There’s 98 days until 2027...Do this and you’ll thank yourself o…
About This Episode
Sam and Shaan discuss the importance of the '99-day sprint' to finish the year, sharing productivity hacks like Parkinson's Law and the 'Two Minds' creative process. They delve into the history of the Newhouse media empire and critique modern branding shifts at companies like Nike and Jaguar.
Episode Description
Show Notes
- 0:00There are 99 days left in the year
- 1:40Parkinson’s Law
- 3:35The toxic love of events
- 9:25Joel Greenblatt’s Jelly Bean experiment
- 12:25The aftershocks of Joe Hudson
- 15:30Shaan’s “5 voices in the head” theory
- 18:05Six Thinking Hats
- 20:00The two minds of a creator
- 22:45Blue notebook vs. red notebook
- 23:50Sam’s three notebooks
- 27:00“Your brain is an old mansion”
- 30:00Obscure billionaire, family dynasty
- 41:40Nike stock falls 80%
- 44:00I created a monster / turn shit into gold
- 48:35Tales from the house
Check Out Sam's Stuff
Check Out Shaan's Stuff
- Shaan's weekly email
- Visit
- Mercury - Shaan uses Mercury across all of his companies. you can too:
- Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., Members FDIC
- I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out:
- beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge
Key Takeaways
Apply Parkinson's Law to your calendar by shrinking default meeting increments to force more compact and efficient communication.
Protect your independent judgment by recording your initial 'jelly bean' estimate or business valuation before looking at external news or market trends to avoid mimetic bias.
Separate your creative process into two distinct phases: 'Rick Mode' for uninhibited, childlike brainstorming and 'Prick Mode' for ruthless, sober editing.