My 20 rules of life (Arman Suleymenov)

Value experiences more than possessions.

Devote the first 2 hours of your day to yourself.

To fix your weaknesses is to add, to work on your strengths is to multiply.

It’s better to be an idealist than a cynic.

Don’t optimize on the margins. Your energy and time is more valuable than a few bucks you save here and there.

Limit your options to avoid decision paralysis. Routines minimize decision fatigue & save your energy for more important things during the day.

Don’t rely on your rationality, will-power and discipline. Instead create a temptation-free environment - the context where slipping up is impossible.

Don’t get stuck in your expert zone. Proactively seek for discomfort. Travel around a new city, pick up a new skill you always wanted, but never found time. Start from ground zero and become a dilettante.

Being the best in the world in something is not the only way to succeed. Create the unique linear combination of skills which make you stand out.

“Be so good they can’t ignore you”. –Steve Martin

The most effective way to get things done is high intensity / high focus single-tasking.

Block times for your creative pursuits in your calendar. Otherwise, you’ll never have time for them.

It’s a myth that every hour you don’t sleep is an additional hour to your productivity. The true competitive advantage is sleeping 7-8 hours a day.

Life is already sending you signals what you should do with it. Just look at the things where you effortlessly reap great results. Double down on what is working.

Success is getting really good at what you do and trying a bunch of different things until the luck finally finds you.

Kickstarting things up is super hard. In the beginning it seems that the entire world is up against you. But you’ve got to try extremely hard to create your own momentum.

It’s unrealistic to expect from yourself working out for an hour every day if you’ve never even gone to the gym before. The first step in building a habit is to start from something ridiculously small.

We spend most of our lives in the journey, not the destination. Don’t worry about doing what you love, instead - love what you do.

The most unprofitable business to be in is not airline business, it's the business of selling your time.

In this world chasing the bigger and bigger goals, focus on appreciation, not achievement.