When Shohei Ohtani was a high school freshman, he created a detailed "dream sheet" with one central goal: to be the #1 draft pick for 8 NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball) teams.
It was a 64-cell roadmap based on a framework called the Harada Method.
Here's exactly what Shohei did 👇
1. First, some history.... The Harada Method was created by Takashi Harada, a Japanese junior high track coach. He took a team ranked last out of 380 schools and, using his system, turned them into the #1 team in the region within 3 years. They held that top spot for the next 6 years.
2. You start by placing your main goal in the center of an 8x8 grid. For Ohtani, this was "be the #1 draft pick."
3. Next, you identify 8 critical supporting pillars needed to achieve that goal. These surround the main goal.
Ohtani's 8 pillars were:
• Body
• Control
• Sharpness
• Speed
• Pitch Variance
• Personality
• Karma/Luck
• Mental Toughness
4. You then break down each of those 8 pillars into 8 smaller, actionable tasks or daily routines.
This fills out the entire 64-cell grid, turning a massive dream into a concrete, daily action plan.
To improve his karma, he listed tangible actions like:
• Showing Respect to Umpires
• Picking up trash
• Being positive
• Being someone people want to support
5. The method goes far deeper than just technical skills. It forces you to analyze your weaknesses and build confidence. It also has a highlight on service to others, emphasizing that humility and contributing to your community are essential for personal success.
6. The key to the system is daily execution and accountability. Once the 64-cell chart is complete, you turn the tasks and habits into a daily diary and a "Routine Check Sheet." It’s designed to transform abstract intentions into a measurable, daily practice.
A study of 2.7 million startups:
The average age of people who started the fastest-growing tech companies is 45.
Everyone's in a rush, but shouldn't be.
My X feed got good again.
I was tuning out X for a while because I was getting all sorts of nonsense.
It seems like I'm starting to see the people I actually follow again - and their stuff is goooood.
Glad we're back.
Really excited that outdoor Saunas finally got approved in Vancouver. Kinda a no brainer. Congrats to Gatherwell on this. Next stop: Beating Finland in saunas per capita (apparently they have more saunas than cars there)
Want to get into Waterloo Engineering, Comp Sci, or Software?
Here’s what your grades need to look like.
Accepted students to Waterloo’s top programs usually have:
✔️ 90–95%+ averages
✔️ Competitive AIFs
✔️ Specific experience in STEM
The most rewarding part was when one of my team members said that after me being gone, he felt more comfortable and confident making decisions on his own. I wasn’t expecting that - but that felt good!
In 2023 I was the opposite of the e-myth entrepreneur. Fully operating my business day to day. This book helped me out with one simple framework: take time off.
It’s not something that I think you can shortcut, other than by being a good person.
So when I think about the transformation in the workforce that will happen with AI, I think about this limit.
Am I wrong? How do you see this playing out?
At a wedding last week, I got asked, “What other business ideas do you have?” I started salivating a bit…because the truth is that I have a new problem with AI:
It used to take me a whole weekend to study and construct a business plan for a new idea.
But they all have one thing in common: They take time, effort, and relationships to actually make happen. And those things currently limit my AI-Augmented self. An AI can make a dent in time and effort…but not really in relationships. Those happen on human time.