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The case against the case against travel
A few weeks ago, I came across this piece making the case against travel. There has been some interesting commentary on the piece already (here, and here), and I wanted to share some points: 1. One thing worth appreciating is context: while travel has remained the same in many ways, it has also drastically changed.…
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The subtle misery of high expectations
There’s a centuries-old train of thought that equates expectations with results. In Blessed, author Kate Bowler quotes Essek William Kenyon, writing, “Christian talk about hope had to be amended, for, as Kenyon claimed, “Hope says, ‘I will get it sometime.’ Faith says, ‘I have it now.’”” Bowler described the core of this metaphysical train of…
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GL HF
As a teenager I played a fair amount of Starcraft. I was rarely ever the best player—I didn’t click fast enough, I didn’t play with enough aggression, and I relied too often on the same strategies when I should have been evolving them—which meant that I didn’t put myself in a winning position very often.…
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A newsletter you’ll want to share…
My team at Figma is working on a really cool editorial project. I can’t say much about it—only that it’s designed to earn its way into your inbox. Visit our blog, Shortcut, and scroll to the middle (“Subscribe to Shortcut for an instantly better inbox”). Subscribe to the mailing list to be the first to…
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Last mile pressure
Sometimes, for whatever reason, the experience of finishing the final task (or putting the final touches on a project, or solving the final problem, etc.) feels absolutely impossible. This post is one such example. There are a lot of possible reasons why, as well as a lot of solutions. My favorite one is to scope…
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No interruptions, please
Creative work compounds, so long as you keep practicing. “The first rule of compounding: Never interrupt it unnecessarily.” Charlie Munger See also this post, this post, and this.
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Don’t be precious about promoting your work
You will promote your work, and nothing happens. Someone else will promote your work, and nothing happens. Someone else will promote your work, and nothing happens. Someone else will promote your work, and it’ll go completely viral. Someone else will promote your work, and nothing happens. I’ve seen this happen over, and over, and over…
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Boredom feeds creativity
Sit in any waiting room. A doctor, dentist, or car inspection garage where you have absolutely nothing to do for about an hour. Or take a flight with no Wi-fi, and no leg room. Get stuck in traffic. Make sketches on a very small lined pad (even a napkin will do) with a good pen.…
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Making it happen
If you want something to happen, don’t be ashamed or embarrassed to go make it happen. In the case of creativity, if you want people to pay attention, don’t let reluctance or a fear of embarrassment or shame get in the way of you putting your work and yourself out there. 50 Cent writes in…
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Creative Doing, at Figma
During Config, I visited the Figma office in San Francisco. My book was on the book wall! Please give me a shout if you want a few copies for your office.