Elevate Letter #1: The Power of Big Dreams

Hey there,

Every Thursday, I share the 5 best things I've discovered in the last 7 days that will help me to become 1% better in Life

Let's dive in.

Today at a Glance:

• Tip: Ditch your to-do list

• Idea: The power of having dreams

• Thread: How to tell if someone's happy in life

• Quote: The things we regret

• Visual: How to wander aimlessly

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Read time: 4 minutes

Ditch your to-do list, do this instead - Sam Corcos' Rules for Time Blocking​

I rely completely on my Google Calendar. If something isn't on it, I won't remember it.

In this clip, Sam Corcos, the founder of Levels, shares his tips for effective calendar time blocking:

1. Turn To-Do Lists into Calendar Blocks: Schedule every task from your to-do list as an event in your calendar, giving each task a realistic amount of time.

2. Keep Slack Time (very important): Start with 50% of your time unscheduled to handle unexpected tasks and interruptions. As you get better at estimating, you can reduce this buffer.

3. Estimate Task Duration Accurately: Improve your ability to predict how long tasks will take by reviewing how long they took in the past.

4. Schedule Recurring Tasks: Block time for daily or routine activities, like checking email, so you don't forget them.

5. Schedule New Tasks Immediately: When you get new tasks, schedule them in your calendar right away instead of leaving them on a to-do list.

Time blocking might feel restrictive at first and takes time to perfect, but once you get the hang of it, you'll be much more productive and have more free time.

Take some time today to think about:

• Dreams you currently have

• Dreams you've given up on (and maybe want to reignite)

• How your dreams have changed in the last 5-10 years

Source: 3-2-1 Newsletter

How do you tell if someone's actually happy in life - Twitter (X) thread​

Very interesting thread from Shaan Puri.

It got me thinking about how you could reverse-engineer the top answers to become happier in your own life.

Start an External Gratitude Journal focused on celebrating others' successes. Once a week, spend 5 minutes writing down positive events that have happened to people you know. New jobs. Raises. Personal milestones.

Practice Positive Gossip. Basically, make a practice of speaking positively about people even when they're not around.

Use the Modern Dumb Phone setup I shared a couple of weeks ago. If you missed it, reply to this email and I'll send it to you.

A quote I'm living by in 2024

“We regret the things we don’t do more than the things we do.”

I think about this constantly.

It's cliché, but it's true.

How often do we hold ourselves back in life because of fear, doubt, or uncertainty? We get stuck in our routines and forget to go after what we want in life.

Here's my advice:​
Imagine you're on your deathbed (morbid, I know). Make a list of the things you would most regret not doing in your life.

Maybe it's:

• Living in a foreign country

• Applying for your dream job

• Starting a YouTube channel

• Having a bunch of kids

• Running a marathon

Make a point to knock AT LEAST ONE of these off your list every year.

How to wander aimlessly

A fun image, but also an underrated practice.

So many great things can come from wandering:

• New ideas

• Unexpected discoveries

• A relaxed mind

I'm currently backpacking through Europe, so I'm trying to embrace my inner wanderer as much as possible.

Have a great week friends!

Stay Elevated

-Elevated Path