EDITOR’S NOTE:

Nicolas Cole is an author, and among the most-read writers on Quora with more than 75M views on his work. He also runs a cohort-based course teaching people how to start writing online with his business partner, Dickie Bush. 

It’s called Ship 30 for 30. 

In this 442-word micro-interview, Nicolas shares: 

• Why people fail — in writing, business, or anything else… 

• Why a “growth” mindset can be dangerous… 

• The single-greatest life hack… 

And more… 

Enjoy!

Thank you, Nicolas.

Let’s get started: 

1) “What’s your work routine?”

I start work every morning around 8am. I'll usually try to get out of bed around 7, walk my dog, make breakfast, tea, etc., and be in my home office around 7:30 to meditate for 30 minutes. 8-11am is either spent 100% on calls, or 100% in focused, deep work. I try to stack my calls on the same mornings so that if I know I'm taking a lot of calls that day, that's the headspace I can stay in—and vice versa for work. 

2) “What do you know about your work now that you wish you’d known when you first started?”

It took me a long time to learn that being extraverted and "on calls" asks something very different from you than being introverted and focused on deep work. I tried for years to do both at the same time, and it was exhausting. By separating the two, I have felt much more balanced. 

Second, I've really learned that in order to continue working on my own writing, I can't exhaust that part of my brain too much—otherwise I'll get burned out. 

3) “What did your biggest professional failure teach you?”

My first company, Digital Press, scaled very quickly. We hit seven figures in revenue in less than 10 months, multi-millions by 18 months, and went from 0 employees to 20 full-time employees in less than a year and a half. It was a rollercoaster. The biggest lesson I learned in that journey though was that a "growth over everything" mindset can be very dangerous. We were so focused on growing that we ended up making the journey far riskier than it needed to be. 

Sometimes it's better to go a bit slower, or play with other levers within the business to prioritize bottom-line profits, than to maniacally chase top-line growth.

4) “What’s the #1 thing that has helped you shorten your craft’s learning curve?”

Surrounding yourself with people who have the skills you want to acquire is the single greatest life hack. 

5) “What book has helped you the most over your career?”

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.

It introduced me to the concept of planting your desire firmly in your mind, and obsessing over your vision, turning into a reality.

6) “And your parting piece of advice?”

Every single goal in life is achievable, and can be broken down into tiny, actionable steps. People don't fail because their goals are too big or too difficult. They fail because they can't see the tiny, actionable steps that can get them there. Find these steps, and act on them, and you'll get to wherever you imagine you can be.