CheatCodes - Overthinking, Why 1 side hustle is better than 10, and a lesson in personal accountability

A message to overthinkers

"Overthinkers get luckier in life once they notice they didn't lack intelligence, but the courage to act."

Overthinking is the killer of all action.

Just as action is the life blood of all progress.

Living your life constantly thinking about the "what if's" of the world and worrying about things you can't control is the most surefire way to live an unlucky and unhappy life.

Let go and say "why not? Let's do it."

You will be astounded by the doors that open, and the opportunities that seemingly land in your lap.

(HINT: They didn't land in your lap. You made them.)

Why 10 side hustles won't make you rich, but 1 will.

How many times have you been scrolling the depths of YouTube or Instagram and seen the infamous "I made $x million from these 10 side hustles?"

It's an epidemic of YouTube Automation and Amazon FBA gurus all shilling courses and daily routines.

The truth is, you don't need 10 side hustles to be rich, all you need is 1.

Here's why:

Let's say you have 6 hours in a day to spend on your side hustle - assuming you hold down a day job like most people and sleep like a regular person.

Now, if you have 10 side hustles, that means AT MOST you can spend 36 minutes on each side hustle, every day.

That's not very long at all.

However, if you have 1 side hustle, that means you can spend (you guess it) - 6 hours on your side hustle.

The reason I'm spelling this out is to show you that by having 10 side hustles you are not "diversifying your income" - you're minimising it. The compounding effects of your work are HUGELY reduced if you change the idea you're working on every 36 minutes, as opposed to spending 6 committed hours to one idea.

Spending 6 hours on 1 idea, every day, will mean you:

• Make progress faster.

• Learn more, faster.

• Make mistakes, faster.

• Scale your idea, faster.

...purely because you keep your focus narrow.

So yes, it might sound great to say "I have 10 side hustles," and yes, it might feel great to be busy all the time with different, exciting ideas - but the truth is, what you're doing is counterproductive and slowing you down.

My advice: Choose one side hustle idea and go all in. Make it a huge success and THEN look to diversify your income streams. Don't start the race by trying to compete in every lane. Choose one, dominate it, then move on.

Don't listen to the gurus.

Why personal accountability is the reason you'll succeed.

This excerpt is from the book "Clear Thinking" by Shane Parrish and I found it incredibly powerful.

There's a reason those who do not hold high standards are rarely (albeit almost never) those that win the games they play.

Does Usain Bolt settle for second place?

Did Steve Jobs settle for a 'pretty successful' computer manufacturing company?

No. They demanded more of themselves than others are willing to do and reaped the rewards for it.

It's an incredibly powerful message and a stark reminder that you do not need "an accountability partner," you just need to hold yourself to unwaveringly high standards and keep pushing to achieve them.

Do that for long enough and there's no doubt you'll be successful.