Love Your Work

I recently advertised my book on a billboard in Times Square. It was cheaper than you think, and was up for less time than you might expect. But it’s still paying dividends.

Times Square …

In fifteen years as a self-employed creator, I’ve learned how to finish what matters. I follow a nine-step process that makes an easy-to-remember …

When Facebook was first expanding, they used a timeless military strategy to win their most-crucial first users. You can use this strategy to attack your toughest projects, by leveraging hidden complexity to lend …

Industrial Society and Its Future, is otherwise known as “The Unabomber Manifesto,” written by Ted Kaczynski. Kaczynsnki is a terrorist who killed three people, and injured twenty-three others, by sending bombs through …

There are some invisible structures in language, and using them can be the difference between your message being forgotten or living through the ages. These are The Elements of Eloquence, which is the title of Mark …

In Trust Me, I’m Lying, Ryan Holiday reveals the media manipulation tactics he used as Marketing Director of American Apparel, and for his PR …

In 2018, Matthew Walker was on a media blitz, promoting his book, Why We Sleep. I was one of the many people who picked up the book. It slowly ruined my sleep. But recently, I fixed it.

Before …

One thing I hear from a lot from readers of The Heart to Start, is that many people have no problem starting new projects. They instead struggle with finishing them. I can relate.

Like many creative people, I once …

What will the future look like? In his most recent November appearance on the Tim Ferriss Show, entrepreneur and investor Balaji Srinivasan presents a cohesive explanation of the current world, and plausible scenarios …

It seems even the most devout techno-utopiasts carry around a Moleskine notebook. They appreciate the way writing longhand on paper alters their …

There’s a reason the expression, “unfinished business” has such provocative power. Unfinished projects stack up like skeletons in our cluttered mental closets. We know if we crack open that door, we’ll be reminded of …

There’s something I want to talk about, but frankly, I’m a little embarrassed to do so. However, I write with my former self in mind, and my former …

Systems save energy. Especially if the system helps you with something you do every day. This is why I have a system for cooking. When you’re hungry, you make bad decisions, such as grabbing the quickest food you can …

Many people think our hunter-gatherer ancestors lived short and miserable lives. In fact, that’s what most anthropologists thought. Until the 1960s, …

There’s a story I think of every time I’m in the throes of a difficult project. It’s from the movie, Catch Me if You Can, about the infamous con …

When Michelangelo was painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling, he designed and built his own scaffolding. But, it only covered half of the ceiling. So he …

On October 10th, 1901 – 120 years ago, almost to the day – the grandstand was full at the horse track in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. But not to see …

Leonardo da Vinci is easily the most-accomplished procrastinator who ever lived. He finished hardly any projects at all. He was great at many things, …

When Vincent van Gogh began his career as an artist, he had already failed at everything else. He even got fired from his own family’s business in the process.

Not seeing any alternative, he completely immersed himself …

1920s, London. Radclyffe Hall was pacing around her study. She wore close-cropped hair, a tweed skirt, and a man’s silk smoking jacket and tie. Her partner, Uma Troubridge, sat in a nearby chair, reading the writing of …

It’s 1997, and Tiger Woods is in a sudden death playoff, against Tom Lehman.

Lehman shoots first, on a par three, and hits his ball into the water.

Now Tiger’s up, and this is Tiger’s tournament to lose. All he has to …

Shiny Object Syndrome is an affliction that causes you to be attracted to “shiny objects.” Shiny objects can be whatever is new and trendy in your field. But oftentimes, the shiny objects are simply new ideas you have – …

If you want to grow an audience online, it’s great to have a consistent newsletter. It keeps you in touch with your subscribers, and it gives you a place to test out small ideas you can later grow into big ideas. I’ve …

You hear a lot about morning routines, but nighttime routines are every bit as important. Your parents probably had a bedtime routine for you, and if you have kids you probably have bedtime routines for them. But we …

I once was a professional dater. I was good at getting dates. I was terrible at finding a partner – which I really wanted. I went on so many dates, I made $150,000 on an online-dating-advice blog (which I recently shut …

Does image-based media make us think less about our principles and ideals, and more about pursuing mere appearances? Daniel J. Boorstin thought so. In his book, The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America, Boorstin …

The business of creative work is the business of riding randomness. If you want to write a bestselling book or launch a revolutionary company, you’re …

I recently got a message from a reader, who said, “I don’t know if it’s meditation or you reaching a new level professionally, but I feel like your writing is on FIRE!” I do feel my writing has improved over the last …

After fourteen rejections, as I outlined on episode 247, I finally landed a BookBub Featured Deal. Once I tallied up my results, I had lost more than …

If you want to succeed in anything creative – whether that’s writing, art, or entrepreneurship – you’re navigating unfamiliar territory. Everyone else is living in Mediocristan, but you’re living in Extremistan. You …

Just a quick note here to tell you loyal listeners about a new opportunity over on Patreon.

As I’ve said in my Patreon pleas at the end of the episodes, some money that I make feels better than other money. When I sell …

Can the way we consume information make us unable to tell truth from lies? Neil Postman thought so. In his book, Amusing Ourselves to Death, Postman …

I just got word that the Mind Management, Not Time Management audiobook is now live on Audible.com. And you can listen to it free.

If you are not already an Audible member, you can listen to the Mind Management, Not …

There’s an important bias to avoid: Survivorship bias. Unfortunately, people who might otherwise do something with their lives hide behind survivorship bias. Just as important as knowing when survivorship bias matters …

As a nonfiction author, retaining what I read is my job. Through the process of writing three books, I’ve experimented with different ways of reading, remembering what I read, and using that knowledge to develop my own

If you’re a fan of using Getting Things Done to stay on top of all the, well, things you need to get done – you’ll love How to Take Smart Notes for staying on top of all the things you want to learn. I’ll give you an …

Hey, just a quick note to let you know I’m launching a new (free) email course. It’s 100-Word Writing Habit, and you can sign up at kdv.co/100

I built my writing career by building a writing habit. Three books later, I …

You’ve heard the expression, “The medium is the message.” But what does that really mean? “The medium is the message” is a term coined by Marshall McLuhan in his book, Understanding Media: Extensions of Man. More than …

BookBub is a gigantic email list that sends discounted or even free books to people. BookBub curates the deals they send to their subscribers. They send them …

I recently saw a tweet storm by entrepreneur/investor/philosopher Naval Ravikant. He was challenging people to meditate sixty minutes a day for …

It’s hard to predict the future, but you can be better at predicting the future.

All you need is a few delicious avocados.

Wharton professor Phillip Tetlock wanted …

If you want to write a book, don’t ask, “How much money does the average book make?” In this context, “average” is meaningless. You’re in the world …

Today is the day! My new book, Mind Management, Not Time Management is now available everywhere!

Writing this book has been a long journey. Over the past ten years, I slowly discovered the things I share in the book, …

When I first heard of Getting Things Done, I was skeptical. How could it possibly live up to the fanaticism of its cult following? But once I saw the …

In the game of golf, there’s an expression: “Drive for show, putt for dough.” What it means is: If you want to win tournaments, practice putting.

It …

Each November, writers around the world make a commitment. They commit to writing a novel within a month. It’s called NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writer’s Month.

Since 2013, software developers have also been making a …

Subject: “IMMEDIATE Action Reqeusted [sic]”

They misspelled “requested,” which had the unintended effect of highlighting that this email was urgent.

There were some documents attached to the email. They wanted me to …

In New York City, sometime around the beginning of the twentieth century, a young art student sat for a portrait.

The artist who painted this portrait won a prestigious award for that portrait. The young woman who sat …

Here’s a brain teaser for you: Imagine we’ve got a room full of people. We’re trying to figure if any two people in the room have the same birthday.

…

When I was working with Timeful -- the productivity app co-founded by behavioral scientist and Love Your Work guest, Dan Ariely -- we had a great …

Before I moved to Colombia, I lived several “mini lives” in Medellín. I came and lived here for a few months. I escaped the very worst portion of …

Maya Angelou was right, “People will forget what you said...but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Because I don’t remember what this woman said to me, but I do remember how I felt: Attacked.

My heart was …

When it came time for me to choose a college, I had no idea what I was doing. For reasons I still can’t explain, I chose to go to The University of …

I used to be a time management enthusiast. I say “used to be,” because time management eventually stopped working for me.

It all started with an email. It was the kind of email that …

Sometimes people tell me, “Hey David, The Heart to Start is a great book, but now that I’ve figured out how to start, how do I finish?!”

If you’re anything like me, finishing is tough. You can always find a good reason …

One day, I was in a coworking space, here in Colombia, writing in my Moleskine notebook. One of the other co-workers came up to me and asked me a …

Offer expires soon. You don’t want to miss it! It’s the investment of a lifetime! It’s going to be the party of the century!

Can you feel the anxiety piling up? You know what it is – it’s FOMO. The Fear of Missing Out. …

To get exceptional results, you need to do exceptional things.

Most things that are normal are normal only because very few people can resist them.

…

Ari Meisel (@arimeisel) created a productivity system out of necessity. He was suffering from a chronic and life-threatening illness that was so severe, he had no choice but to make the most out of every ounce of energy …

As the nineteenth century was turning to the twentieth century, Frederick Taylor grabbed a stopwatch. He stood next to a worker, and instructed that worker on exactly how to pick up a chunk of iron.

Over and over, …

Andrew Mason (@andrewmason) started a little website called The Point. An investor friend of his gave him a million dollars in seed money.

The Point …

First of all, I hope that you are taking good care of yourself during these unprecedented times. I hope that you and the people you love are safe and healthy.   I have something I’ve been working on for a looong time. …

Many businesses have “SOP’s” It sounds very official as an acronym, and what it stands for sounds even more official: Standard Operating Procedure. It’s a document which outlines a process within a business. What’s the …

Megan Devine (@refugeingrief) is the author of It’s OK That You’re Not OK, and runs the Writing Your Grief workshop. It wasn’t until Megan, a …

What are you doing?! Didn’t you read the title of this episode?

I’m begging you: Stop listening to my podcast.

You’re still here? Okay, I’ll see what I can do to persuade you to stop listening to my podcast.

I’ll admit …

Dylan Evans (@evansd66) had an intense experience with uncertainty. He was fifty percent certain that civilization would collapse within several …

In the 1600s, Penelope Kent boarded a ship from Holland to the New World with her new husband. Their ship wrecked off the coast, but still, Penelope …

Dr. Aziz Gazipura is author of a great book, Not Nice: Stop People Pleasing, Staying Silent, & Feeling Guilty... And Start Speaking Up, Saying …

When I was writing my first book, Design for Hackers, I developed a ritual. I would lay all of my research materials on the floor. Graphic Design …

Demir and Carey Bentley are co-founders of Lifehack Bootcamp, where they help professionals make more of their time and energy, to get more results. …

As I kicked and punched at the man, I glanced at the knife in his right hand. And I felt it dig into my side.

It all started as I crossed paths with …

Things were not going well for Neil Pasricha (@NeilPasricha). He came home from work one day, and his wife told him she no longer loved him. Around …

There’s an expression, to burn your boats. It originated with a military strategy. Hernán Cortés famously “burned the boats,” after arriving in the New World to conquer the Aztec empire. (He actually “scuttled” his …

How’s it going? Really, how are things going for you? If things are going pretty good, you might want to tear everything down, and start all over again.

Nick Kokonas (@nickkokonas) is Co-Owner of The Alinea Group and …

Four years ago, almost to the day, I moved to Colombia. Four years ago, I decided to become a writer.

Four years is how long it takes to get a …

This is the time of year when we make resolutions. Very few of us will actually keep them.

The reason we can’t keep resolutions is that resolutions …

Socializing is good. But socializing as a default – out of some Fear of Missing Out – is not good.

David's voice double fills in for him once again – …

Twelve years ago, David met Rob Hunter (@vegashacker) on Craigslist. They had both left their jobs at the same time. They were both determined to make it.

So, David and Rob spent several months wandering from cafe to …

Here’s an essay from a few years ago. It helps explain why David likes to step back from his work during the final weeks of the year. Puny humans.

Also, for the first time ever, hear David Kadavy's voice double, created …

I decided last December that I would be taking this December off. I like to give myself some space toward the end of the year so I can recharge, and …

In the 1840’s Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis noticed a pattern. He noticed that too many new mothers were dying of a fever. And it didn’t seem like a coincidence to him that many of these women who were dying shortly after …

On July 4th of this year, I was finally hitting my stride. After a year of visa troubles, I had secured a three-year visa. I was finally back in the …

You are what you surround yourself with. When your environment changes, your mind changes with it. We recently talked about how your environment can put you in a creative mental state, when we talked to Donald M. …

Dan Ariely (@danariely) has more opportunities than he knows what to do with. As a James B. Duke professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics at …

Over the past four years, I’ve been trying to “make it” as a creator. Yes, I was on my own for another eight years before that, but this past four years has been when I really doubled down on creating. To make the …

Donald M. Rattner (@donaldrattner) is an architect, and author of My Creative Space: How to Design Your Home to Stimulate Ideas and Spark Innovation.

If you had asked me when I first started Love Your Work why I was doing it, I don’t think I could have given you a straight answer. I simply felt …

Scott H. Young (@scotthyoung) is best known for learning the entire MIT Computer Science curriculum, on his own, in only a year. He did it through …

If you’re going to get an edge, you have to be aware that the prevailing wisdom is almost always wrong. You have to know when to go against that wisdom.

One place I’m glad that I went against the prevailing wisdom is …

When something bad happens, it’s tempting to think that you made a bad decision. But the quality of your decision making doesn’t always align with the quality of your outcomes.

Sometimes you make a good decision, and …

We hate to lose. But if we don’t take risks in life, we never win. The more we protect ourselves from loss, the more we stagnate.

Like economist …

What if your smartphone didn’t distract you? What if your focus couldn’t be shaken by social media, by the latest news story, or even by your …

To make it as a creative, you need to make the most of very limited resources. Your most valuable resource as a creative is your creative energy. You only have so much creative energy, but if you use that energy wisely, …

Robbie Abed (@robbieab) is author of Fire Me I Beg You: Quit Your Miserable Job (Without Risking it All). Robbie is also one of the early influencers on LinkedIn's publishing platform, he’s had over 500 coffee meetings, …

Have you ever wondered to yourself: How the the hell did I end up in this situation?

I asked myself this question once. I was changing my clothes in the bathroom of a filthy Fuck My Life laundromat in Chicago.

It was a …

Ryan Evans (@ryanevans) wanted to make easy money. Growing up on a pig farm, Ryan was used to making little money for lots of hard work.

But Ryan …

You may have heard that you should assign yourself an “aspirational hourly rate.” That you should tell yourself you’re worth, say, $300 an hour; and …

Rob Wiblin (@robertwiblin) is the Director of Research at an organization called 80,000 Hours, and host of the 80,000 Hours Podcast. 80,000 hours being the amount of hours you will spend working in a typical career. …

We’re so accustomed to operating in a time management world, we can’t imagine it being any different. We all have our calendars full, and even then …

Dr. Robert Maurer (@Dr_RobertMaurer) is author of One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way. He’s also Director of Behavioral Sciences for the Family Practice Residency Program at Santa Monica UCLA Medical …

Breaking through resistance to be creative is a battle with your own mind. We learned last week from Dr. Robert Lustig about how commerce is set up to hack your mind into a state of constant wanting, wanting, wanting.

…

Dr. Robert Lustig (@RobertLustigMD) is Professor emeritus of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco …

Curiosity is powerful fuel. If you want to make it as a creative, you need to follow things you’re curious about. It’s your best shot at being able …

We’re living in a time of exciting technological innovation. But just because technology can do something for us, doesn’t mean that it should.

Cal …

If you want to be a master of your craft, you need to be able to see your skills and accomplishments objectively. You need to always be on the …

Eric Zimmer (@etzimmer) was living in a van. He had Hepatitis C and weighed 100 pounds. Then he got arrested and lost his job. He was facing up to forty years in jail time. He had a $300-a-day addiction to heroin.

…

I often have listeners write to me, lamenting that they have “too many interests,” or that they “lack focus.” They’ve been taught to feel ashamed of their curiosity.

It’s interesting, the personality types of …

Srdja Popovic (@SrdjaPopovic) is a revolutionary. He played a big part in overthrowing Serbian president Slobodan Milošević. He now coaches activists …

We live in a world rich with information, and algorithms help us find the things that fit us. Algorithms help us decide what books to buy, what music to listen to, and even who to date.

But are algorithms always a good …

How do you market something when you don’t know what it is, or who it’s for? If you’re anything like me, you feel driven to create, but it’s only through the process of creation that your vision takes form. It’s only …

I'm launching a new email series. Summer of Starting will help you get out of your own way, stop procrastinating, and start creating.

Sign up before May 24th at summerofstarting.com

Big creative projects are daunting. It’s easy to burn out, and procrastinate. The problem is, creative problems don’t get solved in one go.

In …

Vincent Van Gogh was a loser and a failure. He failed as an art dealer, and as a preacher. He even got fired and banned from his own family’s business.

On top of it, Van Gogh had terrible health problems. His gums were …

Do you want to love Mondays? If you already love Mondays, do you want to keep loving Mondays? I’m launching a new newsletter that will help you do just that.

It’s called Love Mondays, and it’s a weekly boost of …

Austin Kleon (@austinkleon) woke up one day and realized two things: The world seemed to be filled with more and more anger and distraction every day, and – to make matters worse – consistently doing creative work …

If you do particular actions on a regular basis, you’ll change your identity. For example, if you make it a habit to write every day, you’ll …

David Allen (@gtdguy) has built a legacy. He’s created a system that helps millions of people get more of what they want out of life. Getting Things …

Lots of people want to build a “legacy.” They want to be remembered when they’re gone.

It’s a natural product of our fear of death. But is it realistic to want to build a legacy? Is it realistic to believe you can …

To me, Andrew Warner’s (@andrewwarner) Mixergy podcast created the entire category of entrepreneur interview podcasts – a category this podcast here falls within. I started listening to Mixergy something like ten years …

To optimize your creative output, you need a creative productivity system. If you can identify the building blocks of your daily work, you can construct a system that works for you.

One of those building blocks is what …

Vanessa Van Edwards (@vvanedwards) is a recovering awkward person who teaches people how to be more successful with people.

Vanessa was a great …

To follow a productivity system, you need to be able to trust that system. You need to trust that if you put something into the system, it will get …

Dr. David Rock (@davidrock101) is the author of Your Brain at Work, is also the founder of the NeuroLeadership Institute. They use a science-based …

Creative productivity is about mind management, not time management. You have to get into the right mental state to be creative. And you need to have …

Mark McGuinness (@markmcguinness) is a creative coach, a poet, and a former psychotherapist and hypnotherapist. Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art, calls Mark an "overeducated Brit who thinks deeply about stuff …

When you're trying to make it as a creative entrepreneur, you need to make the most out of everything you have. You need maximum output with minimal investment of time and energy.

The more complex you make things, the …

What if success isn't about scaling up as big as possible? What if success is actually about the freedom to call your own shots?

Paul Jarvis (@pjrvs) …

To start off the New Year you can see that we're covering topics for how to improve oneself – stuff like staying focused or even staying secure in your digital life.

This week, I'd like to share with you a workout …

Chris Wilken (@whereswilken) is founder and CEO of Let's Fix Security. He takes a behavioral approach to thinking about security, trying to make good security practices easy to implement. As a small business owner and a …

Smart phones are powerful. But with great power comes great potential to get off track. Smart phones are like a superpower. If you had x-ray vision, …

Chris Bailey (@Chris_Bailey) had a crazy thought: What if, after graduating from college, instead of getting a job – what if instead he spent a year …

December 15th is the three year anniversary of Love Your Work. I've often found that it takes three years to really accomplish something, so I get the sense that something big is around the corner. Then again, the …

When your life gets too comfortable, you stop taking risks. Loss aversion takes hold and you become complacent. You stop innovating. You stop being …

We're wired to seek pleasure, and avoid pain. But to make it as a creator, you need to push yourself outside of your comfort zone. Many things that …

Amber Rae (@heyamberrae] was on the wrong path. She was swept up in the hype of the Silicon Valley startup scene. She was working too many hours on too many projects. She pushed herself so hard, she drove herself into …

I regretfully have to cancel tonight's meetup in Chicago.

One thing I've discovered in talking to many of my guests is that your creative voice doesn't magically appear in your mind. You have to put in the work, and then your voice emerges from that work.

But to do that work, …

Bad news.

A long and detailed update about the status of my Colombian visa.

Ariel Garten (@ariel_garten) envisions a world where we can control computers with our minds. She's on the cutting edge of computer and brain …

Productivity is about mind management, not time management. I've been thinking about how this applies to managing your tasks on a day-to-day basis.

I've come to realize that as long as you have the proper due dates …

Srini Rao (@unmistakableCEO) is host of the Unmistakable Creative podcast, and author of the new book, Audience of One: Reclaiming Creativity for Its …

There's something I've noticed that very successful communicators do. It's a very simple tactic, but it can go a long way in making everything you …

You hear it all of the time. Maybe you even say it yourself: It's "crazy" at work. There are unrealistic deadlines, demanding bosses, and wall-to-wall meetings.

Jason Fried (@jasonfried) believes it doesn't have to be …

When you're marketing your business, it's easy to gravitate toward sure bets. Things you can do and be assured of a positive outcome. But these sure bets can cause you to miss out on asymmetric opportunities: Things …

Sometimes an idea pops into your head, and you think to yourself, "nah, that's insane!" Then you move on with living your regular life.

We all have …

What does it really take to "make it" as a creative entrepreneur? I often have people asking me for ideas on strategies for how to smoothly transition from their day jobs to making their art for a living.

Is it …

Nathan Barry (@nathanbarry) knows better than anyone: Sometimes, you're working hard on something, and it's just not happening. How do you decide whether to double down, or shut down?

This is what Nathan was asking …

It's no surprise that we procrastinate on things that we don't want to do. But why do we procrastinate on things we do want to do?: Our hopes, dreams, and aspirations.

I call it aspiration procrastination, and there's a …

Steve Stewart was manager of the band Stone Temple Pilots. He guided them from being an unknown funk band to a multi-platinum powerhouse whose sound …

You've heard the advice to find your passion. You've probably also heard the advice that finding your passion is bad advice.

But if you shouldn't …

Brave is a new browser that's reinventing the attention economy. Brave does block ads, but it's not just an ad blocker. It also blocks scripts that slow down your browsing experience, invade your privacy, and leave you …

Sometimes things don't go as planned. Just ask me, as I'm on my temporary exile in Peru right now, since having my Colombian visa rejected.

If we …

BJ Mendelson (@bjmendelson) is author of Privacy: And How to Get it Back. One of the key themes we've been exploring on Love Your Work over the past three years has been just how it is that creators get paid. This was …

Socializing is good. But socializing as a default — out of some Fear Of Missing Out — is not good. If you can find the discipline to pursue your …

Adam Conover (@adamconover) had good things going for him. He had just graduated from college, and his sketch comedy group was a hit. So many people …

After publishing my first book, it took me six years to publish my second book. After publishing my second book, it took me only six months to publish my fourth book. I published three books in the past six months, and …

Phil Thompson (@Cape_Horn_CHI) is the illustrator and business mind behind Cape Horn Illustration, which sells Chicago wall art. Today we have a …

You heard me talk last week about morning routines, with the co-author of My Morning Routine, Benjamin Spall. I have a new morning routine I've been practicing this year, and it's been giving me some of my best ideas …

Benjamin Spall is co-author of the new book, My Morning Routine: How Successful People Start Every Day Inspired. He and his co-author have …

Clear prioritization inspires clear action. But how do you decide what's the most important todo item to tackle first? For me, I like to listen to my body.

It's the subject of this week's essay.

Sponsors

…

You've heard about the importance of working with people who come from different perspectives. But will that automatically lead to great work?

It's not so simple. Our guest today, Shane Snow, was curious about why …

I have a new book! STEEM is revolutionizing the way creators get paid. I've cashed out over $4,000 from writing on the STEEM blockchain. The most …

If you've heard about stoic philosophy, you've heard about Seneca. Stoicism is in many ways about being indifferent to pleasure or pain. One thing that's pleasurable is getting free things. Free things like Facebook.

…

Tim Kasher's (@timkasher) work is deeply embedded in my creative DNA. When I was a young 20-something sitting in a cubicle in Omaha, Nebraska, Tim's work and his success was there to inspire me to find my own creative …

I was forced to leave Colombia, but now I'm back. Thanks everyone for the help over the past week. I'll explain shortly what happened, and what my …

Human productivity has its limits. You can only type so fast. You can only fill out a spreadsheet so fast. But creativity is infinite. It takes no time to have an idea, but not all ideas are created equal.

Traditional …

A short note for you listeners. I got kicked out of Colombia. I hope to keep bringing you a high-quality show. Thank you so much for your support. If …

Is the educational system a waste of time and money? Most people can agree that schools are inefficient, boring, and expensive. I personally love …

As humanity progresses, we're always finding new resources to optimize. Time is one resource we optimize. But the idea of time management has become so ubiquitous, it's hard to imagine what it's like to not manage our …

Drew Ackerman (@dearestscooter) has a podcast so boring, it will put you to sleep. That's why it's so successful.

Almost five years ago, decided to …

I've written a couple of books now, and the process is nothing at all like I expected it would be. I think misconceptions about how to write a book …

Charlie Hoehn (@charliehoehn) was on top of the world. He was working with popular authors like Tim Ferriss and Ramit Sethi, and he was helping …

I've talked on the show many times about how creative work gets paid for. The "free" mentality forces the hand of creators, and it's often not healthy for the people who read their words. Reading everything for free is …

Cy Wakeman (@cywakeman) is the founder of Reality Based Leadership. She wrote a book called No Ego.

No Ego is a leadership book, which is an unusual …

Today's essay is about the power of taking your own advice. I've got an interview coming up next week with Cy Wakeman (@cywakeman). Cy is the founder of "Reality Based Leadership." She wrote a book called No Ego, which …

I'm very glad to have my friend Maneesh Sethi back on the show. You first heard Maneesh way back on episode 13. Maneesh is the founder of Pavlok.

Pavlok started out as a wearable device that shocks you out of breaking …

Big creative projects are daunting. It's hard to find the motivation to make them happen. I talk about a trick I use to make creative projects practically complete themselves. I call it cascading motivation, and it's …

John Ramey (@jpramey) found success as an entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. He dropped out of college with only one semester left, moved to Silicon …

Getting writing done is a battle with your mind. If you're a perfectionist, it can be a very tough battle.

But if you have phrases you can tell yourself, you can win that battle. I think of them as "mantras." They're …

Joanna Penn (@thecreativepenn) is one of the leaders in helping self-published, or I should say "indie" authors, find their way. She has been …

As regular listeners know, I recently self-published for the first time. I traditionally-published my first book, Design for Hackers, and I had a …

Jordan Harbinger (@jordanharbinger) started out as a lawyer, but made a big change. You heard about another lawyer who made a career change, Jodi Ettenberg, back on episode 23. Jodi became a food and travel writer.

…

Something that has been on the top of my mind the past few years is how creators can make an honest living from their work. You heard me talk with …

Join Audible and listen to The Heart to Start free at http://kadavy.net/audible

Todd Henry (@toddhenry) has written a ton of books. My personal favorite is called Die Empty, and it's all about finding the urgency to pursue your creative destiny. His newest book is called Herding Tigers, and it's …

We're in only the second week of 2018. There's optimism in the air, and you have a fresh well of energy and motivation for making change in your life.

Have you thought about starting something? Maybe you want to start …

BJ Fogg (@bjfogg) is a behavioral scientist at Stanford University. He specializes in "Behavior Design," which aims to influence people for the better through insights about human behavior. In this podcast episode, BJ …

Many of you have checked out my new book The Heart to Start. I got tired of hearing the advice "just get started," and I wanted to break it down for people. It shows you how to bust through all of the mental distortions …

David W. Galenson is an economics professor at The University of Chicago. He's also a visiting professor at other schools, such as MIT. David is an …

Today, I'm very happy to announce that I have a new book out. Have you ever heard the advice "just get started?" Have you ever been left wondering "yeah, but how?"

This was me when I was first starting on my own. I knew …

Libryia Jones (@wanderwomanic) has made it easier for people to have the experience of living in different places. Last year, she organized a trip for her and and more than thirty others to spend a year on the road. …

The past several years, I've been really fascinated with optimizing creative output. It all started when I wrote my first book, Design for Hackers. I had been creative on command working as a professional designer, but …

One of the key things that I did early on in my career as an independent creator was set up passive revenue streams.

If it wasn't for this passive …

For this very special 100th episode of Love Your Work: How do you find your calling? I've been trying to get to the bottom of this over the past two …

Ross King is author of the book The Pope's Ceiling. It tells the story of just how Michelangelo managed to paint 12,000 square feet of ceiling with little or no experience as a painter.

I think there's a dangerous …

About two years ago, I was on a retreat in Mexico with some friends. We were each exploring what we wanted to do in our lives and careers. It took all week for me to admit it to myself: I wanted to double down on being …

Rob Hunter (@vegashacker) and I met ten years ago in a cafe. Well, I met him on Craigslist, really, but then we met in person in a cafe. We had both left our jobs at the same time. We were both determined to make it on …

I've talked a little on this show – especially in the early days – about the idea of "mini-lives". Basically, you go live your normal life in another city for a month, or two months.

Or, in the case of our guests …

Ian Leslie (@mrianleslie) is author of Curious: The Desire to Know, and Why Your Future Depends On It.

If you've ever had a lot of free time, you know how scary it can be. The very first day that I was on my own, more …

I recently passed my tenth year as a self-employed independent creator. I don't recommend it.

I say that, and some people don't believe me. When I wrote this post that I'm sharing on today's show, some people thought it …

Jon Bokenkamp (@jonbokenkamp) wanted to be a screenwriter. So, he decided it was his job. He sat at his desk from nine to five every day, writing frantically, and each night he went to another job. One that paid him. He …

I'm working on a new book. It's called Getting Art Done, and it's going to help you boost your creative productivity and make your masterpiece.

Today I'm going to read a sample chapter from the first draft of Getting …

James Pearse Connelly (@jpconnelly, Instagram: @jpconnelly) is an Emmy-Award-winning television set designer. He's designed sets for shows like Bill Nye Saves the World, Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party, The …

I've been working on a new book called Getting Art Done. Today, I'm going to share with you a chapter from the first draft of the book.

This chapter about the importance of shipping your work. It's easy to fantasize …

L. David Marquet (@ldavidmarquet) had spent a year preparing to captain a submarine in the U.S. Navy. But at the last minute, he was assigned to a different submarine.

Not only was it a different ship than the one he …

Love Your Work listener Gustav Dybeck is a design student from Sweden. He has an opportunity to do an internship for about 9 months, and he wants to make the most of it before he starts his career.

You may have heard a …

Daniel J. Wilson was working on a screenplay when I met him during a mini life in Buenos Aires several years ago. I'd soon learn that he was also an accomplished artist, with his work covered in The New York Times, The …

It's easier than ever for creators to get their work noticed. But, it's harder than ever to actually get that work done.

Think about it this way: You're writing a novel. You use Twitter and Facebook and write on your …

Almost 15 years ago, Getting Things Done started taking the internet by storm. Techies started buying binder clips and index cards in bulk. Today, …

You've heard that multitasking is a myth. I'm here to tell you that the idea that multitasking is a myth, is somewhat of a myth in itself.

When it …

By now you've heard that you need 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to become a master of your craft. The story you don't hear is that it also takes 12,500 hours of deliberate rest.

When you rest, you let what you've …

It's so easy to get caught up in ruminating over what we might do. I know I ruminated over starting this podcast for more than FOUR YEARS before I finally took action.

Fortunately, the guests here on Love Your Work are …

Bernadette Jiwa (@bernadettejiwa) thinks there's been an obsession with data in entrepreneurship over the past several years. When we're not sure about something, we're encouraged to run tests.

I've even heard the …

There are a lot of voices out there in entrepreneurship encouraging you to "Hustle." I really don't like this word, and I think it sends the wrong …

You've heard it before. The story of the starving artist. You may even believe it yourself. You may think that to keep your creative integrity, you have to give up on making money.

Jeff Goins (@goinswriter) is returning …

The world around us can program certain goals into our minds. If we aren't careful, we can end up with goals that have nothing to do with our …

I first discovered the work of Seth Godin about 13 years ago. Since then he's helped me think about how to make work that's remarkable – The Purple Cow. He's shown me how to think about having a direct relationship with …

Some of you already know that I'm writing a new book. Getting Art Done will help you overcome Resistance and bring your work into the world.

I had much of my own Resistance to fight to get this book project underway. I …

Not too long after moving to Colombia, Danny Michelwicz got obsessed with cacao, the raw material that's used to make chocolate.

Since then, he's …

Sometimes, to make a breakthrough, you have to partner up with "the man." Sometimes it's worth it. But, don't jump at every chance you get. I recently had an opportunity to join a podcast network. In fact, it was a very …

May 5th, 1979. It was a jovial atmosphere. A new person was coming into the world. But as soon as the child was born, the room went quiet.

The …

Routines can reduce cognitive friction and boost your productivity. But do you really want to do the same thing every day?

You know I think productivity is all about mind management, not time management.

Routines are …

Ned Scott (@certainassets, Steemit: @ned is trying to reinvent the way content gets made. He wants you to get paid in the process. Ned is the co-founder of a cryptocurrency called STEEM, and he's CEO of a website that …

Warren Buffett (@WarrenBuffett) and I were neighbors. He lived in his famously modest house on Farnam. I lived in a $535-a-month 1-bedroom, in a …

Jorge and Tanja wanted to travel the world, dance and party. It turns out, they were able to do that and make more money than they ever imagined they …

I take focus seriously. The way I see it, being productive is not about time management. It's about mind management. If you're fully-focused on the …

Ryan Hoover (@rrhoover) loves software products. He wanted to share new software products with other people who love software products.

So, he started a little email list. There were a few dozen people on the list. They …

Learn how to hijack habits you don't want, and replace them with habits you do want.

I'll specifically be talking about how to replace a Facebook habit with a book-reading habit. That's what I did, and that's what …

One day, Joanna Wiebe (@copyhackers) was hanging out on a web forum, helping a few startup founders with their copy. The next thing she knew, she had an inbox filled with requests for her help.

So many people needed her …

How do you feel first thing in the morning? If you're human, you're probably at least a little bit groggy. You aren't thinking straight, you can't focus. You're a wasted morning just waiting to happen.

So, the first …

Peter Bragiel wanted his own travel show. So, he got a camera and started traveling.

At first, not much happened. Peter Bragiel just kept stowing the tapes away in a box.

But, eventually, his adventures got bigger, and …

Rejection hurts. Sometimes it hurts a little more than other times, but it still does hurt.

But, rejection is a part of life. If you never get rejected, you’re not really trying.
In 2016, I quadrupled my creative …

Hugh MacLeod (@hughcards) is a hero of mine, who helped me find my own path.

It was 2004, I was sitting in a gray cubicle in Nebraska. And I discovered a PDF on the Internet called "How to be creative." I read it, and …

I talked about minimalism with some of my guests. I talked about it with Craig Benzine on episode 39, and with James Altucher on episode 53.

I'm not an extreme minimalist. I don't count the number of things that I own, …

Vinnie Lauria found his calling after backpacking around Asia.

He had just sold a company. He had just gotten married. He feared that if he spent a …

We're well into 2017 now, and I've been reflecting on 2016. It was a great year. In fact, I more than quadrupled my creative output.   I'm just talking about words published here. I'm not even talking about the weekly …

Noah Kagan first appeared on Love Your Work back on episode 41. On that episode, we talked about why discomfort is your compass, and learned that Noah even makes his bed in hotel rooms.

I asked Noah to come back on the …

Over the past year, pretty much every week, I've released a new episode of Love Your Work. This will be my last episode this year. I'll be taking a break for a few weeks.

We've come so far since exactly one year ago, …

There's this sort of productivity meme going around that you should make your bed.

But, isn't making your bed kind of a waste?

And isn't making your …

One of the best ways to impact others, while making money, is through building online courses. And, if you're considering writing a book, developing an online course is a great way to validate your idea, and see if your …

James Altucher doesn't need an introduction for many of you. But for the rest, James is currently best known for his book, Choose Yourself, which is a National Bestseller, and which USA Today named in the top 12 …

One of the more subtle underlying themes of this show is that you should invest in yourself. There's a lot of noise out there you'll hear from others …

Dan Ariely is a researcher on the forefront of behavioral science. He specializes in understanding irrational behavior, for example, why do people take less candy if you give it out for free, than if you charge a penny …

The current productivity wisdom is all about getting things done. Now, productivity is about making creative breakthroughs happen.

Getting Things Done brought us beyond todo lists and priorities, and made us think about …

Nir Eyal, author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products, has been on the show before. We had a little debate about digital distraction back in episode 21.

Nir and I have both been exploring new book ideas …

If you have certain behaviors that you want to encourage in your life, you can be intentional about making them happen. Here's a trick I devised to make it easy to do things that are good for me, and a little harder to …

Jocelyn K. Glei is author of Unsubscribe: How to Kill Email Anxiety, Avoid Distractions, and Get Real Work Done. You can buy the book at kadavy.net/email It's an awesome book that I really wish I had when I was first …

Back when I was writing my first book, I was shocked how hard it was. I was spending all day just trying to get into that flow state.

So, here's one way I've found to help make that flow state happen on demand.

…

Cards Against Humanity's Max Temkin (@maxtemkin) is co-creator of Amazon's #1 selling card game – actually the #1 seller in all of the whole Toys …

This week, I share you a story of failure. I know everyone seems to be obsessed with failure lately, and I always thought it was strange. I didn't usually look at things as failures, but as lessons learned.

Well, in …

Mark Manson is known for writing personal development advice that doesn't suck. He writes at markmanson.net, which has more than 2 million readers a month. Mark writes about a variety of topics, including happiness, …

On Tim Ferriss's podcast, Malcolm Gladwell urged his 30-year-old self to “Leave North America…. Which is — despite the fact that it pretends to be …

Noah Kagan is a close friend of mine who has been one of my secret weapons in my own battle as an entrepreneur. Years ago, when I first started out on my own, and I was wandering from cafe to cafe in San Francisco, …

Google Calendar has been adding new features lately. You can find time for your goals, and set reminders, for example. I played a very small part in these features, but I learned a lot about my own productivity in the …

Craig Benzine hit rock bottom when he wasn't getting any tables at his job as a waiter, and he feared he wouldn't be able to pay his rent. So, he …

We all have habits that we'd like to build. But we usually aim a little too high. If you understand that the building of the habit is in itself something to achieve, then building good habits will be easier. This …

David Kadavy (that's me) being interviewed by Almog from the Unstagnate podcast. He did such a great job of researching, and teasing out the things I've been thinking about a lot lately that I just had to share it with …

Do you have a big daunting project that you just can't seem to get started on? Try the "First-Hour" rule. This article originally appeared on Medium.

Dr. Terry Wahls (@terrywahls) is an inspiring example of turning a struggle into an opportunity, but I was more interested in her area of expertise.   You may have already seen the inspiring TEDx talk of Dr. Terry …

This is an article that originally appeared on Medium. It was later picked up by The Atlantic's Quartz.

Give yourself permission to do nothing once in awhile. You may be surprised how productive it makes you.

Sponsors
…

Elise Bauer's SimplyRecipes (@simplyrecipes) is where I go when I'm searching for a recipe. I always find something healthy and delicious, with clear …

A/B testing is a really hot topic in entrepreneurship. Fortunately, I think people have started to come to their senses with it. It's not that it doesn't work if you really know what you're doing, but it can really lead …

How can your ego hold you back in your aspirations, your successes, and in your failures? Ryan Holiday (@ryanholiday) covers it all in his new book, …

The places you invest your money, and the objects you surround yourself with both have a huge influence on how you spend your time and energy, and buying this $600 lamp helped me read more books.

This article is …

Tucker Max (@tuckermax) is best known as a self-proclaimed "asshole." He has written three NUMBER ONE New York Times best-sellers, including "I Hope …

Tuesday was the 12-year anniversary of my very first blog post. On this week's show, I'm bringing you the top lesson that I've learned from 12 years …

Jeff Goins is the author of The Art of Work: A Proven Path to Discovering What You Were Meant to Do.   In The Art of Work, Jeff explains why finding …

I recently turned 37, and this is everything I've learned so far. I originally wrote this post on Medium.

Here's the text of the post, in case you're reading this description:

37 LESSONS FROM 37 YEARS
I have been alive …

Steve Case is the former CEO of AOL – America Online. Many of you probably chuckle when you see someone with an email address that ends in AOL.com, but for me and many millions of others, AOL was our first contact with …

The most popular question (and answer) from my Quora session was "What tips or hacks have saved you the most time and/or energy in your life?" This …

Jodi Ettenberg used to be a lawyer. She took a year off to travel 8 years ago, and never went back.

Her blog, Legal Nomads, won a Lowell Thomas Award for best travel blog and has been featured in the New York Times, …

The economics favor digital distraction, but we have everything we need to make humanity great. We have the behavioral science knowledge, and with …

Nir Eyal is the author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products. So he is really manufacturing the drug. Fortunately, he's also concerned about the implications of digital distraction, so he agreed to have a …

Sometimes, the things you feel like you should do create so much cognitive burden you can hardly get anything done. When I feel that way, I know it's …

Andrew's famous "Relax" app has been a key ritual for me for a couple of years now. Andrew has a whole empire of apps with guided recordings that …

READ ME! Lots of people beat themselves up for not being able to meditate. I think they're too hard on themselves. If you can simply make a habit of meditating 2 minutes a day, you can begin to enjoy meditation to the …

A 10-year-old kadavy.net classic, this "mini-episode" (or is it just an "episode?") distills eight rules of living that make me feel like I really …

This is a mini-episode based upon a previous post here on kadavy.net. The original post is over here: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/earnit/

Sponsor: http://kadavy.net/treehouse

Show notes: …

Paul Bennett (@contextpaul) ran his business while sailing around the world with his whole family. He's CEO and co-founder of Context Travel. Context …

I'm a pretty dedicated "solopreneur" – an entrepreneur who goes it on their own: no cofounders and no investors. This is a mini-episode in which I …

Maneesh Sethi (@maneesh), is the founder of Pavlok. Pavlok is a wrist band that gives you an electric shock that helps you break bad habits. It's a crazy idea, so it's definitely gotten a lot of attention. Pavlok has …

Have you ever been really excited about a book you were reading, only to realize – as you tried to describe it to someone – that you had NO IDEA what it was actually about? This happened to me all of the time, until I …

Nick Gray (@nickgraynews) is the founder of Museum Hack. Museum Hack makes super fun museum tours such as the "Un-Highlights Tour," the "Badass Bitches Tour," and the "Big Gay Met." You've heard in previous episodes …

Many people think their productivity struggle is one of managing their time. In reality, it's more a struggle of managing their mind. In this mini-episode, I introduce my framework for Mind Management: using knowledge …

Laura Roeder is the founder of Edgar, which is (or maybe I should say "who is") a social media automation tool (no offense, Edgar, but you are a …

Can neuroscience make you creative on command? Dr. John Kounios is the Director of the PhD Program in Applied Cognitive & Brain Sciences at Drexel University. He's also co-author of the book The Eureka Factor: Aha …

One of the keys to creating something original and remarkable is being able to see how all of the "stuff" in the world can be created into "things." This is a must-understand for any entrepreneur. Original article: …

Adrian Holovaty (@adrianholovaty) has learned the hard way that he wants to retain control of his business. After selling Everyblock, Adrian watched …

"Traveling" by its traditional definition is like licking a filet mignon. You get a taste, but you don't get the nourishment. This is why I stopped traveling, and started living "Mini Lives." Original article: …

After getting fired from her job, Saya Hillman (@sayahillman) made a list of things she wanted to get paid to do. 11 years later, she's made all of those things a reality. She gets paid to play board games, do improv, …

Jonathan Wegener (@jwegener) spent 3 months traveling to every subway station in the NYC area, meticulously documenting the fastest way to get out of …

Are you holding yourself back from starting something because you're afraid you're not going to be good at it? You have to give yourself Permission …

Jason Fried (@jasonfried) of Basecamp (formerly 37 Signals) shares his wisdom on cutting through the noise to find your own voice. There are some great nuggets in here about design, and how to be a contrarian thinker. …