Life razors, atomic questions, and developing a competitive advantage

Welcome back to the Z Fellows newsletter! Every Monday we share 3 ideas - to help you build companies, ship products, and create your life's work.

1: The Most Useful Life Razors and Rules

Razors are rules of thumb that help you make better decisions.

Here are a few of my favorites from the list:

4. Luck Razor - If stuck with 2 equal options, pick the one that feels like it will produce the most luck later down the line.

10. Everyday Razor - If you go from doing a task weekly to daily, you achieve 7 years of output in 1 year. If you apply a 1% compound interest each time, you achieve 54 years of output in 1 year.

12. Creativity Razor - If struggling to think creatively about a subject, transform it:

• Turn a thought into a written idea
• A written idea into a drawing
• A drawing into an equation
• An equation into a conversation

In the process of transforming it, you begin to spot new creative connections.

Source: The Most Useful Life Rules and Razors I’ve Found

2: Questions That Might Change Your Life

James Clear (author of Atomic Habits) has published over 200 issues of his 3-2-1 newsletter.

I’ve been collecting my favorite questions from each of his newsletter editions.

Here are 7 of my favorites:

1. What is the most neglected important area in my life right now?

2. Can my current habits carry me to my desired future?

3. The people who have already walked through the fire can help you do the same. Who are you surrounding yourself with?​

4. What career would you realistically pursue if you wanted the most money?

What career would you realistically pursue if you wanted the biggest impact?

What career would you realistically pursue if you wanted to have the most fun?
​
​What career offers the best mix?

5. What can you remove from your life that would improve it?

6. Am I climbing the right mountain?

7. What am I holding on to that I need to let go of this year?

Source: James Clear’s 3-2-1 Archive

3: The Only True Sources of Competitive Advantage

Morgan Housel is an investor and author.

He wrote that the only truly sustainable sources of competitive advantage he knows of are:

• Learn faster than your competition
• Empathize with customers more than your competition
• Communicate more effectively than your competition
• Be willing to fail more than your competition
• Wait longer than your competition

Everything else — intelligence, design, insight — gets smashed to pieces by competitors who are almost certainly as smart as you.

Source: Ideas That Changed My Life

Best of the Week

See you next Monday,

- Jay + The Z Fellows Team

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