I Am Superman

100 Days to 10,000 Copies

THE WALL

Today is day 3 of 100 Days to 10,000 Copies, my project to launch my new book - Easy Discipline.

Honestly, to sell 10,000 copies in 100 days is an insane goal. It’s my equivalent of landing on the moon. The thing is: you can’t achieve ambitious things without upgrading yourself, especially when you’re as flawed as me.

For me, my DNA should be called adhDNA. A simple notification can lead me to a 2-hour YouTube deep dive on the Spanish Civil War. The natural me would be lucky to sell 100 books, let alone 10,000.

In fact, my lack of natural discipline caused me to write this book.

EASY DISCIPLINE PRINCIPLE – Getting In Character

However, there is an Easy Discipline principle I developed and frequently use to power up for a short period. It’s called Getting In Character – I don’t need to change to a disciplined person forever, like all the habit/discipline books teach you to. I can perform as one for the short-term – long enough to get the job done.

To do so, I need to have a temporary upgrade mentally, physically, environmentally, and spiritually.

For example: to write this book, I made four 2-week long trips to the mountain of Japan to perform the role as the solitary writer. My life was very simple:

• Get up at 5AM

• Write until 1PM

• Research until 3PM

• Work out until 5PM

• Big, fulfilling meal at 6PM

• Sleep at 8PM

No exception. I could get more things done in one week than I normally do in 2 months, no exaggeration. And when 2 weeks are up, I’m back with 4-months worth of work. It’s that simple.

2-weeks of magical writing in Japan

However, this is a 100-day project, and I can’t go to Japan for that long, or Tracy might leave me.

That’s why I am going to extreme measures to power up at home. Here are the things I am doing for 100 days to simulate my Japan experience at home:

1. Charge my phone outside of the bedroom

2. Get up at 6AM every day with a routine –

   1. Spiritual devotion with Tracy

   2. Plan for the day

   3. Exercise

   4. Eat

3. Rent a cowork space for optimal work environment (deep work from 9-5)

4. Completely change my media diet

   1. Delete/block YouTube and Reddit (2 of my biggest time-wasters)

   2. Load my phone with curated audiobooks and podcast interviews

   3. If I have to get a dopamine fix, open Substack, which gives me long-form reading, not brainrotting.

5. Sleep at 10PM

6. Shave my head and get a tattoo that says “10,000 copies or die trying”

OK I made the last one up. But everything else is how I get in character as the ultimate disciplined, invincible author/marketer.

Do they sound hard? Oh yeah, if you are thinking about making permanent change or developing a habit.

But they are extremely doable and fun if you are performing a role for just 100 days. Again, when the finish line is in sight, you can do anything.

After that, I will be back to being your distracted, disorganized slob. (Or not)

But for 100 days, I am Superman.