Serendipity Buffers, Knowledge v Wisdom, & More

Pick two to sharpen your thinking today:

• Makes-You-Think Tweet: CEO’s most critical skill
• Mind-Expanding Concept: serendipity buffers
• Cool Quote or Question: knowledge v wisdom
• High-Signal Content: multi-layered calendars

Makes-You-Think Tweet

Mind-Expanding Concept

Serendipity Buffers

Buffers can be the difference between a hiccup and a serious problem.

Savings that cover several months of expenses allows us to find a new job. Leaving 15 minutes earlier will prevent us from being late for an important meeting. Leaving a healthy distance from the car in front gives us enough time to react in an abrupt break.

Having a buffer is putting aside resources to be used when a situation requires more resources than normal, without incurring serious consequences. That's how we normally think about it, in the context of protecting from the downside. But they can also be the key to unlock the upside.

To find and seize opportunities, we need resources

We use time, energy, and money to find and act on opportunities.

Let's say you want to invest in real estate. First, you search. You talk to real estate agents, look up past deals, and talk to friends in the space. Then, after finding the right property at an attractive price, you must (surprise) pay for it. You invest your hard-earned savings with the expectation of having a healthy return in a few years.

If you didn't have the time and energy to do your research, chances are you wouldn't have found a great deal. And if you didn't have the money to invest, well, then there's definitely no deal. There's no way out: we have to pay the blind to play the hand.

Great opportunities rarely land on our laps. We must seek them. But how can we increase the likelihood of spotting and acting on opportunities?

Create and use a serendipity buffer

Create a buffer by foregoing consumption: have some slack in your calendar, put money aside, and save some energy. Then, use it: roam, explore, observe, engage.

Follow your interests while increasing your luck surface area and searching for asymmetric bets. How to put it into practice? Do a project for free for someone you admire. Cold call people that you want to chat with. Put some money into a new type of asset to learn how it works. Write and share your ideas online. Start a book club. Don't worry if it doesn't seem useful or if the returns are not clear. Let the serendipity kick in.

A buffer is useful because it creates space so we can adapt to what we can't predict. The beauty of it is that it also leaves room for exploration.

Cool Quote or Question

High-Signal Content

“….note-taking, email, task management, and time management (…) are actually not that clear-cut. In fact, they all heavily overlap. Notes are just emails to your future self. Emails are just tasks. And tasks are just calendar events.”

See you next week,

Filipe