Welcome to the Introvert Millionaire Habits Newsletter!

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

● How to Apply Google’s 20% Rule to Your Life

● What Investment Warren Buffett Recommends After His Death

● My Latest Side Hustle Venture

● The Resource Roundup

Let’s get to it…

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📈 How to Apply Google’s 20% Rule to Your Life

Over the past 10 days, I have been experimenting with TikTok videos.

Why am I bothering with a platform that might be banned in the US?

Well, I’m using TikTok as an opportunity to learn more about what works (or doesn’t work) with short-form video content.

I don’t have any sort of plan.

Instead, I’m just having fun with…tinkering. 

This experiment reminds me of the 20% rule that Google has for their employees. 

So in today’s featured article, I’ll talk about this rule and how to apply it to your life. 

Let’s get to it.

An Overview of Google’s 20% Rule

The 20% rule was introduced by Google for all their employees and simply states that employees spend 20 percent of their working hours on projects that they think will benefit Google the most.

(For more information, check out this article here.)

In essence, this rule allows employees to become more creative and innovative and has given Google tremendous long-term success (including significant advances like Adsense and Google News).

However, this rule can be applied anywhere, for anything, and not just in business.

The core idea here is to spend a small portion of your time to either learn a skill or experiment with an unproven idea.

It’s also unnecessary to focus too much on “20%” other time chunks work just as well - including 5%, 10%, and more.

Here’s how to apply this rule to your life.

Step 1: Pick One Thing

Start by choosing something important to you, this could be any skill that you think gives you an edge in your career, or a technology that you’ve always wanted to learn more about.

(Side note: Don’t know where to get started? Here’s a list of 101 new skills you can learn.)

However, it’s absolutely vital to limit yourself to just one thing at a time.

Leonardo Da Vinci once said:

If you try to learn multiple new skills at once you will be frustrated and won’t make any meaningful progress on any of them.

Step 2: Evaluate Your Time

Google's rule states that 20 percent of all working hours should be used in a 40-hour work. This amounts to around 8 hours working on new projects.

But for someone trying to learn a new skill in their spare time, this might not be practical or even realistic.

If you take a chunk of your leisure time and devote that to the 20% rule you will have a much more realistic amount of time to play with.

For example, if you had 10 hours of leisure time each week you could devote 2 hours of that to learning the “thing” you picked.

All that said, if you’re strapped for time, consider changing the 20% rule to 5% or 10% instead.

The main point:

Just spend a little bit of your free time on learning something new.

Step 3: Lower Expectations

Whatever skill you’ve picked, don’t expect to become an expert overnight.

Google doesn’t demand that the 20% rule delivers super successful projects (even if some have been).

The main point is to practice new skills and be innovative and self-directed.

One way to think about your learning is to think about the long-term benefits of your skill.

Is it something that is helping you face a fear (like public speaking) or is it a more social hobby that allows you to make more friends (like a team sport or other venture)?

Just have fun…tinkering. 

Step 4: Be Flexible

If you’ve allocated a certain amount of time every week and on a given day you can’t do what you need to do, don’t beat yourself up.

If you have 2 or 3 hours each week and simply don’t have an hour on the day you planned, either do half an hour spread across two days or maybe spend 2 hours on one day.

Even if you can’t get all 2 or 3 hours done every week, don’t sweat it, or else you’ll turn what should be something good into a tedious chore.

The main point is that every week you should spend some time that gets you to around your 20% (or 10%).

Step 5: Have Fun

You must make this something that you enjoy and not something that you dread - you can make it enjoyable by focusing on different benefits and not being too results-oriented.

For example - let’s say you took up jogging.

You could think like an athlete and try to constantly improve run times, and think solely about improving your aerobic base, and this will get you fitter faster, but it also might turn jogging into something you hate.

Another way to look at this would be to consider the other benefits:

● Time with nature

● Endorphins from finishing a run

● Time alone to think

● Breaking out of your comfort zone

Instead of thinking solely about improvement (which will happen anyway) look at all the ways you can enjoy what you’re doing.

Step 6: Think Long Term

Thinking too short-term here can be a recipe for burnout.

Think about how the skill you’ve picked to learn will benefit you far into the future and can help keep you grounded and realistic.

It also helps keep you excited about what you’re doing and connects what you’re learning with what you hope to achieve in the future.

You can do this by visualizing what you’ll gain by sticking with something for a year or a few years.

Final Thoughts on the Google’s 20% Rule

It's clear that Google's 20% rule isn't just a quirky company policy—it's a testament to the power of investing in creativity and innovation.

By allowing employees to dedicate a day a week to explore new ideas, Google has not only sparked the creation of products like Gmail and AdSense, but it has also cultivated an environment where thinking outside the box isn't just encouraged, it's expected.

So, what's stopping us from applying a similar principle in our own professional lives?

Whether you're a solo entrepreneur or part of a larger team, consider carving out a slice of your week to pursue a project that fuels your passion or solves a problem in an innovative way.

Who knows?

That 20% could lead to your next big breakthrough.

💲Wealth Building Wisdom

Warren Buffett once famously said:

Now, I've got to tell you…

I used to be all over the place with my investments:

Real estate, dividend stocks, individual stocks—you name it, I tried it.

Unfortunately, it was a lot of hassle and I wasted a lot of time and money that could have been spent growing my business.

Then, I switched gears in 2018 and put everything into total market index funds.

It's like the whole 'don't put all your eggs in one basket' thing, but you're actually spreading them out super smartly across the market.

Plus, it's way easier.

You're not trying to beat the market; you're just cruising along with it.

And guess what?

The index fund strategy is what helped me become financially independent. 

If this sounds interesting to you, then here’s a video by Our Rich Journey about their index fund strategy. (It also happens to be the same one that I personally follow):

💡 Solopreneurship Spotlight

I have to admit that I frequently break Step #1 of Google’s 20% Rule. (i.e. Pick One Thing)

I’ll often explore multiple ideas at once – to see what sticks and what doesn’t.

Another idea I’m exploring is to have my team create digital printables that are sold on the Etsy platform.

As an example, here is a free Habit Tracker printable you can grab from this link.

Now, I am not an Etsy expert. 

But I am having my team go through the E-Printables Side Hustle course.

This course is designed to teach individuals how to create and sell printable products online.

It covers topics such as designing printables, marketing them, and optimizing an Etsy shop to attract customers and generate sales.

I know some people are using this platform to earn a little extra side income, but I’m still testing out this idea.

If you would like to learn more about this side hustle, here’s a free workshop that explains how it all works.

🗂️ The Resource Roundup

🌱 Brutally honest career advice to my younger self – In this podcast episode, Noah Kagan offers candid career advice to his younger self, packed with invaluable insights on taking risks, valuing experiences over titles, and embracing failure as a stepping stone to growth.

🗓️ Why Choose Process Goals? (Over Outcome-Based Goals) – Are you tired of setting goals and never achieving them? In this article, Durmonski asks you to focus on the journey rather than the destination by using process goals in achieving long-term success and personal growth.

🙂 The vorfreude secret: 30 zero-effort ways to fill your life with joy – In this delightful article, the Guardian explores the German concept of "Vorfreude," the joyful anticipation of future pleasures, offering 30 effortless ways to infuse everyday life with happiness.

🧠 The Science of Mental Models – In this article, Scott H. Young explores how mental models help people interpret information, make decisions, and navigate complex situations more effectively.

🗒️ How I keep my notes organized – This article recommends keeping it simple and consistent by using a combination of digital and analog tools to streamline notetaking. Ensure your notes remain accessible and actionable by incorporating categories, color-coding, and regular reviews.

Well, that’s it for today.

Hope you’re having 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.