“Anyone can feel a burst of inspiration, head to the gym, and push themselves for a single workout. That’s maximum speed. We waste a lot of time obsessing over it. How hard was your workout? How motivated are you? How fast are you pushing it? But what if you were to average all of your days in the last month? How many of those days included a workout? How about the last three months? Or the last year? What has your average speed been?”
Five Questions to Ask Your Customers That Reveal Your Narrative
“The strategic North Star guiding every great startup is a story — not about its team or its products, but about its customer. If that sounds trite, remember that most of the stories leaders traditionally tell — like mission, vision, and positioning statements — are structured as self-centered narratives.”
What It’s like to Only Get News from Print Newspapers for Two Months
“Now I am not just less anxious and less addicted to the news, I am more widely informed (though there are some blind spots). And I’m embarrassed about how much free time I have — in two months, I managed to read half a dozen books, took up pottery and (I think) became a more attentive husband and father.”
The 101 Best Podcasts for 2018
“No matter what your interests or goals are, you’ll find the podcasts here to help you live a healthier, wealthier, and wiser life.”
The Most Successful Brands Focus on Users Instead of Buyers
“Purchase brands focus on the ‘moments of truth’ that happen before the transaction, such as researching, shopping, and buying the product. By contrast, usage brands focus on the moments of truth that happen after the transaction, whether in delivery, service, education, or sharing.”
How to Start Investing in 2018
“Your road to success as an investor is less likely to hinge on whatever hot stock your friend thinks you should buy ASAP — and depends more on how smart a portfolio you put together today, as well as how you gradually tweak or rebalance it over time.”
What It’s like to Use Twitter with No Metrics
“You may tell yourself that you don’t care about the statistics, but tech companies know that when you are forced to see them, it is impossible not to care.”
The Most Important Question in Any Project
“Ask ‘What if…’ as often as possible. Ask it of yourself, your collaborators, customers, and audience. Use it to shape what you create, how you create it, and how you present it.”
Continue reading →
10 Ideas For The Interested This Week
“You can plan a pretty picnic, but you can’t predict the weather.” — Andre 3000
How To Get Meaningful Attention For Your Work Instead Of Meaningless Publicity
We all crave attention for our work.
When a blogger references our creation, the media features our product, or an influencer spreads our hashtag, it can feel like the traction we need to get the things we want.
But not all publicity is good publicity — some of it’s meaningless.