A skeptical dive into the weird, sketchy, occasionally life-changing world
of self-improvement.

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  • We have to go back

    We have to go back

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    And we’re back. I have been quite tired, and more than a bit sad, and very busy, in that weird way that eats all your time while not providing nearly enough money that seems unique to freelancing/contracting/self-employment. Other freelancers will know what I mean. I find myself in an odd bind where I feel like being honest about this stuff will depress my readers, which…

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  • Interlude

    Interlude

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    A quick one, this week, because, well… Our cat Bianca died a few days ago. It was sudden. We’d hoped to have a couple more weeks, but she became unable to eat, and keeping her longer wouldn’t…

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  • A NU START

    A NU START

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    When you’ve been painting for a stretch of time, something odd can happen. Lift your attention from the canvas, and the world appears as if made of paint, impossibly bright and detailed. Nip out to get some…

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  • Continue

    Continue

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    The last two weeks have been hard. When I try to write it up, as I have many times now, I’m hit with a wave of weariness. Inside and out, everything seems drained of colour and vitality.…

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  • I quit

    I quit

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    Gidday Cynics, Quitting is not my strong suit. It’s hard to think of something I’m worse at: apart from simultaneously quitting smoking, coffee and religion1 nearly twenty years ago, I don’t like to give up on things.…

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  • I found the Überman

    I found the Überman

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    Gidday Cynics, Remember “life-hacks?” Today, life-hacking is a cutesy phrase that means anything from “make your bed after showering” to “rip the the transformer out of your microwave and use it to burn patterns in wood and/or…

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  • 40

    40

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    I turned 40 a couple of weeks ago and thought it’d be a good opportunity to reflect, piecemeal, on where I find myself in life, the universe, and this whole self-improvement thing. Psuedo The pseudoephedrine has been…

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  • This one weird self-improvement trick works instantly

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    Gidday Cynics, I’m on holiday in Straya at the moment so you’re enjoying a shorter newsletter than normal. Subscribe You’re in luck, though, because this newsletter contains my number one life pro tip: one weird trick that…

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  • The portable ocean

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    Gidday Cynics, My routine has, as routinely happens, gone completely to shit. I mentioned that I’d got sick: barring a nagging cough, I am now pretty much better, so naturally my wife and son wanted a turn.…

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  • You, Me, and Ennui

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    Gidday Cynics, I was planning to write a follow-up to the previous piece on routines, but it turns out I have the gift of prophecy. Here’s what I said last week: The problem with a planned schedule…

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  • Wake up (wake up)

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    Every day, the first thing I do is wake up. In my experience, that’s the best way to start a successful day, and I haven’t missed one yet. It is, of course, 3 AM, the time all…

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