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Five books I’ve enjoyed recently
If you ever fall into a funk with reading—like I do!—it helps to find a book that is enjoyable, light, and easy to read. Here are some books I’ve enjoyed recently: I Deliver Parcels in Beijing: A working memoir of a man’s working life in China, told through dozens of odd jobs and gigs. Very…
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How I stretch my attention span
Keep my calendar clear of meetings. Focus on one project at a time. If that’s not possible, then focus on one task at a time. Try to keep tasks to one sitting. Spend a few minutes in the evening writing down the tasks that remain unfinished or the ones that came up. Don’t stress, and…
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Three early career plays
In my junior year at university, I really shifted focus toward finding a job. I knew it wasn’t going to be something that my school program took care of for me; it all fell on my shoulders. Along the way, I developed some plays that made a lot of impact for me. I wanted to…
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Publish once before making it perfect the second time
In American football, teams score when they reach the end zone and make a touchdown. It’s rare for a team to go straight for the touchdown right away, because the decision is risky; instead, the team approaches the touchdown through running and passing short distances. With each next checkpoint they make, they buy more regulation…
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Two lessons I learned writing something heavy
I discovered that, as I was writing yesterday’s post, two main imaginary barriers kept me from wanting to publish it in the first place: First, I didn’t get to say everything I wanted to say. Some pertinent details include my working full time at Lifehacker, being honest about the shame I experienced working as a…
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The power of proof assets
Every so often, you send an important professional document to someone. The most universal experience is applying to a job, which you do by sending HR your resume. Your resume is a proof asset; it describes your experiences, accomplishments, and expertise. If you lead a business, you send many documents like this. For example, you…
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When you delay a task, your mind makes it more intimidating
Delay has a way of making a simple, ordinary, task seem more intimidating. Your mind rationalizes: you must think the task is hard, that’s why it’s taking so long. That’s why you’re hesitating. The more time you give your mind, the more intimidating the story sounds. Maybe you’re even procrastinating, because it must be scary. …
