How Being Unsexy Helps

The thing about this post is that it’s just one post.It’s a small piece of a whole commitment to posting everyday.It won’t save the world.It won’t make you (or me) rich.It won’t change anyone’s life.Well, probably not.What’s more likely is that by chipping away slowly, over time, a more clear and overarching message becomes visible.

Big monumental paradigm shifts are sexy.

You know what’s not sexy?Waking up before everyone else so you can read up on your field.

Industry disruptions and rocket-ship startups are sexy.

You know what’s not sexy?Firing a close co-worker who turned out to be the wrong fit in your quickly changing company.

Lots of funding and office massage chairs are sexy.

You know what’s not sexy?Investing 20% of your income every time you get paid.

Don’t be sexy.

Be good.Be good and just a little bit more good every day.Make the commitment to small, daily actions and the momentum will catch up with you laterFor a long time, exponential growth just looks like linear growth on the same chart.Then, suddenly, it’s not even close

2 Minute Action

What’s something unsexy you have to do today?Do it first.Make that a habit and the rest will come.

Are You Missing Out On The Unsexy Part of Your Work

We can probably agree that the sexy part of being a leader or a business owner or a doctor or an artist or a musician is not typically the whole job.There are early mornings, bad customers, emergency surgeries, writer’s blocks, budget cuts, and furloughs.There are many unsexy parts of work that matters but most of the time, those things are what we need to focus on.Hard work. Discipline. Self-reflection. Action.

In the end, you have to choose the work or the way the work looks.

You can’t optimize for vanity AND for output.What are the hard things?What are the things you don’t want to do?Now you’ve found what’s important.

2 Minute Action

This is known as “eating the frog.”Decide on the thing you want to do the least today.Do that first.Building a habit of conquering these unsexy things accumulates confidence and discipline.In fact, it’s the only way to get them.

How To Be Wrong 98% of The Time And Still Be Right

The Moon Landing

The computer that directs the space shuttle to the moon does two things: inspect and adapt.

If the ship is a little off-course, it adjusts the trajectory and pushed onward. Inspect course. Adapt course.

Doesn't sound too crazy at first but it's remarkable when we realize that it's something like 98% of the journey the space shuttle is "off-course."

The Punchline

As we each walk through our days, optimizing our routines, squeezing just a little more out of daylight, looking for those hacks that will promise us disproportionately high results . . .

Keep in mind that it's not about looking like you're on course, it's about inspecting and adapting. 98% of the time, you'll be wrong, off the mark, and spending your energy re-calibrating.

That's the un-sexy part of what we do.

It's the "no pain, no gain" part.

But it's also the conscious recognition that it's normal to be 98% "off-course."

So it's not the course that's important, after all.

Being productive, then, is about inspecting progress and adapting to reality--not necessarily about pushing forward at full speed.

2 Minute Action

What things in your life might be signs that you're on the right trajectory?

If you're not sure, you may want to try asking yourself:

• What activities make you feel the most alive?
• What activities make you feel the most dead?
• What % of your time are you spending on each?

Asking yourself this will take 2 minutes and can make a profound impact on the work you seek and the life you live if done on a consistent basis.