6 lessons from 2024

It’s the last day of 2024. 

So much has happened this year – good and bad – and I’ve taken the past few days off to reflect.

So here are my 6 favorite lessons of 2024:

Lesson 1 – How to make money online:

In 2024, my copywriting business took off. This little “writing gig” actually turned into a flourishing and profitable business.

Here’s how I did it (step-by-step):

1. Build a valuable skillset by A) building a brand on social media & practicing in public, B) doing free sample work for clients, C) hiring mentors or joining cohorts to get feedback

2. Start conversations with people you’d like to help by sending DMs, emails, or engaging with their content

3. Ask them about their problems and show them how you can solve them by actually giving helpful advice (don’t expect anything in return)

4. Invite them to jump on a call to ask them even more questions and show them how your service helps them solve their problems

5. Ask them for money & repeat

It all comes down to becoming useful and proving it.

Lesson 2 – Your biggest enemy in life:

4 words: “One day I will ___”

“One day I will be happy” or “One day I will muster up the courage to talk to that girl” is a lie. What you’re experiencing right now is not some sort of prelude to an idyllic future.

No, this is fucking it. This is life.

Lesson 3 – How to get more done in less time:

The biggest struggle for most entrepreneurs is procrastination. We bury ourselves in busy work to avoid what’s actually important.

The solution? Prioritization.

Here’s Tim Ferriss’s brilliant solution: 

Write out all the tasks that stress you out. Pick the one that scares you the most. Ask yourself: “If this were the only thing I got done today, would it be a successful day?” If the answer is yes… spend 3 hours working on that task. 

Bam. Done for the day.

Lesson 4 – Why I ignore 99% of advice:

The internet pushes extremes. Everyone is encouraged to post their most radical takes.

If you’re not careful, this can ruin you.

For example: Some random broccoli head on Twitter recently posted that “you’re a pussy if you take a day off.” The next day I took a day off and I actually felt bad about it – EVEN THOUGH I desperately needed it.

The cure is an idea I’ve dubbed the “Does this apply to me?” razor.

For any piece of advice you receive ask yourself the question: “Does this apply to my situation?”

Lesson 5 – Stupid lizard brain:

If there’s one regret I have this year it’d be this: I worried too much about meaningless things.

“What if I get rejected?”
“Will this giveaway go viral?”
“What if I never sign another client?”

Nowadays, I try to have faith.

Think about it: You’ve always, somehow maneuvered your way through life’s challenges. You’ll continue to do so. Worrying won’t help you with that.

Lesson 6 – The Grandpa Hedge

This is an idea I got from Alex Hormooozi. It’s a simple decision-making/regret minimization framework:

What would you at 85 years old wish you had done here?

It’s astounding how many situations this is helpful for. Big decisions (“Should I move out or stay in my hometown?”) or small decisions (“Should I eat the cookie or the banana?”).

It also helps put things in perspective. Most of the things we grapple with aren’t nearly as important as we think.

Your 85 y/o self will know.

—

2024 was a helluva ride.

Thanks for being a part of my journey. I hope I impacted your life in at least a tiny little way.

Reply to this email with your favorite 2024 lessons. I’d genuinely love to hear about ‘em.

See you next year,

Tim <3