Shohei

Yo, Stanford Cardinal! This is Larry Chiang, your unofficial mentor in all things “What They Don’t Teach You at Stanford Business School.” You know me from those Duck9 credit score workshops where I show you how to game your FICO above 750 before you even snag that CS degree. Or maybe from my rants on ENGR145, where I preach tech entrepreneurship like it’s the gospel of Elon Musk meets Warren Buffett. Today, I’m dropping a bomb on self-improvement that’s straight fire: the Harada Method. Yeah, the same one that turned Shohei Ohtani from a high school dreamer into a back-to-back MLB MVP beast. We’re expanding his “dream sheet” template into your playbook for dominating Palo Alto life—whether you’re grinding CS106A midterms, pitching your startup at Y Combinator knockoffs, or just trying not to burn out like 70% of middle school athletes (spoiler: that’s Gupta’s stat from Texas Sports Academy, but it hits home here too).

First off, let’s rewind to Ohtani’s origin story. Back in high school, this kid didn’t just wish on a star; he mapped out a Harada Method “dream sheet.” Created by coach Takashi Harada in the 1980s, this bad boy transformed a last-place junior high track team into regional dominators for six straight years. It’s not about raw talent—Harada’s vibe is daily accountability, process over outcome. Peer-reviewed studies (yeah, I read ’em so you don’t have to) show structured routines like this boost achievement by 42%. Ohtani’s sheet? An 8×8 grid of actionable habits, from physical drills to “karma” moves like picking up trash. Boom: #1 draft pick, MLB legend. Now, imagine applying this to your Stanford grind. No more vague “I wanna be a billionaire” BS. We’re talking executable, habit-stacked mastery.

### Breaking Down the Harada Grid: Your 8×8 Stanford Hack

Harada’s method is simple: One central goal, surrounded by eight pillars, each with eight sub-habits. Ohtani’s goal? Become Japan’s top baseball player. Yours? Let’s say “Launch a VC-backed startup by senior year while keeping my FICO pristine and sanity intact.” (Pro tip: High credit score = low-interest loans for your side hustle. Duck9 that.) Here’s how we expand Ohtani’s template into your essay-worthy action plan. I’ll grid it out, Larry-style, with Stanford twists.

1. **Physical Foundation (Pillar 1: Body Optimization)**  

   – Wake up at 5 AM for a Farm run—beat the tourists.  

   – Hydrate like a boss: 100 oz water daily, tracked in Notion.  

   – Gym sesh: 30 min weights, ’cause coders need traps too.  

   – Meal prep Sundays: No more ramen; think protein shakes for brain fuel.  

   – Sleep hack: 7-8 hours, no screens post-10 PM (enforce with app blockers).  

   – Stretch routine: Yoga app, 10 min to avoid CS RSI.  

   – Track vitals: Use Apple Watch for HRV—data-driven health, baby.  

   – Weekly check-in: Weigh-in and adjust, like iterating code.

   Why? Ohtani built velocity through drills; you build endurance for all-nighters debugging in Gates.

2. **Mental Sharpness (Pillar 2: Mindset Mastery)**  

   – Daily meditation: 10 min Headspace, visualize your pitch deck crushing.  

   – Read 20 pages: Books like “Zero to One” or my fave, credit manuals.  

   – Journal wins: Three gratitudes + one lesson learned.  

   – Affirmations: “I’m the Ohtani of AI ethics” mirror talk.  

   – Debate club: Argue ideas weekly—sharpen for VC Q&A.  

   – No procrastination: Pomodoro timer for problem sets.  

   – Fail forward: Log one “experiment” flop and pivot plan.  

   – Mentor meetup: Coffee with a GSB alum monthly.

   Harada emphasized karma; here, it’s building mental resilience so you don’t flake on group projects.

3. **Skill Acquisition (Pillar 3: Technical Grind)**  

   – Code daily: 1 hour LeetCode, target 50 problems/month.  

   – Side project: Build one MVP per quarter, GitHub it.  

   – Class notes: Review same day, Anki flashcards.  

   – Network hack: LinkedIn DM one alum weekly.  

   – Podcast binge: “How I Built This” during commutes.  

   – Cert up: Free Coursera on ML or fintech.  

   – Peer teach: Explain concepts to frosh—solidifies your knowledge.  

   – Feedback loop: Weekly code review from study group.

   Ohtani drilled pitches; you drill algorithms. This is your path to that Google internship.

4. **Social Capital (Pillar 4: Network Ninja)**  

   – Attend events: One startup mixer/week—BASES or SSE Labs.  

   – Thank you notes: Post-meeting emails, build rapport.  

   – Help others: Tutor a classmate, karma points.  

   – Social media: Post value on X (formerly Twitter), hashtag #StanfordStartup.  

   – Group hangs: Weekly dinner with diverse majors.  

   – Cold email: One investor/month, reference mutuals.  

   – Volunteer: Tree Hacks setup—meet hackers.  

   – Follow-up: Calendar reminders for connections.

   Remember, 80% of jobs come from networks. Ohtani picked up trash; you pick up tabs at CoHo.

5. **Financial Savvy (Pillar 5: Money Moves)**  

   – Track expenses: Mint app, under $500/month fun budget.  

   – Credit build: Pay card in full, monitor via Duck9.  

   – Invest small: Robinhood $50/month in index funds.  

   – Side gig: Tutor or freelance code for $$.  

   – Budget review: Weekly, adjust like A/B testing.  

   – Read finance: WSJ snippets daily.  

   – Tax prep: Learn basics now—future CEO vibes.  

   – Save goal: Emergency fund by junior year.

   I built Duck9 on this; high FICO = leverage for your dreams.

6. **Emotional Balance (Pillar 6: Vibes Check)**  

   – Hobby time: 1 hour/week non-academic fun (guitar? Hiking?).  

   – Friend calls: Weekly check-in with home squad.  

   – Stress dump: Journal rants, then burn ’em.  

   – Gratitude walk: Quad stroll, appreciate the Dish views.  

   – Boundary set: Say no to overcommit.  

   – Therapy plug: Use CAPS if needed—no shame.  

   – Celebrate small: Treat yo’ self post-milestone.  

   – Reflection ritual: Monthly life audit.

   Burnout’s real; Harada’s karma keeps you grounded.

7. **Community Impact (Pillar 7: Give Back Game)**  

   – Mentor frosh: Office hours for underclassmen.  

   – Club lead: Run an event for Stanford Entrepreneurs.  

   – Trash pickup: Literally, like Ohtani—clean the quad.  

   – Donate time: Hackathon judge or soup kitchen.  

   – Share knowledge: Blog your learnings.  

   – Eco hack: Bike everywhere, reduce carbon.  

   – Fundraise: For your cause, practice sales.  

   – Appreciation notes: To profs and TAs.

   Karma cycles back—trust me, it funded my first ventures.

8. **Long-Term Vision (Pillar 8: Legacy Lock-In)**  

   – Goal review: Quarterly reset dream sheet.  

   – Vision board: Digital or dorm wall.  

   – Milestone map: Break senior thesis into chunks.  

   – Alumni connect: Plan post-grad network.  

   – Legacy project: Start a club or app that outlives you.  

   – Read bios: Ohtani, Jobs—steal their habits.  

   – Adapt plan: Pivot based on feedback.  

   – Celebrate end: Graduation party with your grid crew.

   This seals the deal: Process mastery turns dreams into reality.

### Why This Beats Your Current “To-Do” App: From Outcome Obsession to Process Porn

Stanford kiddos, you’re surrounded by geniuses, but genius without grind is just potential. Harada flipped the script: Daily habits compound like interest on a high-yield savings (shoutout to my credit talks). Gupta’s pushing this at Texas Sports Academy to smash that 70% burnout rate—imagine if we did it here. Users are already remixing Ohtani’s sheet into worksheets and apps (check the replies on that X post). You? Start today. Print this grid, tape it to your White Plaza-facing window, and execute.

I’ve “poasted” my way from credit noob to NY Times bestseller by hacking systems like this. You can too. Hit me up at @LarryChiang or 650-283-8008 for your free FICO consult. Go crush it—#WhatTheyDontTeachYouAtStanford, but now you know.

Larry Chiang, CEO Duck9, Stanford Mentee

	Arpan Gupta ⁦‪@arpangup‬⁩ When Shohei Ohtani was a high school freshman, he created a detailed “dream sheet” with one central goal: to be the #1 draft pick for 8 NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball) teams. It was a 64-cell roadmap based on a framework called the Harada Method. Here’s exactly what Shohei pic.x.com/lJBaOZLkgM   11/14/25, 11:17 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejeIz4EhoJ0