The power of slow, power of long, and power of 3 little lines

And an anti-hustle mantra for 2024

site of “The 10,000 Year Clock”, which is an inspiring idea

The world has never moved faster.

AI is developing at break-neck pace.

It has already changed most people’s lives.

And none of us fully realizes the drastic changes right around the corner.

We can even set AI aside and just look at the impact of smartphones.

People everywhere are BUSY.

On the train—

In the grocery line—

In the gym (instead of working out)—

While taking care of kids—

Everyone is on their devices, getting shit done.

(Or at least ensuring that not a moment goes by when they aren’t entertained.)

Yet feelings of connection and fulfillment are NOT at all-time highs.

They might be at all-time lows.

Keeping your brain engaged non-stop (always be productive! or at least entertained!) is not a solution.

For 2024, I'm deliberately slowing down.

My partner Katie shared with me a passage of a book she was reading—

A huge Japanese family business was being passed from one generation to the next, and the elders provided a set of goals.

For ONE HUNDRED YEARS.

Growth wasn’t even one of the goals.

They take the LONG view.

They want to survive earthquakes, tsunamis, political shifts, everything.

Your direction matters more than your speed.

I’ll say it again (to myself):

🧭 Your direction matters more than your speed.

Plant seeds. 🌱

In 2024, if you want to improve in some dimension, the first question you must answer is: how am I going to still be here in 2027? In 2034?

(Whether personal or professional, such as growing your email list.)

Find habits that are important and self-reinforcing.

“Slow is smooth & smooth is fast.”

Also, whenever you want something, it’s only because you think you’ll enjoy the feelings of having it.

So check the language you use in your mind.

When you catch yourself striving to be more productive, realize that what you really want is a more meaningful life.

When you catch yourself striving for better health and fitness?

Remember you’re really aiming for a more meaningful life.

Always keeping the REAL zoomed-out goal in mind will help you not miss the moments that matter.

Related to the idea of slowing down and focusing on long time horizons is the idea of “getting back to basics”.

At the gym, what works are the big lifts:

• Squat

• Bench

• Deadlift

When you write, it’s:

• Giving advice

• Sharing stories

• Having personality

-Kieran Drew

Over-complicating = self-sabotaging.

---

👀 Caught my eye this week:

Shoutout to a newsletter that I wish I invented.

The model is so smart.

Minimalist Hustler is a daily email that contains only 3 sections of just 1 line (!) each: from the writer, from someone else, from a sponsor.

Having just 1 line + links trains readers to click each email, which is important.

1. The first line always links to a very short (easy to write) post that could easily be posted elsewhere too, such as LinkedIn.

2. The second line (“From someone else”) cross-promotes, earning goodwill and potentially future favors.

3. Having a sponsor of every single daily email is a huge opportunity to get paid daily, at increasing fees with audience size.

---

🕙 What we learned in recent posts:

🟢 How writers hit 500k subs and make posts succeed

🟢 Why I expect to go from 0 to 10k subscribers in 12 months

🟢 I turn 40 today. I'm excited about...

🟢 Getting punched in the face each day

---

🤔 Question for you:

Other than taking a shower or going on a walk, what are some ways you like to slow down?

Is this next chapter of your life one where you want to speed up or slow down?

Reply or leave a comment!