Read on Twitter
Be inspired by @dvassallo
I organized and distilled his last 3,000 tweets into a summary of his big ideas on self-employment, information products, and lifestyle design.
I organized and distilled his last 3,000 tweets into a summary of his big ideas on self-employment, information products, and lifestyle design.
Beware, not every itch is worth scratching…
Not every opportunity is worth taking
Not every dangled carrot is worth chasing
(You might be caught in a rat race)
Not every opportunity is worth takingNot every dangled carrot is worth chasing(You might be caught in a rat race)
To break free, recognize you’re in a race…
Consider your obligations
Imagine an alternative universe
And ask yourself, “Why not?”
Consider your obligations Imagine an alternative universeAnd ask yourself, “Why not?”
It’s hard, but it doesn’t take much (and almost anyone can do it)…
140 views at 5 percent conversion = seven sales
Seven sales a day of a $39 product = $275 per day
Seven sales a day of a $39 product = $100,000 per year
140 views at 5 percent conversion = seven salesSeven sales a day of a $39 product = $275 per day Seven sales a day of a $39 product = $100,000 per year
Start with the hardest part…
Be willing to jump off the wrong train
Be willing to write off past ambitions
Be willing to detach your identity from your accomplishments
Otherwise you might get stuck enduring an existence full of wrong stops
Be willing to jump off the wrong trainBe willing to write off past ambitions Be willing to detach your identity from your accomplishmentsOtherwise you might get stuck enduring an existence full of wrong stops
Take stock of your means…
Time
Skills
Location
Interests
Strengths
Resources
Experience
Perspective
Connections
Cash at hand
TimeSkillsLocationInterestsStrengthsResourcesExperiencePerspectiveConnectionsCash at hand
Curb your ambitions…
Keep reducing scope
Keep moving the finish line closer
Keep giving yourself free energy
Keep the complexity of what you do within your means
Keep reducing scopeKeep moving the finish line closerKeep giving yourself free energyKeep the complexity of what you do within your means
Figure out what you don’t like…
Procrastinate on purpose to find what demotivates you
(What you’re putting off is what you don’t like)
Learn from your internal resistance to find your true preferences
Procrastinate on purpose to find what demotivates you(What you’re putting off is what you don’t like)Learn from your internal resistance to find your true preferences
Slowly evolve your lifestyle to better match your true preferences…
Do things for their own sake
Do what no one’s forcing you to do
Do what you’re intrinsically motivated to do
Gradually do fewer things you’d rather not do
(Only intrinsic motivation lasts)
Do things for their own sakeDo what no one’s forcing you to doDo what you’re intrinsically motivated to doGradually do fewer things you’d rather not do(Only intrinsic motivation lasts)
Set a direction instead of a goal…
You can’t predict what will work
You can’t predict what will last
You won’t know if a great idea is really great until it survives impact with reality
(Goals tend to get in the way of letting you do what you should be doing)
You can’t predict what will workYou can’t predict what will lastYou won’t know if a great idea is really great until it survives impact with reality(Goals tend to get in the way of letting you do what you should be doing)
You don’t need a big vision to succeed…
There’s no need to change the world
There’s no need to conquer the competition
There’s no need to dominate the market
There’s no need to disrupt anything
Just throw yourself into random tasks until inspiration meets opportunity
There’s no need to change the worldThere’s no need to conquer the competitionThere’s no need to dominate the marketThere’s no need to disrupt anythingJust throw yourself into random tasks until inspiration meets opportunity
Make time your friend…
Cut costs
Make do with less
Reconsider your needs
Don’t spend more than you earn
Make your worst-case scenario a slow success
Cut costsMake do with lessReconsider your needsDon’t spend more than you earnMake your worst-case scenario a slow success
Work hard to earn credibility…
Do something interesting in real life
Prove yourself by making something interesting
Without credibility, nobody will listen to what you have to say
Do something interesting in real lifeProve yourself by making something interestingWithout credibility, nobody will listen to what you have to say
Avoid low probability bets…
Stack odds in your favor
Choose your projects carefully
Study your opportunities carefully
Business is a conjecture that an idea will work out
Don’t ignore uncertainty in a randomness-laden venture
Stack odds in your favorChoose your projects carefullyStudy your opportunities carefullyBusiness is a conjecture that an idea will work outDon’t ignore uncertainty in a randomness-laden venture
Make many small bets (and keep them small)…
Don’t be greedy
Control the amount wagered
Go for the low hanging fruit first
Keep investments tiny and bounded
Try many things in parallel or almost in parallel
You’ll learn more this way than any other way
Don’t be greedyControl the amount wagered Go for the low hanging fruit firstKeep investments tiny and boundedTry many things in parallel or almost in parallelYou’ll learn more this way than any other way
Build something imperfect that works…
Start with a very small product
Pick something you can finish in two weeks
Charge ten dollars for it
(Perfectionism is fine, as long as you realize you're doing it only for your own amusement)
Start with a very small productPick something you can finish in two weeksCharge ten dollars for it(Perfectionism is fine, as long as you realize you're doing it only for your own amusement)
Don’t optimize or polish your products…
Focus on substance, not optimizations
Let the scrappiness be part of the charm
The returns on polishing and optimizing are small
A book can be your life's work, presented as a masterpiece, or it can be a scrappy brain dump
Focus on substance, not optimizationsLet the scrappiness be part of the charmThe returns on polishing and optimizing are small A book can be your life's work, presented as a masterpiece, or it can be a scrappy brain dump
Keep idle time in your system…
Idle time is slack
Slack lets you immediately explore and pounce on opportunities
By not optimizing to the limit, you can deal with randomness without breaking down
Idle time is slackSlack lets you immediately explore and pounce on opportunitiesBy not optimizing to the limit, you can deal with randomness without breaking down
Remember, growth is not linear…
Progress comes from random, high impact lucky events
Realize a fraction of the effort gets most of the results
Recognize which fraction to focus on
Use the time you bought back to do whatever you want
Progress comes from random, high impact lucky eventsRealize a fraction of the effort gets most of the resultsRecognize which fraction to focus onUse the time you bought back to do whatever you want
Do a lot when inspiration strikes…
Take long breaks in between
Most things require intensity over consistency
Consistency works, but it's unpleasant
What can be done with consistency is often more enjoyable when done with intensity (otherwise you're fighting yourself)
Take long breaks in betweenMost things require intensity over consistencyConsistency works, but it's unpleasantWhat can be done with consistency is often more enjoyable when done with intensity (otherwise you're fighting yourself)
If there’s no one around, go where people already hang out…
Make yourself useful
Share what you’ve done
Share what you’re learning
Let yourself be opinionated
Share how your product is doing
Teach what you know (it took a lifetime to acquire!)
Make yourself usefulShare what you’ve doneShare what you’re learning Let yourself be opinionatedShare how your product is doingTeach what you know (it took a lifetime to acquire!)
When you promote yourself…
You promote your product
You have automatic authority
You find people who want to learn from you specifically
You create an uncontested market space (competition becomes irrelevant because nobody can copy you)
You promote your productYou have automatic authorityYou find people who want to learn from you specificallyYou create an uncontested market space (competition becomes irrelevant because nobody can copy you)
Strive to be an artisan…
Be creative
Don’t follow others
Make your work a business
Don’t cut corners for efficiency
Say no to things you’d rather not do
Do the best work you can, for its own sake
Never sell something you know is defective
Be creativeDon’t follow othersMake your work a businessDon’t cut corners for efficiencySay no to things you’d rather not doDo the best work you can, for its own sakeNever sell something you know is defective
A good life is a story you're proud of…
Pride comes from the story we tell ourselves about how we created something in the circumstances we were in
Pride comes from the story we tell ourselves about how we created something in the circumstances we were in
Find the post and 
Bonus Ideas here...
And follow me for more Big Idea Summaries
https://letter.substack.com/p/the-best-of-daniel-vassallo-big-ideas
Bonus Ideas here...And follow me for more Big Idea Summaries
https://letter.substack.com/p/the-best-of-daniel-vassallo-big-ideas
