The top goal framework, life formulas, and how to do great work

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 ‘Top Goal’ Framework

Matt Mochary is the CEO coach to Naval Ravikant, Sam Altman, and Brian Armstrong.

The Top Goal Framework simply means to block off the first two hours of the day for your highest-priority task.

As Matt writes, “During this Top Goal time, do not respond to emails, texts, calls, and messages. Only work on your top priority. If you follow this pattern each workday, you will achieve amazing things.”

Source: The Great CEO Within

2: Naval’s Life Formulas

“These are notes to myself. Your frame of reference, and therefore your calculations, may vary. These are not definitions—these are algorithms for success. Contributions are welcome.

→ Happiness = Health + Wealth + Good Relationships

→ Health = Exercise + Diet + Sleep

→ Exercise = High Intensity Resistance Training + Sports + Rest

→ Diet = Natural Foods + Intermittent Fasting + Plants

→ Sleep = No Alarms + 8-9 hours + Circadian rhythms

→ Wealth = Income + Wealth * (Return on Investment)

→ Income = Accountability + Leverage + Specific Knowledge

→ Accountability = Personal Branding + Personal Platform + Taking Risk?

→ Leverage = Capital + People + Intellectual Property

→ Specific Knowledge = Knowing how to do something society cannot yet easily train other people to do

→ Return on Investment = “Buy and Hold” + Valuation + Margin of Safety”

— Naval Ravikant

Source: The Almanack of Naval Ravikant

3: Paul Graham on How to Do Great Work

• “Choose work you have a natural aptitude for and a deep interest in. Develop a habit of working on your own projects; it doesn’t matter what they are so long as you find them excitingly ambitious.

• Work as hard as you can without burning out, and this will eventually bring you to one of the frontiers of knowledge. These look smooth from a distance, but up close they’re full of gaps. Notice and explore such gaps, and if you’re lucky one will expand into a whole new field.

• Take as much risk as you can afford; if you’re not failing occasionally you’re probably being too conservative. Seek out the best colleagues. Develop good taste and learn from the best examples.

• Be honest, especially with yourself. Exercise, eat and sleep well, and avoid the more dangerous drugs.

• When in doubt, follow your curiosity. It never lies, and it knows more than you do about what’s worth paying attention to.”

— Paul Graham

Source: How to Do Great Work

Best of The Week

See you next Monday,

- Jay + The Z Fellows Team

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