Reading time: About 6 minutes, 1200 words
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This issue is https://7forsunday.com/56
Scree
noun : an accumulation of loose stones or rocky debris lying on a slope or at the base of a hill or cliff.
The practice
I am often stuck in the resistance right before actually writing. It usually takes me several attempts to approach the work. It feels like walking up the slippery slope of a small hill, where the initial speed and direction has to be perfect, and then with continued effort—a penguin waddling judiciously—I reach the gently rounded top of the hill (after sliding off obtusely a few times and beginning again.)
I can easily be nudged into sliding off that small hill by distractions. I’m drawn to address the distraction. Can I fix that so it doesn’t happen again? (For example, change fundamentally how my phone is configured.) But I know that distractions are not all bad and I know that I can hide in the busyness of getting things just right. (Hazards warned of by both Pressfield and Godin.)
Besides that, if you want to get anywhere interesting, there’s no substitute – not even talent – for grinding away at something year after year until you’ve put more work into it than almost anyone else alive.
~ Cierra Martin from, «https://www.gapingvoid.com/what-is-your-practice/»
slip:4ugawa3.
The word grinding feels too negative a way to spin simply doing the work. If I think, “that’s going to be grinding,” I’m setting myself up to more easily slide off that little hill. Because invariably—for the things I have to, and want to, do—the actual work is exceedingly easy. Easy like gleeful skipping. All of the hard part is in the way I think about the work before I ever begin. Even using the word “work” feels too negative. All of the hard part is in the way I think about the practice.
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Reminiscing
I’ve often mentioned journaling. A few years after I began journaling seriously, I started taking time to read my older journal entries. Initially, I was setting aside some dedicated time early each month to simply spend time with my old journal entries. I was just randomly hopping around looking up things, and reliving old adventures (at least, those I’d taken the time to write about.) I soon ended up with bookmarks at various number-of-years-ago.
Eventually I wanted to reign in the time I was spending reading. (The author of my journals is the most fascinating person I know of, so I can really get lost navel gazing into my journals.) I process-ified the entire thing (which I’ll skip explaining because it’s not important) and now, every day, I read my journal entries from 1-, 3-, 6-, and 9-years-ago. It only takes a few minutes and it is endlessly illuminating.
Oh the adventures I’ve had! The thrills… the spills… the ups and downs!
[…] most of the fun is in the experience and not in the reminiscing. We don’t actually spend most of our days enjoying memories. How many minutes yesterday did you spend thinking about that trip you took last year?
~ Jacob Falkovich from, Shopping for Happiness – PUTANUMONIT
slip:4upuso1.
This article by Hoffman is typical. You’ll probably love it or hate it. The part I’ve quoted is way down in the middle part and not a major point. But it leapt off the page for me. I’ve long known that journaling has at least corresponded with my improvements, in the sense that it has raised the depth of the downward dips—this is a very important achievement. Alone, it’s reason enough that I intend to never cease journaling. Hoffman’s mentioning reminiscing as being a valuable activity related to happiness, has made clear another reason to never cease.
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Challenge
Setting a challenge for myself seems simple enough. Pick a goal and then work to reach it. But there needs to be more than the goal, and the process. There also needs to be some sacrifice; What will it be necessary for me to give up in order to attempt the challenge? There also needs to be some risk; Risk of physical loss, injury or monetary cost are obvious options, but a good challenge has mental, even spiritual, risk attached. Who will I be after this challenge? What about success itself? I think a good challenge must seem achievable (it mustn’t fly in the face of reality) but must actually be uncertain. It takes a special person to set and truly attempt a challenge that they aren’t certain they can achieve.
I am going to try to convince you to spend the next 4 days watching a YouTube live stream of people running round a 4.1 mile loop in Tennessee, all day and all night.
~ Matt Webb from, Why you should watch Big’s Backyard Ultra, which starts tomorrow (Interconnected)
slip:4uieho3.
I’m not sure what to say about this “backyard ultra”. Fortunately for you, the race will be over by the time this post appears. You don’t risk being sucked into the live stream by reading Webb’s article. While I’m not the least bit attracted to attempting something like this, I read the article slowly. The challenge that lies at the heart of this race is something I understand. I’m not suggesting you go try to run one of these races, but I do hope you have experienced true self-set challenge.
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60 Seconds with Mandell Conway
60 Seconds – with Mandell Conway
What role does storytelling play in driving creativity and engagement in personal projects like podcasting and daily writing?
Mandell Conway and Craig Constantine discuss the art of generosity in podcasting, daily writing challenges, and the power of pushing through creative discomfort.
I’m building the material up. I’m building the reps. I’m getting better and then I can go and say, ‘okay this is the part that I want to keep.’ I’ll share this today. I’ll share this tomorrow. …or I’ll share this next year. But just get in that habit of doing the emotional labor. I think I want to be able to push through that. Versus just saying I would spend 20 minutes and that drained me— [then] ‘yeah, I’m out of here.’ What would happen if I just sat in it for a little longer.
~ Mandell Conway 24:55
Mandell Conway and Craig Constantine explore the concepts of giving and generosity. Mandell speaks about the importance of daily writing, acknowledging the emotional labor involved and discussing the benefits of creating a content backlog for challenging days. They emphasize that the primary goal should be writing, with publishing (in whatever medium) as a natural outcome of this consistent practice. Mandell also offers some perspective on the creative process, emphasizing the commitment required to share impactful stories with the world.
Takeaways
Daily Commitments — the importance of a daily writing or podcasting habit, consistency is key.
Emotional Challenges — writing can be emotionally taxing, but rather than avoiding it, sitting with the discomfort can lead to profound and emotional content. By accepting difficult moments in writing, individuals can develop resilience and produce better work.
Importance of Conversations — the value of discussions between like-minded individuals. Sharing ideas and experiences can spark new insights and innovative approaches to content creation and creative work.
Resources
Giving is Like — Mandell Conway’s web site with his daily email, The Daily Tithe.
Mandell Conway: Giving Within Community — Mandell Conway with Anne Roche on Roche’s podcast, How I Live Through This.
@mandellconway — Mandell Conway on Instagram.
(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)
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Cogito
I don’t think ego is good or bad, it simply is. What matters (to me) is what I do, and what I do with my ego. Do I project my ego out onto the world (the way one can project a film onto a live scene in daylight: You can see the original people and things, but the film adds color and shape and, possibly, changes one’s perceptions) and examine and evaluate others colored by my own ego? …or do I try to go deeper and imagine what others might actually be experiencing, what their ego might be like?
Foremost, you must make a decision about your ego.
~ Paul Niquette from, Recommendations: Packing for Ego-Trips
slip:4unibo1.
That insanely deep dive by Niquette is a refreshingly self-aware attempt at proving who should be given credit for inventing the word “software”. The part I’ve linked, isn’t even the last part. I found myself reading and knowing there was a time when I could easily have fed my ego in such a protracted journey— but I don’t think I would have been able (back at that time) to do the self-aware zoom-out that Niquette attempts. Possibly interesting to you; Definitely the sort of thing I find myself mulling over these days.
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October 22, 2023 — #55
Reading time: About 6 minutes, 1200 words
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This issue is https://7forsunday.com/55
I should take a break
Taking a break is really difficult. A short break is often easy enough if you’re comfortable simply ignoring everything… for 10 minutes. But if you really want to take a real break, the difficulty escalates rapidly. I recently spent a long weekend camping a short, walkable distance from the beach. Each of the three full beach sitting days I tried to lengthen the stretches of time I literally sat in a beach chair without getting up. By the third day I was feigning agitated exasperation, and making jokes like, “That’s it! Today I’m getting serious about holding my chain down in the sand. No more standing up for me!” But in reality, I was bumping up against bodily functions, sun exposure (even under a magnificent umbrella), and peer pressure from my beach pals warning me of deep vein thrombosis. (I hope you never know what that is.)
I’m only half kidding. Everyone talks about taking a day off from work, and about looking forward to the holidays (for family and experiences, sure— but we all mean for the break we pretend we’ll get, but never do.) We even have a dedicated word, staycation (a word so legit it even passes my spell–checker) for suggesting some days we’re taking but not even going anywhere, just because we need a break. Our phones ring, our apps go bee-BOOP! and it’s ping! notification this, and ding! notification that. And an email arrives, and the dog needs walking, and the children need this, and the housemate that…
The hard work is actually prioritizing, pruning and putting one’s life in order. The impossible work is getting sufficient duration, and premium quality, sleep.
Taking a break isn’t lazy – learning to recharge is a skill that will allow you to enjoy a more creative, sustainable life.
~ Alex Soojung-Kim Pang from, How to rest well | Psyche Guides
slip:4upygu2.
What’s that? How long did I manage to sit in the chair? On day three I managed a transcendental 5-and-one-half hours of literal sitting, toes in the sand. And I was on a roll, no where near needing to arise, having perfectly judged my fluid consumption, sweating, and kidney function up to then. I was foiled by my beach mates forcing me out of the chair (and at least part way into the ocean.) Which, all things considered, was very nice of them.
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People first
People who become engaged with movement in the found environment develop a new way of seeing their environment. Well, t e c h n i c a l l y , they recover a way of seeing their environment which they lost. Mountains, hills, water, stairs… and the moats that criss-cross our communities where the big metal and plastic boxes whiz along— these all become “challenging.” Walls (of various heights from knee to enormous), railings, painted lines— these all become “challenging.” And yet, I’ve had the pleasure on countless occasions to stumble into a built space which feels different. Spaces which don’t require me to see differently. Spaces which beckon me to sit, stand, move, climb, and play.
That we immediately switch to building our cities and countries around people, instead of cars.
~ Peter Adeney from, Less Cars, More Money: My Visit to the City of the Future
slip:4umoca1.
Cars (small trucks, commercial trucks, planes, trains and ships) are tools. As I’ve said before what really matters about tools is one’s thinking and choices about tools. What I rarely hear mentioned is that tool choices also affect us. Our use of tools changes us. That’s what I really care about. How am I enabled (to do other things, to live more fully, etc), or constrained, by my choices with respect to tools? Furthermore, how do my choices enable or constrain those close to me? …in my community? …country? …world?
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Presence with Pete Machalek
Presence – with Pete Machalek
What are the benefits and challenges of incorporating video content into professional communication and personal branding efforts?
Pete Machalek discusses presence, in-person, and in both audio and video mediums.
I do think there is something about the challenge of presenting to a camera that a lot of folks can benefit from practicing. […] It’s something that I recommend challenging yourself about, if your presence is something you want to get better at. There’s a visual component to it. [But] it’s certainly not all visual.
~ Pete Machalek 24:42
Pete Machalek and Craig Constantine explore some of the intricacies of presenting in both audio and video formats. They discuss the advantages of audio-only presentation, noting it limits what the audience can judge you upon. Some video presentation strategies and formats are discussed, including the challenge of accommodating different visual perspectives as seen by viewers. Pete also shares the evolution of his content creation, explaining experiences and improvements in his vlogging journey.
Takeaways
Medium Matters — The choice between audio and video content impacts how your audience perceives you. Audio content limits judgment to voice and content, while video adds a visual dimension, demanding attention to body language and other visual aspects.
Practice Makes Perfect — Improvement in content creation comes with practice and persistence. Your initial attempts may not be perfect, but experience refines your skills over time.
Embrace Challenges — Stepping into new formats, such as video, challenges your comfort zone and offers opportunities for growth in personal and professional presence.
Resources
Sage Presence — Empowering people to communicate their value in all the venues of today’s world.
Vlog with Pete Machalek and his partners.
(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)
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Could 1 be none?
There’s a mantra meant to remind one about being prepared: 2 is 1, 1 is none. If something is important, one should have a spare (the thinking goes.) Instead, I like to ask myself: Could 1 be none? So rather than doubling up the complexity by having 2 of something… And rather than just having one of something and hoping it doesn’t break (or even having a plan for when it breaks)… Could I just get rid of that one thing?
The larger the scale the more management becomes a stochastic job. It is impossible to know that everyone is doing the right thing all the time. We have to approximate it by randomly sampling the breadth of it. This is why dogfooding is so important. This is why skip-level 1:1s are so important.
~ Andrew Bosworth from, Spot Checks and Brown M&Ms
slip:4uboai4.
I’m not a manager of people. But I am a manager of a lot of things, responsibilities, resources and goals. Your life may be similar. I’ve found that problems don’t fix themselves, and so I’ve a habit of immediately fixing problems. Or, at least adding it to the lists of things to get to. Quite often, when I start fixing (whatever that means in the situation) I realize the problem runs deeper. Quite often, when I find I’m ignoring, resisting, loathing, or outright complaining, about a problem… there’s something deeper going on. I start turning 2 into 1… And then could 1 be none?
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Structure with Moe Poplar
Structure – with Moe Poplar
What are the essential considerations for independent podcasters to enhance their show’s quality, define its purpose, and create a meaningful connection with their audience?
Moe Poplar shares his expertise and insights on format, structure, and connecting with your audience.
[…] what service are we providing to our audience? I think if you know what goes into your show— if your show has a format— You also can start building a level of trust with your listener so that they understand your agreement. Because nobody wants to listen to the podcast that says this is what we’re gonna talk about, this is what we’re gonna do, this is what we’re not gonna do… You know? We’re looking for people like us, who say the thing in a way that we would say it, so we can understand it.
~ Moe Poplar 24:38
Moe Poplar brings his experience in producing and editing podcasts, as well as his various podcast projects, to this conversation. He highlights the importance of defining a clear format and structure for podcasts, emphasizing the role of a format in establishing a contract with the audience. Moe also touches on the significance of the host-listener relationship, where setting expectations and creating a rhythm in the podcast can enhance the overall listening experience.
Takeaways
Podcast Format and Structure — The importance of defining a clear format and structure for podcasts. Having a structured approach establishes a contract with the listeners, setting clear expectations for what to expect in the show.
Host-Listener Relationship — Building a strong host-listener relationship and the significance of creating a rhythm in the show, using music cues, and setting a comfortable tone.
Production and Editing — Experience in podcast production and editing underscores the value of a well-organized and thought-out podcast.
Resources
Podcasts Hella XP, Bunn Amigos and The Class of 1989
Moe Poplar’s web site, Ashy Feet
(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)
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Connection with Staci Boden
Connection – with Staci Boden
What role does following energy play in navigating personal growth, leadership, and relationships in daily life?
Staci Boden shares her journey from helping individuals turn dead ends into doorways to guiding leaders and change makers on their transformative paths through the art of following energy.
The question is, how do we navigate daily life. That’s really what following energy is about— it’s meant to be a practice to support individuals in learning how to navigate their daily lives while feeling connected with themselves.
~ Staci Boden ~18:28
An expert in somatic practices and a generous guide for those who’ve appeared in her life, Staci discusses her journey and the evolution of her podcast. Staci talks about her book, “Turning Dead Ends Into Doorways” and how her podcast transformed, becoming the “Following Energy” podcast. She emphasizes the importance of grounding oneself and paying attention to energy, which can lead to personal growth and a more compassionate world. Staci describes her role as a guide and change maker, supporting individuals and empowering them to make an impact, emphasizing the importance of taking life step by step.
Takeaways
Following Energy and Grounding — The concept of “following energy” as a practical way to navigate life. The importance of grounding oneself, slowing down, and paying attention to the energy in the present moment.
Evolution of her Podcast — Evolving to focus on following energy and birth. This shift aligns with the need for a new paradigm in the world and reflects her commitment to supporting individuals in their personal growth journeys.
Empowering Change Makers — Her role as a generous guide supporting individuals to make an impact.
Resources
Staci Boden’s web site, https://dancing-tree.com
Her book, Turning Dead Ends Into Doorways
Her podcast website or search for “Following Energy Podcast” wherever you listen.
(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)
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Your attention, please
I’ve a strong drive to seek attention. I’ve a desire to be seen as clever. Being clever isn’t the problem; The desire is the problem. Being clever is, sometimes, just the right ingredient to help someone solve a problem. But more often than not, being clever is not helpful.
It’s becoming increasingly clear to me that my work is really about attentional design.
Becoming aware of attention. Shaping and directing it. Shifting its quality and inner experience. Leveraging it to produce work of real value.
~ Tiago Forte from, The Topology of Attention – Forte Labs
slip:4ufobo5.
Magic happens when I’m able to cleave the attention-seeking from the useful clever. When I’m able to remove stressors (stressors which invariably are of my own creation) then I’m free to frolic and create. Exhaustion can be a limit. Day-dreaming can be a limit if in excess. But ruminating is a certain road to ruin, every time. I regularly need to aim my attention inward: What specifically am I ruminating about? …and how, surgically, can I cut that out?
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October 15, 2023 — #54
Reading time: About 7 minutes, 1500 words
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This issue is https://7forsunday.com/54
Civility
At the kickoff of an unusually long issue of 7 for Sunday, I’ll try to keep this first part short, because (as I often say, because I really do mean it) I appreciate your time and attention, and I don’t take it for granted.
Civility fades in the face of entitlement.
~ Seth Godin from, No thank you | Seth’s Blog
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Godin’s point—that sometimes we choose to assert that something was ours to take, when in fact someone was kind enough to give a gift—really landed for me. I’m reminded of a recently-run-here quote from Kevin Kelly about the growth opportunities pointed to by irritation with others.
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What kid would think this through?
In high school I had a class where your final grade was based on a total number of points earned through the semester. The final exam was worth a large portion of the total semester points—let’s say it was 500 of your semester’s possible points. Your percent-score on the exam determined how many of those points you received. (Ace the exam, and you get all 500 points.)
The exam was many hundreds of multiple-choice questions; The exam was so long that no one could ever finish it. The questions had to be shuffled to mix the material taught in the course. Every year the questions were identical, but each year the teacher made a copy of the master list, cut up (yes, with a scissors) the questions, shuffled the strips, and then taped the questions onto a sheet with question numbering, to create a unique Frankenstein-exam every year. This Franken-xam was then photocopied (via a Volkswagen Beetle sized behemoth in the main office) to produce the actual exams.
In the days before the exam, we were told to work at our own pace, to answer each question (skips counted as wrong answers) and to simply stop when time was called. Afterwards, the teacher would calculate the average number of questions attempted by the class. That average was then used as the possible number of questions for calculating our exam scores. (Thus the shuffling to create an exam that is however-long we made it as we took it!) If you went farther than the class’s average attempted number, then you could score some extra points (if you get the answers right, of course) to offset any wrong answers you had along the way. A lot of work to shuffle it every year, but it was a neat idea.
I think it had always worked because kids just didn’t care enough to think it through. We weren’t told the total number of questions, nor what previous classes had attempted. But, for discussion here, let’s say the class’s average-attempted is 200. And let’s say I were to answer 227 questions, but I get 24 wrong. That feels like an 89%, right? No, actually I end up with 203 correct answers, which is more than the class’s average-attempted of 200. I actually score 101.5% and I would get all of the exam’s 500 points towards my semester total. Wait, there’s more: As extra credit, my 3 extra correct answers (my 203 against the 200 attempted average) become extra credit points just added right to my semester total. I’d get 503 points towards my semester!
After the exam was announced, two of my friends and I, realized…
- Do not tell another soul about this or everyone will fail the exam.
- When you get the test, go as fast as you can. Our goal is to attempt as many questions as possible.
- The goal isn’t to get every question right— The goal is to get a lot right.
For example, if we could get just 60% right—normally a really poor performance on an exam—while attempting twice as many as the class average, we win big. Say, 200 average-attempted, against our 400 attempted, at 60% correct (240 correct answers of 400)… we’d score 120% on the exam, plus 40 extra points (our 240 correct above the 200 needed) That’s 540 points towards the semester. And, if we could get 75% correct, while attempting 3 times as many questions, then our exam score is 225% (that’s our 450 correct answers, while needing only 200) plus an extra 250 points (that’s our 450, minus the 200 to ace the exam) That’s 750 points towards the semester! Now do you see the attack? :)
I never understood why no one else ever tried that.
I know this is a minor thing in the universe of problems with secondary education and grading, but I found the hack interesting.
~ Bruce Schneier from, Hacking the High School Grading System – Schneier on Security
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…and I’m actually not sure if what we tried even worked. You thought I was going to have a clear take-away about my actual scores, or the test never being given again?! No the take-away is: Oh, I’ve been thinking like a hacker for a Long. Long. Time.
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Upwards
As the edges of human knowledge are advanced, the total amount one must learn to be able to then contribute to further advancement grows. If there’s a proverbial mountain of knowledge, it grows taller as each contributor adds. If you start from the beach (at birth), wander inland in your early years of not-guided-by-you learning, and eventually decide to scale the mountain… well, it really matters in what epoch you happened to be born. Or maybe it doesn’t?
There is a growing mountain of research. But there is increased evidence that we are being bogged down today as specialization extends. The investigator is staggered by the findings and conclusions of thousands of other workers-conclusions which he cannot find time to grasp, much less to remember, as they appear. Yet specialization becomes increasingly necessary for progress, and the effort to bridge between disciplines is correspondingly superficial.
~ Vannevar Bush from, As We May Think
Bush played a complex role in the history of the United States. (It’s better if you form your own opinion about him and his work.) His short essay from about 80 years ago is these days seen by technophiles as heralding our own, current Internet and information age. In particular, a lot is read into Bush’s description of a desk which behaves like our modern Internet, information systems, and data processing. That’s fine. It’s like reading 80-year-old science fiction that became science fact.
Much more interesting to me is the point that with just a bit of squinting, it looks like nothing has changed in 80 years. Everything about this—the mountain of information, the tools [eg, Bush’s imagined desk, our internet], the people feeling overloaded, the specialization—feels fractal.
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Curated and random
I recall a little sign which was sometimes spotted on desks, back in the before-times when everyone had a desk and papers and ring-binders and books and a telephone that also sat upon that desk. The sign was: “A messy desk is a sign of genius.” (And sometimes it said, “…of a creative mind.” )
I’ve had a lot of desks. In every case, I’ve always swerved repeatedly between messy and organized. I get to a point where—sometimes with a literal scream—I stop working and reorganize everything. For a long time, I hoped that one day I would manage to be just comfortable enough, with just the right amount of clutter and chaos, to be able to reach a steady state.
One detail that drives me bonkers is in the digital realm, computers are perfectly organized. I use a tool (called Reeder) to manage a read-this-later collection. It’s a big collection often reaching 500 different things marked as possibly interesting. (Some are interesting enough to spend a few minutes on, some are interesting enough to spend hours on.) Sometimes I’ll randomly shuffle things in a digital list. But sometimes… the list is just ordered the way you assemble it. And you can look at the list in forward or reverse order. This gets to me. If it’s a big list, neither forwards or backwards is best. So instead, I do both: I read the item off one end (the thing that’s been in the list longest) and then the other (the newest), and I just alternate in a reading session.
Perhaps this seems like a silly or trivial thing to point out. But there’s a bigger lesson: Where do I have some specific structure (organization, ordering, etc.) that I didn’t actually intend? …is that structure holding me back or keeping me from experiencing something I’d prefer?
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October 08, 2023 — #53
Reading time: About 4 minutes, 800 words
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This issue is https://7forsunday.com/53