From: alexhormozi
To significantly improve productivity, consider entering a “season of no” [00:00:00]. As Warren Buffett famously noted, the distinction between successful and truly successful individuals lies in the latter’s ability to decline almost everything [00:00:04]. Periods of substantial growth in business are often linked to these self-imposed “seasons of no” [00:00:11].
While not permanent, a “season of no” is a temporary commitment, lasting anywhere from a few months to several years [00:00:21]. The speaker’s longest such period was three years [00:00:27].
Implementing a “Season of No”
During a “season of no,” individuals must commit to saying “no” to various distractions and non-essential activities, even if it feels difficult [00:00:54]. This intentional prioritization allows for laser focus on core objectives.
Practical Applications of “No”
The speaker’s own “season of no” involved extreme measures to escape poverty and secure early success [00:00:33]:
- Declining social invitations [00:00:43].
- Abstaining from alcohol [00:00:41].
- Even skipping events for a paid group despite paying $35,000 annually [00:00:45].
Reframing “No” as “Yes”
Saying “no” can feel like rejection, but it’s crucial to trick your brain into perceiving it as a “yes” to the most important goal [00:01:01]. By focusing on a single, significant objective, more opportunities will open in the future [00:01:08]. Conversely, allowing numerous small distractions can prevent the achievement of that big goal, potentially closing future doors [00:01:16]. For example, a $50 million business exit was achieved during a “season of no” [00:01:37].
The “Personal Energy Account” Metaphor
The speaker likens saying “yes” to others as a withdrawal from a “personal energy account” and saying “no” as a deposit into a “goal account” [00:02:29]. This metaphor reinforces the idea that conserving energy for one’s primary goal is beneficial.
Prioritization According to Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett’s advice for goal achievement involves a rigorous prioritization process [00:02:38]:
- List 25 top life goals [00:02:40].
- Order them by importance [00:02:45].
- Circle the top five [00:02:47].
- Discard everything else, as only the top five truly matter [00:02:50].
During a “season of no,” the speaker recommends focusing all effort on the single most important goal out of these top five, while maintaining minimum effort on others to avoid regression [00:02:53]. This is analogous to bodybuilding, where one typically focuses on one weakness at a time [00:03:03].
Focus is Saying No
Steve Jobs emphasized that focus isn’t about saying “yes” to the primary task, but rather saying “no” to a hundred other good ideas [00:03:07]. Innovation itself is the act of rejecting a thousand good ideas [00:03:27].
Saying “No” to Opportunities
As a business becomes more successful, it attracts more seemingly attractive opportunities [00:03:35]. However, accepting these “opportunistic yeses” can lead to inefficiency and divert focus from the main objective [00:03:53]. An investor might view an entrepreneur who takes on too many disparate ventures as undisciplined and unable to focus [00:04:07].
Success often eludes people because they either don’t consistently pursue their most important goal, don’t pursue it long enough, or are pursuing the wrong thing entirely [00:04:21]. Even a simple business, like a dry cleaning service, could scale nationwide if pursued for decades without distraction [00:04:33]. The speaker admits that starting a supplement company while running a gym business was a mistake that took focus away from the main endeavor [00:04:56]. This aligns with the theory of constraints, which posits that improving non-bottleneck activities does not improve throughput.
Saying “No” to Below-Grade Work
Entrepreneurs and CEOs must learn to say “no” to tasks that are below their pay grade, even if it incurs short-term cash flow reductions [00:05:06]. Delegating these tasks frees up significant time for higher-value activities that only they can perform, and the delegated tasks are often done better by someone fully focused on them [00:05:17].
Saying “No” to Family Obligations
This is a controversial but necessary “no” [00:05:38]. Family obligations are a choice, not an assumption [00:05:45]. There is a “family trade-off” where one might sacrifice immediate family approval (e.g., “Mr. Big Shot” comments) for achieving the most important goal [00:05:54]. Individuals must allow others’ dreams for them to “die” so their own dream can live [00:06:12]. Trying to satisfy both one’s own goals and others’ expectations often leads to achieving neither [00:06:30]. Short-term “no’s” enable a long-term “yes” to personal success and happiness [00:06:46].
Saying “No” to Business Contacts and Interruptions
Business contacts often initiate seemingly quick calls or messages that, in reality, steal much more than the stated time [00:06:51]. The true cost includes the time spent thinking about the call before and after, and the mental “switching cost” [00:07:11]. Research suggests that switching between two tasks can make a person four times less productive [00:07:23]. Therefore, an interruption can effectively quadruple the time needed to complete one’s own tasks [00:07:44]. While providing value to others is important, it should be a conscious choice [00:07:55].
Cultivating Productivity Through Constraints
If struggling with productivity, consistent behavior and achieving big goals requires considering a “season of no” [00:08:01]. When the speaker was working 80-100 hours a week, he wrote down what he was willing to sacrifice (e.g., football, Netflix) for his goal, rather than just a to-do list [00:08:18]. Successful people aren’t necessarily doing more; they are choosing to say “no” to more activities [00:08:42].
Jerry Seinfeld’s comedy writing routine exemplified this: he would block out time for writing and forbid himself from doing anything else during that period, even if it meant sitting bored [00:08:52]. This deliberate constraint, or creating “no space for anything else to occur,” defaults one into productivity [00:09:23]. To change a behavior, it’s often easier to change the environment to impose constraints than to try and change oneself directly [00:09:32]. This approach highlights perseverance through focused constraint.