Concrete Strategies & Tactics for Personal Awesomeness

Lifehacking

James Norrisjsnorris@gmail.co

mwww.jnorris.org

More than a decade of personal development study and practice…packed into 20 minutes. The focus is on hacking your life to achieve more.

I'll briefly cover the basics of personal development and highlight practical actions you can take immediately to catalyze your growth. I‘ll also include quasi-turnkey solutions to augment and even partly automate the process.

I suspect people fail to grow for two major reasons: too much nerdy 'let me think it through' (without taking enough action to initiate the changes) and too much cowboy 'just do it' (without building systems to sustain the changes). You need to do both well. Think nerdy cowboy.

In a sentence: strategic, disciplined action is the key to success.

Overview

OfferI Offer

This talkPractical Personal

Development Kit v2.5: free on www.jnorris.org

Swift kick in the butt: free

Swift kick in the butt + 1-on-1 support: almost free

You OfferYou commit to living

a life worth livingYour public

declaration of one specific personal development action that you’ll undertake within the next seven days

Otherwise, please leave :)

Grew up in dysfunctional family environment (e.g., mother passed away when I was 16, lived below poverty line, family bankruptcy, suburban ghetto, house robbed 5 times, people very close to me became drug dealers) and was a little deviant myself (e.g., breaking/entering, mini-pyromaniac, light theft, smoking)

About 12 years ago I got really busy/productive/interested in personal development

The stats so far: Helped with (almost) building a 100,000 sq ft for-profit museum/theme

park hybrid before the recession put us on hold (multimillion dollar raise)

Created the infrastructure for a social innovation hub in Austin, Texas (first real startup at 26)

Established 14 other organizations (my first at 15) Learned from 19 jobs and internships (my first at 14) Experimented with 6 microbusinesses (my first at 6) Graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with 3 majors, 4

minors, and 2 programs; 244 hours (double normal) in 5.5 years (~average U.S. graduation rate)

Why Me?

Why Me? Honestly, I still suck at life a lot. It’s not easy

to rock it well. But even my 40-50 year old mentors have trouble. So all we can do is try…

Dozens of personal development initiatives, projects, experiments, exercises, sacrifices, etc. Personal development non-profit (19

events/”homework” assignments) One month sabbatical in desert One year quasi-sabbatical Two 7-person mastermind groups One personal advisory board Three mentors (personal development, business,

social innovation) 79 serious self-assessments 141 frivolous self-assessments 988 documented pieces of feedback 24 hours/day time tracking (9 months) Daily performance self-assessment (5-20 metrics,

17 months) Overload experiment (12 months, 60 academic

hours, 4 part-time jobs/internships, 2 senior year capstone projects/quasi-theses, 1 girlfriend)

Push/work days ROI days Discipline days Three month mobile phone free

experiment Hunger fasts Daily training push Frugality experiment Caffeine fasts Facebook fasts Socializing fasts/hermit mode Internet fasts/information diets Computer fasts Courage experiments Partial vegetarian diet (2 day per week) Essentially giving up TV Essentially giving up video games Essentially giving up non-productive

social life for extended periods Moving to a completely foreign country (Temporarily) giving up 80% of my stuff

upon moving to foreign country

LearnAnalyze like a scientistDiagnose like a doctor PreparePlan like an engineerStrategize like a business person  ActExecute like an athlete ReviewEvaluate like an economist

My Approach

1. How many unprocessed emails do you currently have in your inbox(es) right now?

2. How many unprocessed physical items do you currently have in your inbox(es) right now? Including your floor, closet, attic, etc.

0 = you rock (inflow to zero every day is bliss) 1-25 = not bad 26-100 = moderate 101-500 = ouch 501+ = ouch ouch ouch ouch

What’s Your Number?

Get rid of something you regularly carry aroundCan experiment for 7 or 30 days with not

carrying itGoal #1: reduce unnecessary clutter (which

is also psychological clutter)Goal #2: ensure there is a no-stress idea

capturing device

Empty Your Pockets

Life Performance Self-AssessmentEat healthy 90% of the time?Exercise 3-5 days a week? Stretch before/after you exercise?Brush twice a day? For two minutes each time? Floss every

day? Practice ubiquitous capture? Practice ‘do it now’?Practice single-handling with email?Have a clear inbox?Work in Quadrant II (not urgent, important) most of the

time?Happy with your love life? Having enough sex? :)Everything okay with the family?Fully and consistently self-actualized?

Hardcore Reality Check

Life Performance

Work Mission Job(s)

Mental Cognitive Emotional Character Personality

Physical Health/Fitness Appearance

Social Relationship(s) Friendships Family

Other Financial Fun

Overall

Create your own areas for measurement from your deepest principles and values. Then self-assess your current performance in each area (1-10 scale, A/B/C/D/F, Good/Poor, etc.). Repeat weekly, biweekly, monthly, or quarterly. Here’s one example:

Size Tidal wave: huge amount of work and opportunity, lot of movement Small wave: some work and opportunity, some movement No wave: no work and opportunity, no movement

  Position

Behind: constantly struggling to “catch up”, no momentum boost, huge energy burn

Ahead: obsessively overworking to “keep ahead”, trying to operate outside of natural constraints, no momentum boost, huge energy burn

Under: frantically struggling to do anything, no sense of direction, no momentum boost, huge energy burn

In: strategically working “in flow”, good sense of direction, operating within understood constraints, huge momentum boost, minimal energy burn

Workflow Wave MetaphorThe wave represents your life’s workflow. The size of the wave represents the quantity of work and opportunity you have and your position in relation to the tidal wave represents how you handle it.

Workflow positive Essentially stress-free, able to adapt quickly, creative, can

strategically invest in future, highest productivity level

  Workflow neutral

Some stress, able to adapt quickly sometimes, sometimes creative, can sometimes strategically invest in future, relatively high productivity level

  Workflow negative

Always stressed, not able to adapt quickly, not creative, can’t strategically invest in future often, lowest productivity level

Workflow Poverty MetaphorYour workflow is much like your cash flow. Workflow poverty is akin to financial poverty. 

Size Small: cautious experiments are sometimes prudent, even minimal movement is productive Regular: given limited energy allocating some is often reasonable Leap: taking a giant leap demonstrates confidence and commitment (even if you’re artificially

creating it), leads to a higher chance of success

  Direction

Unknown: 95% of the time it’s good to know where you’re going before you go, however if there’s no way for you to know with any certainty then just go

Relatively certain: if you’re relatively certain of where you want to go that’s often enough to move forward confidently (~20% of the time you’ll find you were way off, ~20% partly off, ~60% of the time you’ll be closer to your goal)

Absolutely certain: if you’re 95%+ sure where you’re going then get moving already!

Focus Always forward: ~66% of the time it’s good to go straight toward your goal and let nothing stop

you Detours: ~33% of the time it’s good to allow for detours and revise along the way Dancing: ~80% of the time it’s good to allow for random, funky dancing along the way

Movement MetaphorIt’s important to constantly move towards your goals. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” -Confucius

Elephant Metaphor

Online at www.jnorris.orgFreeAs turnkey as possibleLots of Excel spreadsheets and Word

documents100% focus on practical changeNext section will be concrete strategies and

tactics for your personal development (part is from resource kit, part are links to services online, part are quick exercises)

Personal Development Resource Kit

Management Competencies AnalysisCareer Options: aim for 25-100 options Career DecisionWorld’s largest job search aggregator:

www.indeed.comFree look at salary data from top companies:

www.glassdoor.com

Career

Distractions

Disable internet (wifi switch, unplug router) Firefox LeechBlock

Blocks certain sites at regular times or after specified amount of usage

Lockdown: locks down distracting sites RescueTime: http://www.rescuetime.com

Get Focused: locks down very distracting sites Freedom: http://macfreedom.com

Blocks all internet access for specific length of time K9: http://www1.k9webprotection.com/index.php

Blocks certain sites at regular times Blocks all internet access at regular times (e.g., at midnight) Locks down specific sites

Pay yourself $0ly.25 every time you successful avoid a distraction Use a partner to require accountability (e.g., give them your mobile,

give them your router, make them set your LeechBlock password, etc.)

Automated financial tracking and planning: www.mint.com Investing wiki: www.wikinvest.comQuick answer to “What to invest in?” is: index funds,

www.vanguard.comSet up your IRA (Individual Retirement Account)

immediately and aggressively exploit company matching programs if offered

Automatically divert portion of paycheck to savings and investing accounts

Live below your meansAnalyze your expenses and cut out superfluous items

(before the analysis agree to cut $50/month or 10% no matter what and then make the sometimes hard decisions of what has to go)

Finances

Exercise RecordFitness tracking: www.dailyburn.comExcellent beginners training program:

www.stronglifts.comAerobic: high intensity interval training is faster

and more effective than standard aerobic trainingResistance: generally follow a periodization

schedule (hypertrophy, basic, strength, active rest) and always go hard with excellent form

Consistency: 100% commitment to train every day is easier to maintain than 99% or every other day, etc.

Fitness

GoalsLife Goals: be precise, be ambitiousStop Doing ListOne Week TrialSelf-contracts for change: www.stickk.comGiant dry erase board/butcher paperTry predicting specific achievements over next

three days (as opposed to setting goals for those days)

Life Master PlanLife Master Plan15 Minute Mission: 99% of people can spend

15 minutes per day taking baby steps toward their life’s mission (that’s 91 hours annually)

Miscellaneous Sleep Cycle alarm clock for iPhone naturally wakes you up:

www.lexwarelabs.com/sleepcycle/index.html Expert personal shopper that selects and ships clothes to you for free:

www.trunkclub.com Hire a personal shopper, www.craigslist.com Learn languages through chatting with foreign language speakers:

www.livemocha.com Have readable chunks of books emailed to you daily: www.dailylit.com Use math to find dates: www.okcupid.com Use courage to find dates: 5-10 approaches per day Ubiquitous idea capture: sticky notes, Olympus Digital Voice Recorder

WS-331M, smart phone PhilosophersNotes: www.philosophersnotes.com Every day generate a list of 10 things you are grateful for Every day journal for 20 minutes straight focusing only on writing and

no editing (if you write about your most traumatic experiences you’ll experience health and psychological benefits)

Organizational SystemsGetting Things Done (GTD) by David Allen

Inflow to zeroSingle-handling of all inflowDo it now philosophy/two minute rule for all

inflowCalendar: ticklers/reminders; eventsWeekly reviewEmail folders: Inbox, Action, Waiting For,

Archive

SchedulesPhysical planner or smart phone plannerAutomates group scheduling: www.doodle.com

Self-AnalysesLife PerformanceRelationships Value AnalysisEmotions RecordWork Rewards ExerciseGet anonymous feedback from anyone:

www.rypple.comMyers Brigg Type Indicator (MBTI):

http://www.okcupid.com/tests/16567335035599898597/LONG-Scientific-Personality

Strategies & TacticsPick Me UpsWorkflow Rituals

Task Lists/Project Management

Daily Task ListGoogle Tasks: www.gmail.com Basecamp: www.basecamphq.com

Time & Performance Management

Accountability MatrixPerformance RecordTime Allocation RecordHire a personal assistant: www.craigslist.com Hire a virtual assistant: www.timesvr.comSync Microsoft Office with Google Docs:

www.offisync.com

Give BackTo Each Other

Find a partner Declare your action out

loud Set check-in date with

partner Write down your action

and date in your to do list/task manager

Exchange contact information

Hint: identifying the one habit you could introduce or remove from your life that would create the highest possible life ROI is usually the best source for your personal development action.

To Me Suggest new practical

strategies, tactics, tools, tips, and so on for this talk and the Personal Development Resource Kit

Let me help you grow through 1-on-1 support

Help me design a website (or two)

I personally invite and challenge you to all to live a life of awesomeness. Go for it! =)

Stay in touch:

James Norrisjsnorris@gmail.com

www.jnorris.org

Thanks!