Relationships are critical to our ability to do remarkable work. Even if you’re a hermit like me, the people who collaborate with you, inspire you, and support you are indispensable. That said, relationships are a source of stress, too—especially when it comes to...
Culture & Economy
Why Care Work is Critical to the Value of Information
Imagine that I had a set of instructions for making $1 million. My instructions fit on a single sheet of paper. Font size 12. Double-spaced. No funny business. Follow every step to the letter, and a million bucks would be yours. What would you be willing to pay for...
To Quit or Not To Quit Social Media: Opportunity Cost Can Help You Decide
To quit or not to quit social media—that is the question. Is it nobler to suffer the fear of missing out on internet fame (and the middling fortune that might come with it)? Or to take up some half-baked “strategy” and, by posting, end it? How do you make a big...
Revisiting Remarkable Content to Consider Digital Ecology
I consume a lot of content. Like, a lot. At the risk of this sounding like a humble brag, let me give you a taste of what I mean by “a lot.” I’m currently reading 3 books: a sci-fi novella, a book about bureaucracy, and a book about economics. I listen to about 2...
The Economic Functions of Busyness: From Convenience to Debt
I'm not a very busy person. I don't mean that as a weird flex. Nor do I say it as a way to eschew the elevated status of Very Busy Person. There simply aren't a lot of varying demands on my time. There is plenty that I want to do—books I want to read, ideas I want to...
The Satisfaction of Practice in an Achievement-Oriented World
An excerpt from What Works: A Comprehensive Framework to Change the Way We Approach Goal-Setting by Tara McMullin The rules had been constructed long before I was born, and I did not know yet I was allowed to break them or redefine them or ignore them entirely. — Jami...
The Body at Work: Why Self-Control is the #1 Rule of the 21st-Century Economy
The first time I recognized that my body should be controlled was when I was eleven or twelve years old. Thanks to some particularly nasty asthma medication, my body was already well on the “after” side of puberty by that point. A large three-way mirror, inviting...
What Does Power Sound Like?
In fourth grade, I auditioned for my elementary school chorus. I love to sing—but it’s not, let’s say, one of my more celebrated talents. So I’m standing next to an upright piano in our school auditorium-slash-gym-slash-cafeteria and singing along to my music teacher...
How Influencers Change the Way We See Ourselves
How do influencers impact the way we see ourselves, our families, and… our shopping lists?
Who Do You Trust With Your Business or Career?
Distrust is society’s default emotion. That’s according to the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer survey. It found that 6 out of 10 people report that their default tendency is to approach new information with distrust until there is clear evidence of its trustworthiness....
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