From: alexhormozi
To become more productive, consider entering a “season of no” [00:00:00]. This concept, though not permanent, involves a period of intense focus on what matters most [00:00:21]. It can range from three months to three years [00:00:23].
The Philosophy of “No”
Warren Buffett famously stated that the difference between successful and “really successful” people is that the latter say no to almost everything [00:00:04]. Similarly, Steve Jobs emphasized that focus is not about saying yes to the thing you’re working on, but about saying no to a hundred other good ideas [00:03:07]. He was as proud of the things they hadn’t done as the things they had [00:03:17]. Innovation, therefore, is about saying no to a thousand good ideas [00:03:28].
Benefits of a “Season of No”
Periods of significant business growth often coincide with a “season of no” [00:00:13]. Saying no allows you to remain focused on your primary objective, preventing smaller distractions from derailing long-term success [00:01:16]. Not having achieved a major goal years later makes it less likely that early opportunities will still be available [00:01:24]. Success attracts more opportunities, but saying no to less aligned ones ensures focus on the main thing [00:03:35].
The speaker’s $50 million exit was built during a season of no [00:01:37]. If that growth hadn’t occurred due to saying yes to many small things, those connections might not still exist [00:01:47]. Saying yes to others can be seen as withdrawals from your personal energy account, while saying no acts as a deposit into your “gold account” [00:02:29].
What to Say No To
During a season of no, consider limiting or eliminating:
- Friends and Social Events: The speaker admits to being extreme, even saying no to friends and not attending events for a paid group they paid $35,000 a year to be in [00:00:30].
- Alcohol: They stopped drinking entirely [00:00:41].
- Opportunistic “Yeses”: As your business grows, attractive opportunities will arise, like equity deals [00:03:35]. However, these one-off relationships can lead to inefficiency and divert focus from the main venture [00:03:54]. An investor might see such a diversified, unfocused business as indicating an undisciplined entrepreneur [00:04:07].
- Work Below Your Pay Grade: CEOs or high-level individuals should avoid spending significant time (e.g., 10-15 hours a week) on tasks others can do, even if it’s less than 40 hours [00:05:06]. Outsourcing such tasks allows you to focus on higher-value activities [00:05:26].
- Family Obligations: While controversial, family obligations are choices, not assumptions [00:05:38]. Prioritizing your dream might mean less frequent communication or risking disapproval from family members [00:05:54]. You must allow others’ dreams for you to die so your own dream can live [00:06:13]. People, including family, often try to mold you into a version that best serves them [00:06:19]. Attempting to pursue both their goals and yours often results in achieving neither [00:06:30]. Achieving a long-term goal, like a happy and successful life, requires saying no in the short term for a long-term yes [00:06:43].
- Business Contacts and Interruptions: Quick calls or “catching up” requests consume more than just the call time. They involve preparation, post-call reflection, and mental switching costs [00:07:09]. Research suggests that switching between tasks makes you four times less productive [00:07:23].
Reframing “No” for Success
You need to “trick your brain” into perceiving a “no” as a “yes” to the most important thing [00:01:01]. If you achieve a really big thing in three to five years, many doors will open [00:01:09]. Saying no to trivial requests in the short term preserves the ability to achieve the main goal, ensuring those doors remain open [00:01:16].
Practical Application
- Warren Buffett’s Goal Strategy: Write down your 25 top life goals, then circle the top five. Discard the other 20; they are distractions [00:02:38]. During a season of no, dedicate all effort to the single most important goal among those top five [00:02:53], while doing the minimum required for the others not to move backward [00:02:58].
- Focus on Sacrifice, Not Just To-Do Lists: Instead of solely creating long to-do lists, list the things you are willing to sacrifice for your goal [00:08:24]. Successful people aren’t necessarily doing things you aren’t; they are choosing to say no to more activities than you are [00:08:41].
- Create an Environment of No Distractions: To be truly productive, eliminate any space for other activities to occur [00:09:23]. As Jerry Seinfeld described his writing process, he didn’t force himself to write, but during his allocated time block, he was allowed to do nothing else but write, even if it meant sitting bored [00:09:00]. Changing your environment to enforce focus is often easier than changing yourself [00:09:33].
By saying no to everything else, the only thing left is the work in front of you [00:08:47]. This dedicated focus is crucial for achieving significant goals [00:04:19].