A few more years and my mind wasn’t suited for much else. I was anorexic and had no friends; I was absolutely killing it online. I had developed all these health issues and begun posting hospital selfies, crying selfies, depressive bathtub selfies. I was sick and sad. I’m fangirling, a girl said when she recognized me on the subway. I’m spiraling, ... See more

The peak of my influence was also the peak of my misery.

Excellence is the war you wage until every trace of the struggle disappears

We adore quick wins these days: the kid on Youtube who goes viral and becomes an overnight sensation, the tech startup that goes from zero to unicorn in a year, the miracle makeover. At this point, the story of the tortoise and the hare is passé, and who really reads this to their kids anymore—I never have. We might as well rewrite the thing: the t... See more

I run slowly, I always have. I run for pleasure, even though I don’t like it. I run because it’s an easy way to get exercise with little time and no equipment. I run because it’s efficient, but I do it slowly, and I do it for fun, but I don’t like it. Sometimes people make no sense.

My problem is: when someone passes me, I always feel beaten. Even ... See more

I look at product as an act of, how does this get communicated through the distribution channel we need to use. Said another way: if this product doesn't make a pretty compelling social ad -> we ain't doing it.

And yet: as much as the Fediverse is different (the governing structures, the incentives, the moderation, the absence of ads and engagement tricks), so much of it is also unsettlingly familiar—the same small boxes, the same few buttons, the same mechanics of following and being followed. The same babbling, tumbling, rushing stream of thoughts. I ca... See more

So but how do we build software that can be anything without falling into the Zombocom trap? I believe that Bezos interview shows us exactly how.

1. You start from a systems-level insight ( the internet is growing rapidly )


2. Then work backwards to a first best customer who has a burning need ( can’t find book ) that is related to your superpower ( intern

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Productivity, for me, is a natural outgrowth of passion. If I need to think about “productivity” as a separate discipline from “doing the thing,” something has gone wrong.