Dru Riley

Eseuri și proiecte

100 de reguli după care să trăiești

Am început să scriu jurnal în 2013.

Câțiva ani mai târziu, am început să adun reguli pe care le citesc în fiecare dimineață.

Fiecare regulă indică o poveste personală. Acestea sunt mementouri.

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😠 Stresul
Alegând bătăliile cu înțelepciune.

1. „Concentrează-te pe ceea ce controlezi.” — Este inutil să te oprești asupra lucrurilor în afara

controlului tău.

2. „Va trece și acesta”. — „Sunt mai multe lucruri care să ne sperie decât să ne zdrobească;
suferim mai des în imaginație decât în ​realitate.” – Seneca

3. „A nu vrea ceva este la fel de bine ca să-l ai.” — Dacă nu vrei ceva, ești la fel de mulțumit ca
cineva care îl are. Naval Ravikant spune că „... dorinta este un contract pe care îl faci cu tine însuți
pentru a fi nefericit până când obții ceea ce îți dorești.”

📅 Productivitate
A face rahat.

4. „Perfectul este un mit. Fa o alegere." — Începeți și repetați.

5. „Folosiți modele”. — Nu recreați roata. Învață de la alții și economisește timp.

6. „Începe foarte simplu.” — Faceți mai întâi cea mai simplă versiune. Nu complica lucrurile.
Construiește un MVP. Sau un MVP concierge .

7. „Citiți și ascultați ceea ce vă interesează cel mai mult.” — Profităm mai mult din ceea ce ne
interesează. Găsește ceva pe care să-l citești cu plăcere în loc să te chinui prin cărți. Această idee
a venit de la Shane Parrish .

8. „Cele mai bune profituri din viață provin din dobânda compusă.” — Acest lucru se aplică
relațiilor, obiceiurilor și afacerilor. Mulțumesc din nou Naval .

9. „Oamenii de succes spun nu aproape tuturor.” — Concentrează-te.

10. „Pune-l să funcționeze prin orice mijloace.” — Inspirat de dezvoltarea bazată pe teste .
Îmbunătățiți soluția după trecerea testului. Acest lucru se aplică mai mult decât cod.

11. „Închiriați/construiți când doare.” — Gestionați-vă mai întâi problemele cele mai dureroase.
Evitați optimizarea prematură.

12. „Stabiliți obiective. Și lucrează înapoi.” — Folosiți obiective mari și obiective mici. Etapele
pot expune dacă depășiți sau depășiți.

👁 Influențe
Influențe curatoare.

13. „Nu citi/viziona știrile. Stimulente distorsionate.” — Vestea este un război în atenția
noastră. Ne este frică să ne întoarcem să aflăm de ce să ne mai fie frică. Acest lucru duce la
părtinire de disponibilitate și pesimism. Unii dintre noi ne este mai frică să zboare decât să
conducă. Contracarați știrile cu propagandă pozitivă.

14. “You’re the average of the 5 people you surround yourself with.” — This goes beyond
people. What books, podcasts, videos or music do you consume?

15. “Stay away from negative people.” — Vibes are contagious.

🧐 Decisions
Making good decisions.
16. “Listen to your gut.” — Don’t ignore your instincts.

17. “Hard choices, easy life. Easy choices, hard life.” — Hard decisions are often the most
important. Ben Horowitz tells us to run towards the fear.

18. “Consensus is regression to the mean.” — Trying to appease everyone takes you nowhere.

19. “Think probabilistically.” — Think grey. Not black and white. This comes from Annie Duke
and her book, Thinking in Bets. Assign percentages to your beliefs instead of speaking in
absolutes.

20. “Short engagements. Test situations.” — Test partnerships and commitments with trial
runs. Build a small project together before going all in.

21. “Red team. Blue team.” — Approach decisions as a critic and a supporter. Answers often
reveal themselves.

22. “IDK = No” — If you’re uncertain, the answer should probably be no. This comes from Derek
Sivers who wrote No “yes.” Either “HELL YEAH!” or “no.”

23. “Know your alternatives.” — You always have a choice. Remain aware of your alternatives.
Has your current path become too expensive? Has a better option emerged?

24. “Don’t risk ruin. Not even a small chance.” — This is what killed Long-Term Capital
Management. When Genius Failed tells the story.

🗣️Communication
Being understood.

25. “Use simple language. Few syllables. Short sentences. Short paragraphs.” — Simplicity is
hard to achieve. Work hard so your audience doesn’t have to.

26. “Our brains are built to enjoy stories.” — Stories help information stick.

🙂 People
Understanding others.

27. “We’re all driven by the fundamental desire to be appreciated”. — Don’t underestimate
the role of emotion.

28. “Don’t argue. Bet.” — Test belief through sacrifice not words.
29. “Appeal to interest, not reason.” — We don’t care about what makes sense. We care about
what makes sense for us.

30. “Misery loves company.” — So does happiness.

31. “Happy people rarely become haters.” — Unconstructive critics are often dealing with their
own demons.

32. “Difficulty reveals character.” — Our masks fall during struggle. Build friendships through
shared struggle. Jiu-Jitsu, hackathons, work, travel.

33. “We stereotype all of the time. Rightly or wrongly. Don’t ignore it. Signals matter.” —
We take mental shortcuts to conserve energy. Use pattern interrupts when you’re being
negatively stereotyped. Life is short. Not fair.

34. “The more you understand incentives, the less you take things personally.” — Incentives
drive behavior. Sometimes it’s not personal. Change incentives instead of trying to change
people.

35. “Hurt people, hurt people.” — Don’t react. Remember this.

36. “Don’t try to change someone’s worldview. Take those who see it and take them
further.” — It’s hard to change someone’s worldview. It’s easier to help someone who already
sees it. What’s the best use of your time?

👯‍♂️ Relationships
Building connections.

37. “Trust saves time.” — Invest in trust on the frontend and reap rewards on the backend. High
trust relationships move faster and get more done.

38. “Focus on compounding relationships.” — Focus on building relationships with long-term

potential.

39. “Don’t force relationships.” — What’s forced eventually falls apart. Forcing only delays the
inevitable.

🤝 Negotiation
Getting what you want.

40. “Whoever cares less wins negotiations.” — Who can afford to walk away? Who needs it the
least? This person tends to get the best deal.
41. “Negotiation and business are about alternatives.” — Good decisions are relative. It’s
about choosing the best option among alternatives. Know your BATNA.

🧘🏿‍♀️ Wisdom
Knowing yourself.

42. “It’s easier to resist in the beginning than the end.” — Mistakes become harder to correct
the longer they linger. Sunk costs play tricks on us. Suck it up and rip the bandaid off now. Toxic
relationships, bad hires and tough conversations. It’s immediate pain versus chronic pain.

43. “To know all is to forgive all.” — You would be more understanding if you knew everything
about a person. Look closer when something doesn’t make sense.

🌱 Growth
Constantly improving.

44. “Focus on doing the thing, not the outcome.” — Commit to the process, not the outcome.
You control whether you do it, not how it turns out.

45. “Continuous improvement requires feedback.” — Feedback is a gift. No feedback. No

improvement.

46. “How to build confidence? Do things just outside your comfort zone. And repeat as it
expands.” — This fuses confidence with progressive overload. Confidence-building can become
a habit. This comes from Tim Ferriss.

47. “If you decide to only do what works. You’re leaving a lot of opportunity on the table.”
— Experiment.

🧗🏿‍♀️ Courage
Doing despite fear.

48. “Courage is a muscle that you need to train.” — Picture courage as a muscle that atrophies
if it goes unused. Courage can also be strengthened through progressive overload. This came
from a conversation with Harry Dry.

49. “New things scare us. Do it anyway.” — By acknowledging fear, we are better able to move
past it.

50. “The biggest upside comes from being outside your comfort zone.” — In the words of DJ
Khaled, major 🔑  alert. There will be an entire post on this.
51. “Fear is a good thing. It means you’re close to making a breakthrough.” — Fear can
indicate potential growth opportunities.

👩🏽‍🎨 Design
Making things.

52. “Trying to appeal to all leads to average.” — We make too many concessions by trying to
appeal to everyone. Seth Godin writes about the importance of being important to a small group.
This rule mirrors “Consensus is regression to the mean.” But as David Senra says, repetition is
persuasive.

53. “Brevity is the soul of wit.” — Shorter is better.

54. “Keep it simple.” — Stay away from unnecessary complexity. “Everything should be made
as simple as possible, but not simpler.” -Einstein

55. “Make it work. THEN make it pretty.” — It’s easier to find an elegant solution once you
have something working. This applies to any craft.

56. “Don’t make them think.” — Make it obvious.

💼 Business
Delivering value.

57. “Start with problems. Not solutions.” — Start by studying the problem instead of offering
solutions. Study the lock before you make a key.

58. “Frustration is an opportunity.” — Keep an idea journal. Jot down your problems. Some are
business opportunities.

59. “The most important part of business is the market. It’s easier to ride a wave than it is
to make one.” — A good team won’t survive a bad market. A good product won’t survive a bad
market. A bad team with a bad product can survive in a good market. Pick hungry markets. This
comes from Marc Andreessen who wrote The Only Thing That Matters.

60. “Business opportunities can lead to others.” — Build something even if you don’t have a
“good” idea yet. We find new problems by solving problems.

61. “A company can be your vehicle for continuous learning.” — Do something. Don’t just
study.
62. “Awareness → Interest → Decision → Action” — Marketing is about awareness and
conversion. Be visible. Pieter Levels, Andrey Azimov and Danielle Johnson are great examples of
this.

63. “50% Rule. 1/2 Growth. 1/2 Product.” — Spend half of your time talking to customers and
half building. Don’t endlessly build without feedback.

64. “Does the business have network effects? Does it require funding?” — Network effects
determine the number and size of the businesses a market. These are winner take most games.
Nextdoor, LinkedIn, Facebook. Building these companies often involves raising money. Is this the
kind of business that you want to run? Consider founder-market fit.

65. “The more you ship. The more you increase your chance of success. Throw enough
against the wall and something’s bound to stick.” —Andrew Pierno wrote about this in The
Edison Approach to Profitability.

66. “Consider buying a business. A statistically profitable approach.” — Validating business

ideas involves a lot of false starts. Buying a business with product-market fit can be a statistically
profitable approach. Price affects risk. Nassim Nicholas Taleb discussed the idea of statistical
profitability in Fooled by Randomness.

67. “Copy businesses that are working. These are formulas. Steal and improve them.” —
Find a proven market. Study the problem. Be different or better or both.

68. “Choose the fastest option. Refactor later.” — Prioritize speed early on. If you’re unable to
validate an idea, there may be no long-term to worry about.

69. “Theory of 3 (good money) and 7 (wealth).” — Pick something that you can stick with for
the long run. The hosts of The TMBA Podcast have a theory that it takes three years of working
on something to make good money and seven years to generate wealth.

70. “Build what YOU need or want.” — Sahil Lavingia says that if you build for yourself then you
at least have one customer. It doesn’t guarantee that others will want your solution but it’s a good
start.

💁🏾‍♂️ Selling
Persuading.

71. “Ask for feedback to sell.” — If you want money, ask for advice. If you want advice, ask for
money.
72. “Don’t try to sell what you wouldn’t buy.” — Confidence is palpable. Potential customers
will know if you believe in what you’re selling.

73. “Deliver value and build trust before you try to sell.” — Trust saves time. Write great
content. Offer a free trial.

74. “Have a rejection goal.” — Each ‘no’ moves you closer to your goal. Flip the psychology of
selling. Carl Jacobi told us to “Invert. Always invert.”

75. “Start with why. They’ll be more likely to comply.” — Explain why something is important
before making a request.

🙃 Enjoying Life
Living without regrets.

76. “If you don’t HAVE to keep reading or listening, don’t.” — Don’t trudge through books,
podcasts or movies. Pick something else up. You don’t have to finish every book.

77. “The journey is the reward. Hedonistic adaptation.” — Lottery winners return to their
baseline happiness levels. Learn to love the process. That’s where 99% of your time is spent.

78. “We get more out of what interests us.” — You learn more when you’re engaged. Charlie
Munger says follow your natural drift.

79. “Memento Mori.” — Your time is limited. Live with urgency. Remember death.

🥇 Success
Winning.

80. “Don’t self-reject.” — Don’t tell yourself no before someone else can. This came from Sahil
Lavingia.

81. “Knowledge is (potential) power. Action makes it so.” — Applied knowledge is power. It
takes courage and energy to activate. Derek Sivers said that if information was the answer, then
we’d all be billionaires with perfect abs.

82. “Play long-term games. Compound returns.” — Focus on the long-term. Most benefits
come from later stages of compounding. Pick up habits that you can see yourself sticking with.
Jeff Bezos says to focus on what doesn’t change.

83. “Play asymmetric games. Life is not baseball. 1 hit can pay for 1000 runs.” — Some
activities have asymmetric upside. Reading, writing, coding, selling, leading, comfort challenges,
publishing. Play games with asymmetric upside.

84. “Ask for what you want. You can’t get what you don’t ask for.” — You’ll get a yes or a
know.

85. “Move with intent. You’re more likely to get what you want.” — Are you living proactively
or reactively? Establish a north star to orient your decisions around. ‘If you don’t know what you
want, you end up with a lot that you don’t.‘ –Chuck Palahnuik

86. “We thrive in niches. Specialize.” — Focus on what you’re good at and rely on others for
the rest. Leverage the API instead of building from scratch.

87. “Wealth is made in extreme concentration.” — Wealth is maintained through

diversification but made in extreme concentration. Focus.

88. “Price affects risk.” — If an experiment is cheap, just do it. The more the price goes up, the
more you should reconsider.

89. “Follow up.” — This can yield dividends.

90. “Live below your means for freedom and options.” — Establish a margin of safety to take
more risks. James Clear says that ‘Your success depends on the risks you take. Your survival
depends on the risks you avoid.‘

91. “Don’t be desperate.” — Desperation often results in bad deals.

92. “Ship daily/weekly/monthly. Build your shipping muscle.” — Become comfortable

exposing your art to an audience and embracing feedback.

93. “Fuck imposter syndrome. Do it.” — We second-guess ourselves a lot. Do not wait for
permission. It may never come. Acknowledge self-doubt and move past it.

⏳ Management
Being effective.

94. “Put your name on it. This makes you try harder. Accountability.” — You work harder
when your name is on the line.

95. “Get the incentives right.” — It’s the most important thing in management. You get what
you reward. Align incentives.

🕺🏾 Personal
Adjusting for your own quirks.

96. “Associate growth with doing. Not reading/watching/listening.” — Don’t overstudy and
underexecute.

97. “Do high energy tasks early in the day.” — Do creative work when you have the most
energy.

98. “Reading fiction = Increased empathy and creativity. Better verbal communication and
writing. And less stress via escapism.” — I once avoided novels because I didn’t know what I
would learn. I still don’t know. But I read fiction for other reasons.

99. “Use podcasts to stay motivated.” — Listening to other misfits helps me stay motivated.

100. “Habit levels. 3/10/30/100/300/1000/etc.” — The rule of 3 and 10. This came from an
interview with Phil Libin in Tools of Titans. It states that everything changes at multiples of 3 and
10. When a company triples in size, everything breaks. I use multiples of 3 and 10 to celebrate
milestones in habits and business. Gamify your life to stay engaged through the messy middle.

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My Journals

Thanks for reading. These rules emerged from years of refining and transferring notes.

The goal is not to remember everything. I read the list with problems in mind. The path usually
becomes clear by the time I finish.

🤔 What rules do you live by? Share some with me on Twitter.