Hey friends,
With a busy schedule at work, sometimes one can feel overwhelmed with all the things that end up in our inbox and the high-volume of tasks makes it harder for us to figure out what to prioritize first. I learned a simple rule from my best-friend in how to triage multiple items in a day which I use on a daily basis. This is the 10-10-10 Rule and it has brought efficiency, focus, and calmness to my life. Here’s how it works:
Every thing (task, assignment, project, etc.) that falls in your court and needs to be handled by you, give it a 10-10-10 rating:
10 Minutes (10M): this is the first category and it needs to be handled immediately. Anything that needs to get done right now OR you can handle it right now, get it done. Keeping these items on your list when they can easily be executed only adds additional stress to your life. So, take care of them ASAP (god! I hate this word, brings back memories of banking).
10 Hours (10H): not now, but today. This category of task needs to get handled today, doesn’t matter when today, but today and definitely not right now. This is usually a medium effort item and will require some focused work. For example, writing this Mentor Hour is a 10 Hour task for me, not that it takes 10 hours to write, but I know that I need to get it done today. Cuz you know…it’s a Monday.
10 Days (10D): not today, but within the next few days. These are for those long-term projects that don’t need to get finished today. Any projects or assignments like this where either the deadline is far away or you need to finish a combination of things that take a long time, leave them for when you have time in the next few days.
Once every new task is rated, execute. Start with the 10M, then the 10H, then the 10D, if time permits.
Best part about this simple method is that I stop thinking about the 10H and 10D tasks while taking care of the 10M tasks. Then, when I am done with 10M tasks, which by the way are the majority of things that hit our inboxes, I only have a few 10H tasks to focus on. Finally, if I get some time at the end, I’ll put some effort behind the 10D task. All in all, focusing and setting up boundaries in terms of what type of tasks to tackle allows you to compartmentalize your stress and supercharge your effort in crossing them off the list.
Anyways, try it out this week, see if it makes you productive and helps you prioritize all the fancy stuff you’re up to. All the best and stay happy awesome people! 😊
Sherjan
My Personal Mentor 🎙
This is my weekly podcast where I provide life & career advice and invite mentees of mine who have amazing journeys and life stories that we can all learn from. If you enjoy these emails, you’ll hopefully like that too. You can listen here on Apple Podcast or any other podcasting app, just search for ‘My Personal Mentor’.
Augi Ilag - Investing at Sequoia Capital and Postponing HBS (listen here)
In this episode I chat with my close friend Augi. Augi began his journey in Southeast Asia and then went to Stanford to study economics. He then interned at Citi and Bain & Co. and then joined McKinsey & Co. for full time. Augi's passions and deep interest led him back to Southeast Asia where he helped McKinsey with multiple projects across the region. He then got into Harvard Business School but decided to postpone that to pursue a career in venture capital at Sequoia in Singapore. Tune in!
❤️ This Week
Video: How to Speak Gen-Z - LOL, I am so confused. If you’re not Gen-Z, turn the subtitles on. I feel old now :(
Podcast: Avlok Kholi on AngelList Rolling Funds - This podcast is one of my favorites. It is hosted by Anthony Pompliano, one of the OG minds in the crypto world. He interviews Avlok who is the CEO of AngelList Venture. AngelList just launched a new rolling funds product which allows anyone (mostly) to become an investor. Really cool product that is about to flip the VC world.
Video: Apple Engineer’s Home - This is one of my dreams. One day I want to build my own small home and design it by myself. I love what this engineer from Apple has done. It’s simple, modern, and surrounded by nature.
Quote of the Week
Respect the haters, ignore the haters.
Videos this Week 🎬
Investment Banking All-Nighter...It's Part of the Job - If you're in Investment Banking or Management Consulting, you'll need to pull all-nighters from time-to-time. These won't happen every day, but expect one every two weeks. All-nighters are tough, but what's worst is that you don't get any active credit for pulling one. Most analysts get burnt out as they get no recognition for pulling one. In this video I talk about why you should stop seeking that recognition and just accept these tough days as part of the job.
How Smart are Investment Bankers - How smart do you have to be to be an Investment Banker? Well...not that smart, trust me 😉 In today's video I talk about what are the key traits you need to have to be a good Investment Banker.
Mentor Hour: Breaking into Investment Banking - Univ. of Pennsylvania Wharton - Hosted a Mentor Hour with my good friends at Wharton Management Club. We spoke about my story in how I got into Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley and Houlihan Lokey. Then, we talked about what Investment Banks generally do and what the day-to-day life of an analyst looks like in Investment Banking. Finally, what can you do today to improve your chances of breaking into the sector. Hope you all enjoy and can learn from this.
Mentor Hour: Recruiting as an International Student - Hosted a Mentor Hour with my good friends at Singapore Student Association at Arizona State University. We focused this Mentor Hour on what it takes to break into U.S. opportunities as an international student, what are the most crucial components of a job application, and what are the mistakes students make early on in their careers that they should be aware of. If you're an international student, this Mentor Hour is for you! Good luck everyone.
Resources 📚
🚀Breaking into Investment Banking, Consulting, Accounting - Enroll Here
📄Build the Perfect Resume - Free Course - Enroll Here
🙋🏽♂️1-on-1 Coaching with me - Enroll Here