How to Catch Up In Life (Using Logic)

Principle 1: Build Capacity When Unsure What to Do00:00

If you're ambitious but not sure what to do, build capacity. When you don't know what you're going to do tomorrow, bet on time today by resting. Get in shape when you don't have dates lined up. Save money when you're not sure where to invest. Opportunities present themselves to everyone, but only people with capacity can recognize and capitalize on them. Don't be in the bleachers when the fat pitch comes. Be at the plate, have practiced your swing, and be ready to go.

The Good Samaritan Study01:31

A Princeton study with seminary students asked them to write a paper on being a good Samaritan and present it. In the narrow hallway to the auditorium, researchers placed someone who had fallen and needed help. The study divided students into three groups: 10 minutes late, on time, and early. Self-ratings in the essays had zero correlation with whether students stopped to help. The factor with the highest correlation was how late they were. There was a 6X difference in helping behavior between those who were 10 minutes early versus 10 minutes late. Right now, opportunities exist that you cannot recognize because you lack capacity to act on them.

Building Capacity Through Money02:31

Save money if you don't know what to invest in. Money buys time and time buys optionality. For food, don't eat out and only buy from discount grocery stores. For clothing, use what you have for the next two years with zero exceptions, reuse, trade, or shop at Goodwill as a last resort. For housing, live as cheaply as possible with family or split costs with others. Six people can bunk in one place and split bedrooms if needed. In the early career phase, costs can be reduced to $300 or $400 a month by splitting one bedroom in a six-bedroom house.