I’ve always struggled to remember the lessons I’ve learned over time, so I found a simple way to reflect and capture them. That’s why, for the fourth year in a row, I’m recording this yearly reflection episode. In this one, I’m sharing 27 lessons that made a big impact on my personal and professional life in 2024. Enjoy!
Timestamps
- 00:40 Knowing what career to pursue doesn’t happen coincidentally
- 07:16 You can sound more intelligent with preparation
- 12:45 “You did a great job; now let’s do it again but better”
- 18:00 Focus on high-priority tasks and discard the rest
- 23:27 Challenge the status quo, always
- 28:24 Conduct a weekly review every week
- 32:33 Work 12 hours a day to move fast
- 37:28 Your reaction to internal or external stimuli is always a choice
- 41:27 Do it right—no half measures
- 46:53 Short-form content destroys your ability to focus
- 50:23 Praise specifically, criticize generally
- 54:34 List the things you’re not willing to give up
- 57:39 Eliminate the option of not doing the work
- 01:00:36 Anything worth doing takes longer than you think
- 01:04:56 Cut people out of your life fast
- 01:15:34 You’re not a control freak; you just have higher standards
- 01:21:31 “Invert, always invert”
- 01:26:02 Work hard before you can work smart
- 01:32:17 Focus on content first in startup pitch decks
- 01:37:48 It’s all business, no matter the type
- 01:44:08 Past behavior predicts future behavior
- 01:50:49 Leave things better than you found them
- 01:52:32 Always qualify your customers
- 02:00:21 Nail post-sale and onboarding stages for retention
- 02:03:41 Build relationships to boost customer loyalty
- 02:07:17 Get better by analyzing your top 10%
- 02:08:51 Think with your head and observe with your eyes
- 02:11:14 Decrease time between waking up and starting work
Things Mentioned
- Self-Authoring Program by Dr. Jordan Peterson: https://www.selfauthoring.com/
- Alex Hormozi: https://www.acquisition.com/bio-alex
- Warren Buffett’s “2 List” Strategy: https://jamesclear.com/buffett-focus
- Dr. Jordan Peterson: https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/
- Weekly Review Template: https://bit.ly/weekly_review_template
- Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl: https://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl-ebook/dp/B009U9S6FI
- On Ultra-Processed Content by Cal Newport: https://calnewport.com/on-ultra-processed-content/
- Warren Buffett: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Buffett
- David Goggins: https://davidgoggins.com/
- Naval Ravikant: https://nav.al/
- Leila Hormozi: https://www.acquisition.com/bio-leila-2
- Charlie Munger: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Munger
- Albert Einstein: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein
- Swisspreneur: https://www.swisspreneur.org/
- My startup project: https://deallense.com/
- Previous startup project: https://www.truekpis.com/
- 996 working hour system: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/996_working_hour_system
- Lean Customer Development by Cindy Alvarez: https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Customer-Development-Hardcover-version/dp/1449356354
- The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick: https://bit.ly/40eLk5s
- $100M Offers by Alex Hormozi: https://bit.ly/4gCoiLC
- Michael Phelps: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Phelps
Bonus Resources
- Sleep Improvement Checklist: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1V1rzVFpiSZ–9bxyxxlJEUs2uR6aLMcVU74FNJUsGdE/edit?usp=sharing
- Book Notes Template: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QC-fDoFZuAihWerhbDasUgsOlqv6oF0JRsIxRDmSpTs/edit?usp=sharing
- Plan Your Days In 6 Easy Steps – Cheat Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1foEs9ZSeH7SpYfnZHN4B_XNihANhWdtj8bWdIcUazZk/edit?usp=sharing
Nicola Flückiger
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0wTnWNtnYui4QVeS9uahtx?si=200d107e7cdf4c5b
- Last Episode: https://catchthezenith.com/im-back-what-i-did-for-2-5-years-2/
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/intense-life-with-nicola-flückiger/id1507662410
- Newsletter: https://catchthezenith.com/newsletter/
- X: https://x.com/NicolaFluckiger
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicola-fl%C3%BCckiger/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicola.fluckiger/
- Personal Website: https://nicolafluckiger.com/
About the Podcast
- Your zenith is your best self. Getting there is hard. This podcast helps. I’m Nicola, an entrepreneur, and here I share the many mistakes and lessons I’m learning along the way. Expect episodes about high performance and business.
Contact Me
- Email me with any feedback, ideas, or insights you’ve gained from the episodes: nicola [at] nicolafluckiger [dot] com