What You Need to Know Today: January 19

Good afternoon, Early Risers!

Here’s what you need to know

TECH

Better than ‘Inbox Zero.’ You’ve heard about it. Some people claim to achieve it every day. I’m telling you these people are NOT pulling your leg. Inbox Zero is doable. No doubt. BUT here’s what those people won’t tell you. Cal Newport’s latest blog post discusses a new, better strategy to tackling email that’s so simple you can implement it today. He’s calling it Email Zero.

Before you give money to Kickstarter… read this.  “Samuel Pofcher promised to do something crazy if enough people pledged a dollar or more to his ‘smart wallet’ Kickstarter project. He would have the words “THANK YOU FOREVER” tattooed across his belly. A month later, his campaign surpassed its $35,000 goal. But the 22-year-old never got the tattoo. And his 315 backers never got their wallets either,” says Entrepreneur. What happens when Kickstarter campaigns don’t deliver? Cautionary tale.

Meet the people making a full-time living from Instagram, Kickstarter, and Teespring.

CAREER

Acing the age old question ‘What does your company do?’ Tony Robbins shows you how to figure out what your company REALLY does in this article. Once you’ve answered this question, Robbins shares one more important question you need to answer.

Content marketing vs. copywriting vs. Robin Thicke. “Content marketing is blogs, podcasts, and email autoresponders. Copywriting is sales pages, ads, and direct mail. Two different critters, right? Well, not if you’re doing it right,” says Sonia Simone. Learn this Blurred-Lines approach to writing compelling content.

+ Win a FREE copy of The Perfect Day Formula audiobookHere’s how to enter.

LIFESTYLE

How to tell an authentic genius from an imposter. Edward Norton was recently interviewed by Tim Ferriss. I recommend listening to the full episode here. One story (there were many) that stood out for me was a story about Marlon Brando and Harry Belafonte taking an acting class together. Norton explains that during the acting class, Brando and Belafonte were tasked with a scene where one actor sat on a couch in his apartment, while the other entered the apartment unannounced. The acting coach told the group of actors to ‘act the scene out from there.’ While most of the actors forced conversations with the unexpected guest, Brando did something different. When the door swung open and his co-actor entered, Brando got up off the couch, grabbed the other actor, and threw him out of the apartment, then slammed the door. Everyone in the casting room was stunned. What just happened? When the acting coach asked Brando what he’d done, Brando replied, “I don’t know who that [expletive] guy is.”

Hangover-free alcohol is here… This looks dangerous.

#NOWYOUKNOW

The Difference Between Truth and Honesty: Things I Learned In Law School

From Vibeke Norgaard Martin, 101 Things I Learned In Law School

“Lawyers must be honest, but they don’t have to be truthful. Honesty and truthfulness are not the same thing. Being honest means not telling lies. Being truthful means actively making known all the full truth of a matter. Lawyers must be honest, but they do not have to be truthful. A criminal defence lawyer, for example, in zealously defending a client, has no obligation to actively present the truth. Counsel may not deliberately mislead the court, but has no obligation to tell the defendant’s whole story.” Read more.

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