no way but through

essay

The reason we’re so increasingly intolerant of long articles and why we skim them, why we skip forward even in a short video that reduces a 300-page book into a three-minute animation — even in that we skip forward — is that we’ve been infected with this kind of pathological impatience that makes us want to have the knowledge but not do the work of... See more

Maria Popova • Maria Popova — Cartographer of Meaning in a Digital Age

Constantly scrolling on your phone? Why we can’t stand feeling bored

Madeleine Aggeler theguardian.com

Getting curious about what’s really going on when you’re bored (meaninglessness, task poorly matched to ability, etc.)

This is purely my opinion, but if you want to express yourself as freely as you can, it’s probably best not to start out by asking “What am I seeking?” Rather, it’s better to ask “Who would I be if I weren’t seeking anything?” and then try to visualise that aspect of yourself. Asking “What am I seeking?” invariably leads you to ponder heavy issues.... See more

‘I want to open a window in their souls’: Haruki Murakami on the power of writing simply

The fear of making mistakes is a particularly strong dampener on one’s learning. You can’t learn if you can’t make mistakes. I like the idea that mastery is simply a very intimate understanding of all the possible mistakes one could make.

Visakan Veerasamy • on scaffolding

So every time you release a creative work into the world, or make a commitment, or take an action, despite being no more than 70% satisfied with your output or confident in your abilities, you’re not only bringing something into concrete reality. You’re also expanding your ability to act in the presence of feelings of displeasure, worry and... See more

The Imperfectionist: Seventy per cent

Oliver Burkeman

How to priority-stack ideas that are still vague? Right now, I am just apportioning a bit of time to pursue this, a bit of time to that, and making progress on none of them.

I feel like an anti-entrepreneur, in that it feels completely against my nature to come up with ideas that make money. It’s like I can conceive of every kind of idea except that kind.

zero to one work is soul exposing.

you’re making something out of nothing, then dragging it into reality by force of will while everything around you & sometimes even yourself telling you it’s dumb, or pointless.