PinnedMember-onlyMy First Book Just Launched!I just launched my first book, Productivity Is For Robots, and would love for all my Medium friends to check it out! Here is the official Amazon description: If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed or discouraged by what it means to be “productive” in the new world, Productivity Is For Robots provides a roadmap for unlearning the “hustle and grind dogma” that leads to stress and burnout. …Writing2 min readWriting2 min read
Oct 28, 2022Member-onlyTrue Love Doesn’t Start With “Hell Yes or No” And That’s A Good ThingChances are you’ve heard the decision-making framework of, “Hell Yes, No.” Coined by Derek Sivers and championed into the mainstream by Tim Ferriss and Mark Manson, it’s a filter for deciding how to spend time and energy. Here’s how it goes: When opportunity knocks, if you don’t feel fireworks of…4 min read4 min read
Oct 28, 2022Member-onlyPlay Isn’t Just Essential For Adults, But Children TooWhy Finnish children are given two hours of daily playtime and what we can learn from them. — “Adults are just obsolete children.” -Dr. Suess In 2013, an elementary school teacher named Timothy Walker moved from Boston to Finland to teach 5th grade. A year later he wrote a piece for the Atlantic about how his students in Finland had fewer behavior issues, were more attentive, and less likely to burn out before the end…4 min read4 min read
Oct 27, 2022Member-onlyThe Subtle Difference Between Being Alone And Finding Solitude“In order to understand the world, one must turn away from it on occasion.” -Albert Camus On Christmas morning, 2018, Colin O’Brady woke up the same way he had for the last 52-days — alone in his tent on the frozen desert floor. He looked at his map. He saw…5 min read5 min read
Oct 27, 2022Member-onlyThe Pain of UnlearningLast night Ava and I played a few hands of Gin Rummy and I was reminded of an embarrassing truth: I can’t shuffle a deck of cards. I don’t mean that I can’t shuffle like a casino dealer. I mean that I can’t shuffle at the level you’d expect from…4 min read4 min read
Oct 27, 2022Member-onlyIf You Want To Earn More As A Freelancer, Don’t Increase “Productivity”How to increase income and freedom through accountability — Ifyou’re a Freelancer who wants to increase income, independence, and security (the Freelancer Trifecta), then the last thing you want to do is increase “productivity.” You want to increase accountability. Being paid based on the hours you work is the slow and certain death of the Freelancer. And no amount…5 min read5 min read
Oct 26, 2022Member-onlyHow To Adapt And Four Horsemen Of Creativity“If you don’t become the ocean, you’ll be seasick every day.” -Leonard Cohen It’s a busy night at the Boston Opera House. Couples file in with black ties and glistening gowns. Martinis float by on trays, dodging patron elbows and distracted faces. The house lights flicker and ticket holders head…5 min read5 min read
Oct 26, 2022Member-onlyOn Decorating Knowledge With Words And “Unlearning”I read a great quote by the artist, Jean-Michel Basquiat the other day that went, “Art is how we decorate space. Music is how we decorate time.” I love this idea of “decorating time.” It also fits into my belief around how once a piece of art is released to…3 min read3 min read
Oct 26, 2022Member-onlySelf-Reflection: the Good, the Bad, and the UglyHow a journaling habit can turn introspection into insight — source Self-reflection like this is like getting dressed in the dark — you might get your pants on, but they’re probably backward and definitely won’t match your shoes. What is consciousness? The word gets thrown around in science fiction films, branded as the final divide between humans and robots. Is…6 min read6 min read
Oct 25, 2022Member-onlyYour Brain On NatureThe hidden key to connection, creativity, and flow — The author and journalist, Florence Williams is zig-zagging through a patch of prickly pear cacti toward the San Juan River. Walls of hematite rock and soft bluffs of red soil line the river bank. She steps carefully and spots a grassy opening where she can sit and watch the water…4 min read4 min read