Conventional wisdom is to set small, achievable goals. It’s great advice, and it works. You need goals that are attainable soon. These can be chores like laundry or steps for setting up your website. It’s satisfying to check things off your list. As you accomplish each item, you feel good about your progress and motivated to keep going.

Have you ever shared an idea by starting with, “this may not be true, but…” or “this might be a bad idea, but…” or “this might sound crazy, but….” This is called “mitigating speech,” or…

It’s week 3 of structure, work, and schedule as I make them, and it’s still weird! There’s no regularity or rhythm unless I set them up. It can be uncomfortable. From school to most traditional jobs we are told by others what to do and by when. When you strike out on your own, all of that changes.

Today I did it again. I remembered a tiny phrase from an article I read within the last week, and now I want that article. I want to reference it. I want to reread it. I have no idea what it was called or where I read it.

Monday – post tweaks, write, read book; Tuesday – write before work, draft pitch; Wednesday – write, update website, post; Thursday – write; Friday – write before work; Saturday – post. Thursday and Friday were days with social plans after work, no reason to schedule those days heavily. Success rate 80% Don’t set up the impossible […]

Being nice is fine. It’s good to be agreeable in new situations. It’s good to be polite to people you don’t know.

Except when it’s not. Except when you need to look out for yourself, or someone is being a creep, or smiling feels fake because it’s a serious situation.