Timothy Ferris

99% of people in the world are convinced they are incapable of achieving great things, so they aim for mediocre. You are better than you think.

Do not follow a model that does not work. If the recipe sucks, it does not matter how good a cook you are.

Effectiveness is doing the things that get you closer to your goals. Efficiency is performing a given task (whether important or not) in the most economical manner possible. Being efficient without regard to effectiveness is the default mode of the universe.

Being effective doesn’t mean being serious all the time.

Don’t only evaluate the potential downside of action. It is equally important to measure the atrocious cost of inaction.

Believe it or not, it is not only possible to accomplish more by doing less, it is mandatory.

Emphasize strengths, don’t fix weaknesses. The choice is between multiplication of results using strengths or incremental improvement fixing weaknesses that will, at best, become mediocre. Focus on better use of your best weapons instead of constant repair.

Excitement is the more practical synonym for happiness, and it is precisely what you should strive to chase. It is the cure-all. When people suggest you follow your “passion” or your “bliss”, I propose that they are, in fact, referring to the same singular concept: excitement. This brings us full circle. The question you should be asking isn’t, “What do I want” or “What are my goals” but “What would excite me”.

Focus on being productive instead of being busy.

People are fond of using the “it is not what you know”, it’s who you know “adage as an excuse for inaction, as if all successful people are born with powerful friends.

The perfect job is the one that takes the least time.

What fear doing most is usually what we most need to do.

Most things make no difference. Being busy is a form of laziness – lazy thinking and indiscriminate action.

Work wherever and whenever you want, but you get the work done. This is new mantra.>

It is not enough to think outside the box. Thinking is passive. Get used to acting outside the box.