The fox knows many things, but a hedgehog knows one important thing. - ancient Greek poet Archilochus.

Are you a fox? Dabbling in many things. Able to react to changing circumstances but also prone to spreading yourself too thin and accomplishing nothing.

Or are you a hedgehog? Doggedly following one path to success, but also sometimes stubbornly going down the wrong path for years.

Insight into your personal style using this framework can help you make better decisions by recognizing one of your most common cognitive biases.

Arrgh! I've cleaned the whole house. Answered all my emails. Organized my closet. Now the kids are coming home. I'm out of time and I haven't written a word. Again!

We have all felt this self-destructive procrastination throughout our lives. As writers, it is a particularly acute phenomenon for most of us. In my mind, I often use the label it resistance but you may have another name for it.

To defeat it we need to learn about our unique resistance and find your silver bullets. Learn to trick yourself to bypass resistance and get writing.

We can still learn…

I was in the middle of my social work degree when it suddenly hit me hard, “I don’t want to do this anymore.”

I had already been working in the field for almost a decade. I started volunteering for a suicide prevention line, worked with people with disabilities in group homes overseas, worked at a residential brain injury rehabilitation center, and finally as a financial aid worker for the government. The next step was a Bachelor of Social Work degree and a job as a child protection worker.

“I don’t want to do this anymore”. So I stopped. I was…

In the wake of the incidents at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6th, 2021, there has been some debate whether it was an attempted coup or “merely” a protest/election related violence. To prevent such incidents in the future and address the issues that caused it; it is important to understand fully and correctly categorize what happened.

So was it an attempted coup or not?

The first most basic definition of a coup is the “ sudden seizure of power”. Were those in attendance all just protesting, or was this an attempt at taking power? The timing was no accident…

This is the granddaddy of time management books. It is chock full of wisdom and practical advice. I’ve gone back to my copy countless times over 35 years. Most modern productivity writers are simply expanding on one of Lakein’s chapters. Let’s just go to the source pull out the most important lessons.

The book, the author, and the quotes

Published in 1973, “How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life” has sold over 3 million copies worldwide. Alan Lakein graduated from Harvard Business School and vaulted to fame due to this book. You are probably familiar with concepts from this book without knowing it. …

Ask any Japanese person. Japan is a very "safety" country. It's true. Besides the occasional earthquake or typhoon there is not a lot of danger in Japan. Everything works, everything is clean, there is very little crime.

Also the culture is very safety conscious. The average person is very careful about everything. Two of the most common words you will hear are "yabai" (Its risky!) and "Kiotsukete" (Be careful!). But...

No one wears a bicycle helmet. NO ONE!

Before we go farther I better be clear about two things.

One, I live in Japan and I love Japan. It's great. The people are great. I have few complaints…

You pay tax and they give you gifts! Really delicious gifts. King crab from Hokkaido, grapes from Yamanashi, apples from Nagano, beef from Kobe, the list goes on and on. You can even get high grade bottles of sake!

How did this come about you ask? And can I get some?

Sadly you have to be a resident of Japan. But maybe you can lobby your own government for a similar program.

Japan’s countryside is hollowing out. With a low birthrate the society is aging and of the few young people in rural areas many prefer to move to large…

Chicks just don’t dig beards — everybody does.

I always wanted to be clean-shaven when I was younger. It seemed more adult and professional and perhaps most importantly, I didn’t think women liked them. When I did grow a beard it grew in unevenly, was strangely a ginger color, and most difficult of all, it became really itchy. So I put beards aside for a couple of decades.

Beards obviously have a long history but they have become even more popular the last decade. It seemed like a hipster fad that would fade away but the trend is going strong…