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Insights That Actually Matter

Weekly 5-minute emails on productivity, health, and business. Evidence-based insights that actually work.
I'll send you my Productivity & Health Optimization
Toolkit: 11 tools that changed my life
I'll send you my Productivity & Health Optimization Toolkit:
11 tools that changed my life

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Tuesday 06:00, April 22nd, 2025 

The Tuesday Tune-Up

Issue #252

The Three Paths to Financial Freedom

Hey fam,

Imagine waking up tomorrow with no alarm. No boss to report to. No financial stress. Just the freedom to spend your day exactly as you choose. This is what financial experts call “F-U Money” (well, maybe not all the experts…) – the amount that gives you the freedom to say “no.” And according to research from Princeton University…

Find Your Freedom #

The beauty of knowing your Freedom Number is that it transforms vague financial goals into concrete actions. Here’s how to find yours:

  1. Calculate your basic monthly expenses (housing, food, transportation, etc.)
  2. Add discretionary spending that brings you joy (travel, hobbies, etc.)
  3. Include a buffer for savings and unexpected costs (I use 20%)
  4. That total is your monthly Freedom Number

Action item: Calculate your personal Freedom Number tonight. Write it down and place it somewhere you’ll see daily. Then identify ONE specific action you can take this week toward reaching that number – whether it’s starting a side project, learning a marketable skill, or setting up automatic transfers to your investment account.

Three Paths to Your Freedom Number

In my experience, there are three paths to financial freedom:

  1. The Classical Path: Work a traditional job, save aggressively, and invest until your investments generate your Freedom Number (typically using the 4% rule – where you can withdraw 4% of your investments annually without depleting your principal).
  2. The Entrepreneurial Path: Create something valuable enough that people pay you for it repeatedly. This could be digital products, services, software, or content creation. Full-time.
  3. The Mixed Path: My personal choice – keep your day job while building something on the side until your side project generates your Freedom Number (now I am fully Entrepreneurial but might change in the future as I have hit my freedom number with The Mixed Path).

The mixed path is what I did with YouTube. For four years, I woke up at 5 AM to work on videos before heading to the hospital or school and gave up partying on the weekends to edit videos. Was it easy? No. Was it worth it? Absolutely.

How to Execute the Mixed Path: My Real-World Strategy

Let me break down exactly how I implemented the mixed path strategy that ultimately led to my freedom:

  1. Time Blocking Was Essential: I dedicated 90 minutes each morning (5-6:30 AM) and 5-10 hours on weekends to my YouTube channel. This consistency was non-negotiable in my calendar.
  2. Focus on Input, Not Output: Instead of obsessing over subscriber counts or revenue, I committed to creating one high-quality video per week for a full year. This shifted my mindset from results to process.
  3. The 80/20 Principle: I identified which 20% of my content generated 80% of my growth and revenue, then doubled down on those topics. For me, evidence-based productivity videos, “I tried” videos, and courses outperformed everything else.
  4. Quarterly Planning: I used a 12-week planning system where I’d set one personal and one professional goal, then break them into weekly mini-goals. This prevented overwhelm while maintaining momentum.
  5. Minimum Viable Testing: Before creating full courses, I tested concepts with free PDF guides and mini-videos to gauge audience interest, saving countless hours on products people didn’t want.

What I’m Enjoying This Week

📚 Read: Paul Graham’s “How to Make Wealth” – This essay fundamentally changed how I think about wealth creation. Paul explains why startups create wealth so efficiently and why employment isn’t the only path to financial freedom.

🎧 Listened: Chris Williams and Naval Ravikant’s Podcast – Their recent conversation on wealth creation, happiness, and leveraging specific knowledge is just amazing. I love Naval.

📷 Dream Camera Upgrade: Leica Q3 43 – This compact full-frame camera has rekindled my love for photography. It’s simple, fun, and damn crisp. It brings me back to when I had my first Sony Alpha 6000 camera and the joy I had when traveling and taking photos.

🧠 Mind Upgrade: Stanford’s “Designing Your Life” framework – This methodology from Stanford professors Bill Burnett and Dave Evans has been helping me align my work with what truly matters. It’s like productivity meets purpose.

🎬 Watched: Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address – I rewatch this annually. “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life” hits differently when you’re building toward your freedom number.

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What Readers Say

Join thousands who get value from the newsletter every tuesday.

I don't ask for "reviews" of my newsletter so I just pasted a few anonymized thank you emails from my readers:
"Dear Zach,

I have been following your journey for almost a year now (I guess? Might be an under or an over exaggeration of the timeline not quite sure). I really enjoy your content, it’s filled with useful information with a dash of comedy. Makes me realise how important it is to not take oneself too seriously. Being a 24 year old sometimes feels like you are part of a rat race, one you signed up for without having any conscious knowledge. I started my education believing all I wanted to become was a scientist, help people by researching incredible things. Became a neuroscientist but then didn’t feel quite content. Tried a bunch of other things in the process as well, still feeling lost. Thought I somehow missed a life memo, one other people seemed privy to.

Anyways, I will stop rambling. My main reason for writing this was to tell you how greatly inspiring it was to see your [content], on leaving medicine, choosing a quiet life, minimalism, your advocacy for exercising and choosing movement among other topics. It felt somehow freeing to see someone else say maybe not this, and go on to explore their version of something that feels like a game to them but looks like work to others. I haven’t quite found mine yet but knowing it’s possible helps a great deal. I feel like I have now written a dissertation on rambling of all things, one most probably no-one is going to read but on the off chance you do- thank you! Can’t wait to see what else you have in store.

With regards,
Appy"
"Hi Zach,

I wanted to send a quick email to express my appreciation for your YouTube channel and newsletter.

I'm always eager to read your news content each week and watch your new videos as soon as they're out. I know that I can always count on your content to be insightful and to help me with my personal growth.

Thank you for the time and effort you put into creating such valuable content. It really does make a difference for me.

All the best,
Benoît"
"Hello Zach,

Just wanted to say a big thank you for your video and the insights you shared about studying! Thanks to your strategies, I passed the first step of my medical licensing exam in Taiwan—only a 10% pass rate this year.

What inspired me the most was your attitude toward hard work and the practical way you approach it. I truly appreciate the effort you put into your content.

Looking forward to your next project!

Keep up the great work.

Best,
Ying Kuo"
"Dear Zach,

I hope this email finds you in good health and high spirits. My name is Pardis [last name redacted for privacy], and I am an avid viewer of your [content]. I wanted to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude for the invaluable educational content you create and share with the world.

I am currently working as a biology/chemistry teacher and an educational counselor at an IB school in Iran. Over the past two years, I have had the pleasure of introducing many of your informative videos to my students. Your [content has] become an integral part of my teaching methodology, and they have greatly enhanced the learning experience for my students.

After watching your videos, my students and I engage in meaningful discussions about the topics you cover. The feedback I receive from them is consistently positive, and they appreciate your clear and concise explanations. Your honesty about what works and what doesn't work resonates with them, and it encourages critical thinking and a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

I must also commend you on your post about the Pomodoro method. I introduced this technique to my students after watching your video, and the results have been remarkable. Not a single session goes by without my students approaching me and expressing how their grades have significantly improved since implementing the Pomodoro method. Your practical advice has had a tangible impact on their academic performance, and for that, I am incredibly grateful.

Your posts have not only enriched my own educational journey but have also allowed me to make my educational consultation classes more engaging and effective. Your unique ability to present complex concepts in an accessible and relatable manner is truly admirable.

Once again, thank you for your unwavering dedication to education and for sharing your knowledge with such enthusiasm. You have undoubtedly made a positive difference in the lives of countless students, myself included. Your work is invaluable, and I am truly grateful for the impact you have had on my students and me.

Wishing you continued success in your endeavors.

Warm regards,
Pardis
Biology/Chemistry Teacher and Educational Counselor"

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