This one goes out to those of us who are constantly distracted by shiny new ideas.

One guiding rule I had in my 20s was to focus on doing (1) things that I wanted to do, and (2) things that brought me joy (some things were both, some were only one); plus, be very conscious when I chose to do things I didn’t want to do (but maybe had to).

But I realize now that there’s A LOT of things I want to do, to varying degrees of desire, probably too many to get to meaningfully in one lifetime. So maybe this one rule needs some refining and I need some better prioritization.

Enter the 5/25 Rule, which I learned from the book Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. This rule, falsely attributed to Warren Buffett, pierced through me. It’s compelling, it’s sharp, and it’s changed how I think about Doing Things, and choosing what Things to do.

It goes something like this

1. Write down a list of all the things you want to do: your goals, your ambitions, your dreams, your whims, your never-gonna-happen-but-if-I-coulds

2. Prioritize that list down to your Top 25

3. Prioritize that list again down your Top 5

4. Circle your Top 5, and focus on those things

   The kicker?

5. Actively avoid the bottom 6-25, since these are the things that are most likely to distract you from your Top 5, as they’re your next top interests

Now I’m not suggesting you follow this advice to a T (post to come about “rogue agent mindset” and always filtering for what actually works best for you). But mull it over and see if it pokes you in the proverbial ribs in any areas of your worldview.

Its corollary has also been a ball of negative emotions I’ve been digesting: That you will need to choose and sacrifice and give up and mourn the things you choose to no longer do. But know that it’s in service of helping you more on what you really want to do.

(Also, some tellings of the 5/25 Rule say “Everything you didn’t circle just became your Avoid-At-All-Cost list,” but I prefer to be a bit less black-and-white about advice. Your priorities change! You change! So hold onto all of this loosely.)

For reference, here are my “Top 5” right now:

goals v1.1
- write 100 blog posts
- practice music semi-regularly (singing, piano, drums)
- keep drawing
- keep investing in relationships
- lose weight via better diet
- take a sabbatical this year (and eventually test out some other income streams) https://t.co/mrTUpQpGyz

— billy is writing again (14/100) (@billyisyoung) January 5, 2023

Other interests I’ve made peace with and retired (for now), due to some combination of realizing that they’re not in my Top 5 (I want the Top 5 more), or the activation energy became too high, or the supportive context is no longer there. These include:

• A cappella
• Tennis
• Climbing Ranked in Valorant
• Hunting for good restaurants

Finally, here are some tips if you’re looking for help with your own prioritization:

• Actually do the 5/25 prioritization exercise! Or any kind of prioritization exercise really
• Figure out what your goals are - here is the exercise I did in 2022
• Take some time and think about any themes you’ve noticed in your life, and use them as a loose North Star. Tweak them as you go through life
  (e.g. ‘I like solving problems’, or ‘I like mentoring and teaching people’ -> Do you want to do more of this? How might you do that?)