The one and only thing to achieve long-term happiness
July 3, 2023
All my life, I observed one pattern:
I’m happiest when I experience personal growth.
When you look around you, it’s easy to observe. People stop learning, they stop experiencing, and stop working on themselves. And they start feeling miserable.
That’s why I’ve decided to start this newsletter. To help people get growing again. We all began our lives growing at reckless speeds. That’s why kids are happy. They experience new things ALL THE TIME.
We need to pick up this energy again, and I will help you. I’ll show you a 5-step process to regain control, start growing, and become happy like a kid again.
The Problem
Once you stop growing, you start feeling unfulfilled and incomplete. This hits most people when they’ve completed their first few years after entering the workforce. Typically in their 20’s or 30's.
Society’s growth path stops there, and the only way forward seems 30+ years doing a 9–5 job. Everyone’s doing it, so this must be it.
From there, you start switching jobs, adding more expensive hobbies, and playing the corporate game. But something is missing. During vacations, you start reflecting and wonder if you should start working on something on the side.
To start working on the thing which has been on your mind for years but lost shape and detail with every birthday. On some days, you even have the motivation to dive all in but are overwhelmed by all the options.
Back again to the hamster wheel.
Enough depression. I’m sure you know exactly how this feels. I’ve been there myself. For too long.
Little secret: there is another way: Personal Growth. And you know that. There is this little voice in your head that there must be more to life than this. You are different than average. But still, you’re stuck in an average person’s life.
Let me tell you the 5-step process to achieve it. I’ve used this system for four years now, and it has pushed my life to another level:
- Doubled my 9–5 salary to 6-figure by doing focus work 4 hours/day.
- Created an autonomous trading strategy running a part of my portfolio.
- Developed an app from scratch.
- Learned advanced skills in programming to quickly build new ideas.
- Being in the best shape of my life.
- Started a family and being present with them A LOT. (My favorite part!)
I get that these don’t read as exciting as a $100m startup story. And yes, I can’t tell you how to build a unicorn. But I’m convinced that pursuing your own growth story makes you happier than 95% of people.
So let me tell you how to get there.
Callout
The 5-step process
This process is not my invention. In fact, it’s so simple you’ll probably say that’s just common sense. Unfortunately, it’s not. So let’s dig in:
Step 1: Put a structure around your life
You first need to see the problem. So many people get lost in all their responsibilities that they completely miss the bigger picture. This is an issue because the day will come when they zoom out again. And wonder how they ended up in this place.
Don’t be that person.
Create a vision for yourself. Consider the different areas in your life. Choose your focus. With intention. Not by your boss, friends, or family.
I split my life into areas. For each area, I write down my ideal state and goals which get me closer to this stage.
Without this long-term focus, you’re just chasing the latest trends, falling victim to shiny object syndrome, and will probably get frustrated.
Step 2: Get efficient in the basics
How much time do you spend on repetitive tasks you don’t enjoy?
Let me tell you — too much.
We all have ongoing duties, chores, and low-value tasks to do. No issue as long as you enjoy doing them (mowing the lawn is one of mine!). Chances are high, you don’t. At least, not all the time. Hence, minimize time spent on these tasks by either:
- Stop doing them at all (best option!). You’ll be surprised how many people are still alive who never do anything you think is necessary (ironing?!)
- Automating. Many dull tasks can be handled by AI these days. There’s no excuse for spending hours over your laptop doing admin-level stuff each week.
- Delegating. Comes at a cost but is helpful in certain areas. Especially physical things like laundry, cleaning, gardening, etc.
- Increasing efficiency: If the above three are no option, do a 1-hour online search to get it done more efficiently. Think of meal prep, orga systems, etc.
These steps should allow you to free up at least a few hours/week-time to use them for something bigger.
Step 3: Plan for intentional growth
At this stage, think about your goals in one of your growth areas. One of my goals is to write this weekly newsletter. It helps me grow personally, stay accountable, and publicly share my learnings to support others.
Ensure your goals are controllable and measurable. It’s better to focus on the input (i.e., write 52 high-quality newsletters per year) than the output (make $$$, gain X followers, etc.) in this step.
By now, you have a clear vision of the ideal future and actionable goals which bring you a step closer. Great!
Step 4: Prioritize actions in your growth areas
Having a great plan is not enough, though. It’s crucial to take action. What is the best way to translate your goals into results?
Break down bigger tasks into actionable sub-steps.
Structure your day in time boxes and fill them with tasks. Start with the highest-leverage tasks.
Again, super simple, but what a game changer. You’ll be amazed at what can be achieved in a 2-hour focused block of high-value work.
That’s the secret to spending less time on your 9–5 too! Instead of scrolling your inbox every 15 mins and replying to calls and messages in an instant, structure your day in blocks:
This example structure plans for 4 hours of focused work. That’s all you need to achieve more than the average person in 8 hours. The other 4 hours are “traditional work” in common sense. Required but demand little mental energy.
With such a structure, you’ll have 10+ hours of focused work on your current growth area per week-more than enough to get outstanding results.
Step 5: Review and iterate
This all only works if you are working on the right thing. No matter how efficient and focused you are, it’s worthless if you’re ladder leans at the wrong tree.
So take time to review your work and progress in various frequencies:
- Short weekly review to note learnings, create new tasks and assess progress
- Medium monthly/quarterly review to recalibrate focus and goals
- Long annual review to re-assess long-term vision and ideal state of life
Taking time to review keeps your ship in the right direction, no matter the tide.
Conclusion
As promised, there’s nothing new in this process. All proven and decades-old techniques. Trust me: it’s all you need to create momentum. There may be additional little productivity hacks here and there, but the broader theme doesn’t change. To recap:
- Put a structure around your life
- Get efficient in the basics
- Plan for intentional growth
- Prioritize actions in your growth areas
- Review and iterate
This framework sets you up for massive growth if you’re putting in the work. Everything on top is productivity procrastination. Avoid it.
The following editions will deep dive into each of the five steps with additional examples and hands-on tips.
Thanks for reading, and keep on building!