Welcome to another edition of the Introvert Millionaire Habits Newsletter!

This is where you’ll get up-to-date information on habits, productivity, solopreneurship, and financial independence. 

Here is what we’ll cover in today’s issue:

● The 12 Favorite Problems Framework

● 1% Better Life

● What to Do for Major Financial Decisions

● The Value of Content Repurposing

● The Resource Roundup

Let’s get to it…

— SPONSORED AD —

Today is the day!

The Ultimate Goal Getters Summit starts today and will go on until Friday, May 10th.

Each day will showcase speakers who are ready to help you crush your goals and then some.

You can attend the summit for free!

Click here to get more details about the event that starts today.

— END SPONSORED AD —

📈 The 12 Favorite Problems Framework

Whether you’re a solopreneur, single mother, business owner, the CEO of a multinational corporation, teacher, or public servant, you have problems that need to be solved.

The problems we have in our day-to-day lives can make us or break us, and whether we become wounded or wise depends on how we tackle our most pressing troubles.

Fortunately, there are a plethora of ways you can solve problems, and the technique I’m about to share with you can act like a Swiss army knife of troubleshooting while also helping to elevate your thinking in the long term.

It’s something called:

“The 12 Favorite Problems Framework”

This concept comes from the scientist Richard Feynman, a man renowned for his work in physics and his contribution to the Manhattan Project.

His method is simple but brutally effective:

● He asked 12 open-ended questions on interests or challenges he thought about often (which he called his favorite problems).

● The question's purpose is to filter information that can be applied to problems you are facing in the present moment.

● The questions allow for insights and surprising solutions to come from perspectives you may have never thought to combine.

Richard Feynman said that these questions were on the “back burner of his mind” or that they were issues that he was actively solving at the time.

Gian-Carlo Rota (a contemporary of Richard Feynman and a renowned mathematician in his own right) said this:

Sounds like an interesting concept?

If so, here is a simple action plan for implementing this idea.

Step 1: Make it easy to take notes

Get some notepads or use the Notes application on your phone.

Keep the notepad or your Notes app within reach of you at all times.

This means whenever you have an idea you can record it down and this reinforces the behavior of generating ideas and thinking about solutions to problems.

Have one page or folder per question or problem.

For example, you would have a page or folder dedicated solely to “business ideas”.

Step 2: Craft your questions and challenges

The problems and questions have to be both personal and applicable.

Here are some of the questions that Richard Feynman asked - according to this article by Forte Labs.

● How can we ​​measure the probability that a lump of uranium might explode too soon?

● How can we design a large-scale computing system using only basic equipment?

● What is the smallest working machine that can be constructed?

● How could the discoveries of nuclear physics be used to promote peace instead of war?

However, you don’t necessarily need to ask complex questions like this (unless you want to).

The categories and questions that work for you depend on your circumstances.

In other words, your questions should be based on your current challenges.

Step 3: Commit to daily note-taking

Commit to thinking about one or more of your challenges or questions.

Record down the ideas that you have for each category whenever an idea pops in your head.

You don’t need to force yourself to think of ideas for all 12 questions all the time (that will simply turn this process into a chore).

Instead, focus on the category/categories that are most pressing to you at the moment.

This creates an open loop in your mind that allows ideas to come to you and to find inspiration in all sorts of different contexts.

An Example of the 12 Favorite Problems Framework

As I’ve mentioned in previous newsletters, I own and operate multiple online businesses.

So I’m constantly bombarded by challenges and new opportunities. 

When I started to apply this framework to my life, I came up with 12 “favorite problems” that I’m currently thinking about:

1. Goals to set

2. Product ideas

3. Titles & hooks

4. Tweets to write

5. Systems to build

6. Newsletter topics

7. Next action steps

8. Tasks to eliminate

9. Tasks to outsource

10. Fun activities to try

11. Random cool ideas

12. New business ideas

All of these are on a legal notepad that I carry wherever I go. (But when I’m running or doing chores, I often use the Todoist app to quickly record an idea.)

The important thing is I commit to recording whatever idea comes up throughout the day. 

On some days, I have ideas for all 12 categories and on other days I focus on the most important ones.

Over time, I have found that having these open loops in the back of mind helps me come up with a higher number of quality ideas. 

And I think you’ll discover the same thing – if you apply this framework to your life. 

Final Thoughts

Feynman’s 12 Favorite Problems Framework is an excellent thinking tool that anyone can use to generate more ideas, find solutions to problems, and elevate the quality of their thinking.

Feynman used this method to great success in every scientific undertaking he was involved in and it allowed him to see remarkable results in most of his hobbies (including teaching himself to play the drums, pick locks, and decipher Mayan hieroglyphs).

So today, I encourage you to grab a pad of paper and start writing down the current challenges that you’re facing. 

⚙️1% Better Life

I sent a poll in the last newsletter that asked whether you preferred the “Introvert Millionaire Habits” or the “1% Better Life” concept. 

To be honest, the results were mixed. 

Right now, 55.42% respondents prefer the 1% Better Life idea. 

But I’d like to keep running the poll for a while before making a final decision.

So here it is again:

That said, I like the idea of adding a quick section to this newsletter that focuses on a simple concept you can immediately apply to your life.

So here is today’s 1% improvement:

💲Wealth Building Wisdom

“The conversation about extended warranties is over. So let's continue with signing the paperwork or I’m walking out of here.”

This is what I said to the finance guy when I purchased a used car back in 2021. 

The reason I felt confident saying the above is because I did my research about the pitfalls and scams when buying a used car. A major one was to avoid extended warranties at all costs. 

So what’s the reason for mentioning this story?

Well, I feel that an important wealth habit is to do your research before making any major financial decision. 

Like:

● Buying a car

● Buying a house

● Getting married

● Picking a college

● Purchasing an engagement ring

All these purchases can have a critical impact on your wealth. So invest a little time and money learning how to avoid the major pitfalls that trip people up.

It’s like learning any skill:

● Watch a few YouTube videos

● Read a few blog posts and articles

● Spend $20 to $30 buying an Idiots or Dummy’s guide

Do this for a few days and you’ll get a quick crash course on what things to look for with your next purchasing decision. 

💡 Solopreneurship Spotlight

I’d like to talk again about the 12 Favorite Problems Framework from the beginning of today’s newsletter.

While I hope readers will enjoy this article, I also have multiple uses for the content.

I will take the same article and repurpose it a couple of ways. 

It will be:

● Rewritten as a Twitter thread

● Posted as an article on my niche site

● Included in a future course or product

● Turned into a script for a YouTube video

● Chopped up and turned into short-form videos

● Put into a PDF that’s posted as a LinkedIn Carousel

All of the above are important if you run a content-focused solopreneur business.

Not only is it important to create content that your audience values, but it’s equally important to think about other ways to reuse the same content.

To learn more, here is a Twitter thread where I go into detail about the power of content repurposing.

🗂️ The Resource Roundup

🔑 5 Keys to Get the Most out of the Feynman Technique – Scott Young breaks down the Feynman Technique into five key steps, emphasizing the importance of simplifying complex ideas, teaching others, and identifying gaps in understanding. With the Feynman technique, you can enhance your comprehension, retain information more effectively, and master even the most challenging subjects with confidence.

🛑 Stop Saying Sorry at Work – Ever notice how we tend to apologize unnecessarily, even for things that don’t warrant an apology? Our words shape our reality, and constantly saying sorry can subconsciously undermine our confidence. In her LinkedIn post, Jade Bonacolta shares nine common apologies at work and what to say instead.

🙂 How to be happy (no bullshit - just data) – George Mack suggests cutting through the fluff and getting real about happiness by using your own personalized data to design your environment and incentives to maximize joy and minimize negativity.

📺 What’s the Price of a Childhood Turned into Content? – “Sharenting” is when parents share details about their children’s lives on social media. But experts warn that this trend could have serious consequences for kids’ privacy and mental health, prompting parents to reconsider how much they share about their children online to protect their well-being in the digital age.

💤 How Navy Seals Fall Asleep in 2 Minutes – Ever wondered how Navy Seals manage to fall asleep in under two minutes without relying on pills, cold showers, or special glasses? They use the 4-7-8 Method, a simple yet powerful breathing technique designed by Dr. Andrew Weil. In this X thread, Fernando Cao Zheng shares how you can apply this technique.

Well, that’s it for today.

I hope you’re a great start to your week!

Talk soon

Cheers,

Steve Scott 

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are a few ways I can help you:

#1. 90 Days to Your #1 Goal: How to Achieve a Breakthrough Goal in Under 3 Months: Whether it's starting a business, getting in shape, or writing a book, this course is your step-by-step framework to make it happen.

#2. Steve on Twitter: Get up-to-date messages and threads. I publish a few times a day on this platform.

#3. What is Your #1 Challenge?: Are you struggling with something specific? If so, can you take a few minutes to answer this one-question survey. It's a simple question, but your answer is a big deal. This will help me create reports, guides, and free content that tackle your biggest challenges.