Welcome to The Quiet Rich, your weekly email for a quiet mind and a rich life. Today I’m sharing 7 tiny habits that have the highest ROI.
CONTEXT
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again:
The person you will be in 5 years is determined by the books you read, people you meet, and habits you start today.
5 years ago (in January 2021), I was working a 9-5 marketing job at LinkedIn. I was good at it, but knew it wasn’t my full potential. In my spare time, I was reading nonfiction books like Essentialism, The Almanack of Naval Ravikant, and Four Thousand Weeks. I was listening to podcasts from thought leaders and creators I respected. I was having deep conversations with friends and mentors who had even bigger dreams for my life than I did.
I had no grand plan. But each one of those tiny habits accrued compound interest over the next 5 years—and eventually led to me landing a major book deal.
Warren Buffett has often talked about "the snowball effect." He said wealth building is much like a tiny snowball—small at first, but as it rolls down a mountain, it gathers more mass and momentum. Over time, it keeps growing at an increasingly faster rate.
The same principle applies to your tiny habits.
Here are 7 snowballs to start today that will give you the highest rate-of-return in life:
THE 7 HABITS
1. Read one chapter every morning.
Someone spent 10 years learning what you can download in 10 hours. So every book is like getting a decade of experience for $20.
I keep a book on my nightstand, and every morning when I wake up? I reach for the book instead of my phone. I don’t check emails or scroll social media until I've read at least one chapter. The first hour of your day sets the tone for the next twenty-three.
The ROI? In one year, you'll have read 20+ books. That's like 200 collective years of experience from the smartest thinkers in history.
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2. Protect 2 hours for deep work
What if I told you that you could only get one task done tomorrow? You’d choose the most important one, right? The one that moves the needle the most on your goals?
Every workday, I block off the first two hours like a non-negotiable meeting with myself. Phone on Do Not Disturb. Email tab closed. Just me and my #1 most important task of the day.
Your brain has limited willpower. Every decision, every notification, every "quick check" of the news depletes it. So those first 2 hours? That's when your cognitive horsepower is at its peak.
Use it on the highest-ROI task.
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3. Get cozy with the word 'no'
In a negotiation, if you only hear 'yes' it means you didn't ask for enough.
After all, you don't get what you deserve. You get what you negotiate.
Charge what you're worth. Ask for the raise. Pitch the ambitious project. If you're not a little uncomfortable when you ask, you're not asking for enough.
For every 5 ‘no’s you hear, you’ll get 1 extraordinary yes.
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4. Hire one new mentor every year
Everyone you admire has a coach. Oprah has a coach. Tony Robbins has a coach.
A good mentor can see your blind spots and save you years of trial and error. They've already made the mistakes you're about to make. They know which shortcuts actually work.
Here's how I approach it: Choose one skill you want to master this year. Find someone who has already mastered it. Then invest in their guidance.
Not sure which skill to focus on in 2026? Your personal brand should be at the top of your list. It's the one investment that opens every other door—clients, opportunities, and the career you actually want.
The price of coaching seems high until you realize the cost of staying exactly where you are.
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5. Embrace productive discomfort
Every day, do one uncomfortable thing.
- Have that tough conversation you've been avoiding.
- Go for a morning run in the winter cold.
- Drive in silence and let your mind wander.
Growth happens on the other side of things that don't feel immediately easy.
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6. Change your physical state to change your mental state
Feeling anxious? Move your body. Stuck on a problem? Stand up and walk. Procrastinating? Do 30 seconds of jumping jacks.
Your emotions aren't just in your head—they're in your body. Shake ‘em free. It's neuroscience, not magic. But it feels like magic when you're suddenly unstuck after a 5-minute walk around the block.
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7. Send the 1-minute message
Every time someone you love crosses your mind, send them a text.
"Hey, I was just remembering that time we..." or "Saw this and thought of you"
It takes 60 seconds. But the ROI on your relationships? Priceless. Your social cup will never feel empty, and the people in your life will never feel far away. Staying connected with people doesn't require grand gestures. Just small, consistent reminders that they matter to you.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Tiny actions done consistently compound into extraordinary results.
So you are just one decision away from a completely different life.
All my love,
Jade
P.S. Today is my 3-year anniversary of my first-ever post on LinkedIn. Year 1, I grew to 250,000 followers and started The Quiet Rich. Year 2, I grew to 500,000 followers and started coaching others. Year 3, I crossed 1 million followers, landed a major book deal with my dream publisher, and quit my full-time role at Google to bet on myself.
Curious how I did it? I’m telling the full story in my free masterclass next Tuesday.
See you there. 🫶
