Thread by @SahilBloom

Productivity is about deletion (not addition).

Here's a simple trick for establishing priorities:

As you progress in your professional endeavors, a challenge will arise:

Your time and energy become increasingly scarce, but your opportunity set becomes increasingly abundant.

You need a system for managing this dynamic.

I spent most of my 20s saying yes to everything.

This is mostly a good thing.

Saying “yes” expands your luck surface area—you learn a lot, and fast.

But in my 30s, it no longer makes sense.

• Time 📉
• Opportunity 📈

I had to become ruthless about prioritization.

A simple method I developed to approach it:

At the start of each quarter, sit down with blank sheet of paper.

Start by writing down the 10 most exciting opportunities in front of you for the quarter.

They can be for your job, your side hustles, or your passion projects.

Zoom out and look at your list.

Think deeply on each opportunity:
• What makes it exciting?
• What resources are required?
• What tradeoffs are required?
• What is success with it?
• Will it create energy?

Now take your pen and cross 7 of the opportunities off the list…

This forced deletion feels draconian, but it's so important.

You're left with the 3 most exciting opportunities for the quarter ahead.

These are the opportunities that become your primary focus for the quarter.

They provide a lens through which to evaluate daily decisions.

As you progress through the quarter, let those priority opportunities guide your daily actions.

Is this daily habit or system important for my core opportunities? If not, how can I tweak it?

Is this task going to create progress against one of my core opportunities?

Productivity is about deletion, not addition.

When new and seemingly exciting opportunities come your way, assess whether they fit into your core priorities.

If not, just say no.

Be sure to log them for later—maybe they become a core opportunity for a future quarter.

Humans are notoriously bad at turning down opportunities. But by running at everything, we accomplish nothing.

Focus is the key.

The trick works because it forces constraints—it forces focus.

Note: I use a quarterly system, but you could do this monthly if you prefer a higher frequency cadence.

I find quarterly to be great, but if it is too scary, start with a monthly audit and adjust from there as you see fit.

Give this trick a shot and let me know what you think!

Follow me @SahilBloom for more simple threads on business, finance, productivity, and decision-making.

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This system is a pseudo-adaptation off of the Warren Buffett’s “Two Lists” system.

You can read more about it @ModelThinkers below. modelthinkers.com/mental-model/b…