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

Join 2,328 other subscribers
  • Most people are good sorts

    Most people are good sorts

    ,

    A lot of folks with ADHD have a thing they call “rejection-sensitive dysphoria.” In the olden days we would have called this being a sensitive wee sausage. RSD is a bit of a meme in the extremely memetic world of ADHD-posting, and it tends to activate my annoyance with overly-medicalised terms and engagement-driven relatability that doesn’t offer much in the way of solutions. Whatever we…

    Keep reading

  • Challenge Day 2 (of 30)

    Challenge Day 2 (of 30)

    ,

    It’s late; I need to figure out a way to get these emails out before stupid o’clock. You know what doesn’t help? GODDAMN DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME THAT’S WHAT.

    Keep reading

  • Challenge Day 1 (of 30)

    Challenge Day 1 (of 30)

    ,

    For those who signed up for the Cynic’s Guide way back when, this new series may be what you were expecting (compared to whatever it is you got) it’s just me, trying on every damn self-improvement business…

    Keep reading

  • Challenge (30 day version)

    Challenge (30 day version)

    ,

    Gidday! I’ve been caught in that loop where I think constantly about sending an email out to you all but then think “but no it has to be good” and consequently don’t send anything at all. If…

    Keep reading

  • Pivot to video

    Pivot to video

    ,

    Announcing easily the most ambitious thing I’ve ever done: Project Everybob – painting along with every single episode of the Joy of Painting

    Keep reading

  • Life, the Universe, and

    Life, the Universe, and

    ,

    I had a birthday the other week. The numbers are starting to run together but this one is special because it’s 42. If you know, you know. (I suspect quite a few of you do; even the…

    Keep reading

  • Your phone is the mind-killer

    Your phone is the mind-killer

    ,

    The medium is the message – and it might be rewiring your brain

    Keep reading

  • What You Can Learn From Elon Musk

    What You Can Learn From Elon Musk

    ,

    “Elon Musk is kind of a hero of mine” I wrote those words, with my own brain, controlling my own fingers. And when I wrote them, they were true. In my defence: In days of yore, around…

    Keep reading

  • Apropos of something

    Apropos of something

    ,

    I was in bed, scrolling through Bluesky, when I saw it. An activist and journalist I follow broke the story, moments after it happened. I told my wife. “Are you sure? It’d be on the news sites.”…

    Keep reading

  • It’s THAT time again

    It’s THAT time again

    ,

    The other day, while playing the famously egalitarian game of “golf” with one of my CEO buddies, we had a completely normal conversation, as humans often do. This being That Time Of Year, the topic of New…

    Keep reading

  • The best self-help book I’ve read

    The best self-help book I’ve read

    ,

    It was only a few short months ago, not long after the birth of our second child, that I had the vain – and, in hindsight, very funny – hope that I could continue writing this newsletter…

    Keep reading