Get Epic Shit Done by Ankur Warikoo

The book contains 36 questions asked by a student and answered by Ankur Warikoo. The books is mainly aimed at young adults in there 20s. I have summarized the answers in this blog.

Managing Your Life

How Can I Stop Comparing Myself to Others?

Comparison emerges from two incorrect assumptions:

1. World is a zero-sum game: Zero-sum game is one where for one to win, others must loose. In real world, best deals are win-win.
2. Everyone should win same battles: Everyone has unique history which leads them to different futures. Everyone is unique in itself.

Have clear definition of success, which is to grow each day.

How Do I Build My Communication Skills?

• Write: Communication requires thoughts to be structured, which can be done through writing. So write daily.
• Practice: Record yourself speaking on any topic for atleast 1 min daily and listen to it, for 90 days.
• Replicate: Observe great speakers and try to replicate their style.
• Read: Reading enhances vocabulary.
• Listen: Listening is the hardest part of good communication. Listen patiently what others say.

How Do I Build a Growth Mindset?

Growth Mindset is to believe that person’s capabilities are not limited. Three ways to develop growth mindset are:

1. Spend time with people from different experience and expertise, in a disciplined manner.
2. Understand risk, don’t run away from it.
3. Don’t believe you are entitled for something.

How Do I Make Tough Decisions in Life?

• Remember most decisions are reversible.

• When comparing options, assign weights to parameters and give points to each option and calculate net score.

  Item	Weight	College A	College B
  College Reputation	40%	2	3
  Course I Study	20%	3	1
  Placement Options	10%	1	2
  Peer Group	15%	2	2
  Methodology of Learning	15%	2	3
  TOTAL	100%	2.1	2.35

• Imagine the worst case scenario. If you are okay with it, go ahead. If not, either wait before taking the decision or plan to face the worst case scenario.

How Do I Managege My Time?

• Document every single thing you do for 10 days to understand when you are most productive and unproductive.
• Use eisenhower matrix and pomodoro timers.
• First do productive work, then earn your time waste.

How Do I Focus?

• Plan your time waste so that mind stops craving for it.
• Use pomodoro timer 25 min work, 5 min rest. After 4 pomodoro, take a 30 min break.

How Do I Deal with Criticism?

• When random people criticize, they are channeling their unhappiness at you.
• When loved ones criticize, examine what is being said, not who is saying it.

How Do I Build a Habit of Reading?

• Start with books that excite you.
• Consuming videos have higher chances of distractions.
• Don’t target number of books, target a time for reading book everyday.

How Do I Build Meditation into My Lifestyle?

• Start with as little as 10 mins a day, prefer guided meditation.
• Meditation makes you aware of your emotions. When you observer emotions, one of the two things happen:

1. You’ll realize that action is not needed.
2. You will have a well thought action.

• Purpose of emotions is to make you aware of a feeling, when you acknowledge the feeling, emotion disappears.

Managing Your Career?

How Do I Build Trust?

• Trust doesn’t mean nothing will ever go wrong, instead, it means everything to prevent it was done and everything will be done to fix it.
• Hardwork & intelligence can never replace trust.

There are three ingredients for trust:

1. Be there for people when times are difficult.
2. Be accountable for what you do, i.e. be answerable to your work.
3. Stick to your commitments. If unable to deliver, request for more time much in advance.

How Do I Find My Passion?

Spend your 20s exploring your passion, 30s honing it and rest of the life reaping the benefits. Ikigai gives four criteria to know purpose of life:

1. Do what you love
2. Do what you are good at
3. Do what world needs
4. Do what makes you money

How Do I Pick the Right Career?

If you are having a job, don’t leave it. Just do enough that is needed. Spend remaingin time exploring & preparing for the dream job.

How Do I Change My Career?

Continue tha current joband in free time explore other career options. Take up courses and talk to people in the field. When you are experienced, apply for jobs and send cold emails. If it is a business, slowly unlock an income stream from it.

How Do I Grow in My Career?

Start with having clear idea of what one thing you want from career. Secondly understand what will make it happen. You can ask your friends in different companies or through cold emails about cultures of different companies from their employees. Reach out 5 people everyday. If you don’t ask, the answer is always no!

How Do I Deal with Office Politics?

If the leader is biased and prevents your growth, the only option is to change the company. If management supports fair dealing, but few people in your department hinder your growth, you must raise your voice and inform the management.

How can I Be Indispensable at Work?

Being better than others is a contant chansing game & is usually momentary. When assigned a task, don’t just complete the output, try to understand why that task is being done and try to fulfil the outcome.

How Should I Spend the First 90 Days of a New Job?

Don’t aim at creating an impact from day 1, instead do the following three things:

1. Understand the culture by observing how system works.
2. Listening intently to whatever is being said.
3. Reach out to people within your department & outside of it.

How Can I Build Multiple Income Streams?

Have a predictable income stream. Then spend time creating other business processes, outsource admin tasks & set up automations.

How Should I Take a Gap Year?

New opportunities are arising rapidly, so taking time to refltect isn’t a luxury, but a necessity. In Gap Year, do the following three things:

1. Become a student: List out things you wish to explore by asking if you can be good at things and enjoy doing it. Try picking courses, projects and work for free.
2. Building Community: Find communities of like-minded people as it can provide you the opportunities.
3. Reflect: Keep asking yourself, is it something I am or can be good at? Is it something I enjoy doing? Have a long term vision while doing reflection.

Managing People

How Do I Say No?

Give the reason and ask politely if it is okay to say no.

How Can I Seek Help?

First understand the difference between Knowledge, Advice, Help. Knowledge is facts, Advice is opinion when there is a choice, Help is seeking direction from someone. Before seeking help from someone, first seek knowledge and try things yourself. This is important to respect others time. If later the help results to be effective, give the positive feedback to the helper.

How Do I Convince My Parents About My Career Choice?

Parents seek stability and are aware of just a handful of paths to reach there. Make them aware of the possibilities by having conversations. Seek permission to fail or ask for some time.

How Can I Forgive My Parents?

• True love forgives even when no apology is sought.
• The moment you seek forgiveness, you create asafe space for the other person to also ask for it.
• Have normal conversations with them and try to understand why they did what they did.

How Do I Make Friends?

• Don’t be desparate, be yourself.
• Be genuinely interested in people.
• Be your best friend & know yourself.
• All friendship boils down to being honest.

How Can I Find a Life Partner?

Don’t force a deadline, neither by yours or by society, else you may end up with wrong partner. Spend time to see all aspects of each other & how both react to them. The following three things are necessary:

1. Convergence around money, career, and ambition.
2. Convergence of principles of life. Ask why questions from each other.
3. Both want best of each other.

How Do I Deal with a Break-up?

Don’t fight the emotion of emptiness, let it be there. It will fade away in few weeks. Use the opportunity to introspect & build better relationship with yourself. Use journal to keep note of all emotions.

How Do I Set Boundaries?

Non-negotiable preferences are called boundaries. When we set and respect our boundaries, we also encourage others to create & respect theirs. Be self aware of your boundaries and have conversation about them with concerned people.

We know ourselves through our thoughts, others know us through our actions. If our actions do not speak up for what we want, all we are saying is that we do not want anything.

When we are not aware of what we want, we become narcissists in our most important relationships.

How Do I Deal with Toxic Friends?

Two people who are toxic for each other could be wonderful as individuals. Reflect on the cause, have conversation with the person. Then either both will work on making it better or gather courage to end it.

Managing Yourself

How Do I Develop Patience?

Be impatient with your actions, patient with results.

• We are being trained to be impatient.
• Great things take time.
• Delay desire fullfilment. Like if you want something badly, wait for 30 days. If you want to eat something, wait for 60 mins.

Difficult situations do not test us, they reveal us.

How Can I Have a Sleep Routine?

No one loves adhering to routines, but everyone loves the results routine brings.

• Sleep at fixed time every night.
• Stay away from stimulating things, ie. screen, 60 mins from sleep.
• Wake up slowly.
• If you need to wake early, set alarm 10 mins before your regular waking time for 3 weeks & repeat the cycle every 3 weeks. The body will easily adabt to small changes.

How Do I Build Good Habits?

Brain likes to conserve energy and do things it is used to doing, making huge changes requires lot of energy. Make small changes in habits. Measure your progress. Habits are much better than goals. To stay motivated, eliminate distractions & make it easdy to form right habits.

What isn’t your fault is still your responsibility. Just because you didn’t create a problem, doesn’t mean you don’t solve the problem.

How Can I Be More Self-aware?

Unless you know why you do something, you won’t be able to change it. After every failure, ask the following four questions:

1. What I thought was true, but now I know is not?
2. What I thought was false, but now I know is not?
3. What is this trying to teach me?
4. What will I change from tomorrow, basis on the response above?

How Can I Live by Myself?

You’ll have to learn to manage money, health, relationship.

1. Money: You’ll need to create monthly budgets. Categorize spendings in three categories: a. Need to (Basics) b. Want to (Desires) c. Have to (Insurances, Investments)
2. Health: Bad health habits show no effect in 20s, will show effect in 30s. Have homemade meals.
3. Relationship: After any relationship failure, reflect what unfulfilling need of yours did that relationship fulfill?

How Do I Manage My Anger?

Anger’s purpose is to make us aware of an unresolved need. The moment we become aware of that need, anger has served its purpose. Three steps to control anger:

1. Recognise that you are about to get angry.
2. Count to ten & take deep breaths.
3. Understand the unfulfilled need from which anger emerges.

How Can I Pick Myself Up?

Just see life as a journey with ups and downs. The sense of progress motivates us.

How Can I Become My Best Friend?

Treat yourself as your best friend. Even smile at yourself when looking at mirror. Be comfortable at your weakness. The world’s opinion about us is the reflection of our own opinion about ourselves. Spend time with yourself. Be responsible for yopur happiness, and don’t seek happiness rather share it with others.