It’s Thomas here with my turn for Whims. If you read even one of these, read the first. It could change your life the way I think it will change mine.
My life has been changed by this book. It’s shifted how I think about things, especially business. I have told no less than 10 people in my network about it, which is why I’m starting the week with it. The core principle of the book: set an impossible goal with an impossible timeline. This impossible goal should not feel achievable by what you’re currently doing. That’s why it’s impossible. You don’t know how to get there today. The goal aligns everything. It creates a floor that helps you filter, defining what you don’t do. Then you put extreme focus on the few things you believe will get you there, simplified so they can scale. The book is completely consumable in a day or two if you’re motivated. I read the first 100 pages, then listened to the whole thing on audiobook, and I’m wrapping up the final pages on the plane this weekend. I’ll be rereading this one yearly.
I wonder if anyone designing kids’ headphones has ever flown on a plane with kids’ headphones on. Every kids’ headphone markets one thing front and center: volume limits. A well-intentioned feature until you get on a plane and your kid can’t hear their iPad. Especially if the only seats they can find together are in row 34, you know the one, in the back of the plane by the bathrooms. The kids had Purosound headphones before, so after theirs fell apart from the wear and tear of my kids, I set off into research mode. My goal was to find the smallest adult headphones on the market with noise cancelling, but I failed miserably. What I landed on were the Purosound with active noise cancellation. The kids got used to the on-ear fit (even Clemmie, who has her ears pierced), and I’ve found a noticeable difference in performance.
My new filming technique
I was overthinking the filming of my Instagram content. I was scripting things and storyboarding them. I had a video editor and a content strategy person I’d meet with. But by then the spark, the idea to film in the first place, would be long gone. I’d spend all the time, then scrap the script. Instead, here’s what I do now. I write down a question and start filming the answer. My rule: 3 takes max. If I nail it on the first or second take, I answer a very similar question with the takes I have left. Then I take everything into Descript, a tool built for talking videos, and ask the AI to find the most interesting sections, focused on the key points the video has to have. I’ll have it make 3-4 rough cuts. The goal is to get to 2 that I can test side by side on trial reels.
Have you tried this sunscreen yet?
It’s the lightest-weight sunscreen I’ve put on my skin and super easy to apply, especially on squirmy kids’ faces. It’s sweat and water resistant. It’s so lightweight that I have to double-check I actually put it on. The only downside is the bottles aren’t huge, something to keep in mind if you’re a family on a trip applying multiple times a day. I’ve been using this on the kids’ faces and a different spray for the rest of the body. While finding this link I discovered they have a lightweight mineral sunscreen that I’m going to try next.
The company that tries to get you to spend less
PostHog does everything differently. You might not be in the market for advanced analytics for your digital products, but you might be interested in this technique. PostHog, whose marketing and messaging I’d describe as goofy, always gets my attention. This week they emailed me to say there was a problem with my upcoming bill: it was “too high.” They suggested ways of reducing it, as simple as flipping a switch. Do things that are unexpected. If you’re a marketer the lesson to be learned here is focus on what’s best for the customer even if that means losing out on money in the short term.
Substack’s new AI detection
My favorite question in any meeting that drifts off course: what are we really trying to achieve here? I’ve been asking it about Substack’s new AI detector since they announced it this week. Based on what I’ve consumed from them around the launch, I think the answer is “become the home for verified human voices.” It’s certainly a stance. But here’s my counter: AI is enabling busy operators, thinkers, and creatives to write on Substack. People who live real experiences and then talk about them. Publications earning money doubled in the past year. That growth and AI adoption are correlated.
By framing AI as an enemy and handing readers a lie detector, Substack is fueling skepticism instead of letting readers decide for themselves whether they like the writing. So Substack has to pick: is the goal the best ideas from the best minds, however they’re drafted, or human-to-human connection as the product itself?
Spent too much at Prada
I hate buying clothes. I like them, but I feel more pain than pleasure from the act of spending. We popped into the Prada store in East Hampton for Julia. While dawdling around the store I noticed this hat . I’m not a fan of big logos, too showy, which is why this hat stood out. I added to cart. Shopping is dangerous with Julia, which is why I don’t try anything on around her. Then I saw this navy jacket, noticed it was a Medium, slipped it off the mannequin, and the fit was too amazing. Then it was full makeover mode, adding this white jacket and this tan jacket. I think I’m good for a while now.
I try not to share every Coreli update here, but this one is too good. Coreli, my tech startup I founded earlier this year, launched a Substack integration last week. Now Substack publishers can bring their most recent posts to the central location where their brand lives. This is big because for most creators right now, Instagram is the home for short form and Substack is the home for long form. Coreli sits in between Instagram and the rest of what you do.
Modern Wisdom episode: Why you feel overwhelmed all the time
Similar to the book from earlier, this came at exactly the right time. Everything for me seems to be honing in on making a choice and sticking to it. Many of us try to preserve our options; for me it feels like a way of diversifying risk. But the case can be made for adding limitations and committing. Putting blinders on and focusing. If you take on too much, feel scattered, bounce between tasks, or refuse to close off options, this one’s for you.
A video podcast so good I had to DM the host
The algorithm takes a lot of heat for controlling our lives. The YouTube algorithm blessed me by introducing me to Anatomy of a Dream. This episode was incredible. Here’s why it’s different, and why I reached out to tell her to never change these things that stood out to me:
The emotional connection she has with her guest. At one point I got teary eyed during the interview.
The recap after the interview. This is what really stands out to me. She breaks down the interview afterwards, filtering out what mattered from what was said. That extra step takes an episode from entertainment to memorable lessons.
The final piece is downloadable worksheets they make available for you to fill out with your own reflections on the lessons.
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