The Personal MBA
Josh Kaufman
Willpower – “just say no” to instant gratification. Long-term success occurs when you employ willpower.
Research shows that marathoners and iron men are physiologically no where remotely near death (even though they feel that way). It’s all mental. So, when you feel you’ve given your last breath, in truth, you have only spent 40-50%.
Maker’s schedule and Manager’s schedule – batch phone calls and administrative tasks in blocks, then set out time for creative and imaginative ideas.
Utilize the Pomodoro technique for batching tasks – blocks of 20 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of rest.
Habits add up to huge results over time due to the power of accumulation. So structure and frame your behavior in that fashion. It’s the idea behind setting vitamins next to your toothbrush.
Five-fold “Why?” – Take your goal and ask yourself a series of “why”s to boil down to the core of what makes that goal important to you. It’s a root cause analysis discovery session. You can truly find out what you want.
Confirmation bias – The idea that we only pay attention to the information that supports out beliefs. Therefore, actively seek out information that attempts to disprove your theories.
The value of experiments in your own life is crucial. Apply a scientific approach to your life by utilizing 30-day challenges.
Locus of control – worry only about what you can control and disregard the rest.
Personal research and development – set aside money for books, courses, acquiring the necessary equipment, attend conferences; anything to improve your skills and capabilities.
The newspaper test – when discovering the results and future to decisions and actions, perceive how your grandchildren would react or how you would react if you read your actions on the front page.
Comparative advantage: focus on what you do best and work with others to accomplish the rest.
The Golden Trifecta: 1. appreciation 2. courtesy 3. respect
Because – people will be receptive to any request if you give them a reason why even if it’s just the word “because.”
Commander’s intent – When assigning a task to someone, tell them the reasons why it must be done not how it should be done. This allows your employees to be creative and not micromanaged.
Planning fallacy – Eisenhower said, “plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.”
Referrals – Even the most obscure commonalities can warm up a cold connection. Name drop, company drop, discuss living areas, etc.
Social proof – the actions of others signal it’s okay to behave a certain way.
Pygmalion effect – give others a great expectation to live up to and they’ll naturally want to do their best to satisfy those expectations.
Gall’s Law – All complex systems that work evolved from simpler systems that worked.