08-19-2021

• I woke up with a feeling that today’s the day to start making this idea a reality. I ask myself the question – is this something that should exist? The answer is an unequivocal yes.

• I start by writing down an outline of the chapters, and the most important personal finance topics worth discussing. This list includes 401k, Roth IRA, HSA, ESPP, and general principles as of now.

• The general principles section is likely going to be the most important part to communicate to my audience since this is where things can go the most wrong. I realize that I must put a lot of time and attention on communicating this information clearly, succinctly, and most importantly, in layman’s terms.

• Since I don’t have a bunch of extra time with a full-time job and other personal goals, I kick off this process by writing this outline in Google Keep while at the gym during rest breaks between sets.

• Since this new five-day body split program requires longer rest periods (2 minutes between sets), I must quickly pick a topic of discussion, produce content rapidly, and get back to my workout. This serves a three-fold benefit.

  • I am not allowed to write for more than 2 minutes, so writing a booklet doesn’t seem like a monumental task.

  • I must pick a topic and start writing immediately; this reduces the ‘friction’ of initiating a writing task.

  • Since I must rapidly produce content without caring at all about typos, word choice, or sentence structure, I avoid the trap of trying to write perfectly. Writing is not 80% production and 20% editing; it’s actually the inverse.

• I use James Clear’s principle of designing my environment to make good habits easier to start and sustain. I start by leaving Google Keep open on my iPhone, so that I can easily jot down a paragraph or so at a time. This is a lot less painful than actually getting on a laptop and typing away in Microsoft Word.

• As an aside, Atomic Habits by James Clear is a great read, and I recommend it to anyone looking to become more productive or establish new habits.

Go To Next Post

Go To Previous Post

Go To First Post