Author: Herbert Lui

• What’s obvious to you might not be to me

  In school and work, you’re conditioned to believe, “Your contribution isn’t valuable if it’s obvious.” But more often than you’d think, you take for granted what you know, and assume that I know it too.  What’s obvious to you might not be obvious to me; it might be the first time I’ve learned about it.…

  Herbert Lui

  March 31, 2026

  Creativity, Creator Confidential, Expectations, Turning Stories

• Add purpose to the payoff

  Airline loyalty programs are difficult to navigate. They’ve made it this way intentionally, because it provides customers with a sense of challenge—the same way a video game would. The question is, what’s the payoff? Provided enough reward, the more of a challenge something is, the more you’ll strive to chase after it. Will it provide…

  Herbert Lui

  March 30, 2026

  Creativity, Creator Confidential, Expectations, Turning Stories

• A final goodbye

  Today, I visited a friend in palliative care. I was joined by three other friends, and the shared presence made the trip feel lighter. We talked to each other and his family in his hospital room. Our friend’s eyes were closed, and he didn’t respond to our comments. He seemed to be sleeping. He looked…

  Herbert Lui

  March 29, 2026

  A Matter of Time, Life

• Bias for continuity

  After over 50 years of operation, the Ontario Science Centre shut down its main building a couple of years ago because the infrastructure was failing, and it was no longer safe. This type of decay happens naturally. The world can be chaotic, and its environment is always changing. Instead of repairing it, the government decided…

  Herbert Lui

  March 28, 2026

  A Matter of Time, Creativity, Creator Confidential, Expectations, Turning Stories

• Five minutes ahead

  The clock in my study runs five minutes ahead. My partner and I set it this way in the hopes of constantly being five minutes early, which is exactly what happened the other day. This happens to be a tradition in both of our families. When I grew up, the clock in my family’s living…

  Herbert Lui

  March 27, 2026

  A Matter of Time, Creator Confidential, Expectations

• Shaping a solution

  People have different reasons for going to the gym. You might go to the gym to improve your physical health. I might go to the gym to let off steam from work. Somebody else might go to the gym to improve their self esteem. Still, another person might want to look more attractive, so they…

  Herbert Lui

  March 26, 2026

  Contentions, Creator Confidential, Promotion, Turning Stories

• In praise of the quiet celebration

  There are times for loud, big, celebrations. There are many, many more occasions for quiet, small, celebrations as well. They’re lower risk, much lighter, and more memorable in some ways. I’ve been learning to celebrate more, and doing it this quiet way is useful for me. Big parties are expensive. They need you to plan…

  Herbert Lui

  March 25, 2026

  Creativity, Creator Confidential, Turning Stories

• Recoverability is more useful than reversibility

  A few weeks ago, I explored recoverable and irrecoverable decisions. It resonated with the Hacker News community, and the discussion was very thought provoking. Recoverable is more useful than reversible precisely because many events aren’t reversible. You only get one chance to make a good first impression; that irreversibility is what makes putting off showing…

  Herbert Lui

  March 24, 2026

  Creativity, Creator Confidential, Turning Stories

• Learning Chinese again

  When my parents decided to immigrate from Hong Kong to Canada, there was a system-level consequence: their future child was going to grow up speaking English, soaking up North American culture, and living a Canadian lifestyle. Saturday morning cartoons were part of this culture and lifestyle, but my parents had other ideas. Instead of letting…

  Herbert Lui

  March 23, 2026

  A Matter of Time, Creativity

• Shape your projects and tasks

  Shorten how long it takes. It’s easier to convince yourself to do a five minute task, than it is to do a thirty minute one. You can outpace procrastination. Shrink it. Small projects and tasks look more approachable than big ones. Simplify it. The more straightforward it is, with fewer steps to follow through the…

  Herbert Lui

  March 22, 2026

  A Matter of Time, Creator Confidential