Action Method

In 2011 Warren Buffett did a Q&A in India Half way through the event—one young investor steps up to the mic: "What makes Warren Buffett a great investor? Is it the intelligence or the discipline?" Buffett's response reveals the rare personality trait that's made him billions

Relentless with action. Patient with results. Only then.

Keep one eye on the digging and one eye on the dirt. Productivity and leadership lessons learned from nearly impossible projects like the Panama Canal. actiondigest.com/p/death-by-…

What makes the most successful entrepreneurs so special? Thousands of studies have tried to answer this question One trait that comes up over and over again? Bricolage. (The ability to make the most of limited resources) 7 ways to spot someone with bricolage ⬇️

The CEO of LMNT restructured his whole company after hearing a quote from Naval Ravikant: “Work like a lion, not like a cow” He rolled out one change that transformed LMNT from a pasture into a $200M+ savannah He calls it the 3:1 work method 🧵

Everyone's talking about "Founder Mode" But no one knows what it actually is Our only clue is that it was inspired by studying the management style of Steve Jobs Here's 18 ways Jobs activated Founder Mode after returning to Apple in 1997: 🧵

This is Bill Buxton A man who has quietly inspired generations of product designers in Silicon Valley and beyond Bill's secret weapon? He perfected a simple technique to create stuff people ACTUALLY want And all you need is a pen and some paper... 🧵

The iconic chest-pounding hum in Wolf of Wall Street was unscripted McConaughey used it as a pre-scene warm-up DiCaprio suggested including it in the scene Unplanned authenticity often creates the most iconic moments in art, sports, and beyond Don't just stick to the script

In 1995, Michael Dell was 30 years old His company was making over a billion dollars each quarter It followed a nightmarish period in 1993 where the stock plummeted 70% A journalist asked Dell how he dealt with all his overwhelm and burnout The interviewer couldn’t believe Dell’s response: Here’s Dell’s cocky/genius approach to limitless mental energy, in his own words... “I would separate overwhelmed and burned out as two different things. Burned out is when you don’t enjoy doing what you’re doing anymore. Overwhelmed is when you have no idea what to do next because you’re totally confused. This is a very challenging business that continues to present me and everyone that’s involved in it with opportunities to learn and grow. We’re always doing something that’s very exciting and new, whether it’s expanding in Asia or launching into a new product segment. There’s always plenty to keep me sort of intellectually stimulated and challenged, so I’m not really too worried about being burnt out. Overwhelmed? Well, let’s see. I’d like to think I’ve never been overwhelmed. We’ve certainly had situations where we’ve had a number of challenges in the business, but my approach to that has always been to work that much harder to solve the problems. One key strategy that I’ve used is to make sure that we have the necessary help and assistance inside the business because, clearly, you can have the opportunity in a business like this to sort of take on too many things yourself. You have to regulate, and you have to make sure you have a strong team in place, and you have to lead a balanced life. There’s a limit to the number of productive hours a person can actually work and there’s also only so much fun you can have before it starts to not be, not be as much fun.” The takeaway? It seems so reasonable that overwhelm and burnout are inevitable taxes that we must pay on our journey to achieve great things. But this notion is false. If we can find a way to do work that we enjoy, and then resist biting off more than we can chew, we can breeze through the toll booths of success free of charge.

The biggest mistake people make when testing new ideas: (Incredible wisdom from @scottbelsky gleaned through dozens of successful product launches)

Quick success fades fast. Slow success is built to last.

State your goals plainly yet boldly, and remember that you must knock upon the door of opportunity multiple times before it swings open. A few iconic stories to illustrate from Michael Phelps to Jennifer Lawrence…

In 1966, Robert Caro came home to some shocking news from his wife, Ina “I’ve sold the house,” she informed him It sold for $25,000 And it meant that they’d have enough money for Robert to keep pursuing his dream Fast forward to today...

This is John Steinbeck. You probably studied his books in English class. But you probably didn’t know this… He wrote Grapes Of Wrath in just 5 months. The book is 619 pages and won a Pulitzer Prize. Steinbeck’s secret? His weirdly genius writing routine. Each day, before he sat down to write, Steinbeck would do a specific ritual. He would sharpen two dozen pencils and then lay them out upon his desk. Once he started writing, he would use each pencil for only a few lines. As soon as the nib of a pencil began to dull, he would switch to a new pencil. Once all of his pencils were dulled, he would resharpen a batch, and resume writing. Why did he do this? Steinbeck felt that constant sharpening would interrupt his writing flow. By having 24 sharpened pencils at the ready, he protected his creative flow from disruption. This meant he could work at breathtaking pace. He even swore by dark-colored pencils in order to reduce distraction. Steinbeck’s son, Thom, said that his Dad hated yellow pencils because they were distracting. The takeaway? Everything that comes into contact with your creative process—from your workspace, to the tools you choose, to the processes you rely on—should conspire to minimize any friction that detracts from your creative flow. Reduce friction = increase speed

In the 1950s, Professor Walter Pauk, was frustrated by his students' ineffective note-taking habits. So he went on a quest to find a universal note-taking system that he could prescribe to his students. The perfect system had to be both easy to use and efficient. His discovery, the Cornell note-taking system, was a game-changer.

Kevin Kelly (co-founder of WIRED Magazine) insists a good "rest ethic" is essential for counterbalancing a good work ethic.

why are we less willing to get behind an idea when we fail to see consensus support around it… even though we know that creative breakthroughs are inherently unpopular at first? 🧵

first digest live, featuring insights for taking action and making ideas happen. actiondigest.com