WORK LESS WEDNESDAY
WLW #149
👋 Hey Reader!
This is issue #149 of Work Less Wednesday, where I share with you 5 things you should know about, in 5 minutes or less. That leaves you with 10,075 other minutes this week.
🎧 ON THE PODCAST 🎧
Ep. 28 – 10 Shifts From $100k
To $500k As A Solopreneur
In this episode, I cover:
- How I scaled two solo businesses to $500k+/year and the exact shifts you need to make to get there.
- Why you need to pick a clear path between two business models to break through the $100k ceiling.
- How to charge 2-5x your current rates by making one simple shift.
- Why your success thermostat may be secretly sabotaging your business growth (and how to reset it).
Or listen to audio only here.
📝 1. Documentary On Writing I Watched Last Night – Turn Every Page: The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb
Last night my wife turned on Turn Every Page: The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb, and I was quickly sucked in to it.
The documentary chronicles the relationship between Caro and Gottlieb, who have been writing/editing partners for over 50 years.
Caro wrote The Power Broker a biography of Robert Moses in 1975, which is considered one of the best biographies of all time.
In the following 5 decades, he’s only written about one other subject:
As much as the documentary is about the fascinating and tumultuous relationship between two geniuses, it’s really a story about the craft of writing, the art of editing, the quest for perfection, and how to create something that withstands the test of time.
🎨 2. Beautiful Advice vs. Practical Advice – Article by Morgan Housel
A “magazine architect” is a term architects use to describe their colleagues who design buildings that win awards, but are nightmares to use.
- Those stunning geometric roofs? Constant leaks.
- Those award-winning curved walls? Nothing fits them.
- Those fancy exterior materials? Impossible to repair.
Frank Lloyd Wright once quipped:
“If the roof doesn’t leak, the architect hasn’t been creative enough.”
But Wright was an artist.
The most functional buildings are often boring rectangles with proven materials.
They’ll never win awards or grace the cover of Architectural Digest.
But everything just works.
This tension extends beyond buildings.
As Jason Zweig said about investing:
“While people need good advice, what they want is advice that sounds good.”
Everyone wants a secret “magic strategy” that will fix everything.
But what most need is the boring rectangle of finance:
Index funds and time.
Practicality doesn’t win awards.
But it works.
“Isn’t there beauty in that?”
💵 3. Designing 1,000 Logos In 1,000 Minutes – Video by Elliot
This video is a mashup of design and comedy in the best way possible.
The premise is simple:
1,000 logos in 1,000 minutes.
🔼 4. Creating Internal vs. External Results – Thread by Nicholas Cole
Here’s how I think of it:
- If you want to build a business, think about others.
- If you want to create art, think about yourself.
But both paths are interconnected.
- Art can lead to a business.
- Business can lead to art.
Rick Rubin put it this way:
“In terms of priority, inspiration comes first. You come next. The audience comes last.”
🖐 5. More Things I’m Into This Week
📹 ICYMI: My Latest YouTube Video – 10 Shifts From $100k To $500k As A Solopreneur
📕 Book I’m Reading – Spiral Dynamics by Don Beck
🎨 Artist I Found On IG That I’m Digging – Ramin Nazer
🤝 Event: My Buddy Jamie Brindle (@jamiebrindle) Is Hosting A Freelancer Meetup In LA – Sign Up Here If You’re In LA
💬 Quote I’m Pondering – Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life
“I’ve learned that what we really want, beyond our tangible goals and pursuits, is to feel totally alive. We crave great experiences and meaningful relationships and we long to reach our full potential. We want to be challenged and creative. We want to grow. We want freedom to live with passion and pursue our dreams regardless of what people think, how much money we make, or what level of status we acquire. Ultimately, we want the best possible life—absolute fullness of life.”