We live in the information age.
Though everything you desire to know is a click of a button away, with more information comes more distraction.
And with introverts' tendency to acquire more knowledge, it can take you away from your goals.
To accomplish what you want, you need laser focus.
If you often find yourself distracted and drowning in the sea of information, today I want to share with you my secret to staying hyper-focused and accomplishing more in less time.
The Charlie Munger Principle
Charlie Munger recently passed away. He was 99 years old.
Charlie was an introvert and left behind countless treasures of wisdom. The most popular being his concept of mental models.
But today we’re not going to talk about mental models or billion dollar investing secrets.
As they say, the greatest wisdom lies in the simplest of things.
Today, I’ll share something different with you. Subtle yet powerful.
I was watching one of Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting videos.
Someone in the audience asked about good daily habits.
Here’s what Charlie said:
“Warren is sitting on an empire, and all he has on his schedule is a haircut this week. He has plenty of time to think. Multitasking is not the highest quality of thought man is capable of, unless you’re the head nurse of a hospital. If not, be satisfied with life in the shallows.”
There’s a lifetime of wisdom in these four sentences.
Edit your life
When a writer is editing a piece of writing, he removes everything that can cause friction in the reader’s understanding.
Life is not that different.
Just like a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts, life should have no unnecessary actions.
Attention is energy.
If you have 10 different things on your mind, your energy will dissipate in 10 different directions.
The key is: do less.
Sit with a pen and paper. I mean it literally.
And then.. edit your life.
Don’t make to-do lists.
Don’t prioritise.
Don’t make routines.
In the long run, they don’t work.
Instead, write down the only things that are necessary and you’re going to be doing everyday in the long run.
The things that are essential for your survival, growth, and success.
I used to do a tonne of things in the past. And I was always anxious about what’s next.
But over time, I learned that the less you have on your mind, the more calm you feel.
Now I have only 5 things: write, engage with my tribe on X, walk, cook, and sleep. And for entertainment, I pick up a book, listen to music, watch a movie, or Youtube.
That’s all.
I vigorously edited my life leaving only the things that made me happy and were necessary.
This helped me to focus and give my energy to things that were essential for living as the highest version of myself. (You can learn more about it in my course Awakening)
I got rid of everything else.
And this didn’t happen overnight. It naturally takes time. But it will only happen when you make a decision.
And then…
Go deep, not wide
Once you’ve edited your life and zeroed in on the essentials, dive deep.
When you have less to do, you'll have more time to focus and get under the layers.
To go down the rabbit holes. Think, reflect, and contemplate. And gain unique insights about the topic of your interest.
The insights that make you different. Insights that help you reach your highest potential. Insights you will never find in a book.
Another important practice is to teach yourself to slow down.
For example, when you read something interesting or find something on YouTube that captures your curiosity, don’t jump to the next thing right away.
Reflect on it. Connect it to your own life. Add your own perspective to it based on your life experiences.
This will help you build connections to the knowledge that you already possess which further deepens your understanding.
To put it all in one sentence:
Do less, and then go deep into the less.
That’s all.
P.S: The book I’ve been working on for over a year is finally complete. It will launch on Dec 21. If you missed the announcement, I’ve created a page on my website for regular updates. You can find everything HERE.
P.S.S: I will never spam your inbox with promotional emails. Despite what experts say, that’s just not me. If my work has helped you, I believe that alone is enough.
Stay blessed,
Master
I am so glad you mentioned and gave respect to Charlie Munger. A man with true genius. Your thoughts are also spot on, thank you.