Herbert Lui

Blog on creativity, marketing, and the human condition.

  • About
  • Creative Doing
  • Newsletter
  • Some teachers show you what to avoid

    Scott Adams, famous for creating Dilbert and endorsing Trump in 2015, passed away last week. Several years ago, I found his book, How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, useful, particularly his idea of “talent stacking,” which is to get good enough to be at the top 25% of two different disciplines.…

    Herbert Lui

    January 20, 2026
    Life, Turning Stories
  • 5 ideas I will be practicing this year

    Work with what you’ve got. Bonus points if you’re struggling. Nobody else can push your buttons, unless you let them. You can impress other people without trying to be impressive. Relax. Don’t let a misunderstanding blow up or distract you from your goals. The best way to get through a difficult moment is to be…

    Herbert Lui

    January 19, 2026
    Life
  • Five books I’ve enjoyed recently

    If you ever fall into a funk with reading—like I do!—it helps to find a book that is enjoyable, light, and easy to read. Here are some books I’ve enjoyed recently: I Deliver Parcels in Beijing: A working memoir of a man’s working life in China, told through dozens of odd jobs and gigs. Very…

    Herbert Lui

    January 18, 2026
    Creativity
  • How I stretch my attention span

    Keep my calendar clear of meetings. Focus on one project at a time. If that’s not possible, then focus on one task at a time. Try to keep tasks to one sitting. Spend a few minutes in the evening writing down the tasks that remain unfinished or the ones that came up.  Don’t stress, and…

    Herbert Lui

    January 17, 2026
    Uncategorized
  • Three early career plays

    In my junior year at university, I really shifted focus toward finding a job. I knew it wasn’t going to be something that my school program took care of for me; it all fell on my shoulders. Along the way, I developed some plays that made a lot of impact for me. I wanted to…

    Herbert Lui

    January 16, 2026
    Creativity, Creator Confidential
  • You can either learn or be judgmental

    You can’t do both at the same time. When you ask questions, with a desire to understand, and listen, you are learning. Questions like: What assumptions am I making? How else can I think about this? What is the other person thinking, feeling, and wanting? When you’re mindful, you can catch yourself being judgmental and…

    Herbert Lui

    January 15, 2026
    Creativity, Expectations, Turning Stories
  • Publish once before making it perfect the second time

    In American football, teams score when they reach the end zone and make a touchdown. It’s rare for a team to go straight for the touchdown right away, because the decision is risky; instead, the team approaches the touchdown through running and passing short distances.  With each next checkpoint they make, they buy more regulation…

    Herbert Lui

    January 14, 2026
    Creativity, Creator Confidential, Promotion
  • Two lessons I learned writing something heavy

    I discovered that, as I was writing yesterday’s post, two main imaginary barriers kept me from wanting to publish it in the first place: First, I didn’t get to say everything I wanted to say. Some pertinent details include my working full time at Lifehacker, being honest about the shame I experienced working as a…

    Herbert Lui

    January 13, 2026
    Creativity, Creator Confidential
  • Reflecting on my failure to write a NYT bestselling book

    Over a decade ago, I attended a charity gala at The Spoke Club in Toronto. I was wearing a tailored suit, having a great time with friends, and, after a couple of glasses of bubbly, feeling celebratory. My career was off to a strong start. My articles went viral at Medium and were picked up…

    Herbert Lui

    January 12, 2026
    A Matter of Time, Contentions, Creativity, Creator Confidential, Expectations, Turning Stories
  • Remember the idea now, not later

    What if an idea mattered more now, than it did later? What if the process was more important than the result? A notemaker scribbled his thoughts on the corners of newspapers and envelopes. He would, inevitably, always lose them. When his grandson asked him why he did this, he replied, “I’m not writing this down…

    Herbert Lui

    January 11, 2026
    A Matter of Time, Creativity, Creator Confidential, Turning Stories
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