∴ 11 rules that changed how I work (from Marc Andreessen)

Hey Leader of Today,

You know how I sometimes geek out over productivity hacks? (yes, guilty 🙋🏽‍♂️). Last week I went down a rabbit hole and found this blog post from 2007 by Marc Andreessen (the guy behind Andreessen Horowitz, one of Silicon Valley’s biggest firms).

What surprised me? Even though this was written almost 20 years ago, it still feels like it was written for us today - navigating school, projects, side hustles, and life all at once.

I pulled out Marc’s best lessons and broke them down for you. Some are funny, some are savage, but all of them will make you rethink how you spend your time 👇🏽

read time: 5 mins

Be one of our first 100 beta testers for our new platform 🚀

Over the last 2 years, our google sheets of opportunities has been viewed 3 million times and we’ve heard from the community about all the challenges they face in finding opportunities.

To address this, we’ve been quietly building an opportunities platform that will help you find and apply to opportunities better than ever before.

Now, we want you to be part of the creation - we’re looking for our first 100 beta testers.

You’ll be the first to explore the platform, help shape its features, and define a tool that will soon be used by thousands of young people around the world.

If you want to be part of this first group:

Opportunities This Week

In addition to these, here’s the full list of 15+ Youth Leadership Opportunities.

Pmarca Guide to Productivity

1. Don’t keep a schedule

Marc refused to commit to meetings in advance. His rule? Don’t let your future days get locked up with commitments. Instead, he kept his calendar clear so he could always work on whatever was most important right now. He even pointed to Arnold Schwarzenegger as an example - Arnold never scheduled far in advance, and it gave him the freedom to pivot quickly when he decided to run for governor. The takeaway: leave space so you can focus on what matters most instead of being trapped in busywork.

2. Keep 3 lists only

Marc said to keep things simple with just 3 lists:

• Todo List: things you must do.

• Watch List: things you’re waiting on or need to check later.

• Later List: things you might want to do someday.

If it doesn’t fit in one of those? Delete it. He believed too many lists or categories just create clutter and confusion.

3. The 3–5 Rule

Each night, Marc would write down 3–5 things on an index card that he wanted to get done the next day. Not 30. Just 3–5. And the next day, he’d focus on those. He also created what he called the Anti-Todo List—every time he did something useful (big or small), he’d jot it down. At the end of the day, he could look back and realize how much he actually accomplished. Then he’d rip it up and toss it, starting fresh the next day. Simple, grounding, and motivating.

4. Structured Procrastination

Marc admitted he procrastinated. His trick was to use it. If he was avoiding a big scary task (like making a phone call he hated), he’d channel that avoidance into doing a bunch of smaller, useful tasks instead. He got so much done while “procrastinating.” The lesson: procrastination isn’t always bad—if you use it to move other things forward.

5. Email twice a day

Marc compared email to mice pressing a button for food pellets - every new email gives you a tiny dopamine hit, but it wrecks your focus. His solution: check email only twice a day, morning and evening. In between? Keep it closed. Hard to do, but if you pull it off, you’ll actually focus long enough to get meaningful work done.

6. Don’t answer the phone

Marc’s advice was simple: let calls go to voicemail and then batch your responses later. He even suggested having two phones—one for family and close friends, and another for everyone else. Answer the first, ignore the second. The point? Protect your focus. Not every ring deserves your time.

7. Hide in an iPod

This one’s clever. Marc said just wearing headphones makes people less likely to interrupt you. The trick? You don’t even have to play music. Sometimes the signal alone (“I’m focused right now”) is enough to buy you uninterrupted time.

8. Strategic Incompetence

This one’s savage but smart. Marc said if you don’t want to get asked to do something, be bad at it, or admit you’ll be bad at it. People will stop asking. The deeper point: you don’t need to say yes to everything. Protect your energy for the things that matter most.

9. Only say yes when BOTH your head and heart agree

Marc warned against saying yes with your head while your gut says no. That’s how you end up stuck with commitments you resent. His rule: only say yes if your head and heart are in it. It’s a simple filter to save time and frustration.

10. Eat a real breakfast

Marc believed starting the day with a proper sit-down breakfast was one of the most important habits. Why? It fuels your body and also gives you quiet time to prepare mentally for the day ahead. It’s not just about food - it’s about setting the tone. No rushing, no chaos. Just focus and fuel.

11. Do something you love

At the end of the day, Marc reminded readers that productivity isn’t the point. The point is creating space to do the work you actually care about. If you don’t love what you’re working on, no productivity trick will fix it.

My friend, I don’t share these because I think you need to become a productivity robot. I share them because I’ve been on the other side - burnt out, overwhelmed, and saying yes to everything.

These rules are reminders that productivity isn’t about doing more, it’s about doing what actually matters.

So this week, try just one: maybe it’s protecting your morning with a real breakfast, or saying no when your gut isn’t in it, or simply leaving space in your calendar. Your future self will thank you.

As always, hit reply - I’d love to know which one of these rules you’ll try first.

Sending you the best vibes my friend,

Forwarded this email? Sign up here

Let’s connect on Linkedin and Instagram