It is the first day of the year 2012 (despite what WordPress says… I think it is on UTC and I don’t feel like wasting my time going through their shitty UI to change it). I am not a fan of making “New Year’s Resolutions” as I think having them once a year gives people an excuse to wait to make important life goals and does not provide enough accountability on a consistent basis.
For me, taking time each month to reflect seems to be a more effective timeframe. Jack Dorsey tweeted today that his resolution was (and always is) to Simplify and that really resonated with me. Running a startup is incredibly stressful and full of necessary decisions, thoughtful analysis, and unexpected turns. To make the company most likely to succeed, it makes sense to simplify every other part of my life so I don’t waste time and energy on things that simply don’t matter like what to wear, what to eat…
I want to make sure that everything I do gives Hawthorne Labs the best chance of making a huge impact on the way the world works. The other thing that is important is accountability on a consistent basis. ”That what is measured, improves.” I believe companies as well as ourselves should be metric driven and consistently analyzed, and that is how we can best improve.
Below is my plan for life simplification and accountability.
Professionally:
-Create a “Daily Impacts” list in the morning of the things I can do that day that will be impactful on the success of the company and follow up at night with which items I have completed
-Create Weekly Updates that go to a select group of personal and company advisors to make sure we are progressing as rapidly as possible on a weekly basis
-Set aside 1 hour each week to reflect on the professional positives and negatives of that week and whether anything should be changed
-Have a monthly plan for the company that is shared in-person to a group of company/personal advisors
Personally
-Morning hardcore workout 3 times per week
-Sleep a maximum of 7.5 hours per day (3:30a – 11:00a)
-Food (Same exact healthy diet each day)
-Come up with one simple and elegant outfit and buy in large quantities and wear each day
-Play Ultimate frisbee 2 hours every Saturday
- 1 night per week, do something totally different that could inspire me, hopefully with somebody that also inspires me (rave dance party, go to an orchestra concert, have magic tea, check out a museum etc)
- Set aside 2 hours each month to make sure I communicate with all the people that really inspire/better me to keep connected with them
That is pretty much every moment of my life encompassed in 12 bullet points. I’d love your thoughts.
Love the 3x a week Hardcore Workout!!! J.
What’s the appeal of the clothing thing? Just to eliminate mental clutter? Project a consistant image?
I have a “uniform”… it’s essentially sport jackets + jeans + tees + non sporty sneakers. Pretty simple.
Just curious on your take.
The appeal is not having to think about it in the morning. People spend excessive time and mindspace every morning trying to figure out what to wear and I want to take that out of the equation (but also not look terrible as I think that can adversely affect things). If you look good and don’t ever have to spend a minute thinking about what to wear, I’d say that’s effective.
Be careful to not over simplify your diet. Your body needs a variety of foods. Think of preparing food as a way of being good to yourself, not as taking up mindspace.
Beware, mental stress from not completing = complication. You just can’t fill the quota (hurt back and can’t workout, tight development schedule in traffic peaks and can’t set aside hours for advisory, wearing a different shirt when meeting an important person for 10th time to not feel weird). Situations happen and then you’re stressed that you’re not following the simplification rules, which results in the opposite of simplification. No argument is good enough to justify why you didn’t do what you should have done (that’s how I felt).
For me, simplification is the opposite: create the least amount of rules possible, because they’re mentally exhausting. Even Steve Jobs was wearing a suit at the Oscars. Rules don’t work that well.
Appreciate the thoughts…. I try not to think of them as rules as much as my “default state” … lots of times I am sure I will have to go out of the default state for exceptional cases, but most of the time I am simply looking for a daily default. cheers!
Wicked. I’d love to know what you do on your hardcore workouts. And pls keep us updated on what you’ve decided for the one simple and elegant outfit!