Hello everyone.
I’m Thomas (I write on life habits, personal growth and self improvement). Many of you discovered my work on Medium. Welcome. Paid subscribers get more: an in invite to Thinking Toolbox course (mental models for a great life) and Mental Wealth Toolbox (practical psychology, economics and philosophy concepts for smarter decisions every day). Plus favourite tools, recommendations and essays for life and career growth. Postanly extra is still 50% off as a Black Friday offer.
There’s more. 50% OFF everything (all the best content for life) at Perennial Learner. Check out tools to level up your life/career below. Use code: PBF50
Hard skills are not enough anymore — timeless skills make you indispensable.
To thrive in our ever-changing world, you need to think beyond your core strengths. Stacking relevant skills is the only way forward.
Sheryl Sandberg was right when she said, “Build your skills, not your resume.”
If you’re looking to stay competitive in this fast-paced world, you must learn the crucial skills for a successful modern life.
Modern life can be a lot to handle — especially with all the new skills necessary for success. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and unprepared for the next chapter of your life. John Ruskin says, “Skill is the unified force of experience, intellect and passion in their operation.”
These are essential skills for modern life.
Respecting consistency as much as you respect hard skills.
The willingness to change your mind when presented with better data/knowledge.
The ability to prioritise high-value work over low-value tasks.
Relying on compounding processes for long-term results.
The capacity to effectively communicate your value: what are you selling? Learn to persuade fast.
Learning from as many smart people as possible in a short time.
If you want to outperform 90% of the people, be consistent for as long as possible: it’s the fastest way to get results.
90% of people can’t focus long enough: mastering your attention and concentration skills will 10x your results.
Playing the long finite game but focusing on small daily wins.
The ability to quickly change thinking hats to work better with others.
Listening more than you speak: active listening means a lot. “When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” — Ernest Hemingway.
The capacity to measure progress and do more of what works.
Considering the first, second and third-order consequences of actions.
Lifelong learning mindset: an open mind to learn and improve.“Learning how to learn is life’s most important skill.” — Tony Buzan
The ability to synthesise many skills to achieve a long term goal.
Cross-domain knowledge will help you connect ideas better.
Respecting the brilliant ideas of people from different backgrounds.
Pragmatic optimism: combining hope and the realistic approach to solving life and career goals.
Knowing when to be rational, objective and when to show empathy.
Expressing yourself clearly: You need this skill to share your opinions, thoughts, and ideas fully.
Never underestimate the importance of the tools you use for work: they can save time. Upgrade them when necessary.
Compounding productivity is learning to ignore 1001 things and knowing how to choose tasks.
Maintaining a beginner’s mindset: don’t stop questioning the obvious.
The ability to replace “perfect” with “good enough”.
The ability to know when to double down your efforts and when to quit.
Skills like integrity and humility are masters, but they are crucial for long-term success.
Ego kills potential: master it to connect better with others.
The ability to narrow your focus: don’t be all things to all businesses.
The willingness to dig deeper into your personal monopoly will make you an expert.
Repeating or doubling down on what works, even when it feels unconventional.
Email is a time suck: learning to ignore urgent but unimportant emails will save you a ton of time for high-priority work.
Asking for what you want is a skill.
Loving what you do and doing what you enjoy will accelerate progress.
Respecting the downside as much as you respect the upside. Long-term success is not linear — failure is part of the journey.
The ability to take responsibility for your growth — self-directed learning is a superpower in the age of knowledge abundance.
Learning to take a break more often helps you make better progress. Respect your downtimes as much as your uptimes.
Action is the antidote to overthinking — when in doubt, ship good enough ideas and gather feedback for the next iteration.
Managing the many distractions thrown at you is a vital skill in our information-rich world.
Acknowledging your ignorance but striving to improve your knowledge will equip you with the skills you need for the next sprint.
Identifying the most critical daily commitments you need to make progress every week. How you spend your time defines the size of your success.
Black Friday weekend offer: 50% off everything: use code: PBF50
The Deep Life Library — All the content you love in one place. Deep life and career chapters for high performance. Audiobooks and actionable ideas for improving all areas of your life.
Mental Wealth Toolbox — Learn practical psychology, economics and philosophy concepts, laws and principles for thinking clearly. Daily emails of bite-size brain food to better understand the world and make informed life decisions.
Philosophy For Modern Life — Great philosophers’ answers to life’s big questions. Quick, effortless insight for a successful life.
Learning Toolbox — Tools drawn from neuroscience to enhance learning and improve knowledge retention. Invaluable learning techniques used by experts to acquire skills faster.
Thinking Toolbox — Timeless cognitive tools for all walks of life. Restructure your mind with a set of thinking tools. Improve your decision-making in life, business, and investments.
Lifestyle Philosophies For a Good Life — Self-improvement from around the world. The most important Japanese, Scandinavian and ancient Greece lifestyle philosophies for a becoming a better human.
Books: Deep Thinking, Habits That Determine 80% of Your Success, Rules For a Better Life, Productive by Design, Kaizen Habits book.
Use code PBF50 at any checkout.
Complete access to:
Thinking Toolbox (mental models for a successful life) accessible forever from any device). Timeless thinking tools from people who have figured out the best reasoning models for life.
Mental Wealth Toolbox — Learn practical psychology, economics and philosophy concepts, laws and principles for thinking clearly.
All my past and future essays on all the topics you like in your inbox.
Free ebooks.
The best essays on the internet to supercharge your life.
Thanks for reading!
To our common journey,
Until next week,
Thomas