28 December 2020
This week's additions focus on mindset, operations, and strategy, with new digests from Deep Questions with Cal Newport, Bill Gallagher, and Noah Kagan. Highlights include Why projects don't belong in your task list — ever Breakdowns happen at handoffs between departments, not inside them
Showing 11 digests for 28 December 2020.
Productivity & habits
Podcast
Cal Newport habit tune-up: tasks vs projects, grad school, and academic research
Deep Questions with Cal Newport
December 31, 2020
Productivity & habits
9
Work-life balance
6
PR & media
5
Why projects don't belong in your task list — ever
Grad school works better when you treat it like a job
Finding the right research problem takes more effort than solving it
Process accountability: fixing breakdowns at departmental handoffs
Bill Gallagher
December 30, 2020
Processes & SOPs
9
Management
5
Breakdowns happen at handoffs between departments, not inside them
One owner plus metrics on a process surfaces root causes fast
PACE framework maps core processes, assigns owners, drives improvements
Adapt or die: how small businesses survive the e-commerce giants
Bill Gallagher
December 30, 2020
Business models
9
Automation & tools
7
Culture building
6
Five platform giants will own all commerce; go in eyes-wide-open.
Shipping software removes costly human decisions, boosting throughput 9x.
Authentic supply chain ownership and worker investment outcompete giants.
Five data-backed business ideas in growing consumer markets
Noah Kagan
December 30, 2020
Niche selection
9
Market research
7
Work in a $100B category — market size compounds in your favour.
Esports coaching already a $1B market with 43% demand growth.
Mushroom kits earn $132K/month on Amazon with almost no competitors.
How process accountability charts fix cross-department breakdowns
Bill Gallagher
December 29, 2020
Processes & SOPs
9
Management
5
Breakdowns happen at handoffs between departments, not inside them
One owner plus clear metrics eliminates cross-functional chaos
A menu of standard options beats infinite sales-team improvisation
Building a marketing-driven swag platform: Slingshot's pricing strategy
Startups For the Rest of Us
December 29, 2020
Business models
8
Pricing strategy
8
Growth hacking
6
Swag becomes a measurable marketing channel when you eliminate fulfillment burden and track post-gift conversions
Full-service model ($5,800 avg campaign) beats print-on-demand by handling design, logistics, and call-to-action tracking
Enterprise clients generate viral loops within organizations once one department discovers the platform
Productivity & habits
YouTube
How to reach inbox zero using the four D's system
Cameron Herold
December 28, 2020
Productivity & habits
9
Processes & SOPs
5
Four D's: delete, delegate, deal with, or drag to a folder
Four deferral folders replace an overflowing inbox permanently
Triage once or twice daily; end every day at inbox zero
How Graham Stephan earns $4.2 million a year from YouTube
Noah Kagan
December 28, 2020
Branding
8
Pricing strategy
7
MVP & prototyping
6
Finance YouTubers earn premium ad rates most creators never see
Dropping merchandise for courses doubled profit without extra work
Document your existing career — that alone can build a $4M business
Productivity & habits
Podcast
Deep Questions Q&A: Productivity systems, career design, and the deep life
Deep Questions with Cal Newport
December 28, 2020
Productivity & habits
9
Deep work & focus
8
Work-life balance
7
Where you live matters more than what job you do.
Your shutdown routine should take five minutes, not an hour.
A good productivity system should become invisible and boring.
Founder interviews
Podcast
Peter Cundill: value investor, adventurer, and relentless self-examiner
Founders
December 28, 2020
Founder interviews
9
Resilience & grit
7
Productivity & habits
6
40 years of daily journals reveal the full inner life of a great investor
One flight, one book, one thunderbolt: how Graham's margin of safety changed everything
Facing paralysis, death, and a pool floor — still choosing to swim
How Janice Bryant Howroyd built a billion-dollar staffing empire from $1,500
How I Built This with Guy Raz
December 28, 2020
Origin stories
10
Identity & self-belief
7
Business models
6
From a $1,500 stake to a billion-dollar workforce empire
Minority certification unlocked corporate contracts she never knew existed
Proprietary technology beat giant incumbents on reporting and speed