idj4thinking

Replacing Social Batteries: On Office Work

I work remotely, so if I don’t want to see anyone for a week at a time, that’s a pretty attainable goal. Generally speaking, this means if I found social contact in some senses uncomfortable or boring or loathsome, I would easily be able to avoid participating. Regular office work seems anathema to this idea.Continue reading “Replacing Social Batteries: On Office Work”

I’m probably a much better writer than you, that’s unlikely to change.

In many ways, it appears that the age of the dilettante is upon us. This creative cataclysm, inspired by the death of old-guard gatekeepers seems inevitable. Music labels, agents, newspapers, and even movie studios are becoming increasingly irrelevant as the world constantly tilts towards less professionalism. People like Mr. Beast and Charli XCX appear toContinue reading “I’m probably a much better writer than you, that’s unlikely to change.”

Hate Mail Advertising

When I want to get something from someone on the internet, particularly traffic on my teeny-tiny blog, I like to do what I’ve coined ‘hate mail advertising’ which is premised on the simple psychological fact that people enjoy disagreeing and putting others down as a status game, and being boldly wrong is one of theContinue reading “Hate Mail Advertising”

Stubbornness

What’s the trait you value most about yourself? Being pliable has its advantages, it’s easier to fit in. Life is generally straightforward if you’re going with the flow. You get to avoid thinking a lot of the time, and as a result get to avoid conviction, other than through the hive mind. Stubbornness, is seenContinue reading “Stubbornness”

Brag

You will be both your biggest critic and your biggest fan. This is because you, like everyone else, are a human being, and human beings are selfish. It’s not inherently bad that people are selfish, but it is human nature. So, when you approach how you interact with people, people won’t be chomping at theContinue reading “Brag”

Thinking Through My Career Strategy Over Writing

I think about Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers all the time, where he talks about just how significant tons of practice is. The amount of time writers put into creating content, refining it, revising it, figuring out which audiences it speaks to puts them in a class unlike others. True masters of their craft, few areContinue reading “Thinking Through My Career Strategy Over Writing”

Passive Aggressive Email Etiquette

We all know passive-aggressive emails are mistakes. After all, you tend to work with people on a repeated basis and poisoning the well in general is a bad idea. but, sometimes it can be all too thrilling. Intoxicated by your frustration, you dig deep into the well of hatred that is your Tuesday afternoon blues,Continue reading “Passive Aggressive Email Etiquette”

Protected: Non-Believers Until Lying Eyes Prove Otherwise

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

When Should You Trust But Verify?

The project manager serves as an interface between the project team and stakeholders. Being given this task, one should recognize that you’re probably not going to be able to look at each individual data point and validate. Despite this, you might hear that you’re supposed to ‘trust but verify’. Starting off my career, I didn’tContinue reading “When Should You Trust But Verify?”

Are you the ‘brilliant jerk?’

Reid Hoffman published a piece a while back describing two types of challenging employees: the brilliant jerk and the lovable idiot. Both of these archetypes are difficult to work with, harder when you are one of the above. The brilliant jerk is a rockstar when it comes to achieving the work, but is utterly contemptible.Continue reading “Are you the ‘brilliant jerk?’”