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- May 1, 2011
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I recently spent some time in Warsaw, the capital of Poland. As the biggest Polish city, it has the most money and the richest inhabitants but also the highest population density and the worst traffic jams.
The perspective of making a fortune draws ambitious people in, the big city living drives the burned-out away.
On a Monday morning, with forecasted summer-like weather (rare for the beginning of April), I set an alarm clock to wake up early and drive with my girlfriend 2.5 hours to a national park we’ve never been to.
As we left our apartment, we ended up right away in a big traffic jam, and then another. The drivers weren’t particularly courteous. Everyone was fighting to cut a minute or two off their commute.
It took us over 30 minutes to get out of the city when it would normally take 5 minutes. Then we finally left the city limits and saw a monstrous traffic jam in the opposite direction. Thousands of cars were stuck there, each driver forced to wait up to an hour just to get into Warsaw and end up in another traffic jam in the city itself.
As I watched the cars, a sense of gratitude washed over me. I woke up early not to be stuck in that traffic jam on the way to work but to drive to a national park on a random Monday, on a rare for April day with perfect weather.
2.5 hours later we arrived in the national park. On our first trail of the day we passed only one couple. My girlfriend later told me that it was a famous Polish stand-up comedian and his girlfriend (I don’t know anything about Polish celebrities). This would explain why they could afford to be there on that random Monday morning, too. They were Fastlaners as well.
Other than that, we had the entire place to ourselves:
It was one of the best days of this year for me. I couldn’t stop being grateful, if not giddy, that there I was, enjoying warm sun, blooming flowers, and sounds of nature on a day where in an alternate reality I’d be stuck in that traffic jam, hating my life, missing out on that perfect weather.
It made me realize that the primary reason I get to enjoy this specific reality is one thing in particular: I always optimize everything for time.
Seeking time freedom is what initially attracted me to pursue entrepreneurship. This is also why the concept of hitting the Fastlane is so magical for me. Once you hit it, you can have all the time in the world. I’m not so much interested in entrepreneurship as I am in having free time and location freedom. Entrepreneurship is just a tool.
If getting extra money means not having time, then I’d rather have time than money. I see no point in being wealthy if you don’t have time (or health, for which you also need time) to enjoy it.
For me, nothing beats the enjoyment of having an empty calendar and spontaneously filling it the way I want. This is why I’m extremely picky with businesses I choose and why I settled on solopreneurship (I’m aware that you may get to enjoy the same if you’re good at delegation).
James Clear once tweeted:
Granted, not everyone wants to optimize for time. There are people who prefer money over time, status over time, purpose over time, or another thing entirely. There’s nothing wrong with that as long as you’re pursuing exactly what you want more of in your life. I'm pretty sure that some of the people in that traffic jam were ecstatic to go to work and fill their day with meaningful work.
I’m not saying that my way is the only way. People have different priorities at different stages of life. If I were broke, I’d most likely optimize less for time and more for money.
Yet, it’s important to be clear about your priorities.
If you want more free time, then commit to having more time even if it means losing some money. Perhaps you won’t ever hit that status badge of an 8-figure company but in return, you’ll get more time with your spouse, kids, or time to explore your own passions.
If you want more money, accept that you’ll most likely lose some of that free time. Be clear how much time you’re willing to invest and when it’ll be too much. Of course, exceptions do exist; delegation is one of them. I'm not saying that it's all black and white and that more money always equals less time. But some levels of wealth are reserved for those who can dedicate most of their waking hours to their businesses.
Just be aware there’s a big trap for those who have already hit the Fastlane. James Clear recently tweeted the following:
Again, if wealth is your priority, whether you’re only getting started or have been growing your empire for many years already, then that’s completely fine.
But if you’re pursuing the Fastlane to enjoy your lifestyle, I’d suggest taking a day off, driving past the traffic jams and heading to the nearest national park (or any other nice place) to enjoy one of the very few days we were given on this Earth.
For an average person, consistently prioritizing money over time is not only a bad trade. It’s a horrible one that you’ll regret on your deathbed. You can always make more money when needed but you can never make more time when you most desire it. As Felix Dennis once put it:
The perspective of making a fortune draws ambitious people in, the big city living drives the burned-out away.
On a Monday morning, with forecasted summer-like weather (rare for the beginning of April), I set an alarm clock to wake up early and drive with my girlfriend 2.5 hours to a national park we’ve never been to.
As we left our apartment, we ended up right away in a big traffic jam, and then another. The drivers weren’t particularly courteous. Everyone was fighting to cut a minute or two off their commute.
It took us over 30 minutes to get out of the city when it would normally take 5 minutes. Then we finally left the city limits and saw a monstrous traffic jam in the opposite direction. Thousands of cars were stuck there, each driver forced to wait up to an hour just to get into Warsaw and end up in another traffic jam in the city itself.
As I watched the cars, a sense of gratitude washed over me. I woke up early not to be stuck in that traffic jam on the way to work but to drive to a national park on a random Monday, on a rare for April day with perfect weather.
2.5 hours later we arrived in the national park. On our first trail of the day we passed only one couple. My girlfriend later told me that it was a famous Polish stand-up comedian and his girlfriend (I don’t know anything about Polish celebrities). This would explain why they could afford to be there on that random Monday morning, too. They were Fastlaners as well.
Other than that, we had the entire place to ourselves:
It was one of the best days of this year for me. I couldn’t stop being grateful, if not giddy, that there I was, enjoying warm sun, blooming flowers, and sounds of nature on a day where in an alternate reality I’d be stuck in that traffic jam, hating my life, missing out on that perfect weather.
It made me realize that the primary reason I get to enjoy this specific reality is one thing in particular: I always optimize everything for time.
Seeking time freedom is what initially attracted me to pursue entrepreneurship. This is also why the concept of hitting the Fastlane is so magical for me. Once you hit it, you can have all the time in the world. I’m not so much interested in entrepreneurship as I am in having free time and location freedom. Entrepreneurship is just a tool.
If getting extra money means not having time, then I’d rather have time than money. I see no point in being wealthy if you don’t have time (or health, for which you also need time) to enjoy it.
For me, nothing beats the enjoyment of having an empty calendar and spontaneously filling it the way I want. This is why I’m extremely picky with businesses I choose and why I settled on solopreneurship (I’m aware that you may get to enjoy the same if you’re good at delegation).
James Clear once tweeted:
Granted, not everyone wants to optimize for time. There are people who prefer money over time, status over time, purpose over time, or another thing entirely. There’s nothing wrong with that as long as you’re pursuing exactly what you want more of in your life. I'm pretty sure that some of the people in that traffic jam were ecstatic to go to work and fill their day with meaningful work.
I’m not saying that my way is the only way. People have different priorities at different stages of life. If I were broke, I’d most likely optimize less for time and more for money.
Yet, it’s important to be clear about your priorities.
If you want more free time, then commit to having more time even if it means losing some money. Perhaps you won’t ever hit that status badge of an 8-figure company but in return, you’ll get more time with your spouse, kids, or time to explore your own passions.
If you want more money, accept that you’ll most likely lose some of that free time. Be clear how much time you’re willing to invest and when it’ll be too much. Of course, exceptions do exist; delegation is one of them. I'm not saying that it's all black and white and that more money always equals less time. But some levels of wealth are reserved for those who can dedicate most of their waking hours to their businesses.
Just be aware there’s a big trap for those who have already hit the Fastlane. James Clear recently tweeted the following:
Again, if wealth is your priority, whether you’re only getting started or have been growing your empire for many years already, then that’s completely fine.
But if you’re pursuing the Fastlane to enjoy your lifestyle, I’d suggest taking a day off, driving past the traffic jams and heading to the nearest national park (or any other nice place) to enjoy one of the very few days we were given on this Earth.
For an average person, consistently prioritizing money over time is not only a bad trade. It’s a horrible one that you’ll regret on your deathbed. You can always make more money when needed but you can never make more time when you most desire it. As Felix Dennis once put it:
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