I write about psychology, motivation, getting started and why we do the things we do—all in order to help you get what you want, make things happen, and start living the life you want.
This site has more than 400 different essays, posts, and drawings. Here are some of my favorite essays so far, as well as the most popular posts. Take a look at the posts organized by category (below), or browse the entire archives if you want.
Start here:
- The Art of Asking
- How to Live
- The 9-to-5 Doesn’t Make Sense
- What I “Do”
- The One-Page Career “Cheat Sheet.“
- 32 Things: Hello
On writing:
- Why I Write
- Sources of Creativity
- Four Writing Mantras: How To Become A Great Writer
- Building a Space and a Voice on the Internet: Is It Time For You to Join In?
- Keep Writing
Life philosophy and the bigger picture:
- Designing Your Life
- Do You Have A Life Philosophy?
- Why I Say No to Meeting People For Coffee
- The Only Constant Is Change
- Toward Legacies
- My Happiness Project
- If, by Rudyard Kipling
- Lessons to Take With Me From 2013
- “To those I love.”
- Do Something
Getting started, motivation:
- Start Where You Are
- Everyone Starts Somewhere
- Give Yourself A Chance to Get Good
- What You’re Not Doing
- Prioritize Action Over Fear
Reminders, or how to keep going:
- It Is Never Too Late
- A Swift Kick in The Ass
- Put It Out There
- Commitment
- Thoughts on Failure
- Notes on Process (Neither Here Nor There)
- When The Going Gets Tough…
- Show Up
- The Hard Work Is Worth It
Making things happen:
- Are you too in love with a dream to make it real?
- Making (restaurant) decisions easier — a quick sketch.
- Finish early
- Finish or punt
- Do it
The $29,000 charity: water birthday swim:
- We did it!
- How did you do it? Thoughts on raising $29,000 for charity. (Svbtle)
- Let’s make it rain. And you’re invited
Psychology:
- Do you observe your thoughts, or judge them?
- From love or hurt?
- Are you over thinking?
- Arbitrary barriers
- Thoughts on negativity and fear
- You have permission
Tools, Worksheets, and tips:
- Getting things done: how I take notes + snapshots of my moleskine + my nerdy highlighter system
- The art of asking: 21 ways to ask for what you want and get it (with sample questions, email templates, and word-for-word scripts)
- Do less work by asking for what you want
- Less is more, imperfect is perfect, and done is done: 17 tips, tricks & habits I use for writing, creation + business-building (or any creative pursuit).
- NAME IT: The Handy Cheat-Sheet For How to Deal with Feelings
- The one-page career “cheat sheet.“
Reflection, goal-setting, and tools for review:
- Back to then: what would you tell yourself if you could?
- 2013: Lessons to take with me
- 2012: year in review
- Building something bigger and the monthly review template
- The Proust Questionnaire
- 100 Gratitudes
- How Can I Be Better?
- Ten things for right now
Modest minimalist, and the art of having less:
- You gotta slow down to speed up
- Why do cars have brakes?
- A little bit is a lot.
- Savor things + go slowly
- We all need white space
Personal narrative and growing into your future self:
- Becoming who you say you are
- You will disappoint people.
- Work in progress
- I is for Integrity.
- Something worth talking about
Language and communication:
Reminders of kindness and empathy:
Body and movement:
- Alone in the water: bridge to bridge
- Words for walking: what kind are you?
- William James on consciousness and movement.
- Do it while you can: swimming from the Golden Gate to Berkeley.
- Losing my rib, rebuilding my body, and becoming a triathlete.
- When I knew I was a runner: thoughts on running and defining moments.
- Yes, you can: swimming across the San Francisco Bay (A 9-mile open water swim).
- John Stilgoe on the magic outdoors: get outside!
- Turn upside down, look again: a philosophy of handstands.
- Swimming taught me this: early morning reflections
Storytelling and narrative:
- We are linked by common narratives, and we learn about each other through stories. How we tell our stories, and what narrative threads we use in describing ourselves and our businesses, matter. See the complete resource page.
Business, entrepreneurship, learning, development:
- The 9-to-5 doesn’t always make sense. How I work: Discipline. Differences. Structures. Boundaries. Freedom.
- “What I do”
- Stop With The BS: a new book about the reality of corporate life, relationships, careers, and living.
- Let’s stop “working harder.” Priorities, decisions, strategy.
- Lessons from launching a project, part 1: learning the hard way
- Lessons from launching the project, part 2: 20 lessons
- Business is not a dirty word: 15 definitions
- How to be an entrepreneur (5 simple steps)
- The one-page career “cheat sheet.”
Personal stories + more about Sarah:
- Jumping is terrifying. Or, behind the scenes of the last few months: Life. Mind Work. Change. Here. Now. Hello. Breathe…
- 32 Things: Hello
- Humility and confidence: Do you have both?
- 10 things for right now
- One way ticket to Tucson
Conferences and events:
- WDS 2011: World Domination Summit, Portland, Oregon.
- Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, and Photos
- Entre Trip 2011: Costa Rica Women’s Entrepreneurs’ Retreat
- WDS 2012 (Day 1 and Day 2, a Recap in Tweets, and the $100 Challenge)
- Reinvent Business Hackathon with Frog Design and Fast Company
- Big Omaha 2012
- Powder Keg: Indianapolis, 2012
Book Notes:
- Rework: Cut the Crap, Do Great Work
- The Great Inflation + Its AfterMath (Robert Samuelson)
- The Ascent of Money (Niall Ferguson)
- Last Child in the Woods (Richard Louv)
- The Last Lecture (Randy Pausch)
- The Art of Choosing (Sheena Iyengar)
- A little bit of Mojo (Marshall Goldsmith)
- Traffic (Tom Vanderbilt)
- Life After College (Jenny Blake)