Maximizing Momentum with The Modern Renaissance Man Annual Calendar

How This Email Will Change Your Actions

You will treat September 1st as your “New Years”

This will result in you

1. Building more momentum by allowing work processes to be more continuous

2. Naturally aligning your actions with the seasons

3. Timing your actions to take advantage of the Average Annual Calendar

Change Your New Years, Change Your Life – The Modern Renaissance Man Annual
Calendar

Every person has heard about the power of compounding. 

Despite this fact, 99.99% of people follow the Average Annual Calendar, a method that is
suboptimal for compounding and building momentum.

I want to make you that 0.01%.

I want you to join me in starting your year September 1st.

In this E-Mail I will explain how changing the beginning of your year from January 1
to September 1 will massively increase your output for the same amount of effort.

Following my PISA System (Physical Improvement, Intellectual Improvement, Social

Improvement and Artistic Improvement – The 4 Pillars of becoming a Modern Renaissance
Man) I will walk you through the improvements you will see in your body, your bank
account, your relationships and your creative achievement simply by thinking a little
differently than everybody else.

This small lifestyle choice that will ensure you maximize the results of your efforts and
more efficiently actualize your potential.

First, I will illustrate the Average Annual Calendar and how it destroys compounding

Second, I will demonstrate how the MRM Annual Calendar maximizes momentum

Third, I will explain how the MRM Annual Calendar aligns your actions with the seasons

Finally, I will show how following the MRM Annual Calendar allows you to use the Average
Annual Calendar to your advantage

Let’s get started.

Note: I will compare the Average Person Interested in Self-Improvement who uses an
Average Annual Calendar to an Average Person Interested in Self-Improvement who
adopts the MRM Annual Calendar.

It would be easy to show improvement over the average person because the average
person doesn’t attempt to improve.
By comparing to the Average Person Interested in Self Improvement who uses an Average
Annual Calendar I am isolating the schedule alone as the single factor that will make
your self-Improvement efforts more effective, not any actual change in effort on your
part.

Any references to “Average Person" should be read as “Average Person Interested in Self-
Improvement following the Average Annual Calendar"

The Average Annual Calendar Destroys Compounding

There are 2 seasons in a year: Work Season and Rest Season. The Average Person (AP)
has 2 of each season per year for a total of 4 seasons.

Work Season 1 – Busy Season – January 1 – May 31

Physical – Rest Season 2 (“Holiday Season”) the Average Person (AP) starts at
Momentum 0 on January 1. During Work Season 1, AP then works hard to get in shape.
They go to the gym regularly and watch what they eat. After leaning out from the Holiday
binge, they may attempt to gain some muscle. It’s typically a futile effort because in May
they kick up fat loss efforts, as Summer Season is around the corner, and they are never in
a caloric surplus long enough to see real gains.

Intellectual – During Busy Season, APs work hard at their jobs. Other people are “In
office” a majority of the time and you are able to contact them without much difficulty and
conduct business on a regular basis. January is a good time to “start fresh” so a lot of new
projects begin. For an ambitious AP this may be an entrepreneurial venture. They typically
“hit their stride” in Feb - May and make good progress towards their goal.

Social – Holiday Season has left the AP socially satisfied, having seen friends and family
over the break and perhaps taken a vacation. Other than the long holiday weekends their
social outings are relegated to once or twice a week.

Rest Season 1 – Summer Season – June 1 – August 31

Physical – Wanting to stay lean for Summer and being more active due to outdoor
activities keeps the AP in relatively good shape during Summer Season despite a more lax
diet of increased eating out and alcohol consumption at social events, BBQs, pool parties,
beach vacations. The AP makes no progress during summer on either gaining muscle nor
losing weight and may take a step back depending on level of dedication.

Intellectual – Work starts to slow down as many APs need a break and take vacations.
Other people are in and out of the office, some dip out of work a little earlier and
scheduling becomes more difficult. They have been working hard for the last 5 months and
need a little bit of a breather. It is key to note that Summer is a typically a major
consumption season for the AP.

Social – Summer is the most social season. The weather is perfect for work happy hours,
beach trips, weekends at the pool, vacations and other outdoor activities. Combine the
relatively slow working environment with the upbeat mood that the weather creates and
you’ve got a perfect environment for social interaction. This makes Memorial Day, 4th of
July and Labor Day are three of the best holidays for parties.

Work Season 2 – Deadline Season – September 1 – November 15

Physical – After staying relatively lean during summer the AP may attempt to gain some
muscle. If they know what they are doing and are diligent they can gain a few pounds
between the end of Summer and Thanksgiving. Despite this many won’t because they
want to stay lean or because their bulk will turn sloppy due to a lack of concrete goal
(Summer is 9 months away after all).

Intellectual – Grind time. The next few months are all about finishing the most important
projects of the year before the holidays. There aren’t many long weekends for the next
couple months and weather isn’t prime, so people are inclined to work longer and sacrifice
a little social life to try to reach their yearly goals, deadlines and quotas.

Social – Things slow down after Labor Day for APs. Everyone is satisfied from the
Summer Season festivities and other than football there’s not a lot going on as there are no
long weekends and the only holiday is Halloween.

Rest Season 2 – Holiday Season – November 15 – December 31

Physical – This is where most APs take a few steps back. Thanksgiving and Christmas
are holidays centered around food, drinking, relaxing and recharging for the next year. APs
gym schedule and diet get lax as they skip days for family obligations usually involving
copious amounts of food and booze and justify it with “bulking season”. Decent amount of
fat is typically gained during this period and momentum returns to a low by the end of
December.

Intellectual – Other than people working in sales roles shooting for a quota they haven’t
hit yet, Holiday Season work is pretty relaxed. APs are going on trips, spending time with
family and enjoying the Holidays. People are in and out of the office and are “resting up” to
start Jan 1 with a bang. Holiday Season is another major consumption season for the
AP.

Social – Holidays are a big social season. Lots of catching up with family and friends and
enjoying the festivities. Parties and trips are on the table as are the drinking and eating that
come along with them. It’s a great time to be social and everyone is in a happy and relaxed
mood as they wind down and reflect on the past year.

Below is a visual representation of the AP following the Average Annual Calendar

(Figure 1)

The graph assumes 0.10% improvement per day during Work Seasons and 0.05% decline
per day during Rest Seasons.

Realistically, the change between Work and Rest seasons are not this sharp – an AP still
works into Summer Season so momentum slows more gradually, and an AP takes some
time to regain momentum at the end of Summer Season so momentum increases more
gradually. Either way, the break in momentum that the Average Annual Calendar
(specifically Summer Rest Season) creates is obvious.

Figure 1
The Modern Renaissance Man Annual Calendar Optimizes for Momentum

There are 2 seasons in a year: Work Season and Rest Season. However, a person
following the MRM Annual Calendar has 1 of each season per year for a total of 2
seasons.

MRM Work Season – Physical and Intellectual Improvement Season

Physical – The MRM has stayed relatively lean all summer despite being extremely social
and relatively lax on their diet, eating out and drinking more than usual.

The MRM is more strict in August, meaning their body fat is now in the lower half of the 8%
- 12% range they maintain throughout summer. At this point they are in a perfect position
to begin a long, methodical bulking process, starting with a reverse diet.

This bulk will last from September 1 until February 28 March 31 (depending on a variety of
factors including confidence in ability to lose fat, how lean the bulk stays, body goals etc.).
At this point they have been in a modest caloric surplus for 6 months with dedicated
training centered around progressive overload and have packed on a few pounds of
muscle. They can now take 2 to 3 months to comfortably cut down before June 1 Summer
Rest Season starts without losing any of that hard earned mass.

Intellectual – After cruising through Summer doing maintenance work, it’s time to hit the
ground running. September to November 15 are crucial and the goal is to build as much
momentum as possible to prepare for the APs Holiday Consumption season.

Holiday season is the hardest part of this system. When everyone else is winding down
you must continue to build momentum. I am not saying ignore family and friends on
Thanksgiving and Christmas, I am saying use the Holiday period when work is slow to
focus heavily on your personal projects, working at the same pace as September to
November 15 and dedicating the additional time to executing the plans you established for
your projects during Summer Rest Season.

If you do this correctly, while everyone else is “ready to hit the ground running” on
January 1 you are firing on all cylinders and are at peak momentum. While it will take
everyone else until March to be at maximum speed you will already be there on Jan 1 and
can push the pedal to the metal for the next 5 months while they are playing catch up.

By the time June rolls around you’ve made massive advances in your Intellectual Life
because you’ve been working for 9 months straight without breaking momentum. This
should allow you to shift focus onto maintenance work for the next 3 months without taking
a single step back.

Social – Your social life will be 3rd priority during this period. I’m never an advocate of
eliminating social life 100%, but I would cut down to 0 – 2 nights a week and would not be
spending entire weekend days “hanging out” with friends. Take time for Thanksgiving and
Christmas. Go on a trip or two (I’m a big Snowboarding guy myself) and maintain your key
relationships (I have <15 close friends I speak with on a semi-regular basis). Other than
that your Body and your Bank Account are your priorities.

Summer Rest Season – Social and Artistic Improvement Season

Physical – You added a few pounds of muscle during Work Season and still got just as
lean as you did last year. People are commenting how you look bigger and you’re getting
eyes from (even) more girls than last year. No need to push it here, just focus on
maintaining your muscle and leanness and enjoying beach season.

I love lifting so I personally will still lift 5 days a week, but I don’t feel bad about missing a
workout and if I have a week of 3 workouts it’s not an issue. You can easily maintain size
and leanness on 3 days of lifting a week, a high protein intermittent fasting diet and
drinking relatively clean (Double Titos LaCroix is my go to).

When August rolls around, start getting a little more strict and lean out so you’re in a good
starting position for another lean bulk (if you want to gain more muscle) and get your
weekly split and training plan dialed in. Summer is a time to enjoy and to plan.

(If ya’ll want to know how I maintain 10% body fat year round with zero diet tracking let me
know. Depending on responses I will write an E-Mail on it.)

Intellectual – You put in the hard work for 9 months and built substantial momentum. As
work slows during APs Summer Season It should not take a significant amount of effort to
maintain your position and momentum. You might not make progress but you should have
enough momentum to remain flat during summer while taking advantage of the AP
Summer Consumption Season.

Take this time to think about where your goals, adjust course and plan for the next 9 Month
Work Season so you can spend the entire time focused on execution.

Social – This is your big Social Season. No reason to hold back. Meet new people. Make
new friends. Meet a girl. Meet multiple girls. Enjoy the weather. Do shit outside (almost
everyone is highly Sunlight deficient). The point of the Summer Rest Season is to loosen
up, have some fun and avoid becoming some fucking Self-Improvement nerd who sits in
his house because he’s “Grinding” (Tweeting). Work hard. Enjoy life. Don’t take things so
seriously. Relationships are a major key to Intellectual improvement and this is the season
to make them.

Artistic – During this Summer Rest Season don’t forget to take some time for yourself and
cultivate a creative hobby. Write, draw, paint, take photos, take some time to step back
from your intellectual life and evaluate your next steps. After being heads down for 9
months lift your head up, look at things with a macro lens. Set new goals, new dreams,
take in the world, get inspired again. The sunshine and social interaction make Summer a
perfect time for reflection, new ideas and planning.

Below is a visual representation of the AP following the MRM Annual Calendar

(Figure 2).

This graph makes the same growth rate assumptions as above (0.10% Improvement/Day,
0.05% Decline/Day).

Personally, I think these assumptions are bullshit. I view momentum as exponential.

Meaning it increases at an increasing rate and the longer you can work continuously the
more momentum you will build. Because the MRM Annual Calendar allows for 270 days of
improvement in a row rather than the 150 in the Average Annual Calendar, your
momentum (slope of this curve) during MRM Work Season will be much steeper and
decline during Summer Reset Season much shallower.

Irrespective of this fact, the MRM Annual Calendar outperforms the AAC with identical
assumptions, as seen in Figure 3. By simply avoiding the break in momentum, the MRM
Annual Calendar outperforms the Average Annual Calendar by 8% a year. On a 3 year
scale that number improves to 37% (Figure 4) and on a 5 year scale that number
improves to 91% (Figure 5).

If we adjust the assumptions slightly to account for the fact that your massive momentum
after 9 months will allow you to experience zero decline during Summer Rest Season
instead of the assumed 0.05% decline, that 5 year outperformance increases to 171%
(Figure 6).

If you simply change the start date of your year to September 1st you can experience
a minimum of 200% increase in output for the exact same effort over the next 5
years.

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4
Figure 5

Figure 6

How the MRM Annual Calendar Aligns Your Actions with the Seasons
Physical – The MRM Annual Calendar schedules your Bulk during the season you are
least likely to be shirtless – namely the late fall, winter and early spring and still allows you
ample time to get lean before Summer when you will want to look the most cut.

In addition, by scheduling maintenance in the Summer you will have plenty of time to enjoy
Physical Outdoor Activities and Sports while focusing less on lifting, making you a more
interesting and well rounded person.

Intellectual – This is perhaps the biggest failing ofthe Average Annual Calendar. Why are
you taking a rest period during the worst weather season (Holidays)?

While I highly advocate getting outside during the winter (I think you should have a Winter
Indoor Activity, Winter Outdoor Activity, Summer Indoor Activity and Summer Outdoor
Activity at your disposal, will write an E-Mail on this) the majority of your time during the
late fall, winter and early spring will be spent inside.

Instead of fighting this the MRM Annual Calendar schedules for it by making sure the
majority of your work is scheduled for the time of year you will naturally spend the most
time inside.

Social – You’d think the Physical and Intellectual advantages of the MRM Annual Calendar
would come at a detriment to Social Improvement, but they don’t. In fact, by focusing
heavily on Physical and Intellectual improvement during the poor weather seasons you can
focus intently on your Social life during the most social and best weather season of
Summer without worrying about falling behind.

You will never again feel like you are missing out while people are out and about enjoying
the beautiful weather all Summer while you are grinding. You will be flying by them during
the winter months and still spend ample time with friends and family and that time will be
higher quality.

Artistic – I’ve always found the colder months of the year dreary and uninspiring, less than
ideal conditions for the birth of new ideas. Working during those times allows time for
personal exploration when your mood is elevated, the environment around you is full of life
and your life is full of movement and interaction with your surroundings, whether that be
nature or other people.

The MRM Annual Calendar Takes Advantage of the Average Annual Calendar

1. You are taking advantage of the fact that Intellectual Life for APs slows during Holiday
Season to ramp up work on your personal projects.

2. You are taking advantage of the fact that Intellectual Life is busy for APs between Jan 1
and June 1 by being at full momentum by Jan 1, giving you 5 months where APs are in
office and available for work and you can get shit done.

3. You are taking advantage of the Holiday Consumption Season because you started
working on your projects in September and are now ready to launch by December, just
when the Average Annual Calendar has primed APs to buy.

4. You are taking advantage of the Summer Consumption Season because you have been
working on your projects for 9 months straight, are at peak momentum and have all your
business related interests lined up and ready to go for the Summer buyers.

To be honest, I don’t think this E-Mail needs a conclusion.

I’ve made it crystal clear how adopting the MRM Annual Calendar start date of
September 1st allows you to create massive momentum, align your actions with the
natural rhythm of the seasons and take advantage of those still stuck on the
antiquated Average Annual Calendar.
At this point all I have to say is Happy New Year. Get after it.
MRM

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