Leverage Map Worksheet #3 - Q4 Status, Q1 Planning
In our course Building a Mountain of Levers, we use this “Leverage Map” as one of the key frameworks. It shows our current Leverage, our weaknesses and opportunities, and helps plan for the future. Using this map, I’m able to continuously build leverage, which has completely changed how I think of my career, life, and legacy.
I create a Leverage Map at the beginning of each Quarter. It doesn’t take long, and it is a very helpful way to see progress and re-orient. At the end of the Quarter, I look at progress relative to my expectations and create a new map and new goals for the next quarter.
Below is another example: my leverage map from the beginning of Q1 2022. In March, I’ll append this post to reflect on progress and create a new map! This is the third map post I’ve shared (First Leverage Map (Q321), Second Leverage Map (Q421)).
I hope this practice helps you follow my journey and shows you how to build leverage in your own way. Learn more about how to use this Map to build your own Mountain of Levers in the leverage course.
This quarter, I’m trying to focus on moving the “big boulders” forward meaningfully – not aiming too small, or letting the “urgent but not important” items get in the way. I am keeping focus on 3 large initiatives: 1) building the next book, 2) building an early-stage startup investment fund. (Really two, since the third is just the continuation of my current weekly publishing cadence for essays and podcasts.)
Ideas for Building Leverage in Q1
Action: Write v1 Manuscript of next Almanack
Expectations: I’d like to publish the second Almanack in 2022 (🤞🏼) which means I need to have a solid first manuscript done in Q1. To complete this I’ll need to block off time every day for working on just this. (This also means getting the basic initial website and twitter created.)
Action: Launch Fund (working in public)
Expectations: Working with partners, start a Rolling Fund in Jan/Feb and begin deploying capital to startups in Q1. Nail a cadence of collecting and sharing insights from investing: deal memos, podcasts of investment decisions, founder pitches, etc.
Action: Ship 12 posts + 12 podcast episodes
Expectations: Keeping consistency around quality publishing will continue the flywheel of readers, sharing, and new opportunities. Quality is important, and consistency drives quality.
Q1 Retrospective (Written March 2022)
Write v1 Manuscript of next Almanack - 80% there! The next book is coming along great, and I’m looking forward to sharing it with you. Working title is Almanack of Balaji Srinivasan: Truth, Technology, and Building the Future.
Launch Fund - Success! Rolling Fun is alive and well! We have dozens of great LPs, and raised nearly $1m/year to invest in the first 6 weeks. We’re working with some incredible companies, and look forward to bringing more investors and more founders together in the months and years to come!
Ship 12 posts + 12 podcast episodes - 10 podcast episodes and 7 blog posts. Not bad, considering the travel and other random projects that came up, but less consistent than I’d like to be. I seem to constantly underestimate the amount of time it takes to produce a great post or podcast. Maybe I need to adjust expectations to be more in line with the time I dedicate to writing and podcasting.
To follow the thread, I’ll write another leverage map after writing this retrospective: The Q1 Status, Q2 Planning Leverage Map is coming soon.