Hey friend 👋,

Here are 3 more bricks to help you build your time independence:

• 1 down-to-earth study breakdown

• 1 quick tip

• 1 link

This one is a 4-minute read unless you want to savor it.

Let’s get to it. 

1 study: Planning is critical. It’s also dangerous.

This fascinating study takes on the holy grail of productivity: planning.

Mainstream writing is unanimous: whatever the goal, if you plan well, you’re going to have a much easier time hitting the target.

Not so, say the authors.

Sure, a ton of research proves the benefits. Better problem-solving as a result of preparation, less immediate gratification, better execution and on, and on, and on. Plus, breaking down a goal into small specific actions works. No wonder I’m building an app for that.

But, as always, there’s a flip side.

We’ve known for a long time that too much planning can lead to procrastination. But the authors didn’t stop there and conducted a whopping 5 experiments that unequivocally prove:

Planning isn’t a panacea. Not only that, it can work against you.

1 Quick Tip: Procrastination isn’t evil incarnate

The popular view of procrastination is almost exclusively negative. And mainstream productivity writing is full of advice on avoiding, beating or otherwise fighting it.

And yes, we do need to fight it sometimes. So here’s another “5 hacks to kill procrastination” a different view.

Daniel Vassallo (founder of the Small Bets community) says procrastination is a positive force. One to be embraced and celebrated even.

In case you’re wondering: no, Daniel isn’t some passive income bro who stays on his sofa and does nothing all day. He’s known for working hard on projects he likes. AND not working at all on projects he doesn’t.

The philosophy is simple:

Give procrastination the benefit of the doubt. It could be a signal that what you’re trying to do isn’t worth doing at this time or at all. The very fact that this goal is demotivating can be telling.

What if what you think you must do just isn’t the best option? What if there’s a better alternative that you can be way more enthusiastic about?

In fact, says Daniel, the best recipe for productivity is to avoid doing something unworthy first, and doing something that IS worthy well, second.

Think about it. Revelations might start coming in just like that.

1 link: You can learn AI later.

I use AI every day. Including to build my app.

But I’m no fan of overhyped FOMO.

Jason Fried, founder and CEO at 37signals, explained it best.