Ann Patchett on Scheduling Creativity - Study Hacks - Cal Newport
In a recent interview for the BBC podcast Spark & Fire, the novelist Ann Patchett discusses some of the difficulties that come along with finding success as a writer. "It used to be a novel lived very nicely in my head as a constant companion," she explains. "As time goes on and I now have
When markets are in turmoil, like they have been for most of this year, I like to have a buy-and-hold mindset when it comes to making new investments. It is hard to know when you’ve reached the bottom and can start buying again, but if you think about a ten or twenty-year hold, then it […]
If you want to be rich, you need multiple streams of income. It’s almost impossible to get wealthy by your salary alone. The good news is, with the right mindset and skills, you can use your salary to create investments that will generate wealth for you. It’s not too good to be true. It’s simple […]
Before diving into this week’s edition… I’m thrilled (and a little nervous) to announce The Art of Imperfect Action, a live online masterclass in two two-hour sessions I...
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
SIX at 6: Pixar Movies Suck, Kobe Bryant, The Grapes of Wrath, Anti-Comedy, Starting With Shit, and Daring To Suck - Billy Oppenheimer
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,
“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)”
SIX at 6: Restriction, Aaron Burr, Narrowing Down, The Puppy Brain, Washing Machines, and The Most Miserable Humans - Billy Oppenheimer
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.
TA #125: 📦 A gratitude inventory (even without Taylor Swift tickets)
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,...
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...
The Virtue of Owning Books You Haven’t Read: Why Umberto Eco Kept an “Antilibrary”
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.