Level 1: NOT BUSY My schedule is wide open. I can choose infinite paths. Zero commitments. The weekend. I sleep like a baby. Life is good, but am I living my best life? Level 2: STUFF TO DO I have a few commitments wandering around my brain. They are reasonable, knowable, and not deadline-based. I

Ideas to help you make sense of the world

"Of course, all the practical details are still to be worked out...but I jot down my splendid idea in an exercise book."

From Suck To Not Suck In 1995, Pixar released Toy Story, the first feature film animated entirely on a computer. Since, Pixar has produced hit after hit: A Bug's Life, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, WALL-E, Inside out, Monsters, Inc., and on and on. Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull writes in Creativity, Inc., “Early on,

This article explores James Webb Young's book A Technique for Producing Ideas, which has shaped how we view idea formation since the 1940s.

“Twitter Algo Hack #001: I know that 9pm-1am is my best time to tweet. So I purposely create 2 tweets. Post #1 at 9pm Post #2 at 11pm If #1 goes really well, I don’t post #2. Don’t interrupt #1, let it compound! Ask me how I know my best time to tweet LOL (happy to answer)”

The Defining Feature of Language Language is one of humanity’s greatest inventions. And one of the defining features of language is restriction. The English alphabet restricts us to 26 letters. Bounded by these 26 letters, we can write an unlimited number of books, screenplays, poems, scientific theories, computer code, and on and on and on.

Hey, you. You're doing great. Click here to read this on the web. Source: Getty Welcome to the 125th issue of Total Annarchy, a fortnightly newsletter…

“"But how do you brainstorm remotely? Or riff remotely? Or collaborate creatively remotely? Isn't it better when you're in a room, tossing ideas back and forth?"” I hear some version of this fairly often from people who aren't used to making things with others from far away. There's an assumption that four walls, a whiteboard, a table,...

Small notes are better for developing new ideas, while big notes are better for organizing existing knowledge.

Howard Marks’ book The Most Important Thing has sold three-quarters of a million copies.

​ ​ ​ In your own way Back when I was researching my book The Antidote, about the pitfalls of positive thinking, I found myself in a giant sports arena in Texas, participating i...

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Five successful media entrepreneurs spelled out the single biggest change they made to their business that drove the most success.

When considering whether to buy yet another book, you might well ask yourself when you'll get around to reading it. But perhaps there are other, even more important considerations, such as the intellectual value of the book in its still-unread state.

"You want to write a sentence as clean as a bone. That is the goal."

“Every day the task seems hopeless and I feel like giving up.”

Dear readers, it is with troublesome news I break my three months of silence. The statistics all point towards the same conclusion: we have a global outbreak of fuckarounditis. Fuckarounditis is a behavioral disorder characterized by a mediocre physique and complete lack of progress, despite significant amounts of time spent in the gym. Fuckarounditis most commonly manifests […]

If you're worried you don't have to worry

Lesson of the Week: Types of Modules Last week, we introduced the concept of the Minimum Viable Newsletter. The idea is to fit the newsletter to your lifestyle, not the other way around, so you can stick with it. The best way we have found to create the minimum newsletter is to break it down into parts. Each part of your newsletter you can think of as a module.

Introduction To Sanderson’s Laws I like magic systems. That’s probably evident to those of you who have read my work. A solid, interesting and innovative system of magic in a book is something that really appeals to me. True, characters are what make a story narratively powerful—but magic is a l ...

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Share your calendar(s), and the world will know what you (and your company) values. Where does your time go? How much time do you spend: Talking to customers? Sharing your insights? Reflecting on what you’ve learned recently? “Managing” stakeholders? In 1:1s without your manager? Planning for things far off into the future? Chats with no clear resolution or progress?

You should start a blog. Having your own little corner of the internet is good for the soul! But what should you write about? It’s easy to get hung up …

Breaking Up with Productivity Advice

"Content is really just showing up every day and producing something valuable.”

The master storyteller on finding a voice, creative originality and why he has never suffered from writer’s block