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Stupider People Have Done It by Jay Schwedelson Book Cover

by Jay Schwedelson

Jay Schwedelson's Stupider People Have Done It is part marketing playbook, part career survival guide, delivering data-backed tactics for LinkedIn and email while dismantling myths like best practices, the ten-thousand-hour rule, and work-life balance—for anyone stuck in the middle of their career who needs a kick in the pants rather than another inspirational quote.

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Chapter mindmaps

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Chapter 1: Introduction

Key concepts: Introduction

1. Introduction

The Book's Unconventional Premise

  • All profits go to charity, so even bad advice does good
  • No ego, no hero worship, no polished life story
  • Author is just a guy sharing observations, not a guru

The Grandfather's Pivotal Line

  • Grandpa said: 'Stupider people than you have done it'
  • Crushed impostor syndrome and sparked action
  • No perfect moment—just start, even when it feels wrong

Why 'Stupider' Works as a Mindset

  • Gives permission to stop needing to be the smartest
  • Obstacles are mostly self-created
  • Self-awareness, kindness, humor, and hard work matter more than credentials

Redefining Success

  • Success is accessible, not reserved for elites
  • The herd waits for perfect conditions; winners just start
  • Willingness to act beats brilliance every time

What the Book Promises

  • Quick wins, pitfalls, and game-changers in marketing and life
  • Messy, honest ride with pop culture complaints and tangents
  • Blunt permission to stop holding yourself back

Chapter 2: Chapter 1: Best Practices Are Garbage

Key concepts: Chapter 1: Best Practices Are Garbage

2. Chapter 1: Best Practices Are Garbage

Why Best Practices Fail

  • Create false security while steering toward average
  • Already obsolete by the time they're 'best'
  • Herd following guarantees you can't stand out
  • Examples like 'customer is always right' lead to bad decisions

Five-Minute Plan Over Five-Year Plan

  • Long-term plans are often procrastination in disguise
  • Author trashed six-month plan during Covid crisis
  • Urgent action led to virtual conference and seven-figure sale
  • Focus on 'What can I do right now?'

Barbara Corcoran's No-Plan Approach

  • Split company in ten minutes after partner betrayal
  • Relaunched Corcoran Group within four days
  • No business plan or five-year vision needed
  • Made more alone than with former partner that year

Do the Thing That Scares You

  • Safe decisions die on arrival
  • Memorable work is weird, gutsy, occasionally inappropriate
  • Nervousness signals you're doing something right
  • Humanity beats algorithms and stale tactics

Key Takeaways

  • Best practices guarantee you'll be late and average
  • Replace five-year plans with five-minute plans
  • Rapid imperfect action beats slow polished planning
  • Copying what worked for others ensures invisibility

Chapter 3: Chapter 2: Are You Consistent? Are You Accountable?

Key concepts: Chapter 2: Are You Consistent? Are You Accountable?

3. Chapter 2: Are You Consistent? Are You Accountable?

The Power of Perceived Weakness

  • Self-deprecation about intelligence became a superpower
  • Low SAT scores forced mastery of key skills
  • Accountability and consistency separate average from exceptional

Accountability as a Growth Engine

  • Accountability means holding yourself responsible for learning
  • Weekly newsletter became a forcing function for growth
  • Create regular output that 'eats at you' weekly
  • Accountability to an audience, even just three people

Consistency as Competitive Advantage

  • Sticking with commitments to yourself is the secret weapon
  • 47% of podcasts never make it past episode three
  • 92% of Duolingo users quit within a year
  • Just continuing beats 95% of the competition

Overcoming the 'Too Busy' Excuse

  • Wake up earlier to reclaim time for growth
  • Cut nonwork social media from an hour to thirty minutes
  • Use reclaimed time for research and content creation
  • Payoff is smarter thinking and better business results

Practical Starting Points

  • Start small but start now with weekly output
  • Heavy lifts: podcast or newsletter
  • Light lifts: LinkedIn hot takes or team trend report
  • Really light lifts: weekly clip or one stat Sunday

Chapter 4: Chapter 3: Since You Didn’t Ask: Is the Movie ‘Bridesmaids’ Funny?

Key concepts: Chapter 3: Since You Didn’t Ask: Is the Movie ‘Bridesmaids’ Funny?

4. Chapter 3: Since You Didn’t Ask: Is the Movie ‘Bridesmaids’ Funny?

Pop Culture as Personality Test

  • Bridesmaids reveals more about your soul than quizzes
  • Movie taste defines friendship potential
  • List of classics acts as fraternity pledge
  • Period piece lovers should check pretension at door

Unapologetic Judgment

  • Judging by pop culture takes is a full-time hobby
  • Judgment is a tool, not a flaw
  • Use it to filter relationships in low-stakes contexts
  • Author owns it and isn't sorry

Consistency Over Intelligence

  • Smart people don't automatically win
  • Showing up and sticking with opinions matters
  • Accountability trumps raw intelligence
  • Effort and consistency define character

Permission to Be Opinionated

  • Chapter doubles as permission slip for hot takes
  • Be unapologetically opinionated about movies
  • Don't stop judging—embrace it
  • Expect chaos and detours

Book's Zigzag Design

  • Mix of unhinged rants and marketing insights
  • Randomness is by design, don't fight it
  • Legit marketing chapters come later
  • Chapter serves as warning and personality test

Chapter 5: Chapter 4: Marketing Stuff: LinkedIn—This One Matters!

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Chapter 6: Chapter 5: Since You Didn’t Ask: I Was Beyond Embarrassed!

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Chapter 7: Chapter 6: All-Time Stupid Advice

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Chapter 8: Chapter 7: I Don’t Love My Job, and That’s Totally Fine

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Chapter 9: Chapter 8: Since You Didn’t Ask: I Suck at Working Out (and You’re Part of the Problem)

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Chapter 10: Chapter 9: AI Is Not Taking Your Job

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Chapter 11: Chapter 10: Since You Didn’t Ask: Airports Suck and Other Travel Fun

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Chapter 12: Chapter 11: Work-Life Balance Is a Scam (and You Know It)

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Chapter 13: Chapter 12: Since You Didn’t Ask: The Best TV Shows of All Time… Don’t @ Me

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Chapter 14: Chapter 13: Spooky!

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Chapter 15: Chapter 14: “I Suck at Public Speaking”—Congrats, You Just Benched Yourself

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Chapter 16: Chapter 15: Since You Didn’t Ask: Avoid the Chairs!

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Chapter 17: Chapter 16: The Ten-Thousand-Hour Rule Is Trash (and So Is Waiting to Start)

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Chapter 18: Chapter 17: Career Advice: Don’t Quit Until You Have Somewhere to Land!

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Chapter 19: Chapter 18: Since You Didn’t Ask: My Neighbor’s Name? I Have No Idea

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Chapter 20: Chapter 19: Marketing Stuff: Email Marketing

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Chapter 21: Chapter 20: Since You Didn’t Ask: These Are Not Flexes

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Chapter 22: Chapter 21: From “Have To” to “Get To”—Flip Your Brain, Fix Your Life

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Chapter 23: Chapter 22: Since You Didn’t Ask: Write It Down

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Chapter 24: Chapter 23: If You Try to Be Known for Everything, You’ll Be Known for Nothing

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Chapter 25: Chapter 24: Marketing Stuff: The Worst Chapter Ever! And Why You Are Doing Social Proof All Wrong

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Chapter 26: Chapter 25: Since You Didn’t Ask: Double Friend Group Text Chains

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Chapter 27: Chapter 26: Negative Self-Talk

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Chapter 28: Chapter 27: Marketing Tips and Stats That Will Make You Say “Really…?”

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Chapter 29: Chapter 28: How I Almost Messed Up My Whole Life! Regret Is Worse Than Failure

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