How to make your mark on 2026 before it ends

The Power of the Final Sprint [0:00]

• With 99 days left in the year, there's a significant opportunity to make a mark and achieve year-end goals.
• This period is framed as a crucial "sprint" requiring focused effort, much like an athlete's performance in the final quarter of a game.
• The core message encourages self-reflection on whether one has truly "made their mark" on the year and urges action in the remaining time.

  "And 99 days might sound like a short amount of time, but that's an eternity. You can make so much happen in 99 days."

Rethinking Time Management [1:05]

• The concept of "quarters" for goal setting is critiqued, suggesting months or even weeks are more effective time increments.
• The idea is that the way we measure time influences how we use it, with shorter intervals encouraging more compact and efficient work.
• This aligns with Parkinson's Law, which states that work expands to fill the time available, implying that shrinking the container (time) can lead to more focused output.

  "The time that something takes is often dictated by like the increments that we measure them in."

The Jewish New Year Advantage [1:55]

• A humorous observation is made about the Jewish New Year falling in September, giving Jewish friends a perceived "head start" on New Year's resolutions and year-end reflection.
• This highlights how cultural or calendar-based resets can influence goal-setting and personal accountability.

  "So Rosh Hashanah, I can't even say it correctly. That was in September. And so I'm like, dude, you guys have like three months head start in terms of New Year's resolutions and like reflecting on your year."

Systems Over Weaknesses [3:00]

• The speaker shares a philosophy that it's difficult to turn weaknesses into strengths; instead, the focus should be on creating systems where weaknesses cannot manifest.
• An example is given: prepaying for a trainer to ensure workouts happen, even if self-motivation is low.
• This approach emphasizes external accountability and structure to achieve desired outcomes.

  "So like, for example, if you don't work out, you're like, well, I'm never going to be self-motivated, but if I prepay for this trainer to show up at my home, like I'm still going to be lazy, but like they're going to, I just have to do this."

The CEO Feedback Loop [3:45]

• A system is described with a co-founder, Joe, where most daily interactions are personal, with only one 45-minute, pre-written session per week dedicated to business feedback and improvements.
• This structured approach prevents constant complaining and allows for reflection, often diminishing anger by the time the feedback session arrives.
• The speaker advocates for creating systems to manage personal tendencies, such as a tendency to get easily upset.

  "And so because of that, I'll like see something and get pissed off and I'll be like six days later when we talk about it, I'm like, I'm not actually that angry."

Planning a New IRL Event [4:30]

• The speaker plans to create one more in-person (IRL) event before the end of the year, recognizing the increasing value of physical interactions in a digital world.
• This new event aims to be similar in spirit to their successful basketball event, Hoop Group, but less exclusive.
• The goal is to build community and network around shared interests, expanding beyond a niche audience.

  "So I want to create one more IRL event. We have Hoop Group, which is our basketball event that we do once a year. And I want to create a second."

Event Planning Under Pressure [5:15]

• Despite not having a concept for the new event yet, the speaker expresses confidence in executing it before year-end, challenging the conventional notion that more time is needed.
• This confidence stems from a belief that ideas and decisions can be made rapidly, and that constraints can drive innovation.
• The speaker contrasts their approach with professional event planners who might deem the timeline insufficient.

  "And I don't even have the concept yet. So that's okay. But, you know, how long does an idea take? Like that's how long an idea takes, right?"

The Database of Success [6:00]

• At age 24, the speaker methodically tracked approximately 50 highly successful individuals, compiling data on their birth year, apprenticeship start, first success, and breakthrough year.
• This research, combined with stories of their journeys, was compiled into a database that significantly impacted the speaker's own path.
• HubSpot later resurfaced and enhanced this database, making it available for free download.

  "I created a spreadsheet where I tracked roughly 50 people who were uber successful. And I looked at the year that they were born, the year that they started their apprenticeship, and then the year that they started the first thing that made them successful, finally, the year that they broke through."

The Genesis of "The Hustle" [7:20]

• The speaker's previous company, "The Hustle," began as an event series that provided income, allowing for breaks, before evolving into a newsletter.
• The first event, HustleCon, was conceived and executed in about six weeks, charging $300 with approximately 350 attendees.
• The event's success was partly attributed to its "scrappy entrepreneur" vibe, which aligned with the "off-brand" nature of a polished, luxurious presentation.

  "The first event that I hosted, I'm going to try and get the dates correctly. The event happened, I think on July 1st, I started working on it on May 15th. So it was roughly six weeks."

The Power of Constraints [8:40]

• Constraints, such as time and money, are identified as crucial drivers of creativity and success.
• The speaker's events are intentionally not for profit, forcing a focus on creating something exceptionally valuable and fun that they would personally pay to host.
• This constraint eliminates numerous possibilities and channels energy into developing unique and meaningful experiences.

  "And so the constraint, so using the constraint of what's an event so good I would pay, I would pay to host it is what's led us to creating, you know, some very unique events so far."

The Jelly Bean Jar Experiment [9:45]

• A story is shared about investor Joel Greenblatt placing a jar of jelly beans in front of an audience and asking for estimates of the count.
• The average guess from 100 independent estimates was remarkably close to the actual number (1,776 beans, with an average guess of 1,771).
• However, when participants heard others' guesses before stating their own, the average estimate became wildly inaccurate (around 900), demonstrating the negative impact of groupthink.

  "The average of this group of 100 people was incredibly close. Um, but he doesn't tell them how close they were."

The Stock Market Analogy [10:30]

• The jelly bean experiment is likened to the stock market, where independent analysis can lead to good results, but listening to external noise (news, analysts, ticker trends) often leads to poor decisions.
• True investment success, like accurate estimation, comes from independent thinking and analysis rather than conforming to popular opinion.
• This highlights the difficulty of maintaining independent judgment in markets influenced by collective sentiment.

  "And they look at the ticker and it's going down. I guess it's bad. And then it's going up. Ah, I got to get in. And so it's going to go higher."

Managing Internal Dialogue [11:30]

• The speaker discusses being easily influenced and the challenge of managing internal thoughts, referencing the book "Untethered Soul."
• The concept of treating thoughts as a "roommate" is introduced: acknowledging them without necessarily acting on them or identifying with them.
• The practice of asking "Why am I thinking this?" is suggested as a way to gain self-awareness and distance from intrusive thoughts.

  "And so if you were to have a roommate that said you totally screwed that up, you suck. Like that was not good what you did."

The Five Voices in Your Head [13:00]

• A theory of "five voices" in the head is presented, similar to the movie "Inside Out," representing different internal archetypes.
• These include the "critic" (pushing for more), the "mother" (protective and safety-oriented), and others.
• The goal is to quiet these voices to access the true self, which desires and knows what it wants.

  "The first one is the critic. And the critic is like David Goggins in your head. You're never enough for him."

Six Thinking Hats and Creative Roles [14:45]

• The "Six Thinking Hats" framework by Edward de Bono is discussed as a method for structured thinking and productive conversations.
• Each hat represents a different mode of thinking (facts, optimism, caution, creativity, emotion, process management).
• This technique allows individuals or teams to deliberately adopt different perspectives, leading to more comprehensive and effective decision-making.

  "And like, when you're having a discussion, you're like, okay, I hear what you're saying. Can you go ahead and like, tell me like, if you were an optimist, what would you say about this idea?"

The Two Minds of a Creator [15:45]

• Jerry Seinfeld's concept of "two minds" for creators is explored: the childlike mind for free play and the ruthless editor for refinement.
• The childlike mind is essential for overcoming initial fear and getting ideas down on paper without self-censorship.
• The editor's role comes later, to trim, refine, and improve the initial output.

  "So he talks about how you need the childlike mind at the beginning who's just going to grab a crayon and just scribble."

The "Too Hard" Pile and Notebook Systems [17:30]

• Warren Buffett's "too hard pile" is mentioned as a strategy for managing investment decisions, acknowledging that not every opportunity can be thoroughly analyzed.
• Zach Dell's system of using separate notebooks for "working in the business" (daily tasks) and "working on the business" (strategic planning) is highlighted.
• The speaker shares their own system of three notebooks: a five-year journal for feelings and gratitude, one for content ideas, and one for daily tasks and problem-solving.

  "He's like, you should be able to pretty quickly figure out the five that are very interesting, probably like, you know, good, good no-brainer things to do."

The "Muddy Water" Analogy for Creativity [19:30]

• The process of creation is likened to turning on an old bathtub: the initial water is brown and muddy, representing raw, unrefined output.
• Most people stop when they see the muddy water (fear of bad output), but those who persevere and let the water run eventually get clear water (quality output).
• Consistent practice, like keeping the water running daily, ensures that when inspiration strikes, the system is already warmed up and producing clear results.

  "But a few people are like, they leave the water running. And sure enough, it's brown, it's brown, it's brown, it's brown. And then eventually it starts to, little spurts of clear come out."

The Newhouse Dynasty and Media Empire [21:30]

• The story of Sam Newhouse and Advance Publishing is detailed, illustrating a long-term, disciplined approach to business.
• Newhouse built a vast media empire (including Reddit, GQ, Vogue, Iron Man) by focusing on selling ads, controlling costs, and consistently acquiring newspapers.
• He operated with minimal overhead, often working from a briefcase and relying on handshake deals, demonstrating a commitment to his core business model.

  "His whole shtick is basically, he bought this newspaper and he goes into it with a few things in mind. The first thing he's like, look, we're just here to sell ads."

Sticking to Your Lane [24:30]

• A key takeaway from the Newhouse story is the importance of understanding and staying true to your core business and mission.
• The family's later diversification into magazines and digital media was driven by a desire for prestige, but the foundation was always in advertising and cost control.
• The analogy is drawn to podcasting: deciding whether to cover niche topics or broaden to more popular but potentially less aligned subjects.

  "And you know what you are and you know what you are, it can really work a lot better than pretending to be something else."

Understanding the "Job to Be Done" [25:30]

• The importance of understanding why an audience engages with a product or service is emphasized.
• For a podcast, the "job to be done" might not be direct business acquisition, but rather entertainment, inspiration, or the fantasy of exploring business ideas.
• Recognizing this core value allows for better product development and marketing.

  "And for some reason, hearing about this dude's old newspaper business and how he was a traveling, you know, traveling in his car, checking on each HQ and how he took a simple idea seriously and he stuck with it for a hundred years."

Brand Identity and Customer Perception [26:30]

• Examples of brands like Jaguar and Nike are used to illustrate the dangers of straying from core brand identity.
• Jaguar's rebrand, perceived as misaligned with its traditional "manly man" image, alienated customers.
• Nike's stock decline is partly attributed to a shift away from celebrating "greatness" towards broader, less aspirational messaging, which diluted its premium brand value.

  "And so like, they started having like all these like body positives. So it's like, all right, there's a fat person wearing Nike. Great."

Turning Adversity into Content [28:30]

• A personal story is shared about the speaker's sister-in-law who, while pregnant, was diagnosed with breast cancer.
• Instead of succumbing to despair, she decided to create TikToks documenting her experience, turning a difficult situation into content.
• This approach gained significant traction, demonstrating resilience and the power of sharing one's story, even in the face of extreme hardship.

  "I'm 30 years old. I'm pregnant and I have cancer. And like, here's my workout today."

Identity and Labeling [29:30]

• A suggestion is made to reframe the sister-in-law's narrative from "pregnant and have cancer" to "expecting mom and future cancer survivor."
• The idea is that the labels and identities we adopt, especially as content creators, can become self-fulfilling prophecies.
• Choosing empowering labels, like "survivor," can influence one's outlook and long-term trajectory.

  "I think the words matter. The label you put on yourself, the identity, especially as a content creator, you, there's this weird thing where the more public you are about an identity, the harder it is to ever switch it."

The "Zombie Email" Strategy [31:00]

• A past marketing tactic used by "The Hustle" involved sending "zombie emails" to re-engage inactive subscribers.
• These emails confessed deep, dark secrets, assuming no one was reading them, which surprisingly led to high open rates and re-engagement.
• This illustrates the effectiveness of unconventional and honest communication to capture attention and build connection.

  "So emails who have never opened the email ever before, uh, to re-engage them. And it was like, Hey, I'm sending this email because according to our records, you've never opened an email, which gives me an opportunity right now to explain some of my deepest, darkest secrets because no one's reading this."

Tales from the House [32:00]

• A humorous anecdote is shared about a wife's extreme anxiety over house cleanliness when guests arrive, particularly a friend's child who has a habit of hiding in random rooms.
• The story details the frantic "emergency clean mode" and the wife's mortification as the friend's child explores the house, culminating in finding the child in a closet.
• This illustrates the relatable stress of unexpected social situations and the desire to present a perfect facade.

  "And so she's just making excuses while he's opening up every closet, every drawer looking under the beds, like everywhere."