Lessons from 2020

PropaneFitness Podcast

I’ve just completed my (slightly late) 2020 annual review. Here are some lessons which I'm sure you'll value too. https://youtu.be/3zmf5JJwqUI Business 📈: What I learned Cutting the fluff and focusing on a single metric is the way to progress. For us, it was opt-ins. We have had our most profitable year by FAR by focusing on ONE product, ONE funnel. “But what about Goodharts law?” “When the measure becomes the target, it ceases to become an accurate measure.”Goodhart's Law Goodhart's law holds up. But it doesn't kick in straight away. Everything works until it doesn’t. Optimising for ONE thing is better than not optimising for anything. Recurring reviews are the safety catch to ensure you’re still heading towards your vision ⛵️. As Chris Sparks says, nothing is grandfathered in. Separate planning from execution. Working as a Doctor 👨🏻‍⚕️: What I learned Being a good doctor is about consistent application of the inputs. No magic. Honestly, I had taken my eye off the ball a little this year with medicine, and I thought I would struggle with being a ‘senior’ house officer. But the role came naturally. Most ‘on the job’ learning is osmotic, unconscious. Add in a touch of focused learning and you cannot fail. Free time is the truest form of wealth. - The risk barbell: Being a doctor is the most bombproof job there is. When everyone was being furloughed around me this year, there wasn’t even a SNIFF of my job being under threat. 👃 Relationships 💘: What I learned Deeper connections through simple pleasures: Walking or eating with loved ones. I planned my gift-buying with TickTick and avoided the last minute panic. Asynchronous communication is underrated. Voice messages allow you to collect your thoughts and truly LISTEN (in 2x speed if you want to 👀 - don’t tell anyone). A hack for getting over your fear that ‘socialising isn’t productive’: Walking or eating together ticks many boxes. Working on projects together with your partner: grow together while working on a common goal. This year has shown us how poorly people tolerate being in their own company. Solitary confinement is considered the highest punishment. We must learn to enjoy our own company, not try to plug the existential void with TikTok videos: https://twitter.com/PropaneFitness/status/1341299729259487232 Cultivate fewer, deeper relationships. Our friend and mentor Paul died last week. Jonny and I were planning to visit him this year, and we missed our chance. You could lose someone at any time. Nothing is for granted. Don’t delay seeing people you love, and show them you care. Paul was always a refreshingly authentic presence and unexpected mentor to us. We would often ask his advice on sales, and he’d call back within 24 hours with a set of prepared notes with no agenda, just a passion for helping others.He never half-assed anything, and threw himself into life with both feet and a sense of humour. RIP brother, we’ll miss you, and we’ve learned a lifetime of lessons from you. Training: What I learned 🤸 Big win: I finally got some flares on the floor: https://twitter.com/PropaneFitness/status/1339645133462056962 The Lesson: focus single-heartedly on a goal, rather than spreading myself too thin. Passive flexibility does NOT equal active flexibility. Blast and cruise. It’s hard to gain a skill/strength/flexibility etc, but much easier to maintain or regain it.Gyms can close for months at the drop of a hat. Always have a backup bodyweight-training goal. Personal Growth This Year: ⚛️ What I learned I truly got my personal growth systems nailed this year by doing LESS.The lesson: You need less, not more self improvement masturbation. The personal development world is a rabbit hole. Get it nailed and MOVE ON. Don’t let it be a form of procrastination. Treat it like brushing your teeth 🪥. You do it once daily.