Author: Craig Constantine

The trick →

Published February 5, 2024  ·  All posts on Feb 5  ·  

The only thing better than well-thought-out articles, with a nice waterā€“color image, that refer to a good book, that tie together some thoughts I was already having, published on the open web making the Internet a better place? When it’s written by someone I know personally. Here, have thisā€¦

The good news is that, according to Csikszentmihalyi, it is totally in my power to maintain flow, or at least maximize the amount of time spent in the flow state. After all, the attention split between the conflicting objectives happens entirely in my head. The trick, for the lack of a better word, is to convince myself to take interest in what needs to be done and to apply mental energy in order to increase the complexity of the activity at hand.

~ Peter Oshkai from, More on flow and photography

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For me, that attention splitā€”my perception that there actually exist conflicting objectivesā€”is the source of struggle. When I simply don’t invent the need for anything I enjoy doing to be a successful businessā€¦ Boop. It’s all pleasant creation, heavy lifting and flow state.

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February 04, 2024 ā€” #70 →

Published February 4, 2024  ·  All posts on Feb 4  ·  

Reading time: About 5 minutes, 1100 words
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This issue isĀ https://7forsunday.com/70

I do have some rules →

Published February 4, 2024  ·  All posts on Feb 4  ·  ,

One rule is: Anything I find, which ticks two (or more!) boxes from my list of decadent favorite pastimes, I must include herein. For example: Something that bashes on social media platforms and makes me chuckle out loud? Oh, that’s getting included. Another rule, written but almost impossible to enforce, is: Don’t over think it.

The humble knife is a good example. An edged tool for cutting tough materials apart is just as useful to 21st-century home chef as it was to a nomadic hunter a hundred thousand years ago. The long past of the knife suggests it will have a long future. In other words, weā€™re probably not living in the last few years of an eons-long Knife Era.

By the same token, something that has just become ā€œa thingā€ is less likely to be a long-lasting thing. If everyone around you is suddenly watching rapid-fire videos on something called TikTok, what are the odds weā€™re in the first few years of a thousand-year TikTok Era?

~ David Cain from, This Will Not Always Be a Thing

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But unlike Fight Club, this entire online blog/web site I have isn’t built upon self-delusionā€¦ waaaaaaaaait a minute.

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Commitment →

Published February 3, 2024  ·  All posts on Feb 3  ·  ,

Commitment is healthiest when it is not without doubt, but in spite of it.

~ Rollo May

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Tagged out →

Published February 2, 2024  ·  All posts on Feb 2  ·  

In the beginning of this, the most recent, incarnation of my web site (like the Doctor, I myself am not certain what number I’m actually on) I purposely chose not to pre-imagine a taxonomy of tags. I learned that lesson the hard way. For a while, I willy-nilly tagged with reckless abandon. Later, I tried to get clever and always use a tag for any person, place or thing that applied. There are quite a few place tags today. There are a lot more tags for people. There’s an untold number of tags for things, ideas, threads and through-lines. Today, there are a lot of tags (in fact, 2,066 tagsā€”go ahead, I dare you.)

Any system with an upfront access cost this high is just asking to break. This alone, in my opinion, makes tags not worth using.

But thereā€™s more. Oh God thereā€™s more.

~ Tiago Forte from, Tagging is Broken

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I was delighted when I found this article (is venticle a word? venting + article? it should be) from Forte which lays out very clearlyā€”with some humorā€”just what it is that makes tags hella suck.

Yet, I’m still clinging to tagging People. ĀÆ\_(惄)_/ĀÆ I also have specific tags (eg, podcasting, meta, intermittent fasting) which I use when I want to link to a specific idea. When someone asks me a question, which I think would be well-answered with a link to a collection of blog postsā€¦ I head to the site, do some searching, do some reading, and shine up that tag. Then I share it.

If you resisted my dare above to look at 2,066 tags, I double-dog dare you to look at the page of all the Interesting Tags. It’s much shorter, but not short.

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Impact with Danny Bauer →

Published February 1, 2024  ·  All posts on Feb 1

Impact – with Danny Bauer

What are the key considerations for creating an engaging and impactful podcast, particularly regarding audience connection, episode length, and content strategy?

Danny Bauer reveals the strategic pivot to shorter podcast episodes, fueled by listener analytics, to redefine engagement in digital storytelling.

[The takeaway from the analytics was] people weren’t along with me. The super consumersā€” the super listenersā€” the super ruckusā€“makers weren’t. That’s what I call my audience. But at the end of the day, it’s a giftā€”it’s in service to the listener. Even though I would prefer to go deeper and longer, if people aren’t really consuming that, and growing from it, and enjoying that, then what’s the point? In some sense, I’m wasting my time.

~ Danny Bauer, 3:19

Danny Bauer is keen on optimizing his podcast episodes by tailoring them to better match the preferences of his audience, aiming for increased engagement through format adjustments. He highlights the significance of clearly identifying and naming one’s audience to ensure the content resonates deeply and meets their specific needs.

In life, you’re either a mercenary or you’re a missionary. Mercenaries are going to fight. They’re going to be scarcity minded. Craig has to lose for Danny to win, right. They’re going to compete in the same area, which is called podcasting. Or you’re a missionary and you’re generous, you’re abundant, you do the work even if you’re getting paid or even for free, right. And that’s what I’m doing with school leaders. With the free coaching, it’s because I’m a missionary. It’s about advancing the idea, the category, what we’re putting out and changing the world for the better, versus something that’s just for me.

~ Danny Bauer, 29:50

In his work supporting educators, Danny is committed to offering resources and strategies that bolster leadership skills, fostering a supportive network that empowers school leaders to navigate the complexities of their roles with confidence and innovation.

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Disagreement →

Published February 1, 2024  ·  All posts on Feb 1  ·  ,

Who shall decide when doctors disagree, and sound casuists doubt like you and me?

~ Alexander Pope

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What’s in your way? →

Published January 31, 2024  ·  All posts on Jan 31  ·  

I’m fond of saying that the first 90 percent of something is vastly easier than the second 90 percent. There’s so much wisdom packed into that, and it’s funnyā€”if you know how to tell a joke. Gee Willikers! I’m almost done! When in fact, I’ve only just scratched the surface.

In practice, this means you need to limit distractions to the full extent possible. Pull quotes, so effective near the top of an article, become a nuisance further down; many readers will find themselves unconsciously drawn to them, even when they want to focus on the text. Attention to the basic typographic details, line length, a readable typeface, the right balance between font size and line height, appropriate contrast between the text and background, can make the difference between a reader who makes it to the end of the article versus one who tires and gives up.

~ Mandy Brown from, In defense of readers

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I can say, without exaggeration, that I’ve tortured myself over every single tiny detail of what you are looking at. That includes the fact that 7 for Sunday looks slightly different in email. (It looks great in email; but what you see isn’t quite as controllable as a web site.) It would probably be good enough if I hadn’t tortured myself about the details, even though I think craftsmanship matters.

But of course readers matter most.

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Perspectives with Jeremy Fein →

Published January 30, 2024  ·  All posts on Jan 30  ·  

Perspectives with Jeremy Fein

What are the motivations, challenges, and thought processes involved in creating, pausing, and potentially evolving a podcast while balancing other professional and personal interests?

Jeremy Fein, a coach who embraces the power of conversation, joins Craig to talk about the complexities of podcasting and coaching, revealing his journey from creating a successful podcast to purposefully pausing it to refocus.

[Coaching sessions are] much better when they’re not recorded, right? They’re better for the client, which is what matters. And so podcasting felt like a way that I could maybe bridge a gap between the actual work that I do, andā€” let’s call it content creation. You go to write a caption on Instagram, and it’s just so divorced from the work that I’m doing on a regular basis with clients. That’s why I started [the podcast].

~ Jeremy Fein, 4:28

Jeremy Fein discusses his experiences with podcasting and coaching. He reflects on why he started his podcast, “Nothing Makes Perfect,” acknowledging the abundance of podcasts and his desire to create something meaningful rather than just adding to the noise. Jeremy also delves into his decision to pause his podcast after 25 episodes, a choice driven by a need to reassess and focus on aspects of the podcast he enjoyed and could amplify.

He also talks about the intrinsic connection between his identity and coaching, emphasizing how coaching has become an integral part of who he is. Jeremy’s approach to coaching is deeply rooted in conversation, listening, and idea exploration, rather than traditional fitness instruction. This approach underscores his commitment to personalization in coaching, catering to individual client needs while maintaining a structured yet flexible coaching framework.

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Pictures →

Published January 30, 2024  ·  All posts on Jan 30  ·  ,

The whole point of taking pictures is so that you don’t have to explain things with words.

~ Elliot Erwitt

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