Herbert Lui

Blog on creativity, marketing, and the human condition.

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  • When you delay a task, your mind makes it more intimidating

    Delay has a way of making a simple, ordinary, task seem more intimidating.  Your mind rationalizes: you must think the task is hard, that’s why it’s taking so long. That’s why you’re hesitating. The more time you give your mind, the more intimidating the story sounds. Maybe you’re even procrastinating, because it must be scary. …

    Herbert Lui

    January 9, 2026
    A Matter of Time, Creativity, Creator Confidential, Expectations
  • Good things happen when you can be flexible with timing

    A company holds its holiday party in March. The venues are cheaper. Holiday party fatigue is over. The team looks forward to it, especially if January and February were thrashy. If you want to save money on travel, your best bet is to be flexible either with where you want to go, or when you…

    Herbert Lui

    January 8, 2026
    A Matter of Time, Around the World
  • New year, New Material

    My friend Hamza and I do a podcast called New Material. We just published our latest episode: Hamza was about to start his practice of writing every day at his new blog, so that was the topic of discussion. He published his first post shortly before we published the episode. His first few posts have…

    Herbert Lui

    January 7, 2026
    Creativity, Creator Confidential
  • Miracleless growth

    A good friend of mine had recently pivoted their career, from growth marketing in tech to the culinary arts. In their exploration, they’d realized they didn’t want to work as a chef or start a restaurant. Instead, they introduced their dishes through self-initiated supper clubs. They found their first customers by inviting friends and their…

    Herbert Lui

    January 6, 2026
    Creator Confidential, Expectations, Promotion, Turning Stories
  • Make your dream something you can’t fail at

    Some children have dreams of winning awards; they practice their speeches in front of mirrors, speaking into their toothbrush as if it was a microphone. Tilda Swinton’s dreams were much more ordinary. Her ambitions were to live by the sea, with a garden she could grow vegetables in, somewhere in Scotland, where she was born…

    Herbert Lui

    January 5, 2026
    Creativity, Creator Confidential, Expectations, Life, Turning Stories
  • Why not today?

    Whether it’s January 1, or January 4, or any of the other 363¼ days of the year, today is a great day to make a resolution. You don’t need to wait for a specific window of time. If you’ve made changes all year, the new year is a great time to celebrate those changes and…

    Herbert Lui

    January 4, 2026
    A Matter of Time, Creativity
  • The scribbled sheet of paper that changed fashion

    Before he joined Louis Vuitton as its menswear artistic director, Virgil Abloh had lunch with Bernard Arnault. Bernard’s family owned the majority of LVMH, the parent company of Louis Vuitton and many other luxury brands, and he worked as its CEO.  A lunch with Bernard was, effectively, a rite of passage. In her wonderful biography…

    Herbert Lui

    January 3, 2026
    Creativity, Creator Confidential
  • A journal’s purpose

    Every journal exists for one purpose: for someone to fill it up.  You can fill up a journal in many ways. Here are some: writing, drawing, collage, painting, or coloring. Once the journal is full, it has achieved its purpose and it quietly transforms into a book.  You can choose to dispose of it, keep…

    Herbert Lui

    January 2, 2026
    A Matter of Time, Creativity, Creator Confidential
  • Stop exploiting yourself

    One of the friends you grew up with is now a popular YouTuber. When they visit your city, they ask if they can stay with you, and you oblige them. You get a glimpse into their life.  An employee might get a lunch break, but not a YouTuber; lunch is for filming. They constantly are…

    Herbert Lui

    January 1, 2026
    Creativity, Creator Confidential, Turning Stories
  • It’s always worth spending time up front to make the process smoother

    A lumberjack once said, if his life depended on cutting down a tree in five minutes, he would spend three minutes sharpening his axe. More and more, I’ve appreciated this approach to life. Here are some ways I’ve applied it: A few days ago, I wrote about how cleaning the dishes and kitchen before I…

    Herbert Lui

    December 31, 2025
    A Matter of Time, Creativity, Expectations, Turning Stories
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