I'd Rather Have Leverage Than Balance

Ring Light Issue

Look at this, my ring light is not working. It keeps turning on and off, so I guess today I will have no proper light.

Hey everyone, this is Allan. I said I would have no proper light, but I never had that, and that’s okay. I’m back at my house after spending the weekend at my girlfriend’s place.

Weekend Video Success

One good thing that happened is that the two videos I recorded at her house are now in the top three most‑viewed videos on my channel. They’re currently second and third by view count. I recorded one of them in just fifteen minutes, then edited, rendered, and uploaded it, all in fifteen minutes. It got more views than some videos that took me a lot more work.

Rethinking Balance

Yesterday I was thinking about balance, and I realized I don’t aim for a balanced life right now. I want money, a lot more money. That doesn’t mean I’m only thinking about money. When people talk about work‑life balance they imagine a day split into four hours of work, four hours with family, a few hours for hobbies, maybe two hours of exercise. That sounds balanced, but I’m not aiming for that at the moment.

Leverage Over Hours

What I want is as much leverage as possible on my work, because that gives better long‑term results. I understand that if I stopped exercising twice a week, stopped going to church, stopped seeing my girlfriend, or stopped spending time with my family, I could work more hours. But my overall happiness would drop, my motivation would fall, and I wouldn’t work as well. I’m not doing these things just to make money; I love what I do. I feel great when I’m recording these videos, even though I’m not perfect yet. I’ll get better, but I enjoy the process.

Time to Sacrifice

I’m young, not married, and I don’t have children, so the time for sacrifice is now. Work is changing fast with AI. I’m not saying you should work yourself to death, but for me this is the planting season. I’ve been planting for a few years and harvesting a little, but now I need to plant more if I want my future family to have a stable income, to retire early, or to give my future wife a good life. It helps that my daily routine consists of things I like.

AI and Solopreneurship

I tend to agree with Naval that we’ll see more businesses run by individuals rather than large companies with many employees. As a freelance software developer, I used to spend two or three days building a website; now I can do it in hours thanks to AI. I can work the same hours and produce far more results, or work fewer hours and still make more money. I’m not working more just for money; I’m curious to see what AI enables me to do.

Freedom and Routine

I work a lot of hours, but I don’t have a boss imposing heavy deadlines or the fear of being fired. I can earn a good income by working eight hours a day and still have time for family, church, and Jiu‑Jitsu. Today I practiced Jiu‑Jitsu, but I worked before and after the session. I consider these videos part of my work, they’re building my personal brand, and AI lets me do that without hiring anyone or pulling 12‑ or 16‑hour days.

Freelance Challenges

I still need to build a more stable income source as a developer. Freelancing means each month is different, some months are busy, others I’m chasing clients, which can be exhausting. Even so, I prefer the flexibility. I’ll keep building my software, growing my audience, and using my knowledge in smart ways. It’s time to sacrifice, but not by working in a dumb way.

AI Enables More

With AI, the internet, and free knowledge, we can do a lot more. It’s never been easier to be productive, so let’s try not to be lazy.