Sahil Bloom: Powerful paradoxes

Parkinson's Law says that work expands to fill the time available for its completion.

When you establish fixed hours to work, you'll find unproductive ways to fill them. Work like a lion instead—sprint, rest, repeat.

You have to put in more effort to make something appear effortless.

Effortless, elegant performances are simply the result of a large volume of consistent, effortful practice.

Small things become big things. Simple is not simple.

The more you learn, the more you are exposed to the immense unknown.

This should be empowering, not frightening. Embrace your own ignorance—embrace lifelong learning.

Taking more advice can leave you less well-equipped.

• Most advice sucks. It's well-intentioned, but it's dangerous to use someone else's map of reality to navigate.
• Winners develop filters and selectively implement advice—take the signal, skip the noise.

More connectedness, less connected.

• Social media has created more connectedness than ever before—a constant dopamine drip.
• We have more connectedness, but we feel less connected to those around us.
• Schedule time to disconnect, and feel the connection.

“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” — Epictetus

If you want your words and ideas to be heard, start by talking less and listening more. You’ll find more power in your words.

What allows a Formula 1 driver to fly around the track It's not the engine, the tires, or the suspension. It's the brakes. Strong, reliable brakes allow you to go fast.

Build brakes into your life that allow you to accelerate and hit turns without fear.

Success doesn’t come from taking on every opportunity. It comes from focusing energy on the opportunities that matter—the 10x opportunities.

Time and energy are finite. Say yes to what matters & no to everything else.

You have to lose money in order to make money. Every successful investor & builder has stories of the invaluable lessons learned from a terrible loss in their career.

Sometimes you have to pay to learn. Put skin in the game.

The thing we fear the most is often the thing we most need to do.

• Fears—when avoided—become limiters on our growth and progress.
• Make a habit of getting closer to your fears. Treat them as magnets for your energy. You'll find growth on the other side.

We assume that more choice is a good thing, but research has shown that more options lead to less happiness with whatever option is selected.

In a world of abundance, what we truly crave is scarcity.

Sometimes you have to stop looking in order to find what you're looking for.

Stop looking—what you’re looking for may just find you. This applies to love, business, happiness, & life.

Growth takes a much longer time coming than you think but then happens much faster than you ever would have thought. Growth happens gradually, then suddenly.

The best things in life come from allowing compounding to work its magic. Let it work for you.

• The more you can't trust others, the less you can be trusted.
• Challenges with trusting others can often stem from our own distrust of ourselves.
• We reflect outward when we need to reflect inward.
• Build trust in yourself to learn to trust others.

Intelligent people are more likely to fall victim to stupidity by convincing themselves they are smarter than the system.

They create complexity vs. doing the boring, easy thing that works.

The more available something is, the less we want it.

Ever want something so badly, only to lose interest once it is right in front of you? You're not alone--our desire for what we can't have is strong.

This applies to love, business, happiness, & life.

The more you brag, the less people think of you.

• Successful people rarely feel the need to brag about their success.
• If someone brags about their wealth or success, the reality is likely a small fraction of what they claim.
• Brag less, impress more.

• You must know your death to truly live your life.
• Memento Mori is a Stoic reminder of the certainty and inescapability of death.
• It's not intended to be morbid--but to clarify, illuminate, and inspire.
• By accepting our time as finite, we are able to live.

The most creative, captivating ideas stem directly from periods of intense boredom.

You’re bored, your mind wanders, your thoughts mingle - creative insight strikes. Boredom sparks creativity.

• The more news you consume, the less well-informed you are.
• More data leads to a higher noise-to-signal ratio, so you end up knowing less about what is actually going on.
• Want to know more about the world? Consume less news.