2x2: Why start small?

Hello friends. Welcome to this week's edition of the 2x2 newsletter. The Friday email for leaders and thinkers who want to manage their tasks, time, and ideas better. Enjoy! Check this out 1: [Onyx Coffee Advent Calendar]( These guys have become my favorite coffee roaster (I get beans delivered weekly via my Crema subscription). And they’ve got an Advent Calendar with 24 mini coffee bags — one for each day in December leading up to Christmas. 2: [The History of Digital Nomads]( One issue regarding the rise of being a digital nomad and also being an employee is the naïve disposition of most companies to assume that in order to get high-quality and high-value work out of their employees they must have an extreme amount of control over their employees. That’s a lazy point of view. As any good parent knows the more you try to control your children the less they actually learn healthy behavior and responsibility. The tighter grip you have, the more they slip away. If you want high-value and high-quality work from your employees, don’t control them. Instead, give your team a clear direction and the resources to pursue the goal. Your lack of a strong vision and a clear direction cannot be made up for by trying to have a strong tight grip of control. ([This is totally solvable, btw.]() Something to think about 1: Why start small: Delight, to duty, back to delight again When you begin a new habit and you’ve started taking action, only commit to it for 30 days or so. And then commit for another 30 days. Then commit for 90 days. Then commit for 6 months. At first, it’ll be fun. But then it will be hard and mundane. If you start out by committing to do something for the rest of your life you’ll never make it. And how many people can say they woke up at 5:00 am every day for their entire life? Seasons change, needs change, things change, you change. So your daily habits will change, too, and that’s okay. Start with something you know you can do. And then do it again. And again. Not only is this more realistic, it also is a way to build up trust with yourself. You will feel confident deciding to get up early every day for the next six months because you already did it for 30-days in a row. 2: To fight for margin is to fight for your values Someone with no financial margin — who lives paycheck to paycheck — cannot be extremely generous or philanthropic with their finances. No matter how much they want to. When your life and schedule are completely overwhelming and out of control, you have no breathing room; no margin to spend with loved ones, respond to important requests, or to simply be present in the moment. As you restore margin in your life, you will be able to better serve and love those around you. Margin enables healthier relationships and deeper interactions with your friends and family. Margin enables you to live out your values. * * * — Shawn P.S. [So close.]( [In-Depth App Training for Power Users]( To unsubscribe, click [here](. Blanc Media, 714 Main St., Grandview, MO 64030, United States