Dear Magicians,

Some men love to watch World War 2 documentaries. Some watch documentaries about the Roman Empire. Me? I’m a sucker for a Galileo Galilei biopic and this one “Conversing with the Starry Messenger” did not disappoint.

Now that I’m a big-shot productivity guru thanks to my latest book Focus Like a Nobel Prize Winner, I naturally used my favorite AI tools Gemini/NotebookLM to channel our inner Ali Abdaal and look at how Galileo unknowingly employed some pretty solid productivity principles while creating Sidereus Nuncius.

While the video doesn’t explicitly offer “productivity tips” in the way we might think of them today (like time-blocking or the Pomodoro Technique), we can definitely extract some valuable insights from Galileo’s process:

Iterate and Ship Fast: Galileo was working on his cosmos-changing observations, writing the book, and supervising its printing simultaneously. He raced to get it out by March 12th to make the Frankfurt book fair, even if it meant last-minute corrections. This is like shipping an MVP—get your ideas out there, even if not perfectly polished.

Leverage for Opportunity: Galileo wasn’t just doing science; he was strategically using this book as a job proposal, aiming for a secure position funded by the Medici family. Your output isn’t just about the work itself; it’s a tool to open new doors.

Don’t Let Perfection Be the Enemy of Good: The video mentions Galileo apologizing for the rushed nature of the book. He knew it wasn’t perfect, but he prioritized getting his groundbreaking discoveries to the right audience quickly.

Embrace Continuous Improvement: Even after printing, Galileo was making handwritten corrections and pasting slips over errors. Constantly refining, especially for key recipients.

Understand Your Audience: Galileo wrote the first edition in Latin for an international audience of “the people who matter,” but was already planning a second edition in beautiful Tuscan for a more middling class readership.

So, while Galileo didn’t have a Notion template, his actions show a deep understanding of getting important work done effectively and strategically.

Here’s what keeps nagging at me: Galileo didn’t win because he was smarter than everyone else. He won because he followed one course until successful.

He didn’t split his attention between Jupiter and Saturn and that weird thing happening with Venus. He picked Jupiter’s moons and stayed there, night after night, until the pattern revealed itself.

That’s focus. Not the motivational poster version. The boring, repetitive, slightly obsessive version that actually produces results.

Ali Abdaal said it better than I can: “Professor Keating’s Focus Like a Nobel Prize Winner distills the surprising habits, mental models, and mindset shifts shared by the dozens of Nobel Prize winners he’s interviewed. Drawing from candid, behind-the-scenes conversations, Keating reveals the hidden scaffolding of genius—and how anyone can adopt it to do their life’s best work.”

The impossible isn’t out of reach. It’s just out of focus.

Galileo knew that in 1610.

I’m still learning it now.

Until next time, have a M.A.G.I.C. Week,

Brian

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