Weekly Question & Framework: September 27, 2024

Hello and welcome to the Curiosity Chronicle Weekly Question and Framework. In three minutes or less, I'll give you one question and one framework to get you thinking going into the weekend. Without further ado, let's dive right into it. A question to reframe your work how can you change your outlook by changing your perspective? This is a story I love about three stonecutters One morning, three stonecutters working on a cathedral construction site were approached by a traveler who was interested in their work. The traveler posed the same question to each, seeking to understand their perspectives on their labor. The first stonecutter responded without enthusiasm, I am cutting stone. He saw his work as a means to a simple end. The second stonecutter said with a bit more pride, I am building a wall. He understood a bigger picture of his work for a tangible structure. He recognized his contribution to something that would stand well after his time. The third stonecutter showed great joy and excitement as he gestured towards the heavens. I am building a cathedral. His voice carried a vision of the future where the cathedral stood complete for many centuries after he was gone. Each of the three stonecutters was performing the exact same task, but their outlook on that task was dramatically impacted by their perspective. The first stonecutter viewed it as small and monotonous. The second stonecutter viewed it as important. The third stonecutter viewed it as grand and consequential. The lesson here is a powerful one. Your life is what you make of it. How can you change your perspective to change your outlook? Be the third stonecutter. Take pride in what you do. There is nobility in doing the work, in punching the clock, in showing up. Perspective is everything. Change yours and change your life. A framework to improve your performance the Theory of Constraint the theory of constraints is a business philosophy first proposed by Eliyahu Goldratt in his 1984 book The Goal. The key idea is that every system has at least one constraint that restricts its ability to grow or meaningfully improve its desired output. In other words, there is a bottleneck that prevents the system from improving. By focusing attention on improving the constraint eliminating the bottleneck, you can dramatically improve the performance of the entire system. This theory applies to business optimization, but also to life. What is the constraint that is restricting your ability to grow or meaningfully improve your desired output? What is the one thing you could eliminate or improve that that would drive the biggest potential gain or impact? What one change would create the greatest positive impact in your life? A few examples where I've applied this idea to my sleep poor sleep performance was a big problem. The constraint was that it would take me a long time to fall asleep. I recognized that a racing mind was the cause. To improve the constraint, I implemented simple pre bed journaling that would calm my mind and get any stress or anxiety down on paper Fitness Lack of aesthetic progress was the problem. The constraint was that my training intensity had become mediocre. My nutrition was strong. To improve the constraint, I shortened the workout length but increased the focus and intensity. Work lack of creative output was the problem. The constraint was a lack of creative energy and focus during the day. To improve the constraint, I moved my creative work to first thing in the morning which when I feel most creative and time bounded my focus block to progressively build the focus muscle. The forced focus on a single constraint creates tremendous clarity that is the atomic variable focus there first. Everything else is a distraction. That's all for today. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you learned something and I hope you'll share it with others. If you enjoyed this, you're going to love my first book, the Five Types of Wealth. You can preorder it now@the5typesofwealth.com or anywhere Books are sold. As always, until next time, everybody stay curious. Friends.