Natasha van der Meijden
@natasha0_0
Natasha van der Meijden
Perfectionism has nothing to do with getting it right. It has nothing to do with fixing things. It has nothing to do with standards. Perfectionism is a refusal to let yourself move ahead. It is a loop—an obsessive, debilitating closed system that causes you to get stuck in the details of what you are writing or painting or making and to lose sight
... See moreThere are a lot of things I want to do. I want to create and build and make and write.
And then, of course, there are other things that I just have to do, like bookkeeping and responding to emails.
Sometimes, it all gets to be too much. There are too many things to do! I need to figure out where to start! I get paralyzed by the sheer enormity of it... See more
And then, of course, there are other things that I just have to do, like bookkeeping and responding to emails.
Sometimes, it all gets to be too much. There are too many things to do! I need to figure out where to start! I get paralyzed by the sheer enormity of it... See more
I do like the rush of rushing. And to an extent, I am quite good at rushing—at doing things in a high-intensity, high-pressure way. But my sense is that I am much better off when I enjoy the pause, slow down, be where I am, and build strength patiently. I’m better off when I remember to take my time, to realize that the journey is long and it... See more
slow down
"Caring about everything is a disaster.
Caring about nothing is also a disaster.
Nurture the small pocket of things that truly matter to you."
Caring about nothing is also a disaster.
Nurture the small pocket of things that truly matter to you."
3-2-1: On magic bullets, how to handle criticism, and what to let go of this year
Jacob Falkovich says that single people often seek out similarity when complementarity is what makes relationships cohere long-term. It’s a great observation. But how to operationalize it? Maybe: look for someone you can’t initially understand, but also don’t feel like walking away from.
Sasha Chapin • Getting married soon
“The trick to writing well is to...
– take long sentences and make them short
– take confusing ideas and make them clear
– take unrelated concepts and make them related
...without losing the main idea in the process.”
– take long sentences and make them short
– take confusing ideas and make them clear
– take unrelated concepts and make them related
...without losing the main idea in the process.”
3-2-1: On asking permission, the trick to writing well, and the magic of reading
Practical things you can do to make your text clearer.
Open two copies of the same document and put them side-by-side. Edit in one, while referring to the other.
Rewrite your first draft using this rule: no significant words from the first draft are allowed in the second draft.
If your sentence has more than two commas in it, it’s probably too long.
I... See more
Open two copies of the same document and put them side-by-side. Edit in one, while referring to the other.
Rewrite your first draft using this rule: no significant words from the first draft are allowed in the second draft.
If your sentence has more than two commas in it, it’s probably too long.
I... See more
gilest.org: Clarity hacks
I don't want to manage knowledge. I want to live it.
Joan Westenberg • I deleted everything. | Joan Westenberg
“Truly showing belief in others will buy them a ticket to someplace they never knew.”
-h/t sean feeney