The Best Decline Letter of All Time: Edmund Wilson - The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferrisstim.blog
The Best Decline Letter of All Time: Edmund Wilson - The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss
Edmund Wilson regrets that it is impossible for him...
...without compensation to:
read manuscripts
contribute to books or periodicals
do editorial work
judge literary contests
deliver lectures
address meetings
make after-dinner speeches
broadcast.
...under any circumstances to:
contribute to or take part in symposiums
take part in chain-poems or ot... See more
...without compensation to:
read manuscripts
contribute to books or periodicals
do editorial work
judge literary contests
deliver lectures
address meetings
make after-dinner speeches
broadcast.
...under any circumstances to:
contribute to or take part in symposiums
take part in chain-poems or ot... See more
STEP 1 — THE WILSON LETTER AND BEYOND - The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss
Hey there, Tim, Sorry for the slow response and thanks for thinking of me in this context. It has become pretty obvious of late that I’m trying to do too much, and so I started an experiment of not adding anything whatsoever to my “to-do” list, so that it wouldn’t get any longer. The result is that the items that were ALREADY on my “to-do” list onl
... See moreTimothy Ferriss • Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World
First, I'll share one of my recent email declines: "This is such a fascinating subject, but I fear I've taken on too many blurb requests in the past few months and gave myself a self-reinforced pause. My apologies"
Anne Helen Petersen • How to Decline
In turning down obligations, I also resist the urge to offer a consolation prize that ends up devouring almost as much of my schedule (e.g., “Sorry I can’t join your committee, but I’m happy to take a look at some of your proposals as they come together and offer my thoughts”). A clean break is best.
Cal Newport • Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
Every encounter demands too much, tears the nerves, drains the will, and the spectre of something as small as an unanswered letter arouses such disproportionate guilt that one's sanity becomes an object of speculation among one's acquaintances. To assign unanswered letters their proper weight, to free us from the expectations of others, to give us ... See more
Joan Didion • Self-respect: Its Source, Its Power
“People are offended when you repeatedly turn down their invitations,” he wrote. But he decided that the indispensable relationship in his life was with his readers. “My readers would welcome whatever life style I chose, as long as I made sure each new work was an improvement over the last. And shouldn’t that be my duty—and my top priority—as a nov
... See moreMason Currey • Daily Rituals: How Artists Work
Jeffrey [my friend who asked on my behalf], Greetings and thanks for writing. I’m grateful for the invitation to participate in Tim’s next book project, but am struggling at this moment to make time ends meet for all we’re doing at USHG, including my ongoing procrastination with my own writing projects. I thought carefully about this as it’s clearl
... See more