It was the last Sunday in October, the kitchen dark except for the laptop, and I was counting tabs. Twenty-two.
A novel stuck two chapters from the end. A spreadsheet for a product I’d sketched in August. Half an essay. Something about sourdough I can’t account for.… Read the rest “Clever People Rarely Fail. They Just Stay in the Hallway Too Long (An MIT Game Showed Why)”
This is the long, slightly nerdy version: what forty years in quality assurance taught me about how people lose their independence. If you want the human version first, it’s on Medium: I’ve Watched People Retire for 40 Years. Most of Them Never Really Left. Or watch the nine-minute video below.… Read the rest “The Default Trap: What We Don’t Say About Growing Old”
This is the long, slightly nerdy version: what forty years in quality assurance taught me about how people lose their independence. If you want the human version first, it’s on Medium: I’ve Watched People Retire for 40 Years. Most of Them Never Really Left. Or watch the nine-minute video below.… Read the rest “The Default Trap: What We Don’t Say About Growing Old”
Make a fist. Hold it as hard as you can, and don’t let go.
Strong at first. The knuckles go white, the forearm sets, and for a few seconds you’re completely in charge. Then it aches. Then it shakes. Then the fingers start to open on their own, and there’s not much your willpower can do about it.… Read the rest “How to Break a Habit Without Willpower: 4 Simple Moves”
Make a fist. Hold it as hard as you can, and don’t let go.
Strong at first. The knuckles go white, the forearm sets, and for a few seconds you’re completely in charge. Then it aches. Then it shakes. Then the fingers start to open on their own, and there’s not much your willpower can do about it.… Read the rest “How to Break a Habit Without Willpower: 4 Simple Moves”
I found a blue Post-it stuck to the inside cover of a notebook I abandoned around 2011. Marcus Aurelius, I think. Something about the obstacle becoming the path. I had pressed the ballpoint hard enough to dent the paper underneath. Clearing out a spare room last month, shifting damp cardboard boxes and old coats, I read the quote again.… Read the rest “The Uncomfortable Quotes That Fixed My Life (After Ruining My Ego)”
This is a story about stoic self-mastery — and how an ancient Roman slave philosopher named Epictetus saved me from the most expensive email I never sent.
Prefer the tighter version? This essay first ran on Medium: I Almost Sent the £11,000 Email. There is also a short film of the idea if you would rather watch.
