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Saltwater crocodiles are some of the world’s most successful stealth predators. They first evolved as we know them today 80 million years ago (and changed very little since then). Having outlived dinosaurs, they’re one of the finest examples of “if it works, don’t change it.”
I had the pleasure of seeing these creatures in the wild. And while I’m generally not afraid of wildlife, standing on a boat just a few feet away from a 18-foot (5-meter) croc does provoke primal fear.
These guys don’t joke around.
If you were to fall into the water, you’d be dead within seconds. Heck, if you were to put your arm outside of the boat, you’d be dead within seconds, too. You wouldn’t even have time to register what was happening.
The jaws of a crocodile snap with 3,690 pounds-force. That’s enough force to crush a bowling ball, a coconut or even a small car engine block. After that snap, the crocodile would pull you underwater to drown you (as if the bite wasn’t enough already).
Now, Am I Playing David Attenborough Here or What’s Going On?
I’m talking about saltwater crocodiles because I’ve found them a great example of… strategic laziness.
Salties are opportunists. They spend most time doing nothing.
You may see a saltwater crocodile basking on the bank of a river and two hours later it’ll still be there. Maybe it would jump into the water to cool off a little only to return to the same spot.
Crocodiles can go months without food and be perfectly fine.
But give the crocodile an opportunity, be it a wild pig, a buffalo, or a
SNAP.
You won’t even see it coming. Large crocodiles can stay hidden even in knee-deep water.
And here’s where things get even more interesting.
A saltwater crocodile can’t digest an entire big prey (like that brave tourist) right away. It’ll eat what it can (an arm here, a leg there) and store the rest.
While the poor tourist is rotting, his body will attract scavengers such as turtles and mud crabs. And they in turn will provide the crocodile with a fresh supply of food (it’s equally fine eating humans as turtles or crabs).
Passive
Do the Work That Keeps Working For You Once It’s Done
In his interview with Tim Ferriss, James Clear talks about “the work that keeps working for you once it's done.” Entrepreneur can benefit from a little bit more of strategic laziness, much like the saltwater crocodile. Hunt once, get more food without extra work.
Of the busiest people I know, their biggest problem is that they rarely, if ever, do work that keeps working for them once it’s done. Whether it’s a day job or a business that generates active income only, every day you’re starting from zero.
As a lazy person who absolutely LOVES optimization, I’ve never liked this approach. Hence, I’ve had most success with mimicking the saltwater crocodile’s approach. Do nothing, pounce when an opportunity presents itself, and use the opportunity to create more opportunity.
For example, I’m still making money from books I published in 2014. I’m still making money from courses I created by reusing the content from my books. I’m still making money from translations of my books. The content I wrote years ago for my autoresponder series is still being sent to new subscribers daily and still sells my products.
And I still have these assets, ready to be turned into new income streams (work in progress).
Content is one way to do the work that keeps working for you once it’s done. But there are also other tools.
Strengthening the relationships with your existing clients is one way to secure more opportunities without heavily increasing your workload.
Business models with recurring income (whether through subscriptions, consumables, or other vehicles) are another way to be more like a saltwater crocodile.
Building a referral system in which you reward your customers for referring new ones is another option. In one of the most notable examples of recent years, this one strategy alone was largely responsible for the success of The Hustle, sold between $25 to $30 million.
Using AI is an emerging way to do the work that keeps working for you. Autonomous AI agents in particular seem to be fascinating and extremely powerful tools that may keep creating value long after you enter your prompt.
In a world where hustle culture and constant busyness are often glorified, the saltwater crocodile offers a time-tested lazy take on how to be successful.
By embodying strategic laziness, these opportunistic predators have managed to thrive for millions of years without constantly exerting themselves Gary Vee style.
Entrepreneurs can learn from their example by focusing on work that keeps working for them once it's done. Just don’t eat the rotting meat.
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