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Primary focus
“Figure out what your primary focus is and make progress on that every day, first thing in the morning, no exceptions,” Nabeel Qureshi writes (while hat tapping Tyler Cowen). “Days with 0 output are the killers.” This was the gentle reminder I needed, and I shared it in case it might help you. 0.1 output…
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A proverb is a commercial for your own pondering
Whenever I see a phrase that resonates with me, I look for its source. My curiosity gets the best of me, and I’ll often buy a book because I saw a really great line attributed to it. “A change of perspective is worth 80 IQ points,” is one of these lines, and it’s attributed to…
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The power of the paper calendar
After over a decade of planning and working on projects digitally, I have found the best solution for me: the paper calendar. I just search, “printable calendar,” and I print out the months that I need on letter paper. (Often from this site!) I usually like to print three copies of the calendar out. One…
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Rereading past work
One of the best things about writing this blog is rereading the posts. Here are some I’ve found myself reading again lately: On creative work: On going direct:
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Four ways to reach out to your network for (job) opportunities
I recently contributed to a discussion on Hacker News about the pains of job hunting. In particular, my comment was on the topic of tapping the people you know on the shoulder, without sounding too desperate or forward. Rather than worrying about how you come off, focus on being intentional instead. You want to know—and…
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Algorithms charge an ignorance premium on marketing
When you write (or make videos, music, etc.) and rely on an algorithm or platform to distribute your work, you are also paying for it to do so. You may not realize it during the good months, but in the bad months, you’ll start wondering where your earnings went. The platform will always have a…
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Don’t worry about getting chosen
There are plenty of good people making good work who don’t get selected for the lists—30 Under 30, bestseller list, honor roll, etc. That doesn’t take anything away from their work. It certainly doesn’t diminish them in any way. Similarly, making the list doesn’t guarantee success either. “I know somebody who had a number one…
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Find a place where your effort makes an impact
Early in his career, Brian Lee juggled a bunch of projects. This included managing recording artists Dumbfoundead and Breezy Lovejoy. It was Brian who suggested to the latter that he should change his name to something closer to Anderson .Paak. In addition to investing into their two careers, Brian also built a media platform and…
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Who came before you?
Sometimes, it helps to remember that you’re never alone. You are just one of the more recent people in a long line of people that started before you, connected together by your craft. In Eat a Peach, David Chang notes the absurdity of working in a kitchen. Every chef goes through extremely high stress, every…