Asking a good question is a skill, not a personality trait, but most people treat it like something you either have or you don't. It works more like a muscle - the more deliberately you use it, the stronger it gets. What separates a good question … [Continue reading]
Ep 207: Forward Beats Perfect
Every decision eventually arrives at a point where more thinking stops helping and only starts postponing whatever is coming anyway. Nobody experiences that moment as procrastination while it is happening. It feels like diligence, like one more … [Continue reading]
Ep 206: Work to Your Own Standard
Some projects begin with a very specific purpose, but that does not necessarily mean they end there. An exercise can start as a way to rebuild a habit, solve a problem, or make good on something you have been telling yourself you should do, only to … [Continue reading]
Ep 205: How to Start Designing Your House
Designing a house sounds like it should begin with drawings, because drawings are the visible proof that something architectural is happening. The better starting point is less photogenic but far more important: understanding what the house needs to … [Continue reading]
Ep 204: Character Development Revisited
Starting something new is usually less about knowing what you are doing and more about being just uncomfortable enough with the way things are to try something different. That was more or less how this podcast began, with a website that had grown … [Continue reading]
Ep 203: Ten Museums to Visit Before You Die
There are certain buildings that are worth going out of your way to see, not because someone told you they were important, but because being there changes the experience. Museums are especially good at this when they get it right, because the … [Continue reading]