“If you ask yourself ‘What’s the best thing that happened today?’ it actually forces a certain kind of cheerful retrospection that pulls up from the recent past things to write about that you wouldn’t otherwise think about. If you ask yourself ‘What happened today?’ it’s very likely that you’re going to remember the worst thing, because you’ve had

Establishing and keeping a routine can be even more important than having a lot of time.

“Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work.” —Gustave Flaubert

So go on, get angry. But keep your mouth shut and go do your work. “Complain about the way other people make software by making software.” —Andre Torrez

be helpful.”

If you ever find that you’re the most talented person in the room, you need to find another room.

“Find the most talented person in the room, and if it’s not you, go stand next to him. Hang out with him. Try to

“Distance and difference are the secret tonic of creativity. When we get home, home is still the same. But something in our mind has been changed, and that changes everything.” —Jonah Lehrer

When I was a kid, my mom used to drag me to the mall. Before she did any shopping, she took me to the bookstore and bought me any book I wanted. We’d go into stores and I would sit in a chair and read my book while she shopped. This went on for years. I read a lot of books. Now I have a car and a mobile phone. I’m always connected, never alone or