It’s almost 2024. Holy crap!
Time to start thinking about what you want to do next year. This list of things will give you some ideas.
Some may even create a breakthrough that leads to a new you.
Get paid for outcomes, not hours
The current 8-hour day most of us work is leftover from the factory worker days. It makes no sense.
Challenging this paradigm tends to piss people off. They think you’re promoting hustle culture or the digital nomad, go mad lifestyle. Or they think you’re tryna be cool and hip.
Actually, getting paid for outcomes makes more sense.
Business is about solving problems. Either you solved the problem or you didn’t. How long you took to solve it is irrelevant. Work out what the cost of solving a problem is, then bill the person who needs the solution a percentage of the upside.
This is how making money on the internet works. Some call it the creator economy, but really, it’s slowly becoming the new economy.
Getting paid for outcomes reduces risks for all parties involved.
That way the profits from an outcome can be distributed fairly. And I love getting paid for outcomes because it forces me to keep my skills sharp and holds me accountable.
Be home in time for family dinner
I used to leave the 9-5 office at 5 pm on the dot.
People thought I was weird. They didn’t get why I wouldn’t stay back and have drinks with the bosses or kiss ass for a bonus or promotion.
I learned early in life that family is the greatest wealth.
And that my one year old daughter won’t remember how much money I made, but she will remember what time I came home and how much time I spent with her.
I found at my former cubicle job, I was more productive at work by leaving on time, because it forced me to be efficient and say no to distractions.
If a team leader wanted to hold a meeting (that was really a social chat), I’d politely say no and they didn’t care. Or if Bob from accounting wanted to complain about the latest Microsoft Excel update, I’d walk in the other direction and he’d find another victim to distract.
Getting home on time = Efficiency
But if you don’t pretend you love money, getting promoted, or becoming a successful go-getter — then normal people will think you’re weird. Good.
Turn off the 2024 election on TV
The silly season is nearly upon us — and I’m not talking about Christmas.
Nope. The U.S. election is almost here. It’s a rematch. And if you remember the last election then we’re surely in for one hell of a sh*t show.
I won’t be watching. Elections are a distraction. The idea that the choice between only two political parties is likely to produce life-changing societal happiness…is a joke.
Politicians don’t control America. Billionaires do.
That’s not a conspiracy it’s just fact. Rich people give money to political parties in return for getting some of the things they want. It’s just business. But I think it’s a clown show.
If you dare believe this, people will think you’re bizarre. Good.
If you’re in love with politics then become a billionaire and you’ll get the privilege to get what you want.
Look at faces instead of phone screens
Get on a bus. Zombies everywhere.
No one is looking at each other or having a conversation. It’s just a sea of bodies looking at phones that are nothing more than a distraction.
Phones are dream killers. They’re full of other people’s priorities. What’s cooler is to have human conversations. It’s to look people in the eye and be present.
I had coffee with my old boss the other day. Every few minutes he kept glancing at his phone. He looked worried. He looked like he was under a spell. Or like a puppet master was pulling his strings.
He couldn’t relax or engage properly in the conversation. And this is the Great American Life that has been exported to most major nations, including Australia where I live. Sad.
Relationships are more important than notifications. And 99% of inbound phone calls aren’t urgent and can go to voicemail.
Life hack: put your phone on do-no-disturb mode, then add your family to favorites so only their calls can get through in case of an emergency.
Write online to attract opportunities
If I talk about writing a lot of people get upset at me.
They think I’m trying to talk about entrepreneurship or build-an-audience. They don’t get it. The world is made up of writing. And what you write on the internet attracts people and opportunities to you.
If you don’t write then no one knows you exist.
Therefore, the only opportunities you can get require a job application. And the gatekeeper will be skeptical as hell about your resume because they don’t know you and most people grossly overexaggerate on their resume and LinkedIn profile.
Writing is a survival skill. It’s how you attract more of what you want.
If you’re afraid your boss or mother will read what you write, use a nickname or pen name and ya good to go.
Be kind to everyone you meet
Yep, Timbo’s gone woo-woo just for you.
Whenever I say kindness people think I joined a church and started singing hallelujah in the choir. Talking about kindness makes people think you’re fake or virtue-signaling for $0 ‘likes’.
That’s not why I say it. I say it because it’s true. The world needs to be just a little kinder. Because if hate is allowed to flow easily then we will have more wars — that’s a guarantee.
So people might think you’ve gone soft and are weak for promoting kindness, but I say do it anyway.
And the best way to be kind is through your example — not what you say, or by changing your profile picture to a flag.
Closing Thought
Some think these things are the keys to success. I’ll let you be the judge.
