In the last 2 weeks one of the projects we have been working on is a new idea: www.eknacks.com. We launched it fast because we want to see if people's response to this approach is positive, but we have many cool features coming up in the next version.

Try it for a bit and let us know what you think. I hope you'll enjoy it! Here is the link for programming knacks.

This is a more recent lesson, it took me a long time to understand it and even more time to accept it: a team can handle a certain quantity of work, anything above that quantity decreases the quality considerably. In the long run, the only thing that matters is quality.

After I started Akcedo, I began to take all kinds of projects in order to create relationships which would guarantee the cash flow of the company. To tell the truth, I was afraid and I panicked, but this is a story for another post.

What followed was a period of long work days, with a few noticeable situations of 20 hours of work per day. That's something to avoid. If you find yourself working 15-20 hours per day, stop and make a radical change. You will as amazed as I was to find out that you will lose nothing.

Even after I stopped working so much, I continued with a long period in which I didn't say no to any projects that were coming to us. I was so innocent, that I was even proud about it. Again, the truth is that I was afraid of what would happen if I said no. Accepting all projects sometimes created spikes, but initially it was ok. In time the quantity of work grew, and accepting all projects became harder and harder.

At one point circumstances made it so we couldn't continue like this. It was incredibly hard to change my inflexible way of thinking, but I had no choice. So I decided which clients / projects are most important to us, and how much work we can handle considering our priorities. After that, I started saying no to lower priorities.

In case you don't know about the Pareto principle, this is the time to find out. What happened is exactly what the principle states: we eliminated the factors which were not producing relevant results, and kept only the top producers. After this step we had considerably less problems to think about, and our results improved because we were able to focus on the things that mattered most.

For me, the only problem in applying it in the first place was the fear of uncertainty. This fear stopped me from doing many things for a long time, but now the more I experiment with overcoming it the more I realize that uncertainty is not something to be afraid of at all.

So, know how much you want of something (especially if it's about your job, your time or your life), and don't be afraid to say no in order to keep it the way you want it. In these situations your mind can't help you with logical solutions so it will keep you paralyzed, but you should trust your instinct.

If you liked this post, I encourage you to read "The 4-hour workweek".

My father is a programmer. When I was only a little boy, he showed me what programming is: I remember learning a few things about algorithms, going to a small competition and winning (there was only one more participant at my age range, so I've just been lucky), going to a software camp, and so on. I enjoyed these things, so I guess at that point programming found a place inside my heart.

After a while I started doing other things, and I forgot that I like programming so much.

When I was still a student, I started learning about computer networks. Next step, I took a job as a technician for IT equipments (I was not an engineer yet). I was spending all day driving from client to client, installing and configuring networks, unsuccessfully trying to solve the problems that our low quality equipments had. It was not fun at all, and I was using my hands more than I was using my mind. I felt I was wasting my time, that I was limiting myself.

Of course, working in networking can be a wonderful experience. For me, it just wasn't the right place (company) and the right time.

I decided to make a change. I was thirsty to use my mind and creativity, and to stop experiencing limitations.

From the list of options, programming was the only one I knew something about. Unfortunately, because of the long break, I didn't have any of the necessary skills and I didn't know any of the emerging programming languages.

I decided to give it a try, anyway. I quit my job, and came back home for the summer vacation to learn a programming language. I chose C#.

2 months later I was ready to head back to Bucharest and start a new career. I didn't finish everything I wanted to learn, but the vacation was over and I had to get going.

Soon after arriving back in Bucharest, my luck showed again: after 1 or 2 interviews, I found a job as a junior C# developer. From that point on, I started programming for a living and never looked back.

Looking at it now, my first job had a very important role: I had to go through something limiting and unfulfilling, in order to learn to appreciate life and the opportunities it can offer. A few years passed since then, but almost each day I realize that I love what I do and I feel grateful.

Being able to enjoy and appreciate what you do is very important, but it's not easy because we always tend to want what we don't have. For me, the memory of my first job is a tool which helps me appreciate software development. I don't know what I would have done without it. In the past, problems were making me question a path and look for something else. Now I know that they are here only to help us learn and grow.

If you liked this post, I encourage you to read "The 4-hour workweek".

"As to methods there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble."
—RALPH WALDO EMERSON

Simply wonderful.

You can read about the purpose of this list and how to use it here.

In order to browse the list, start by clicking on the Concepts link and continue with the links (the concept names) that you find interesting. 

1. Resources
   B1 - Tim Ferris, The 4 hour workweek
2. Concepts
   1. productivity & TM
      Just a few words on time management: Forget all about it.
      Being selective—doing less—is the path
      of the productive. Focus on the important few and ignore the rest.
      1. Limit tasks to the important to shorten work time (80/20).
      2. Shorten work time to limit tasks to the important (Parkinson's
      Law).
      Identify the few critical
      tasks that contribute most to income and schedule them with very
      short and clear deadlines.
      resources
      B1
      1. perfection
         Recognize that this is often just another W4W excuse. Most endeavors
         are like learning to speak a foreign language: to be
         correct 95% of the time requires six months of concentrated effort,
         whereas to be correct 98% of the time requires 20-30 years.
         Focus on great for a few things and good enough for the rest.
         Perfection is a good ideal and direction to have, but recognize it
         for what it is: an impossible destination.
         resources
         B1
      2. learning
         1. language learning
            Language learning deserves special mention. It is, bar none, the
            best thing you can do to hone clear thinking.
            Quite aside from the fact that it is impossible to understand a
            culture without understanding its language, acquiring a new language
            makes you aware of your own language: your own thoughts.
            The benefits of becoming fluent in a foreign tongue are as underestimated
            as the difficulty is overestimated.
            Gain a language and you gain a second lens through which to
            question and understand the world.
            resources and complete how-to
            guides can be found on www.fourhourworkweek.com
            resources
            B1
         2. travel
            traveling and
            relocating provides unique conditions that make progress much
            faster.
            I
            rarely travel somewhere without deciding first how I'll obsess on a
            specific skill.
            I tend to focus on language acquisition and one kinesthetic skill,
            sometimes finding the latter after landing overseas. The most successful
            serial vagabonds tend to blend the mental and the physical.
            resources
            B1
      3. questions
         terms so undefined as to make attempting to answer
         them a complete waste of time
         What do you
         mean, then? Until the question is clear—each term in it defined—
         there is no point in answering it. The "meaning" of "life" question is
         unanswerable without further elaboration.
         1. Have I decided on a single meaning for each term in this
         question?
         2. Can an answer to this question be acted upon to
         improve
         things?
         Questions about things beyond your sphere of influence like "What if
         the train is late tomorrow?" fail the second and should thus be
         ignored. These are not worthwhile questions. If you can't define it
         or act upon it, forget it.
         Most questions without answers are just
         poorly worded.
         resources
         B1
         1. ambiguous
            For the duration of this trip, note self-criticisms and negative
            self-talk in a journal. Whenever upset or anxious, ask "why" at
            least three times and put the answers down on paper. Describing
            these doubts in writing reduces their impact twofold. First, it's
            often the ambiguous nature of self-doubt that hurts most.
            resources
            B1
      4. meetings
         Meetings are an addictive, highly self-indulgent activity that
         corporations and other organizations habitually engage in only
         because they cannot actually masturbate. —DAVE BARRY, Pulitzer
         Prize-winning American humorist
      5. multitasking
         Do not multitask
         If you prioritize properly, there is no need to multitask.
         resources
         B1
      6. reminder
         Am I being productive or just active?
         Am I inventing things to do to avoid the important?
         Put a Post-it on your computer screen or set an Outlook reminder
         to alert you at least three times daily with the question, "Are you
         inventing things to do to avoid the important?"
         resources
         B1
      7. time
         There is not enough time to do all the nothing we want to do.
         —BILL WATTERSON, creator of the Calvin and Hobbes
         cartoon strip
         1. having more
            1. too much
               Man is so made that he can only find relaxation from one
               kind of labor by taking up another.
               —ANATOLE FRANCE, author of The Crime ofSylvestre
               Bonnard
               I've Got More Money and Time Than I Ever Dreamed
               Possible . . . Why Am I Depressed?
               Too much free time is no
               more than fertilizer for self-doubt and assorted mental tail-chasing.
               Subtracting the bad does not create the good.
               But This Is What I Always Wanted! How Can I Be Bored?! Don't freak
               out and fuel the fire. This is normal among all high-performers who
               downshift after working hard for a long time. The smarter and more
               goal-oriented you are, the tougher these growing pains will be.
               Learning to replace the perception of time famine with appreciation
               of time abundance is like going from triple espressos to decaf.
               resources
               B1
            2. to-do list
               the key to having more time is doing less, and there are two paths
               to getting there, both of which should be used together: (i)
               Define a short to-do list and (2) define a not-to-do list.
               Compile your to-do list for
               tomorrow no later than this evening.
               I don't recommend using
               Outlook or computerized to-do lists, because it is possible to add
               an infinite number of items. I use a standard piece of paper folded
               three times to about 2" x 3 yb", which fits perfectly in the pocket
               and limits you to noting only a few items.
               resources
               B1
               1. setup time
                  There is an inescapable setup time for all tasks, large or minuscule
                  in scale.
                  resources
                  B1
               2. 2 critical items
                  There should never be more than two mission-critical items to
                  complete each day. Never. It just isn't necessary if they're actually
                  high-impact.
                  Do them separately from start
                  to finish without distraction.
                  "If this is the only thing I accomplish today,
                  will I be satisfied with my day?"
                  "What will
                  happen if I don't do this, and is it worth putting off the important
                  to do it?"
                  resources
                  B1
               3. MIT
                  complete your most important task before 11:00 A.M. to avoid
                  using lunch or reading e-mail as a postponement excuse.
                  resources
                  B1
               4. criteria
                  unless
                  something is well-defined and important, no one should do it.
                  resources
                  B1
               5. deadlines
                  Use Parkinson's Law and assign tasks that are to be completed
                  within no more than 72 hours. I have had the best luck with 48
                  and 24 hours.
                  short deadlines does not mean avoiding larger tasks (e.g.,
                  business plan), but rather breaking them into smaller milestones
                  that can be completed in shorter time frames
                  resources
                  B1
            3. helpful questions
               resources
               B1
         2. 9-5
            Most entrepreneurs were
            once employees and come from the 9-5 culture. Thus they adopt the
            same schedule
            This schedule is a collective
            social agreement and a dinosaur legacy of the results-by-volume
            approach. How is it possible that all the people in the world need
            exactly 8 hours to accomplish their work? It isn't. 9-5 is arbitrary.
            resources
            B1
         3. waste
            For the entrepreneur, the wasteful use of time is a matter of bad
            habit and imitation.
            Don't ever arrive at the office or in front of your computer without
            a clear list of priorities.
            resources
            B1
         4. lack
            lack of time is actually lack of
            priorities.
            resources
            B1
      8. measure
         What gets measured gets managed.
         —PETER DRUCKER, management theorist, author of
         31 books, recipient of Presidential Medal of Freedom
      9. effectiveness
         effectiveness is doing the things that get you closer to your goals.
         i. Doing something unimportant well does not make it important.
         2. Requiring a lot of time does not make a task important.
         resources
         B1
         1. effectiveness vs efficiency
            Being efficient without
            regard to effectiveness is the default mode of the universe.
            I would consider the best door-to-door salesperson efficient
            but utterly ineffective
            He or she would sell more using a better
            vehicle such as e-mail or direct mail.
            What you do is infinitely
            more important than how you do it. Efficiency is still important,
            but it is useless unless applied to the right things.
            resources
            B1
         2. efficiency
            Efficiency is performing a given task (whether important or not)
            in the most economical manner possible.
            resources
            B1
      10. the "80/20 Principle"
          Pareto's Law can be summarized as follows: 80% of the outputs
          result from 20% of the inputs.
          80% of the consequences flow from 20% of the causes. 80% of
          the results come from 20% of the effort and time.
          Most things make no difference.
          resources
          B1
          1. process
             you will need to try a lot to identify what
             pulls the most weight
             it should not take more than a
             month or two.
             resources
             B1
             1. questions
                1. Which 20% of sources are causing 80% of my problems and
                unhappiness?
                2. Which 20% of sources are resulting in 80% of my desired
                outcomes and happiness?
                applying these
                questions to everything from my friends to customers and advertising
                to relaxation activities
                The goal is to find your inefficiencies in
                order to eliminate them and to find your strengths so you can
                multiply them.
                resources
                B1
          2. result
             That left the two larger customers to
             deal with, who were professional ball breakers but contributed about
             10% to the bottom line at the time.
             My monthly income increased
             from $3oK to $6oK in four weeks and my weekly hours
             immediately dropped from over 80 to approximately 15. Most important,
             I was happy with myself and felt both optimistic and liberated
             for the first time in over two years.
             resources
             B1
      11. Parkinson's law
          a task will swell in (perceived)
          importance and complexity in relation to the time allotted for its
          completion. It is the magic of the imminent deadline.
          If I give you 24
          hours to complete a project, the time pressure forces you to focus on
          execution, and you have no choice but to do only the bare essentials.
          If I give you a week to complete the same task, it's six days of
          making a mountain out of a molehill.
          Most inputs are useless and time is wasted in
          proportion to the amount that is available.
          Use Parkinson's Law on a Macro and Micro Level.
          Shorten
          schedules and deadlines to force focused action and prevent
          procrastination.
          resources
          B1
          1. micro
             On a micro task level, limit the number of items on your to-do
             list and use impossibly short deadlines to force immediate action
             while ignoring minutiae.
             resources
             B1
          2. macro
             On a macro weekly and daily level, attempt to leave work at 4
             P.M. and take Monday and/or Friday off.
             resources
             B1
      12. busy
          Focus on being productive instead of busy.
          Being busy is most often used as a guise for avoiding the few critically
          important but uncomfortable actions.
          Being overwhelmed is often as unproductive as doing nothing,
          and is far more unpleasant.
          Being busy is a form of laziness
          There is nothing the busy man is less busied with than liv
          ing; there is nothing harder to learn. —SENECA
          resources
          B1
      13. laziness
          —to endure a non-ideal existence
          to let circumstance or others decide life for you, or to amass a
          fortune while passing through life like a spectator from an office
          window. The size of your bank account doesn't change this, nor
          does the number of hours you log in handling unimportant e-mail
          or minutiae.
          resources
          B1
      14. quantity
          Doing less meaningless work, so that you can focus on things of
          greater personal importance, is NOT laziness. This is hard for
          most to accept, because our culture tends to reward personal
          sacrifice instead of personal productivity.
          Few people choose to (or are able to) measure the results of
          their actions and thus measure their contribution in time. More
          time equals more self-worth and more reinforcement from those
          above and around them.
          In the strictest sense, you shouldn't be trying to do more in each day,
          trying to fill every second with a work fidget of some type. It took me a
          long time to figure this out. I used to be very fond of the results-by-volume
          approach.
          resources
          B1
      15. timing
          By working only when you are most effective, life
          is both more productive and more enjoyable.
          resources
          B1
   2. NR
      D: To work for yourself.
      NR: To
      have others work for you.
      D: To work when you want to.
      NR: To prevent work for work's sake,
      and to do the minimum necessary for maximum effect ("minimum
      effective load").
      D: To retire early or young.
      N R: To distribute recovery periods and
      adventures (mini-retirements) throughout life on a regular basis and
      recognize that inactivity is not the goal. Doing that which excites
      you is.
      D: To buy all the things you want to have.
      NR: To do all the things
      you want to do, and be all the things you want to be. If this includes
      some tools and gadgets, so be it, but they are either means to an end
      or bonuses, not the focus.
      D: To be the boss instead of the employee; to be in charge.
      NR: To
      be neither the boss nor the employee, but the owner. To own the
      trains and have someone else ensure they run on time.
      D: To make a ton of money.
      NR: To make a ton of money with
      specific reasons and defined dreams to chase, timelines and steps
      included. What are you working for?
      D: To have more.
      NR: To have more quality and less clutter. To
      have huge financial reserves but recognize that most material wants
      are justifications for spending time on the things that don't really
      matter, including buying things and preparing to buy things. You
      spent two weeks negotiating your new Infiniti with the dealership
      and got $10,000 off? That's great. Does your life have a purpose?
      Are you contributing anything useful to this world, or just shuffling
      papers, banging on a keyboard, and coming home to a drunken
      existence on the weekends?
      D: To reach the big pay-off, whether IPO, acquisition, retirement, or
      other pot of gold.
      NR: To think big but ensure payday comes every
      day: cash flow first, big payday second.
      D: To have freedom from doing that which you dislike.
      N R: To have
      freedom from doing that which you dislike, but also the freedom and
      resolve to pursue your dreams without reverting
      to work for work's sake (W4W). After years of repetitive work,
      you will often need to dig hard to find your passions, redefine
      your dreams, and revive hobbies that you let atrophy to near
      extinction. The goal is not to simply eliminate the bad, which
      does nothing more than leave you with a vacuum, but to pursue
      and experience the best in the world.
      resources
      B1
      1. phone
         Free and Low-Cost Internet (IP) Telephones
         International Multi-Band and GSM-Compatible Phones
         resources
         B1
         -EMBRACING THE MOBILE LIFESTYLE
         TOOLS AND TRICKS
      2. freedom
         It is far better for a man to go wrong in freedom
         than to go right in chains.
         —THOMAS H. HUXLEY, English
         biologist; known as "Darwin's Bulldog"
         Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.
         —GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
         To be free, to be happy and fruitful, can only be attained
         through sacrifice of many common but overestimated
         things. —ROBERT HENRI
         commitment to the mobile
         lifestyle and long-term adventuring
         Don't be afraid of the existential or social challenges. Freedom is
         like a new sport. In the beginning, the sheer newness of it is exciting
         enough to keep things interesting at all times. Once you have learned
         the basics, though, it becomes clear that to be even a half-decent
         player requires some serious practice.
         Don't fret. The greatest rewards are to come, and you're 10 feet
         from the finish line.
         resources
         B1
         1. speed
            true freedom is much more than having enough income and time
            to do what you want.
            One cannot be free from the
            stresses of a speed- and size-obsessed culture until you are free
            from the materialistic addictions, time-famine mind-set, and comparative
            impulses that created it in the first place.
            This takes time. The effect is not cumulative, and no number of
            two-week (also called "too weak") sightseeing trips can replace one
            good walkabout
            Learn to slow down. Get lost intentionally. Observe how you
            judge both yourself and those around you. Chances are that it's been
            a while.
            Slowing down doesn't mean accomplishing less; it means
            cutting out counterproductive distractions and the perception of
            being rushed.
            There is more to life than increasing its speed.
            —MOHANDAS GANDHI
            if you are accustomed to working 50 weeks per year, the tendency,
            even after creating the mobility to take extended trips, will be to go
            nuts and see 10 countries in 14 days and end up a wreck. It's like
            taking a starving dog to an all-you-can-eat buffet.
            like watching life on fast-forward
            I recommend doing the exact opposite.
            Life is not a race.
            Do take it slower.
            Hear the music Before
            the song is over.
            resources
            Click (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0389860/)
            B1
            STEP IV: L IS FOR LIBERATION
            -Q&A: QUESTIONS AND ACTIONS
            B1
            -AN E-MAIL YOU NEED TO READ
         2. sequence of steps
            1. Revisit ground zero: Do nothing.
            Before we can escape the goblins of the mind, we need to face
            them. Principal among them is speed addiction.
            2. Make an anonymous donation to the service organization of your choice.
            This helps to get the juices flowing and disassociate feeling good about
            service with getting credit for it. It feels even better when it's pure
            3. Take a learning mini-retirement in combination with local
            volunteering.
            4. Revisit and reset dreamlines.
            Following the mini-retirement, revisit the dreamlines set in
            Definition and reset them as needed
            5. Based on the outcomes of steps 1-4, consider testing new
            part- or full-time vocations.
            resources
            B1
            STEP IV: L IS FOR LIBERATION
            -Q&A: QUESTIONS AND ACTIONS
         3. result
            "life hubs"—starting points that lead to
            opportunities and experiences that otherwise wouldn't be found.
            There is no right answer to the question "What should I do with my
            life?" Forget "should" altogether. The next step—and that's all it is—
            is pursuing something, it matters little what, that seems fun or
            rewarding. Don't be in a rush to jump into a full-time long-term
            commitment. Take time to find something that calls to you, not just
            the first acceptable form of surrogate work. That calling will, in turn,
            lead you to something else.
            resources
            B1
         4. doubt
            Without the
            distraction of deadlines and co-workers, the big questions (such as
            "What does it all mean?") become harder to fend off for a later time.
            In a sea of infinite options, decisions also become harder—What the
            hell should I do with my life? It's like senior year in college all over
            again.
            Most of this can be overcome as soon as we recognize it for what
            it is: outdated comparisons using the more-is-better and money-assuccess
            mind-sets that got us into trouble to begin with.
            These doubts invade the mind when nothing else fills it.
            If you find a focus, an ambitious
            goal that seems impossible and forces you to grow, these
            doubts disappear.
            Doubts are no
            more than a signal for action of some type. When in doubt or
            overwhelmed, take a break and 80/20 both business and personal
            activities and relationships.
            resources
            B1
            Frustrations and Doubts:
            You're Not Alone
            http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html
            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA
            1. secure
               If you are insecure, guess what? The rest of the world is, too. Do
               not overestimate the competition and underestimate yourself. You
               are better than you think.
               resources
               B1
            2. questions
               In the process of searching for a new focus, it is almost inevitable
               that the "big" questions will creep in.
               Two popular examples are "What is the meaning of life?"
               and "What is the point of it all?"
               resources
               B1
         5. social life
            Surround yourself with
            smiling, positive people who have absolutely nothing to do with
            work. Create your muses alone if you must, but do not live your
            life alone. Happiness shared in the form of friendships and love is
            happiness multiplied.
            resources
            B1
            1. social isolation
               The job itself might be a dead
               end, but it's the web of human interactions—the social
               environment—that keeps us there. Once liberated, this automatic
               tribal unit disappears, which makes the voices in your head louder.
               resources
               B1
         6. companies
            The new mantra is this: Work wherever and whenever you
            want, but get your work done.
            resources
            B1
         7. mobility
            Being bound to one place will be the new
            defining feature of middle class. The New Rich are defined by a
            more elusive power than simple cash—unrestricted mobility.
            resources
            B1
         8. dissapearing
            It wasn't half as hard as I thought it would be.
            The key to cutting the leash was simple—he asked for forgiveness
            instead of permission.
            resources
            B1
            -HOW TO ESCAPE THE OFFICE
            Dave Camarillo's story
            B1
            Trading Bosses for Beer:
            An Oktoberfest Case Study
            B1
            -HOW TO ESCAPE THE OFFICE
            -Q&A: QUESTIONS AND ACTIONS
            1. technology
               How does a lifelong blue-chip employee escape to travel the
               world for a month without his boss even noticing? He uses technology
               to hide the fact.
               resources
               B1
            2. the hourglass approach
               it can be effective to take a longer period of absence up front in what some NR
               have termed the "hourglass" approach, so named because you use a long proofof-
               concept up front to get a short remote agreement and then negotiate back up
               to full-time out of the office.
               Here's what it looks like.
               resources
               B1
               Trading Bosses for Beer:
               An Oktoberfest Case Study
      3. mentor
         Call at least one potential superstar mentor per day for three days. Email
         only after attempting a phone call.
         resources
         B1
      4. clarity
         People can dislike you—and you often sell more by offending some—
         but they should never misunderstand you.
         resources
         B1
      5. per-hour rate
         your personal per-hour rate
         resources
         B1
      6. remote management and communication
         the most critical of NR skills
         resources
         B1
      7. GEOARBITRAGE
         To exploit global pricing and currency differences for profit or lifestyle purposes
         Fun things happen when you earn dollars, live on pesos, and
         compensate in rupees
         resources
         B1
      8. rights
         you only have the rights you fight for
         Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or
         justice or anything. If you're a man, you take it. —MALCOLM
         x, Malcolm X Speaks
         resources
         B1
      9. difficult
         Learn to be difficult when it counts. In school as in life, having a
         reputation for being assertive will help you receive preferential
         treatment without having to beg or fight for it every time.
         Think back to your days on the playground. There was always a
         big bully and countless victims, but there was also that one small kid
         who fought like hell, thrashing and swinging for the fences. He or
         she might not have won, but after one or two exhausting exchanges,
         the bully chose not to bother him or her. It was easier to find someone
         else.
         Be that kid.
         resources
         B1
         1. interruptions
            a few simple routine changes make bothering you much more
            painful than leaving you in peace.
            It's time to stop taking information abuse.
            Limit access to your time, force
            people to define their requests before spending time with them, and
            batch routine menial tasks to prevent postponement of more
            important projects. Do not let people interrupt you.
            Learn to recognize and fight the interruption impulse. This is
            infinitely easier when you have a set of rules, responses, and
            routines to follow. It is your job to prevent yourself and others from
            letting the unnecessary and unimportant prevent the start-to-finish
            completion of the important.
            resources
            B1
            1. minutiae
               even if you
               can do something better than the rest of the world, it doesn't mean
               that's what you should be doing if it's part of the minutiae. Empower
               others to act without interrupting you.
               resources
               B1
            2. status quo
               Establish
               yourself as a consistent challenger of the status quo and most people
               will learn to avoid challenging you, particularly if it is in the interest
               of higher per-hour productivity.
               resources
               B1
            3. resume
               There is a
               psychological switching of gears that can require up to 45 minutes to
               resume a major task that has been interrupted.
               resources
               B1
            4. empowerment failures
               instances where someone needs approval
               to make something small happen. Here are just a few:
               fixing customer problems (lost shipments, damaged shipments,
               malfunctions, etc.), customer contact, cash expenditures
               of all types.
               refers to being unable to accomplish a task without
               first obtaining permission or information
               It is often a case of being
               micromanaged or micromanaging someone else, both of which consume
               your time.
               I would like to establish a new policy for my account that
               overrides all others.
               Keep the customer happy. If it is a problem that takes less
               than $100 to fix, use your judgment and fix it yourself.
               resources
               B1
               1. review
                  I reviewed
                  the financial results of their independent decision-making on
                  a weekly basis for four weeks, then a monthly basis, and then on a
                  quarterly basis.
                  resources
                  B1
            5. time consumers
               repetitive tasks or requests that need to be
               completed but often interrupt high-level work. Here are a few
               you might know intimately: reading and responding to e-mail,
               making and returning phone calls, customer service
               resources
               B1
               1. batching
                  Batching is
                  also the solution to our distracting but necessary time consumers,
                  those repetitive tasks that interrupt the most important.
                  check e-mail and phone calls twice per day at specific
                  predetermined times (between which we let them accumulate).
                  resources
                  B1
                  1. routinize
                     what tasks can I allot to a specific time each day, week, month, quarter,
                     or year
                     resources
                     B1
                  2. fixing
                     If the problems cost more than hours saved, scale back to the
                     next-less-frequent batch schedule. In this case, I would drop from
                     once per week to twice per week (not daily) and attempt to fix the
                     system so that I can return to once per week. Do not work harder
                     when the solution is working smarter.
                     resources
                     B1
                  3. calculations
                     resources
                     B1
                  4. setup time
                     The setup time is often the same for one item as it is for a hundred.
                     resources
                     B1
            6. time wasters
               those things that can be ignored with little or no
               consequence. Common time wasters include meetings,
               discussions, phone calls, and e-mail that are unimportant.
               the easiest to eliminate and deflect
               resources
               B1
               1. voicemail
                  Respond to voicemail via e-mail whenever possible. This
                  trains people to be concise.
                  resources
                  B1
               2. communication
                  steer people toward the following means of communication,
                  in order of preference: e-mail, phone, and in-person meetings. If
                  someone proposes a meeting, request an e-mail instead and then
                  use the phone as your fallback offer if need be.
                  resources
                  B1
               3. meetings
                  I don't want the story. Just tell me
                  what we need to do
                  Meetings should only be held to make decisions about a predefined
                  situation, not to define the problem.
                  ask
                  that person to send you an e-mail with an agenda to define the
                  purpose:
                  resources
                  B1
                  1. Puppy Dog Close
                     Use the Puppy Dog Close to help your superiors and others
                     develop the no-meeting habit.
                     resources
                     B1
                  2. focus
                     resolve to keep those around you
                     focused and avoid all meetings, whether in person or remote, that do
                     not have clear objectives.
                     Over the following weeks, he trained me to recognize when I
                     Was unfocused or focused on the wrong things, which meant anything
                     that didn't move the top two or three clients one step closer to
                     signing a purchase order. Our meetings were now no more than five
                     minutes long.
                     resources
                     B1
               4. end-time
                  if you absolutely cannot stop a meeting
                  or call from happening, define the end time. Do not leave
                  these discussions open-ended, and keep them short.
                  If things are
                  well-defined, decisions should not take more than 30 minutes.
                  If you still cannot deflect an invader, give the person a time limit
                  on your availability
                  resources
                  B1
               5. phone
                  The second step is to screen incoming and limit outgoing phone
                  calls.
                  resources
                  B1
                  1. 2 numbers
                     Use two telephone numbers if possible—one office line (nonurgent)
                     and one cellular (urgent)
                     Use the cell number in the e-mail autoresponse and answer it
                     at all times unless it is an unidentified caller or it is a call you
                     don't want to answer. If in doubt, allow the call to go to voicemail
                     and listen to the voicemail immediately afterward to gauge importance.
                     If it can wait, let it wait. The offending parties have to
                     learn to wait.
                     The office phone should be put on silent mode and allowed to
                     go to voicemail at all times.
                     resources
                     B1
               6. greeting
                  Jane: Oh, hi, John. How are you? (or) Oh, hi, John. What's going
                  on?
                  John will now digress and lead you into a conversation about nothing
                  Jane: Hi, John. I'm right in the middle of something. How can I help
                  you out?
                  resources
                  B1
               7. chitchat
                  John: Oh, I can call back.
                  Jane: No, I have a minute. What can I do for you?
                  Don't encourage people to chitchat and don't let them chitchat.
                  Get them to the point immediately.
                  resources
                  B1
               8. postpone
                  John: Oh, I can call back.
                  Jane: No, I have a minute. What can I do for you?
                  If they meander or try to
                  postpone for a later undefined call, reel them in and get them to
                  come to the point.
                  Don't give them a chance to bail out. The "thanks in advance"
                  before a retort increases your chances of getting the e-mail.
                  I wouldn't let them "get back to me" but
                  rather force the person to give me a five-second summary and
                  then send me an e-mail if necessary.
                  resources
                  B1
               9. email & messenger
                  limit e-mail consumption and production. This is the greatest
                  single interruption in the modern world.
                  Turn off the audible alert if you have one on Outlook or a
                  similar program and turn off automatic send/receive, which delivers
                  e-mail to your inbox as soon as someone sends them
                  Never check e-mail first thing in the morning.
                  This habit alone can change your life. It seems small but has an enormous
                  effect.
                  resources
                  B1
                  www.aweber.com
                  1. advantage
                     The e-mail medium forces people to define the desired outcome
                     of a meeting or call. Nine times out of ten, a meeting is
                     unnecessary and you can answer the questions, once defined, via
                     e-mail.
                     resources
                     B1
                  2. if..then
                     streamlined to prevent needless back-andforth.
                     Thus, an e-mail with "Can you meet at 4:00 P.M.?" would
                     become "Can you meet at 4:00 P.M.? If SO __ If not, please advise
                     three other times that work for you."
                     This "if. .. then" structure becomes more important as you
                     check e-mail less often. Since I only check e-mail once a week, it
                     is critical that no one needs a "what if?" answered or other information
                     within seven days of a given e-mail I send.
                     Get into the habit of considering what "if. . . then" actions can
                     be proposed in any e-mail where you ask a question.
                     resources
                     B1
                  3. twice-per-day
                     Check e-mail twice per day, once at 12:00 noon or just prior to
                     lunch, and again at 4:00 P.M. 12:00 P.M. and 4:00 P.M. are times
                     that ensure you will have the most responses from previously sent
                     e-mail.
                     resources
                     B1
                     1. important requests
                        I was initially terrified of missing important requests and inviting
                        disaster, just as you might be upon reading this recommendation.
                        Nothing happened. Give it a shot and work out the small bumps as
                        you progress.
                        resources
                        B1
                  4. autoresponse
                     Before implementing the twice-daily routine, you must create an
                     e-mail autoresponse that will train your boss, co-workers, suppliers,
                     and clients to be more effective.
                     resources
                     B1
                     1. sample
                        For an extreme example of a personal autoresponder that has
                        never prompted a complaint and allows me to check e-mail once per
                        week, send an e-mail to timothy@brainquicken.com. It has been
                        revised over three years and works like a charm.
                        resources
                        B1
                  5. once-per-day
                     MOVE TO ONCE-PER-DAY as quickly as possible. Emergencies are
                     seldom that. People are poor judges of importance and inflate minutiae
                     to fill time and feel important. This autoresponse is a tool that,
                     far from decreasing collective effectiveness, forces people to reevaluate
                     their reason for interrupting you and helps them decrease
                     meaningless and time-consuming contact.
                     resources
                     B1
            7. cubicle
               The cubicle is your temple—don't permit casual visitors.
               Some
               suggest using a clear "DO NOT DISTURB" sign of some type, but I
               have found that this is ignored unless you have an office.
               put headphones on, even if I wasn't listening to
               anything.
               resources
               B1
            8. interrupting interruptions
               Cite other imme
               diately pending work tasks as the reason.
               Cite other commitments at odd times to make them more believable
               (e.g., 3:20 vs. 3:30) and force people to focus instead of
               socializing, commiserating, and digressing.
               If they go into a long description of a problem,
               cut in with, "Name, sorry to interrupt, but I have a call in five
               minutes. What can I do to help out?" You might instead say,
               "Name, sorry to interrupt, but I have a call in five minutes. Can
               you send me an e-mail?"
               If you
               have to, feign an urgent phone call. Get the hell out of there and
               have someone else update you later.
               Don't make
               up elaborate lies or you'll get called on them.
               resources
               B1
      10. replacing yourself
          Becoming a member of the NR is not just about working smarter.
          It's about building a system to replace yourself.
          this
          is the ultimate continuation of our 80/20 and elimination process:
          Preparing someone to replace you (even if it never happens) will
          produce an ultrarefined set of rules that will cut remaining fat and
          redundancy from your schedule
          Lingering unimportant tasks will
          disappear as soon as someone else is being paid to do them.
          If I can do it better than an
          assistant, why should I pay them at all? Because the goal is to free your
          time to focus on bigger and better things.
          If you spend your time, worth $20-25 Per
          hour, doing something that someone else will do for $10 per hour,
          it's simply a poor use of resources. It is important to take baby steps
          toward paying others to do work for you. Few do it, which is another
          reason so few people have their ideal lifestyles.
          Even if the cost is occasionally more per hour than you currently
          earn, the trade is often worth it
          resources
          B1
          1. delegate
             never
             delegate something that can be automated or streamlined
             Eliminate before you delegate.
             Each delegated task must be both timeconsuming
             and well-defined
             resources
             B1
          2. leadership
             It is your job to train those around you to be effective and efficient.
             No one else will do it for you.
             resources
             B1
             1. empowerment
                It's amazing how someone's IQ seems to double as soon as you
                give them responsibility and indicate that you trust them.
                People are smarter than you think. Give them a chance to prove
                themselves.
                resources
                B1
          3. outsourcing
             A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let
             alone. —HENRY DAVID THOREAU, naturalist
             most of the ultrasuccessful companies in
             the world do not manufacture their own products, answer their own
             phones, ship their own products, or service their own customers.
             There are hundreds of companies that exist to pretend to work for
             someone else and handle these functions, providing rentable
             infrastructure to anyone who knows where to find them.
             resources
             B1
             1. India
                1. YMII
                2. Brickwork
             2. risk
                The good news is that misuse of financial and confidential information is
                rare.
                like most
                nightmares, it's not that big a deal and is reversible
                never use the new hire. Prohibit
                small-operation VAs from subcontracting work to untested freelancers
                without your written permission
                Never use debit cards for online transactions or with remote
                assistants.
                If your VA will be accessing websites on your behalf, create a
                new unique login and password to be used on those sites
                resources
                B1
             3. team
                I don't like being dependent on one person, and I don't recommend
                it in the least. In the world of high technology, this type of
                dependency would be referred to as a "single point of failure
                I recommend that you hire a VA firm or VAs with backup teams
                instead of sole operators
                use a small
                group (three or more) rather than a single individual who can become
                overtaxed with last-minute requests from multiple clients.
                resources
                B1
             4. how to choose?
                How do you know which to choose? That's the beautiful part:
                You don't. It's a matter of testing a few assistants to both sharpen
                your communication skills and determine who is worth hiring
                Request someone who has "excellent" English and indicate that
                phone calls will be required (even if not). Be fast to request a
                replacement if there are repeated communication issues.
                resources
                B1
             5. cost
                The
                important metric is cost per completed task, not cost per hour.
                The biggest challenge with overseas help will be the language barrier,
                which often quadruples back-and-forth discussion and the ultimate cost.
                If you need to spend time restating the task and
                otherwise managing the VA, determine the time required of you and
                add this
                resources
                B1
             6. Where on Earth
                The pros of jumping
                time zones and visiting third-world currency are twofold: People work while
                you sleep, and the per-hour expense is less. Time savings and cost savings
                resources
                B1
             7. virtual assistant (VA)
                getting a remote personal assistant is small-scale training
                wheels for remote management and
                communication.
                This is an investment, not an expense, and the ROI
                is astounding.
                have some fun with it
                resources
                B1
                1. choosing tasks
                   Look at your to-do list—what has been sitting on it the
                   longest?
                   Each time you are interrupted or change tasks, ask,
                   "Could a VA do this?"
                   Examine pain points—what causes you the most frustration
                   and boredom?
                   resources
                   B1
                2. quantity
                   I advise sending one task at a time whenever possible and no
                   more than two.
                   prioritizing them
                   resources
                   B1
                3. rephrase
                   Ask foreign VAs to
                   rephrase tasks to confirm understanding before getting started.
                   resources
                   B1
                4. report
                   Request a status update
                   after a few hours of work on a task to ensure that the task is both
                   understood and achievable. Some tasks are, after initial attempts,
                   impossible.
                   resources
                   B1
             8. negative cash flow
                My domestic outsourcers are paid on performance or when
                product ships. This creates a curious business phenomenon: Negative
                cash flow is impossible.
                resources
                B1
      11. simplicity
          Perfection is not when there is no more to add, but no more to
          take away.
          —ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPERY, pioneer of international
          postal flight and author of Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince)
      12. comfort
          the most important actions are never comfortable.
          Fortunately, it
          is possible to condition yourself to discomfort and overcome it.
          There is a direct correlation between an increased
          sphere of comfort and getting what you want
          resources
          B1
      13. emergencies
          But what if someone has an emergency? It doesn't happen. My
          contacts now know that I don't respond to emergencies, so the
          emergencies somehow don't exist or don't come to me. Problems, as
          a rule, solve themselves or disappear if you remove yourself as an information
          bottleneck and empower others.
          If you check mail and make bill payments five times a week, it
          might take 30 minutes per instance and you respond to a total of 20
          letters. If you do this once per week instead, it might take 60 minutes
          total and you still respond to a total of 20 letters in two and a half
          hours. People do the former out of fear of emergencies.
          there
          are seldom real emergencies. Second, of the urgent communication
          you will receive, missing a deadline is usually reversible and
          otherwise costs a minimum to correct.
          resources
          B1
      14. decisions
          develop
          the uncommon habit of making decisions, both for yourself and for
          others.
          propose solutions instead of ask for them, elicit desired responses instead of react
          Stop asking for opinions and start proposing solutions.
          It is impossible to have perfect and complete information at any
          given time to make a decision.
          resources
          B1
          1. consequences
             The consequences of bad decisions do not get better with age.
             resources
             B1
          2. nonfinishing
             Starting
             something doesn't automatically justify finishing it.
             If you are reading an article that sucks, put it down and don't
             pick it back up.
             More is not better, and stopping something is often 10 times
             better than finishing it.
             just because something has been a lot of work or consumed a lot of
             I time doesn't make it productive or worthwhile.
             Just because you are embarrassed to admit that you're still living
             the consequences of bad decisions made 5, 10, or 20 years ago
             shouldn't stop you from making good decisions now
             Being able to quit things that don't work is integral to being a
             winner. Going into a project or job without defining when worthwhile
             becomes wasteful is like going into a casino without a cap on
             what you will gamble: dangerous and foolish.
             resources
             B1
             1. pride
                Pride is stupid
                resources
                B1
          3. complex vs difficult
             Don't confuse the complex with the difficult. Most situations
             are simple—many are just emotionally difficult to act upon.
             The problem and the solution are usually obvious and simple.
             You are just terrified
             that you might end up worse off than you are now.
             I'll tell you right now: If you're at this point, you won't be worse off.
             resources
             B1
      15. sources
          get in touch with
          someone who knows the answer instead of spending too much
          time in books or online, which can turn into paralysis by analysis.
          The best first step, the one I recommend, is finding someone
          who's done it and ask for advice on how to do the same. It's not
          hard.
          resources
          B1
      16. dreamlining technique
          a process that I use to reignite life or
          correct course when the Fat Man in the BMW rears his ugly
          head
          Dreamlining is so named because it applies timelines to what most
          would consider dreams.
          It is much like goal-setting but differs in several fundamental respects
          Determine three steps for each of the four dreams in just the 6-
          month timeline and take the first step now.
          resources
          B1
          B1
          Revisit and reset dreamlines.
      17. mistakes
          If you don't make mistakes, you're not working on hard
          enough problems. And that's a big mistake.
          —FRANK WILCZEK, 2004 Nobel Prize winner in physics
          There are two types of mistakes: mistakes of ambition and mistakes of sloth.
          The first is the result of a decision to act—to do something. This type of
          mistake is made with incomplete information, as it's impossible to have all the
          facts beforehand. This is to be encouraged. Fortune favors the bold.
          The second is the result of a decision of sloth—to not do something—
          wherein we refuse to change a bad situation out of fear despite having all the
          facts. This is how learning experiences become terminal punishments, bad
          relationships become bad marriages, and poor job choices become lifelong
          prison sentences.
          Only those who are asleep make no mistakes.
          —INGVAR KAMPRAD, founder of IKEA, world's largest
          furniture brand
          resources
          B1
          1. list
             Here are the slipups you will make. Don't get frustrated. It's all part
             of the process.
             1. Losing sight of dreams and falling into work for work's sake
             (W4W)
             2. Micromanaging and e-mailing to fill time
             3. Handling problems your outsourcers or co-workers can handle
             4. Helping outsourcers or co-workers with the same problem more
             than once, or with noncrisis problems
             5. Chasing customers, particularly unqualified or international
             prospects, when you have sufficient cash flow to finance your
             nonfinancial pursuits
             6. Answering e-mail that will not result in a sale or that can
             be answered by a FAQ or auto-responder
             7. Working where you live, sleep, or should relax
             8. Not performing a thorough 80/20 analysis every two to four
             weeks for your business and personal life
             9. Striving for endless perfection rather than great or simply
             good enough, whether in your personal or professional life
             10. Blowing minutiae and small problems out of proportion as an
             excuse to work
             11. Making non-time-sensitive issues urgent in order to justify
             work
             12. Viewing one product, job, or project as the end-all and
             be-all of your existence
             13. Ignoring the social rewards of life
             resources
             B1
             The Top 13 New Rich Mistakes
      18. naming fear
          Conquering Fear = Defining Fear
          Why don't I decide exactly
          what my nightmare would be—the worst thing that could possibly
          happen as a result of my trip?
          In other words, I was risking an unlikely and temporary 3 or 4 for a
          probable and permanent 9 or 10, and I could easily recover my baseline workaholic prison with a bit of extra work if I wanted to.
          This all equated to a significant realization: There was practically no
          risk, only huge life-changing upside potential, and I could resume
          my previous course without any more effort than I was already
          putting forth.
          Define
          the worst case, accept it, and do it.
          resources
          http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html
          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA
          B1
          1. death
             For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every
             morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my
             life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And
             whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a
             row, I know I need to change something . . . almost everything—
             all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment
             or failure—these things just fall away in the face of
             death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that
             you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of
             thinking you have something to lose. —STEVE JOBS, college
             dropout and CEO of Apple Computer, Stanford University
             Commencement, 2005
          2. rebuttals
             there are several principal phobias that keep people on sinking ships,
             and there are simple rebuttals for all of them.
             resources
             B1
             Like Pulling Off a Band-Aid: Its Easier and
             Less Painful Than You Think
          3. getting fired
             Getting
             fired, despite sometimes coming as a surprise and leaving you
             scrambling to recover, is often a godsend: Someone else makes the
             decision for you, and it's impossible to sit in the wrong job for the
             rest of your life. Most people aren't lucky enough to get fired and die
             a slow spiritual death over 30-40 years of tolerating the mediocre.
             resources
             B1
          4. risk
             All courses of action are risky, so prudence is not in avoiding
             danger (it's impossible), but calculating risk and acting
             decisively. Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of
             sloth. Develop the strength to do bold things, not the strength
             to suffer. —NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI, The Prince
             It became clear that the biggest risk in life wasn't making mistakes but regret:
             missing out on things.
             resources
             B1
             The Bora-Bora Dealmaker
             1. inaction
                Don't only evaluate the potential downside of
                action. It is equally important to measure the atrocious cost of
                inaction.
                if we define risk as "the likelihood of an
                irreversible negative outcome," inaction is the greatest risk of all.
                resources
                B1
          5. boredom
             boredom is the enemy, not some abstract "failure."
             resources
             B1
          6. exercise
             Resolve
             to do one thing every day that you fear.
             resources
             B1
          7. paradox
             I'll repeat something you
             might consider tattooing on your forehead: What we fear doing
             most is usually what we most need to do.
             resources
             B1
          8. set of questions to overcome fear
             resources
             B1
      19. team
          Whenever one of us began to set our sights lower, lose faith, or
          "accept reality," the other would chime in via phone or e-mail like an
          AA sponsor: "Dude, are you turning into the bald fat man in the red
          BMW convertible?"
          The
          worst that could happen wasn't crashing and burning, it was accepting
          terminal boredom as a tolerable status quo.
          resources
          B1
      20. vehicle
          The truth was, nothing was
          wrong with me. I hadn't reached my limit; I'd reached the limit of my
          business model at the time. It wasn't the driver, it was the vehicle.
          If you must play, decide on three things at the start: the
          rules of the game, the stakes, and the quitting time.
          — CHINESE PROVERB
          resources
          B1
          The Renaissance Minimalist
          Douglas Price's story
          1. cash flow and time
             With these two currencies,
             all other things are possible. Without them, nothing is possible.
             resources
             B1
             1. income
                you have to free that time. The trick, of course, is to do so while
                maintaining or increasing your income.
                resources
                B1
                1. TDI—Target Daily Income
                   resources
                   B1
                2. Target Monthly Income (TMI)
                   resources
                   B1
                3. profit
                   profit is only profitable to the extent that you can use it.
                   For that you need time.
                   resources
                   B1
          2. business model
             THERE ARE A million and one ways to make a million dollars.
             most of them are unsuited to our purpose
             not for
             people who want to run businesses but for those who want to own
             businesses and spend no time on them
             resources
             B1
             1. case studies
                There is a case study for every
                situation, problem, and business model.
                resources
                www.hbsp.harvard.edu
                B1
             2. muse
                Before we create this virtual architecture, however, we need a
                product to sell.
                resources
                B1
                1. credit card
                   Muses are low maintenance but often expensive in one or both of two tactical
                   areas: manufacturing and advertising. Shop for providers of both that are willing to
                   accept credit cards as payment, and negotiate this up front if necessary by saying,
                   "Rather than trying to negotiate you down on pricing, I just ask that you accept
                   payment by credit card. If you can do that, we'll choose you over Competitor X."
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                2. math
                   How do you
                   know if it's big enough to meet your TMI? For a detailed real-life
                   example of how I determined the market size of a recent product, see
                   "Muse Math" on this book's companion site.
                   Let's
                   suppose that your current
                   dreamline—to compete in the 1,150-mile Iditarod dogsledding race
                   in Alaska—requires $5,000 to realize.
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                   1. minimal customer base
                      Those 50 customers are what I call the "minimal
                      customer base"—the minimum number of customers you need to
                      convince of your expertise to fulfill a given dreamline
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                3. goal
                   to create an automated vehicle for generating
                   cash without consuming time
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                   1. change the world
                      that isn't our goal here
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                   2. IPO or sale
                      that isn't our goal either
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                4. requirements
                   our target product can't take more
                   than $500 to test, it has to lend itself to automation within four
                   weeks, and—when up and running—it can't require more than one
                   day per week of management.
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                5. service
                   If you own a service business, this section will help
                   you convert expertise into a shippable hard good to escape the limits
                   of a per-hour-based model.
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                6. automation
                   The first rule of any technology used in a business is that
                   automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify
                   the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an
                   inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.
                   —BILL GATES
                   Never automate something that can be eliminated
                   Principle number one is to refine rules and processes before
                   adding people. Using people to leverage a refined process multiplies
                   production; using people as a solution to a poor process multiplies
                   problems.
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                   -MBA—MANAGEMENT BY ABSENCE
                   -TOOLS AND TRICKS
                   1. architecture map
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                      THE 4-HOUR WORKWEEK VIRTUAL ARCHITECTURE
                      1. principles
                         There could be
                         differences—more or fewer elements—but the main principles are
                         the same:
                         1. Contract outsourcing companies that specialize in one function
                         vs. freelancers whenever possible so that if someone is fired,
                         quits, or doesn't perform, you can replace them without interrupting
                         your business.
                         2. Ensure that all outsourcers are willing to communicate among
                         themselves to solve problems, and give them written permission
                         to make most inexpensive decisions without consulting you first
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                      2. scalable
                         It wasn't scalable because there was an information
                         and decision bottleneck: me.
                         It was endless. Hundreds upon hundreds of different situations made
                         it impractical to write a manual, and I didn't have the time or
                         experience to do so regardless.
                         Eliminate the decision bottleneck for all things that are nonfatal if
                         misperformed.
                         By "scalable," I mean a business architecture that can handle
                         10,000 orders per week as easily as it can handle 10 orders per week.
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                         1. phases
                            Phase I: 0-50 Total Units of Product Shipped
                            Do it all yourself. Put your phone number on the site for both general
                            questions and order-taking—this is important in the beginning
                            Phase II: >10 Units Shipped Per Week
                            Add the extensive FAQ to your website and continue to add answers
                            to common questions as received. Find local fulfillment companies in
                            the yellow pages under "fulfillment services" or "mailing services."
                            Phase III: >20 Units Shipped Per Week
                            Now you will have the cash flow to afford the setup fees and the
                            monthly minimums that bigger, more sophisticated outsourcers will
                            ask for. Call the end-to-end fulfillment houses that handle it all—
                            from order status to returns and refunds
                            Before signing on with a call center, get several 800 numbers they
                            answer for current clients and make test calls, asking difficult
                            product-related questions and gauging sales abilities.
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                            -MBA—MANAGEMENT BY ABSENCE
                            -TOOLS AND TRICKS
                   2. start with the end
                      starting with the end in mind—an organizational map of what the
                      eventual business will look like—is not new.
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                   3. absence
                      This intentional absence has enabled him to create a processdriven
                      instead of founder-driven business. Limiting contact with
                      managers forces the entrepreneur to develop operational rules that
                      enable others to deal with problems themselves instead of calling for
                      help.
                      Our goal isn't to create a business that is as
                      large as possible, but rather a business that bothers us as little as
                      possible. The architecture has to place us out of the information flow
                      instead of putting us at the top of it.
                      I'm often asked how big my company is—how many people I
                      employ full-time. The answer is one. Most people lose interest at that
                      point. If someone were to ask me how many people run Brain-
                      QUICKEN LLC, on the other hand, the answer is different: between
                      200 and 300.1 am the ghost in the machine.
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                   4. profit
                      I recommend calculating profit
                      margins using higher-than-anticipated expenses. This will account for unforeseen
                      costs (read: screwups) and miscellaneous fees such as monthly reports, etc.
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                      Splitting the Pie: Outsourcer Economics
          3. information
             Increased
             output necessitates decreased input. Most information is timeconsuming,
             negative, irrelevant to your goals, and outside of your
             influence.
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             1. observer
                Genius is only a superior power of seeing.
                —JOHN RUSKIN, famed art and social critic
                How did I come up with the most successful BodyQUICK headline ("The Fastest
                Way to Increase Power and Speed Guaranteed")? I borrowed it from the longestrunning,
                and thus most profitable, Rosetta Stone headline: "The Fastest Way to Learn
                a Language Guaranteed™" Reinventing the wheel is expensive—become an astute
                observer of what is already working and adapt it.
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             2. reading
                It's not productive to read two fact-based books at the same time (this is one)
                I know. I said not to read too much. Hence, the recommendations
                here are restricted to the best of the best
                Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from
                its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses
                his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.
                —ALBERT EINSTEIN
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                1. faster
                   Here are four simple tips
                   that will lessen the damage and increase your speed at least 200% in 10 minutes
                   with no comprehension loss
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             3. people
                This personal contact
                approach is not only more effective and more efficient than all-youcan-
                eat info buffets, it also provided me with the major league
                alliances and mentors necessary to sell this book.
                Rediscover the
                power of the forgotten skill called "talking." It works.
                I not only use all the brains that I have, but all that I can
                borrow. —WOODROW WILSON
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                1. that you don't know
                   what if you need to learn to
                   do something your friends haven't done
                   1. I picked one book out of dozens based on reader reviews and
                   the fact that the authors had actually done what I wanted to do. If
                   the task is how-to in nature, I only read accounts that are "how I
                   did it" and autobiographical. No speculators or wannabes are
                   worth the time.
                   2. Using the book to generate intelligent and specific questions,
                   I contacted 10 of the top authors and agents in the world via email
                   and phone, with a response rate of 80%.
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                2. that you know
                   I let other dependable people synthesize
                   hundreds of hours and thousands of pages of media for me. It
                   was like having dozens of personal information assistants, and I
                   didn't have to pay them a single cent.
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             4. cost
                What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the
                attention of its recipients. Hence, a wealth of information
                creates a poverty of attention and a need to allocate that
                attention efficiently among the overabundance of information
                sources that might consume it. —HERBERT SIMON, recipient of
                Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics7 and the A.M. Turing
                Award, the "Nobel Prize of Computer Science"
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             5. selectively ignorant
                Learning to ignore things is one of the great paths to inner
                peace. —ROBERT J. SAWYER, Calculating God
                The first step is to develop and maintain a low-information diet.
                It is imperative that you learn to ignore