A couple weeks ago, I said yes to a last-minute event.

That's not typical for me; I like to have things planned out and structured, especially with my free time, but I'm aware that can be kind of boring.

So in this case, I decided to introduce some spontaneity.

And I realized afterwards that I probably should have stuck to my default "no thanks" to last-minute changes in plans.

I had forgotten Derek Sivers' "hell yeah or no" rule: "If you’re not saying “HELL YEAH!” about something, say no."

It's a good rule, if only because I think we consistently underestimate the tradeoff between doing one thing vs. another.

I didn't publish a newsletter that week partially because I spent my day on this last-minute activity.

If the answer isn't "hell yeah" then it should probably be no.

Have a great week!

Graham

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Links

📚 Book Notes:Siddhartha - Hermann Hesse - When I'm asked what my favourite book is, this is usually my answer.

Why? Well, Tim Ferriss's Tweet here summarizes some of the biggest lessons he took from it.

I like it so much because it's a quick, easy read, and it's broad enough that it's got a lesson for whatever stage of life you're at.

For me, it's a reminder that when you're feeling overwhelmed, or challenged, or stuck, you can always go back to the basics in life.

📖 The three-or-four-hours rule for getting creative work done - Oliver Burkeman - I've always found the idea of working for three or four undisturbed hours a day fascinating.

Whenever I manage to get such a day at work, it feels like I've accomplished more than the rest of the week combined, often because I can tackle a big task that I haven't found time for previously.

"The real lesson – or one of them – is that it pays to use whatever freedom you do have over your schedule not to "maximise your time" or "optimise your day", in some vague way, but specifically to ringfence three or four hours of undisturbed focus (ideally when your energy levels are highest)."

The other key point: "The other, arguably more important lesson isn't so much a time management tactic as an internal psychological move: to give up demanding more of yourself than three or four hours of daily high-quality mental work."

I agree, and I think we would all be more productive if more of us managed to get those dedicated 3-4 hours.

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