Wealth Handbook

Your work is essentially a set of queues and inboxes.  You are waiting for other people to do something, other people are waiting for you to do something, and tasks are waiting for you to complete.

These come in the form of in-person interruptions, phone calls, faxes, emails, snail mail, meetings and on it goes (blogs, Twitter, etc).

Accept the fact that the bulk of your present activities produce little or no value. It’s a bitter pill to swallow.  You waste significant amounts of time and energy on things that don’t matter.

You just feel compelled to engage in low/no-value activities most of the time.  But it’s a habit you can break by:

1. Systematically eliminate the irrelevant.

2. Set the pace (throttle).

3. Clarify and process the remainder.

To focus on your core mission, make room for it in terms of your physical workspace, time and mental capacity:

1. Stop In-Person Interruptions

2. Check snail mail once/week.

3. Don’t answer the phone.

4. Check work email only twice per workday

5. Master the Art of Meetings

All you have to do for each is track how much time you’re wasting, and cut all that’s not necessary. More to follow.

Focus your time on spiraling upward. Develop good habits and minimize routine and obligation.

Event Types

There are two types of events: New and habitual/routine.

Every morning you get ready for the day. It’s necessary so you do it. Life would be harder if you had to figure out how to do the same thing every time (e.g. brushing your teeth). Good habits help you maintain your bearings.

New events are those such as starting a new career or moving to a new city. You may do those things more than once, but they’re non-routine. The right ones really propel you forward.

Good, Bad & In Between

Every action you take will fall on a spectrum between being very good (growth) and very bad (decay) for your progress. The more good actions you take the more progress you’ll make that day. Consistently string together such days and the results will be substantial.

Timeline

The only part of time you have direct control over is the thinnest sliver: Today at this very moment. Make it count.

Below is an illustration of your life. You know exactly how much time has passed and cannot change anything about it. You have no idea how much time remains (future).

It’s crucial to maximize the time spent on growth. What you do with your time should be up to you. With the time you have, you need to discover and have as many peak experiences as you can while maintaining a solid perspective on life’s bigger picture. Your life is precious. Make it meaningful.