Patrik Edblad's Blog, page 5

Habit algorithms

Anytime you want to establish a new behavior, fill out this simple formula:

After I have [existing habit], I will [new habit].

For example: “After I have brushed my teeth in the morning, I will do 20 minutes of yoga.”

Hundreds of scientific studies show that people who plan this way are about 300 percent more likely to achieve their goals.

And the reason it works so well is that it forces you to turn vague intentions into specific algorithms.

You remove the cognitive load of continually deciding when to do the behavior.

And instead, you simply execute the algorithm whenever the situation arises.

Give it a try — I’m sure you’ll be surprised at how quickly you can change your behavior!

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The 3-3-3 method

If you struggle to achieve your goals, try this:

Every quarter, set three goals you want to accomplish in the three months ahead.Each week, define the three objectives that will have the most impact on your quarterly goals.Every day, pick the three tasks that will help you make the most progress toward your weekly objectives.

My friend Daniel Sjöstedt calls this The 3-3-3 Method, and it provides a clear direction and deep focus in everything you do.

Your daily tasks move you toward your weekly objectives, and your weekly objectives move you toward your quarterly goals.

And since you’re limited to only three tasks, objectives, and goals, you’re forced to continually work on what’s most important.

I’ve found The 3-3-3 Method extremely useful, and I hope you will, too!

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Inversion

Inversion is a problem-solving technique where you think about things backward.

Instead of asking how to do something, you ask how not to do it.

Here are some examples:

Business: How can we alienate our core customers?Career: What kind of work do I hate?Health: How can I sleep worse?Productivity: How can I procrastinate more?Relationships: How can I ruin my marriage?

Inversion won’t always solve your problems, but it will help you avoid costly mistakes.

And that will move you closer to the solution.

So, whenever the best path forward isn’t clear, flip the problem on its head.

Instead of looking for the right path, ensure you know which ones to avoid.

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The 80/20 principle

The 80/20 principle states that 80 percent of the outcomes come from 20 percent of the causes.

Traditionally, it’s been the most popular in business settings.

Many companies have found, for instance, that 20 percent of their customers brought in 80 percent of their revenue.

And that kind of information is beneficial if you want to increase your company’s profits.

But the 80/20 principle is just as helpful outside of business.

Imagine if you routinely asked yourself questions like, “Which 20 percent of my regular activities provide 80 percent of my happiness?”

By regularly answering questions like that, you’ll get a better idea of where to spend your limited time, energy, and focus.

So, get into the habit of thinking 80/20.

It will make you more efficient and less overwhelmed.

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The growth mindset

Psychologist Carol Dweck has found that there are two main mindsets that people navigate life with:

The fixed mindset, where you believe that intelligence is static.The growth mindset, where you believe that intelligence is developed.

And these have huge implications for your life.

If you have a fixed mindset, you’ll avoid challenges, give up quickly, and plateau early.

Conversely, if you have a growth mindset, you’ll embrace challenges, fight through setbacks, and continually improve.

So, pay attention to your inner dialogue, catch your limiting beliefs, and replace them with more empowering ones.

For instance, instead of telling yourself, “I can’t do this,” you can tell yourself, “I can’t do this yet.”

It might seem trivial, but it makes all the difference.

Because the moment you start believing in your capabilities is the moment you can begin to realize them.

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The warrior of the mind

In his book, The Philosophy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Donald Robertson provides a useful distinction:

A librarian of the mind is someone who merely catalogs ideas that they learn in their head.A warrior of the mind is someone who applies ideas that they learn on the battlefield of life.

As you explore One Percent better, I encourage you to do it as a warrior.

Take the concepts, strategies, and protocols that resonate with you, and try them out in your own life.

It won’t be as comfortable as being a librarian, but it will make all the difference in how much value you get from the newsletter.

Because ideas are only valuable if you actually put them to use.

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Become a warrior of the mind

In his book, The Philosophy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Donald Robertson provides a useful distinction:

A librarian of the mind is someone who merely catalogs ideas that they learn in their head.A warrior of the mind is someone who applies ideas that they learn on the battlefield of life.

As you explore One Percent better, I encourage you to do it as a warrior.

Take the concepts, strategies, and protocols that resonate with you, and try them out in your own life.

It won’t be as comfortable as being a librarian, but it will make all the difference in how much value you get from the newsletter.

Because ideas are only valuable if you actually put them to use.

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3 Handy Concepts to Help You Think Clearly

1. Bayesian Thinking

“Violent Crime Doubles”

If you read that headline in your local newspaper, you might assume you need to start watching your back.

But is that true?

Let’s say the risk of getting assaulted in your town last year was 1 in 10,000.

Since violent crime has doubled, the risk of assault is now 2 in 10,000.

In other words, the likelihood of getting assaulted is no longer 0.01% but 0.02%.

So, while the risk has doubled, it shouldn’t make you too concerned.

This example illustrates the big idea behind what statisticians call Bayes’ theorem1; that we need to view new data in the light of previous events.

That’s not something that comes naturally to us.

We all tend to blow new information out of proportion.

So, whenever you learn something that seems extraordinary, try to put it in its proper historical context.

That way, your understanding of it will become more nuanced, accurate, and useful.

2. First Principles Thinking

First principles thinking2 is a technique where you break complicated problems into their foundational elements.

It’s helpful whenever you want to find new solutions.

Imagine, for instance, that you’re struggling to find the time to work out.

You know from experience that your busy schedule makes it near impossible to get to the gym.

If you get stuck at that assumption, you might not work out for a long time.

But if you apply first principles thinking, you’ll find that the underlying fundamental principle here is progressive overload.

All you have to do to increase your fitness is to work out at a slightly more challenging level than your body is used to.

And you can do that with a quick high-intensity interval training routine at home.

It’s a simple example, but it demonstrates the point.

If you break down problems into their foundational elements, you can let go of previous assumptions and open your mind to new solutions.

3. Occam’s Razor

Occam’s razor3 is a problem-solving principle that can be summarised as:

“The simplest explanation is probably correct.”

It’s a helpful tool whenever you make initial conclusions with limited information.

Imagine, for example, that you come home and find your living room window open.

There are two possible explanations for this:

You had a lot on your mind when you left and forgot to close it.Someone has broken into your home while you were away.

The first explanation only requires a little mindlessness on your part.

The second explanation, however, requires someone to have broken in, disarmed your alarm, cleaned up after them, and left without your neighbours noticing.

Since the first explanation is simplest, it’s the most likely to be the correct one.

Obviously, Occam’s razor isn’t perfect.

There are exceptions to every rule, and you should never follow them blindly.

But, as a rule of thumb, it can help you reach the correct conclusions faster and more often.

FootnotesBayes’ TheoremFirst PrincipleOccam’s Razor

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3 Valuable Concepts to Help You Avoid Critical Mistakes

1. Second-Level Thinking

In the 1930s, the Australian government wanted to eliminate beetles that were destroying the country’s sugarcanes.

So, they released thousands of cane toads into their plantations, hoping they would kill the beetles.

But the toads were lousy at hunting beetles and excellent at reproducing.

So today, there are millions, if not billions, of cane toads in Australia1.

And they’re doing so much ecological damage that the government now classifies the toads themselves as pests.

Releasing them was a costly mistake that illustrates the difference between first-level and second-level thinking.

First-level thinking: These toads might kill the pests we want to eliminate.Second-level thinking: These toads might thrive and become pests themselves.

The takeaway?

When you’re trying to solve a complex problem, think deeply about the possible knock-on effects of each solution.

That way, you can avoid making bad situations even worse.

2. Multiplying by Zero

In the 1980s, Leonard “Len” Bias was considered a basketball prodigy.

He was tall, incredibly skillful, and amazingly athletic.

The experts all agreed that he would become one of the best players in the world.

There was just one problem.

Bias had developed a cocaine addiction.

And two days after he was picked in the NBA draft, he passed away from an overdose2.

The tragic story of Len Bias illustrates a simple rule we all learn in math class: Anything times zero is always zero.

100 x 10,000 x 1,000,000 x 0 = 0

That means all your talent and effort can be entirely eradicated by just one weak link in the chain.

If you, for instance, have tons of healthy habits, you’ll still have an increased risk of serious diseases if you sleep insufficiently.

So, try to tease out and strengthen the weakest part of your chains.

That way, you’ll ensure they don’t add up to zero.

3. Margin of Safety

Imagine that you’re an engineer building a bridge.

You’ve calculated that, on an average day, the bridge will need to support about 10,000 tons of traffic.

But your calculations could be slightly off, and the bridge might get heavier traffic on certain days.

So, to account for that, you build a bridge that comfortably supports 50,000 tons.

In engineering terms, the additional 40,000-ton capacity is a “margin of safety.”3

And that concept is helpful in many areas of life.

If you add extra buffer time to your schedule, you’ll be able to handle unforeseen events.If you use weights at the gym that you can comfortably lift, you’ll reduce the risk of injuries.If you save a percentage of each paycheck, you’ll have a buffer for unexpected expenses.

By applying sufficient safety margins, you can protect yourself against incorrect estimates, unforeseen events, and bad luck.

FootnotesCane ToadLen BiasMargin of Safety

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3 Powerful Ideas to Make the Most out of Life

1. Eliminate Your Distractions

“I don’t have enough time.”

This is a very common and inaccurate statement.

We all have plenty of time.

It’s just a matter of how we spend it.

The Stoic philosopher Seneca put it this way:

We are not given a short life, but we make it short, and we are not ill-supplied but wasteful of it. Life is long if you know how to use it.

If you want to make the most out of life, you have to eliminate distractions ruthlessly.

So, get really good at saying no.

Clarify your most important objectives and ignore everything else.

Do less, and do it better.

If you do, you’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish.

2. Love Your Work

You shouldn’t expect your work to make you rich, powerful, or famous.

These things are ultimately outside your control and pointless to worry about.

So, let go of your need for external validation and focus entirely on the work itself.

Show up consistently, hone your craft, and enjoy the process.

And if only a few people appreciate your work, so be it.

Because if you can let the work itself be your reward, and any applause from others be a bonus, you’ll become unstoppable.

You’ll stop worrying about opinions outside your control and start deriving deep satisfaction from the actual work.

3. Remember Your Duty

When you wake up in the morning, remind yourself of your duty as a human.

You might feel tempted to stay under the covers, but that’s not what you were created for.

As a human, it’s your obligation to get up, go to work, and do your part to set the world in order.

Sure, sufficient sleep is essential for your health, well-being, and performance.

So, make sure you get enough of it.

But once your rest is over, don’t linger in bed.

Instead, get right up and use your replenished energy to serve the world.

And remember that each day you get to wake up and do your part is a precious gift.

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