All Articles
The Psychological Trap That’s Making Your Life Fester
Understanding the ‘not so bad paradox,’ a.k.a. the ‘region beta paradox,’ can help you proactively avoid its insidious effects.
Make Life Less Stale With More Fresh Air
How I came to appreciate the overlooked and underrated benefits of fresh air, plus my “No-Ceiling Challenge” to you.
Watch Yourself, Win: The Best Self-Improvement System
A simple system for steady, enjoyable, and objective improvement—at volleyball spiking and the rest of life, too.
Jodie Milton Wants You to Get More Intimate
Inspirational stories, struggles, and zags from the sneeze-smelling, intimacy-coaching, bird-watching, re-settling, sex-scheduling Jodie Milton.
Dare to Do Something Daunting
The story of a daunting adventure that might inspire you to try your own.
The Enjoyment Switch: Why Not Choose to Enjoy?
To enjoy, or not to enjoy, that is the question. Here are some thoughts on choosing the more enjoyable answer.
My Exclusive Few Favorite Things
The rare few things in my life that I would immediately get again if I were to lose them.
The Next Best Thing You Can Do Is Broaden Your View of Time
Taking a broad view of your time is the second best thing you can do for your life. Here’s why, how, and the only thing better.
David Mashburn Wants You to Take the Unsafer Option
Inspirational stories, struggles, and zags from David Mashburn, a nomadic in-house attorney with a sense of humor who wears socks to bed.
How I’m Honing in on What I’m Looking for in Life
Selfish-less-ness, getting lost, and an ear for the three components of a calling are helping find what I’m looking for in life.
A Truly Productive Life Shouldn’t Feel Like Work
Don’t waste energy figuring out how to live a productive life. Ask yourself how to tune into your innate values, passions, and talents.
Why I’m Glad That I’ve Been Unsuccessful
Being unsuccessful has helped me discover and appreciate the value of the more important things in life.
The 2024 Unrutty Awards: My Best and Worst of the Year
The third-annual awards spectacular celebrating best, worst, and most memorable from my past year.
Why I Changed My Life’s Guiding Principle
I ignored my old guiding principle, trusted my instincts instead, and now have a new and improved heuristic for directing my life’s decisions.
Are You Getting Your 10,000 Mental Steps a Day?
What if you made as much time in your day for mental wandering as you do for getting your 10,000 steps in?
$526,000 a Year for the Intangibles That Make You Happy?
If we add up all the studies that put a price tag on the intangible sources of happiness, it’s a lot—but is it enough?
Is Where You Live a Home Field (Dis-)Advantage?
Winning at life can be easy or darn near impossible depending on whether you optimize the field you play on (i.e, where you live).
What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?
Why I will never ask my son what he wants to be when he grows up and what I’ll ask him instead.
How I Compared How Others See Me to How I See Myself
The simple “mirror straightening” exercise that helped me better understand how others see me versus how I see myself.
Make Time for Not Urgent But Important Work With “Pre-Fun”
Lack of urgency led to me doing fewer fun and important things, but now I have a new “pre-fun” system that’s working.
The Simple Way to Get More of What You Really Want
What happens when you get in the habit of asking yourself “What for?” and “What instead?” before acting.
The Optimal Level of Difficulty for Life is Radically Moderate
There is an optimally efficient slope for climbing a mountain, so is there also an optimal level of difficulty for the “climb” of life?
Ideas For Taking Your Life in Extraordinary Directions
A thought-provoking collection of ideas for shaking up your status quo and taking life in extraordinary directions.
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