Success Advice
5 Strategies For Improving How You Hustle
As the story goes, after Neil Patel got offstage from speaking to 2500 marketers at a large business conference, he was approached by a woman who essentially accused him of lying about his hustle.
“C’mon Neil. You know the best way to be successful is to be born to rich parents. Look at Bill Gates. Mark Zuckerberg. Chelsea Clinton. If you didn’t go to Harvard or Stanford, you’re locked out of the club.”
What this woman hadn’t heard from Neil’s speech, despite his best efforts to share his strategies for growing successful companies like Crazy Egg, Hello Bar, KISSMetrics, and most recently Quick Sprout was how he had hustled his way from being an amusement park bathroom attendant to successfully making over $20,000 a month as a teenager through consulting. Only to go into over $1 million in debt before 20 and re-launching into what his career is now as one of the most sought-after marketers alive.
Lucky for us, and for the woman who knocked the hustle, Neil Patel has teamed up with New York Times bestselling author Patrick Vlaskovits and successful entrepreneur Jonas Koffler on a new book called Hustle, all about finding success and fearlessly beating status quo systems.
In the book, they share dozens of strategies, stories, and experiments to try in improving how you hustle, and below I share just a few of my favorites:
1. Identifying and Escaping the “Cycle Of Suck”
As entrepreneurs, certain things are out of our control but can deprive us of the ability to succeed in our work if we don’t escape their influences. Perhaps you are working hard but not really getting anywhere.
Say you sell lower-priced items in your business, or do coaching and consulting on an hourly basis rather than charging more and working with less clients. Even better, say you discount heavily to earn new business. If you aren’t careful, you may work extremely hard to get customers that leave little room for profit, require lots of customer support and administrative work, and never provide you enough cash flow at once to grow the company.
Understanding the possible “Cycles of Suck” you’re threatened with in your industry, ecosystem, and lifestyle is crucial to hustling harder. Maybe your parents are pushing you towards a path of expensive college classes that are applicable towards the career that you wish to take, from which the debt will cripple your ability to make long-term decisions or take entrepreneurial-minded risks later on, forcing you into a corporate ladder climb that’s not fun nor fast.
Each of us are faced with possible “Cycles of Suck”, but if you identify them early you can make decisions to avoid them so your hustle is highly rewarded later on.
“Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.” – Julie Andrews
2. Practicing Small Doses of Pain
When you work out, you’re actually breaking down your muscles so they can grow back stronger than before. We understand this principle already, and realize that putting ourselves through regimented pain doses at a small scale can lead to increased resiliency later on.
However, we don’t always do this to ourselves in business or in our lives outside the gym (if we go to the gym at all). If there’s someone who annoys us to our wit’s end, we don’t attempt to compliment them once per week until our relationship improves. We don’t make twenty sales calls each day to prospects that may be slightly out of reach for our company, yet could provide great feedback on our sales process and product or service we’re providing.
Overall, we rarely change our routines and habits because doing so would be uncomfortable and therefore painful, even if it could improve our help, grow revenue in our businesses, and strengthen our professional and personal relationships.
The authors of Hustle suggest picking one tiny habit that is small, “slightly annoying or odd”, and provides long-term benefit and implementing it in the next week. After that, repeat.
3. Take More Chances
Many of us, myself included, hustle on some projects for too long without sharing them with potential customers and/or the public. By doing this, we limit our chances of hitting a homerun in business because we are taking less “at bats”.
Imagine if one YouTube channel only posted videos once every four months, yet they were of movie quality. Imagine another channel that posted daily videos at a slightly less-produced quality that were still worth watching.
As Casey Neistat’s channel has shown us, the second example will win because there are more opportunities for that content creator to have a video go viral, and with each “at bat”, the creator is racking up new views, subscribers, and total watch time on videos overall. If we run more controlled experiments as entrepreneurs, we have better chances at succeeding.
4. Seal The Deal and Make It Real
There are a lot of us who work extremely hard, yet don’t progress as fast as we’d like because we don’t make things official. In sales, we build relationships but never ask for a client’s business, and when they do agree to work with us verbally, we hesitate in getting a signed contract and wire transfer from them.
The concept of sealing the deal and making it real is all about forcing those whom you interact with to transact with you. It takes away talking and replaces it with doing.
If you want to write a book, don’t talk about doing so for months, or wait for the right inspirational muse to come your way. Set your alarm for 4:30 am and write until 8 am for one week. Share your work with a friend who doubles as an accountability partner. Now you’ve written multiple chapters of your book!
“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” – Michael Jordan
5. Reverse Engineer The Success You Seek
Depending on your goals, you may be able to reverse engineer the process it will take to get there in record time. In a two-step process, you can fact-check yourself from wasting time if there are pre-existing or interesting solutions to problems you’re looking to solve.
First, ask yourself, “Am I framing the problem correctly?” If you are waiting for a taxi at an airport, and there is a long line, the problem isn’t necessarily the wait time, but rather the need for a vehicle to transport you to your destination. You don’t therefore have to be attached to the solution of waiting in that taxi line.
Next, see if you can determine all potential solutions, including unconventional options. In the taxi example above, perhaps you can still wait in line and get a taxi still. Or, you can order from a ride-sharing service, skip the line somehow, walk towards another transportation source like buses or other taxi lines, etc. There are always multiple ways to solve a problem, and unconventional solutions may provide faster, easier, and higher return successes.
These are just a few of my favorite hustle-honing strategies from Neil, Patrick, and Jonas’ new book. Leave a comment with your own ideas for how to improve the way we hustle.
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These 11 Habits Will Make You More Productive, Successful, and Confident
Boost your focus, confidence, and results with 11 powerful habits successful people use every day.

Successful people love to help beginners. They have an incredible work ethic and rarely complain. As a result, others naturally look up to them and want to follow in their footsteps.
But here’s the truth: there’s no success without sacrifice. You’ll need to give up comfort, excuses, and sometimes even social approval to accomplish your goals.
Value comes from solving problems, and these 11 powerful tips will help you become more productive, successful, and confident, starting today.
1. Take Short Breaks After Finishing a Task
Psychology shows it’s important to reward positive behaviour.
After completing a big task or finishing a book, take five minutes to walk, stretch, or simply breathe. This quick reset helps your brain recharge and strengthens focus.
Many great writers swear by morning walks, solitude, and reflection can unlock creativity.
But if you refuse to take breaks, don’t be surprised when burnout hits. Your brain needs recovery time just as much as your body does.
2. Schedule Your Most Important Tasks First
Multitasking kills productivity. If you want to get more done, try time blocking, a method where you dedicate set periods for specific tasks.
Productivity expert Caitlin Hughes explains, “Time blocking involves scheduling blocks of time for your tasks throughout the day.”
For example, if you’re a writer:
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Research your topic at night.
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Write your first draft in the morning (don’t worry if it’s rough).
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Edit in the afternoon, great writing comes from rewriting.
You can’t buy more time. Use it intentionally and without regret.
3. Eliminate Distractions from Your Workspace
Focus is the foundation of success.
According to Inc. Magazine, it takes an average of 23 minutes to recover from a distraction. That’s nearly half an hour of lost productivity every time you check your phone.
Put your phone away. Close unnecessary tabs. And yes, limit your Netflix binges.
Meeting deadlines consistently is one of the fastest ways to stand out and earn respect.
4. Take Full Responsibility for Your Life
Entrepreneur Derek Sivers once said, “Everything is my fault.”
This mindset doesn’t mean self-blame; it means self-ownership. Stop pointing fingers, making excuses, or waiting for others to change.
If your habits (like smoking or drinking too much) hold you back, it’s time to make better choices. Your friends can’t live your dreams for you; only you can.
5. Invest an Hour a Day in Learning New Skills
Knowledge compounds over time.
Whether you read books, take online courses, or practise a craft, consistent learning gives you a competitive edge.
I used to struggle with academic writing, but I improved by studying the work of great authors and applying what I learned.
Your past doesn’t define you; your actions do. Every new skill adds another tool to your arsenal and makes you more unstoppable.
6. Develop a Growth Mindset
Psychologist Dr. Carol Dweck introduced the concept of fixed vs. growth mindset.
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A fixed mindset believes success is based on natural talent.
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A growth mindset believes success comes from effort and learning.
Choose the growth mindset. Embrace challenges. See failures as feedback. In today’s fast-moving digital world, adaptability is your biggest advantage.
7. Learn Marketing to Reach People Who Need You
I once believed marketing was manipulative, until I realised it’s about helping people solve problems.
If your work provides genuine value, marketing is how you let others know it exists. Even Apple spends billions on it.
Don’t be ashamed to promote your skills or business. Without visibility, your ideas will never reach the people who need them most.
Creative professionals who understand marketing and sales have an unfair advantage.
8. Ask Your Mentor the Right Questions
Good mentors can fast-track your growth.
While mentorship often costs money, it’s one of the best investments you can make. Great mentors don’t care about titles; they care about your progress.
If you don’t have access to a mentor yet, books are your silent mentors. Read the best in your field, take notes, and apply what resonates.
9. Build Confidence Through Action, Not Affirmations
Author Ryan Holiday once said, “I don’t believe in myself. I have evidence.”
Confidence doesn’t come from shouting affirmations into the mirror; it comes from proof. Doing hard things, keeping promises to yourself, and following through.
When you consistently take action, your brain gathers evidence that you can handle whatever comes next. That’s real confidence, grounded, earned, and unshakable.
10. Focus on Your Strengths
Your strengths reveal where your greatest impact lies.
If people compliment you on something often, it’s a clue. Lean into it.
A former professor once told me I was creative, and that simple comment gave me the confidence to go all in. I studied creativity, applied it daily, and turned it into my career advantage.
Double down on your strengths. That’s how you build momentum and mastery.
11. Identify and Challenge Your Limiting Beliefs
Your beliefs shape your reality.
For years, I believed I couldn’t be a great writer because of my chronic tinnitus and astigmatism, sensory challenges that made concentration difficult. But over time, I realised those struggles made me more disciplined, observant, and empathetic.
Your limitations can become your greatest motivators if you let them.
Avoid shortcuts. Growth takes time, but it’s always worth it.
Final Thoughts
Becoming productive, successful, and confident isn’t about working harder than everyone else. It’s about working smarter, consistently, and intentionally.
You don’t need to overhaul your life overnight. Start small: take a break after your next task, schedule your priorities, or spend one hour learning something new.
Every habit you change compounds into long-term success. Remember, true change comes from practising new behaviours.
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