Published in The Startup·Sep 13Writing a Book Isn’t Fun (or Lucrative). Here’s Why I Did It Anyway.The first time I heard the story, two thoughts came to mind: Holy shit. Why doesn’t anybody know about this? It was August 2019 and I was getting my feet wet at a small TV production company in St. Louis. …Writing7 min read
Dec 19, 2021Of the books I read in 2021, these 5 are worth reading againI thought 2021 would be less of a time warp than 2020. I was wrong. We got stuck in a 365-day limbo period between the old normal and the new normal, and by the time we caught our breath the year was over — again. One way to combat chaos…Book Recommendations5 min read
May 16, 202116 Life Lessons I’ve Learned After 3 Years in the Real WorldI have a habit of writing down ideas and advice I wish I’d known a long time ago (you can check out my lists from 2019 and 2020). Some of them come from conversations with smart people, many come from books, and I’ve learned a few the hard way. …Life Lessons3 min read
Published in DataDrivenInvestor·Mar 23, 2021Thomas Edison Would Hate Grant Cardone’s 10X Rule. Here’s Why.The following is an adaptation of New Problems, Old Answers: Practical History for People in a Hurry. This short (<500 words) monthly newsletter consists of two parts: a quick history lesson and how you can apply it today. Past editions include Would Napoleon disable Gmail notifications? and What would Abraham…Success3 min read
Published in The Startup·Feb 9, 2021To get ahead, you should always be losing (just by a little)How would you push an elite athlete into peak performance mode? Maybe you’d scour scientific journals to find the optimal diet or training regimen. Maybe you’d fork up a few grand for a motivational speaker. Or maybe you’d have them put their paycheck on the line. Jonah Berger, a professor…Personal Development3 min read
Published in The Startup·Jan 6, 2021The Only Cure for Distractions Is Finding Work You’re Obsessed WithWhy am I distracted? That’s usually the last question you ask yourself when a deadline is looming. With each passing minute it becomes harder to focus. So you check your email (again), you drink another coffee, you put it off until tomorrow when you’ll “have more time.” You’ll do anything…Productivity3 min read
Published in The Startup·Nov 3, 2020Ryan Holiday Is Reviving a 2,000-Year-Old Philosophy, One Email at a TimeAround 9 a.m. when millions of people are checking sports scores and scouring Twitter, about 300,000 people are starting their day with something different. Stoicism. This ancient philosophy that emphasizes the values of temperance, detachment, and discipline originated in Ancient Greece, but today it lives in the email inboxes of…Stoicism9 min read
Oct 13, 2020The Silver Lining of Growing Up in a Partisan HouseholdI discovered partisan politics in third grade — October of 2004 to be specific. I sat in my wood-grained laminate desk as my teacher explained that John Kerry was running against the incumbent George W. Bush. …Politics4 min read
Published in The Writing Cooperative·Aug 23, 2020The Lucrative Art of Letting Other People Take Credit for Your WritingHow to build a lucrative career as a ghostwriter — My family thinks I enable plagiarism for a living. Well, they used to. When I explain my job, it sounds like something that would warrant expulsion from a university. …Writing7 min read
Jul 26, 2020Dear CDC: Fire Whoever Made Your Coronavirus Ads and Try This InsteadTo the tune of dreary piano music, Dr. …Coronavirus4 min read
