It’s The Best Time Ever to Think Long-Term

When everyone has the same tools, and the tools make everyone faster, the advantage of speed dwindles close to zero. 

Maybe the most savvy thing you can do today is work slower. Get meticulous. Write better. Commit to the big, bold long-term bet.

Become the policy-wonk in an era of 2-minute news cycles. 

Write your book in the era of tweets.

Read dense prose when everything has a snippet and a summary.

Throw a house party when everyone meets online.

Make long-term plans when the future is uncertain.

When results are measured in minutes, look for the challenge that requires years of consistent effort. 

I recently noticed a pattern in my work. When I feel overwhelmed, I look for ways to add systems. I try to optimize. Throw everything in a spreadsheet. Track my time better. Find a better project management system. Swap my existing process for a better one. 

Really, what I need (every single time!) is to simplify. Strip the system to its fundamental parts. Remove steps instead of adding them. Do fewer things with greater focus. 

As long as there is the appearance of an easy road, most people will follow it. And when most people follow the supposedly easy road, it becomes the difficult one.

What does this say about the supposedly arduous path? This might be the best time in history to think long-term, write long-form, and create consistency. You might be the only person left.

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Thanks for reading. I ghostwrite books, op-eds, and investor comms for busy executives.

The picture is from a recent trip to Milan, Italy, for a friend's wedding.