Category: Posts
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A quick intro to Cal Newport and Deep Work
Cal Newport is a professor of computer science and a writer. I appreciate his no-frills approach to doing hard work. His new book, Deep Work, is a handbook for creating a deliberate practice of focused time of work. I pre-ordered the audio book and will be studying it soon. This is an…
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No Excuses
This post is a years-later re-post of an article I wrote on a syndicate that’s been discontinued. I updated a couple phrases, but mostly left it the same. Some things that could be expanded on is how things have changed with the huge improvements in music creation capability on mobile devices.…
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Beginners Mind
That elusive place between not knowing and hoping-knowing. The joyous struggle of wrestling with the process in figuring it out. When we “already know” it closes doors and makes choices narrower. And it’s good to have some things already set, choices made. Then we get to spend more focused time…
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The smallest habits
Starting anything can be daunting. Even just the idea of taking the first step can be enough to give pause or allow an excuse to creep up. BJ Fogg says to start by committing to an action so small that it is almost ridiculous how easy it would be to actually do.…
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Small Hacks
Little hacks are fun. Today my family discovered a new one. On road trips, break up the time in the car with a short visit to a children’s museum in an unfamiliar city. Taking breaks helps morale, and being able to take a break in a place that is lots of…
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Reward smart failures
I again looked through the transcript of an AMA (Ask Me Anything) that Seth Godin held as part of launching a skillshare class. He answered the question that I asked. It’s a question (and response) that I still think about, and I want to share it here. The question: Seth, you’ve talked…
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Three books I’m Studying
I have 3 books I’m studying for this next season. I have them in the physical format and I’m planning on marking them up quite a bit, interacting with them in a tangible way. And although I usually don’t often read books more than once, I’m wanting to try something…
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The Voice in an Advocacy Video
The founder’s voice is often going to be stronger than a hired narrator’s voice. Don’t underestimate the power of an honest connection, even if the performance is not “professional.” [Confession: When first working on a narration script, I tend to try to hear it as if Morgan Freeman were reading…
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Imperfectly Perfect
There are times when you need perfect right angles to make the building better. Other times you don’t. One such instance is in the case of building interior walls. If you want the rooms to sound better, the walls should be slightly not-parallel. The sound will bounce around in a…
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Starting with why and getting back to why
Simon Sinek has a brilliant talk that reminds us that getting at the “Why” of things is incredibly powerful. It goes well with this Hugh MacLeod’s illustration about the market for something to believe in. I want to think of another aspect of it. It’s a place to come back…
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