Lean into your dark side.
This means being willing to explore the side of you unattached to any mask.
It's about being willing to forgo your constructed and imagined identity and being who you need to be to get things done:
I.e. a fired-up maniac with a secret lust for big success.
Develop the joyful skill of play.
'Bro, I'm not 7 years old. I have bills to pay.'
I get it. But play has an unhelpful connotation. What play is really is our expressing acceptance of the true nature of reality: uncertainty.
Those who can act and glide and dance despite not knowing...
They will achieve more.
Be more specific.
You're probably making life harder for yourself by not only muddying your own blueprint, but you're confusing others around you who are there to help.
If you can't communicate clearly and specifically, how can anyone know how to assist you on your journey?
The more you create, the more creative you become.
Ask for help.
Most people avoid asking for help like a proud man refuses to ask for directions.
But if someone's already done what you want, you can avoid years of frustration by offering to buy someone a coffee.
Take more breaks.
You can be doing busy work for weeks at a time, stressed to all hell, and make zero progress.
Why?
Because when the mind and body is stressed, you make poorer, more fractured decisions.
You don't need confidence, passion, self-belief, or the right mood to do anything that needs doing.
Those things come after the fact.
Write out your next three steps.
They say you only need to see the few metres ahead of you on a dark night to drive effectively.
This life metaphor is a strong one, because without the full picture to distract you, you'll be far more effective.
Speak more to your inner wisdom and less to your personal worry-fuelled thoughts.
There is a difference.
When you relax and allow the mind to rest, you'll get the insights you need to make better decisions and save time.
There is very little use in worrying, if any.
Worry only makes us feel more strained, which slows us down. We can worry for hours in the day.
Think of how much time you save by simply being strong and quitting worrying.
If you want to increase your impact, success and leverage through other people, stop acting so uptight around them.
Things move for those who have fun with people and see all connections as possible, light-hearted friendships.
Create and regularly refer to an energy audit.
This lists all the things that drain you, and another list shows what gives you energy.
Actively do less in the first list and more in the second.
Understand this life-changing consideration: what if the calm energy you get from resisting temptation was preferable to the fleeting pleasure gained from indulging?
Do what the warrior version of you would do.
Stop listening to the scared little Shrimp You in the corner.
When faced with any decision, ask what would Warrior You do?
The answer may spike you in the ribs. But, because you chose courage, you'll be surprisingly energised.
Go for sprints.
Instead of working slowly through the day like a Day-Grazer for several hours, break your work into chunks.
If you're writing, for example, make it a timed game.
Give yourself 15 minutes for a specific number of words or to complete a set task.
Suddenly, there's a sense of urgency, and things get fun and more gets done more quickly.
Ask bigger.
The competition for psychologically bigger asks - for example, a more 'well-known' person - is less. Therefore it's easier to stand out when you do ask.
Quit habits that put your mind and body in disarray, and you'll have 10x more courage to enter previously uncomfortable situations.
If you only remembered one thing, remember this:
In whatever you do, choose enjoyment.
—
Thanks for reading.
Remember, if you want to join the community, you can become a paying member.
You also get:
Access all courses and future courses (worth $50+ each).
Access to Thursday audio live calls and Q and As (coming in days).
Free instant access to Untethered Mind course to reduce anxiety (worth $290+)
Recent review: “I hesitate to say this because it’s such a bold statement, but this is the best course I’ve ever taken...ever...university included. Alex. Thank you." ~ George Sisneros, coach.
Receive members’ only interactive threads, videos, and articles as well as regular free articles.
Support me as a writer.
Access all archive posts and videos.
Love it.
Regular energy audits ❤️
LOVE that
Too many times I've worked until I'm useless. Not a great feeling. lol