Productivity
The Privilege of Dreaming
About 90 years ago, my great-grandfather brought my great-grandmother from a small farm town to The Big City. And then he promptly left. Started a new family with another woman. And was never heard from again. My grandmother was eight-years-old. I don’t know if my great-grandmother had dreams beyond getting herself out of a terrible (…)
What Will You Do With That?
The way we speak to people brave enough to endure bankruptcy for the pursuit of knowledge is unkind: “That’s impractical.” “How much will you be able to earn?” “Who cares about that though?” “What kind of jobs can you get with that degree?” “Who will hire you?” “But what will you do with that?” To (…)
Time To Think
It started as an ordinary discussion of books and life, but ended (naturally) with a fight about Emily Dickinson. Not the Dickinson you remember from high school, the one on Apple TV (featuring Wiz Khalifa as death and John Mulaney as Thoreau. I KNOW RIGHT.). In the show, teenage Emily refuses to participate in household (…)
Holding Onto The Dream of Being a “Real” Writer
I don’t know about you, but I’m still waiting for the day I get pulled aside by a teacher who lets me in on a secret. And the secret is I’m a precocious genius who has unparalleled talent, unlike anything she’s ever seen before. And if I would just get over my horrible attitude! the (…)
This Beauty That I See
When Ann Patchett has an idea for a book, she says it whirls around her like an “oversized butterfly whose wings were cut from the rose window in Notre Dame.” She’s. So. Good. That’s exactly what it feels like when inspiration strikes. That moment when your idea is so beautiful, you have to sit with (…)
Slow Down
One of the greatest American contradictions is, “more is better.” We know it is not. We know, “a greater variety of choices actually makes us feel worse.” Schwartz, Barry. The Paradox of Choice, pp122-3. It’s why the best retailers, merchandisers, and marketers all seek to reduce your options. Choose this one – is the message at the heart (…)
A Few Things I’ve Learned About Writing
So, I’m knee-deep in book writing after a two-month hiatus of non-stop existential crises and some actual crises. I know they say circumstances are never ideal for creativity, but calmer would be nice. I heard Adam Grant say in an interview once that he used to write term papers in college while his roommate threw parties and it (…)
Bro, Do You Even Boundaries?
Do you have garbage boundaries? WE DO. If you feel like no one respects your time, we feel your pain. Learn from our mistakes, in this episode of Hillary and Margo Yell at Websites…