In 1954, Johnny Cash walked into the audition room at Sun Records. At the time, he was a nobody. He was selling appliances door-to-door and playing gospel songs at night. He was broke, and his marriage was in ruins. For his audition, Cash picked a gospel song because it was …
Personal Development
Why I like to contradict myself
I recently wrote an article, The Dangerous Cult of Productivity, where I explained how the modern obsession with productivity often becomes an obstacle to achieving anything. An astute reader wrote to me to point out a contradiction. In the article, I was vocally criticizing the cult of productivity, while also …
The paradox of control
Of all the bizarre relationships humans have with their feelings, our relationship with the feeling of control might top the list. Here’s why: We try to control things we can’t control. And we don’t try to control things we can control. Let me explain. I can’t control what you, the …
The dangerous cult of productivity
In the early 2010s, I developed what can be charitably called an obsession with productivity. I left no moment in my day unaccounted for and packed every minute in pursuit of “growth.” I put a Bluetooth speaker in the bathroom so I could listen to podcasts (on 2x speed, of …