PinnedPick up a Poem Instead of Your PhoneLike many people you may have a love-hate relationship with your phone. On the one hand it gives you a world of information, entertainment and diverting pastimes at your fingertips. But it can also be addictive and feel like a waste of time — when you find yourself cycling through…Poetry3 min readPoetry3 min read
Aug 27, 2020Ideas Are LeprechaunsLast night I was about to go to bed when I suddenly remembered an idea I’d had for an article a few months ago. …Creativity4 min readCreativity4 min read
Aug 20, 2020Member-onlyEvery Creative Project Is a Revolving DoorA lot of productivity advice tells us that we need to stop procrastinating, beat Resistance, and get things done. The Americans like to talk about ‘shipping’, meaning finished and sent out for delivery. This emphasis on getting things done and out to market is part of their extraordinary entrepreneurial culture…Creativity4 min readCreativity4 min read
Aug 13, 2020You Have to be Bad to Get GoodI’ve recently started taking one-to-one Japanese conversation lessons. It hasn’t been easy. In fact, it’s been a bit of a humbling experience. Between work and family responsibilities, I only have 30 minutes a day to study Japanese, and I’ve spent this time every day for the past two years memorising…Creativity4 min readCreativity4 min read
Aug 6, 2020The Art of Overhearing YourselfIf you think about overhearing something, you probably think of listening to someone else’s conversation, whether deliberately or accidentally, and picking up a titbit of information that you would never otherwise have been privy to. It might be funny, or shocking or useful, or — as in the case of…Creativity3 min readCreativity3 min read
Jul 30, 2020Systems Can Set You FreeToday I want to persuade you that systems can set you free. You might not associate systems with freedom, but bear with me while I explain. This morning I’m writing this article for you. …Creativity6 min readCreativity6 min read
Jul 9, 2020The Normal Rules Are SuspendedThis is something I’ve found myself saying over and over to coaching clients in the past few weeks. For some of them, it’s because they’re being challenged to reinvent themselves in the face of the pandemic. …Pandemic5 min readPandemic5 min read
Jun 25, 2020Our Creativity Has Never Been So CrucialOur world has been turned upside down. It may be broken forever, given that we may never get back to the life we had before. And right now, the entire world is dependent on creativity. Across the globe, scientists are racing to create new tests, treatments and vaccines to detect…Creativity4 min readCreativity4 min read
Sep 5, 2019Make the Most of Your Creative AssetsBack in 2016 I outlined a fundamental strategy for your career as a 21st century creative professional: forget the career ladder, start creating assets. The argument I made was that there’s no career ladder for creative people like you and me — no clearly mapped out career progression, via a…Creativity7 min readCreativity7 min read
Published inThe Startup·Aug 29, 2019Member-onlyThe Conveyor Belt of WorryHave you ever had the experience of solving a big problem, or removing a major source of stress from your life? Before you solved the problem it dominated your life for weeks or even months on end. It sucked up all your time and energy and mental bandwidth. …Mindset4 min readMindset4 min read
