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by
Tommy Baker
Started reading
March 13, 2018
For the 1% Rule, we track data to clearly see how far we’ve come, where we are today, and what strategic pivots or changes we need to create to maximize our success.
5: MASTER YOUR CRAFT
The last part of the code represents a commitment to mastery,
Mastering your craft in itself is a long-term commitment and caters to a mindset of grounded humility where you become obsessed with micro-improvements.
Deliberate practice:
Pursuing mastery means you’ll be practicing.
Invest thousands of hours:
Mastery takes time, there’s no way around it.
Long-term consistency:
It’s easy to invest time and effort in a skill when it’s new. Once you start to become decent at it, it can become boring. Embracing this and pushing past to a place where you endure will make you invaluable to any marketplace.
Choose one and step into it every single day:
You can truly become an expert in nearly anything in a few years,
YOUR TURN
CHAPTER 5: THE POWER OF FOCUS
“A warrior is an average man with laser like focus.” - Bruce Lee
Without a doubt, the number one obstacle standing between people and their dreams is a lack of focus.
DEEP WORK
He used examples of those who took deep work to the extreme and extracted themselves from society, including Carl Jung, Benjamin Franklin, and others. I was floored by the distinctions in the book and realized how much I’d been letting the monkey mind control my life.
The core premise is simple: in an ever-distracted and changing world, the ability to engage in deep work makes you rare and inherently valuable. Furthermore, the quality of your output increases, as does the level of your feelings of purpose and fulfillment.
SHIFT THE ADDICTION
Lack of clarity. Stuffing our brains with information 24/7 is a guaranteed way to add layers to the 50,000 thoughts we’re having every single day and add to our sense of not knowing where we’re headed.
Lack of completion. Our lack of completion in society is a disaster. On a daily level, we have a terrible track record of finishing anything, from a marketing project to last night’s dishes.
Lack of fulfillment. Fulfillment is deeply tied with giving our work meaning, wha...
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Lack of energy. The mental and emotional toll distraction has on our brains is frightening and exhausting. We’re consuming more caffeine than ever, yet producing fewer and fewer results.
SEASONS OF LIFE
However, your plan will die if you don’t set rules around focus to maximize your adherence and results.
Rule #1: Create Ruthless Boundaries
Boundaries matter.
nonnegotiable frames to help protect your energy, clarity, and focus at any moment.
Stop checking e-mail all day.
Start your day on “airplane mode.”
Prime your environment for focus.
Rule #2: Double Your Rate of Saying “No”
The most dangerous word in regard to your focus is yes.
The moment you say yes to one thing, you’re automatically saying ...
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Stop it.
Rule #3: Commit to a Practice
Focus is a practice,
which means you’re building a skill. Much like flexing a muscle at the gym, you get str...
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If you want to harness the power of focus, you
TOOLS TO MASTER
POMODORO
The technique was made famous by Francesco Cirilo and is based on performing 25 minutes of completely undistracted work, followed by a 5-minute break. This would be “one” Pomodoro. After doing four cycles, you’d take a 15 to 20-minute break.
You’re going to perform one Pomodoro time block every single day.
As we mentioned as part of the code of the 1% Rule, tracking is absolutely nonnegotiable. It must happen on a daily, weekly,
Slowly, this will become your secret weapon for tracking your focus.
Steady progress will win the race, and slowly you’ll start to build a new network of neural connections designed to keep you in focused work for longer durations of time.
CHAPTER 6: PERSISTENCE
If clarity and inspiration get us started, persistence is the grit beneath it all.
Persistence isn’t special and doesn’t have to be acquired at a seminar. It’s what keeps us waking up early to pursue our dreams. It keeps us fueled when our friends and family tell us it’s time to get a “real job” and quit the fantasy.
