Monthly roundup: best book, movies, most useful video, the skill I worked on, a hypothesis, a habit, and the month's key insight. December 2024.
1) Best book
“No Rules Rules” by Reed Hastings. A practical guide for anyone running a business. The book covers Netflix’s unique corporate culture.
2) Movies and shows
Enjoyed “Rebel Ridge” and “How to Hack a College Exam.” Of the shows, “The Day of the Jackal” really got me.
3) Most useful videos
Still watching the Bryan Johnson YouTube channel. I really like his approach to life and his own health.
The interviews Alex Hormozi gave on Chris Williamson’s YouTube channel were also very useful.
4) The skill I worked on
Writing prompts for ChatGPT. In December I started actively using it, and in practice I understood why it grew to 100 million users worldwide so fast.
It genuinely solves the tasks you give it, and does a pretty good job. I think in 2025 it’ll become one of my strongest assistants, “employees,” and consultants on business, health, education, and much more.
5) A hypothesis I tested
This month we brought an HR manager onto the team to find and onboard new people. It’s too early to draw conclusions, but I really like the direction we’re moving in. I should have done this sooner.
6) The habit I was building
Regular skincare. Over the last few months I’d started neglecting these basic rituals again — not always applying moisturizer, not always using toner or a cleanser.
In December I tried to bring this daily habit back. I’d say I hit 8 out of 10.
7) Key insight of the month
Wherever your focus goes, that’s where the results show up.
I can’t say this is a completely new idea for me, but I keep confirming it: the moment your focus shifts to something new, your current areas of work start to slip.
In December I had to spend a lot of time on my psychology coursework. I’m currently in my second year, and I needed to finish several required subjects by December 27th.
I noticed I paid much less attention to the school, to consultations, to the team, to the studio — basically, to my core projects. As a result, December came out financially much weaker than our previous months.
I’m not upset about it, because academic education will pay off in bonuses and privileges down the road. Plus I realized I don’t want to keep leaving all my tests and assignments for the last 3 weeks before exams anymore. I’ll study a little bit every day instead. That beats dropping out of life for a couple of weeks later.
How was your December? How are you doing overall?