Helpful Email Tip: Always Draw from the Top
I’m pretty good at keeping up with a lot of things, but inevitably I fall behind on some emails. The way it works for me is that I get stuck on a final batch
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Work
Work
Why Artistic Compromise Makes for Better Work
Once in a while (thankfully not often), I look back at some of the posts and articles I wrote in the early days. What in the world was I thinking? Most of them are riddled with errors, typos, and sometimes just bad writing. For both The $100 Startup and my new book (more news on…
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Et Cetera
6 Discoveries From Near and Far, Volume III
Things I found on long walks in foreign cities, or perhaps when someone posted them on Twitter. In this edition: traveling in Yemen, civil resistance, and high-speed tennis betting.
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Life
Duke Ellington: A Life On the Road
Duke Ellington spent forty years traveling, composing, and performing. Ellington composed as he lived, on the road and on the fly. He wrote his pieces in hotel rooms, Pullman cars, and chartered buses, then rehearsed them in the recording studio the next afternoon or on the bandstand the same night. He had little choice but…
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Et Cetera
What Are People REALLY Saying About WDS 2014?
After spending hundreds of hours in preparation and then hosting a week-long adventure for thousands of awesome people, I don’t actually say much about it afterward, at least not on the blog. I’m a writer who doesn’t do a writeup. Thankfully, our awesome attendees pick up my slack—and wouldn’t you want to hear from them…
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Work
The Cure for Writer’s Block: Start With the Last Thing You Learned
Wondering what to write about? Someone once told me, “Start with the last thing you learned—then share that.” They actually gave me this advice in reference to a talk I was terrified to give. I’d love to tell you I took that lesson to heart, thought of something great, and went on to give a…
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Travel
Holding Pattern: Airport Runway Art
It’s no secret that I love airports and airplanes. I get to the airport several hours before any given flight… and I fly a lot. That’s why it was easy for me to also love this project that compiles photos of active runways from Google Earth. Copenhagen Atlanta Barcelona Boston JFK Madrid Link + Images:…
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Et Cetera
The Feeling of Being Unsettled Won’t Just Go Away
From my inbox: “I have a sneaking suspicion this feeling of being unsettled won’t go away until I control my freedom.” A common theme in the emails I receive is one of readers feeling unsettled. People are frustrated with one or more parts of their current life, yet they sense that change is possible—somehow, somewhere—if…
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Work
Thoughts on Working from the Drugstore
The drugstore in my neighborhood has a deliberate policy of wasting every customer’s time. If you arrive to pick up a prescription, you’ll wait a minimum of 20 minutes, guaranteed. It doesn’t matter if you’re just getting a refill. It doesn’t matter if your doctor’s office has called in your prescription. It doesn’t matter if…
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Profiles
A Free-Range Life: On the Road with Pam Mandel
I met Pam Mandel at an event in Seattle. I was interested in how she’d made travel not just part of her life, but also part of her lifestyle. "I'm a free-range human," she said.
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Profiles
“It’s nice to get to a point in life where you can be comfortable with yourself”
"Do you ever see those people who sit around and bitch about something that happened 20, 30 years ago? I could have sued, but I didn’t want to bother with that ... I’m going to concentrate on getting back to nirvana"
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Work
Managing Your Time as a New Freelancer
“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” This series poses questions from readers. You’re invited to answer! You can also send in a question for a future post. Today’s question comes from Maria in Italy. Ciao, Maria! One year ago I lost my job, and instead of looking for another I…
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Featured Article
Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse: London Heathrow Airport
I love airline lounges and regularly spend four or more hours at a time working from them. This series explores some of my favorites from around the world. Way back in 2007, one of my very favorite lounges was Virgin Atlantic’s “Clubhouse” at London Heathrow. I’ve been back several times since then, and it hasn’t…
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Et Cetera
6 Discoveries From Near and Far, Volume II
Things I found on long walks in foreign cities, or perhaps when someone posted them on Twitter.
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Et Cetera
Giveaway: Tiny Time Machines “Now” Watch
I saw someone wearing this watch at an event and loved it right away. I asked if I could take a picture of it, which I then posted to Instagram. “My arm is on Instagram a lot,” he said.
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