Why Racing Is the Best Rest Activity I’ve Ever Found
What motorsport taught me about the four factors of recovery, and why the cockpit – virtual or real – might be the ultimate place to…
Max Frenzel – Writing
Essays and book notes on AI, creativity, rest, and the craft of meaningful work, by Max Frenzel.
Latest posts
A Year in Books – 2025
24 books and quotes that shaped and inspired me in 2025
The Daily AI-Enabled Review System That Changed How I Work
How 15 minutes of AI-assisted reflection every day gave me clarity, momentum, and a record of my thinking
A Year in Books – 2024
25 books and quotes that shaped and inspired me in 2024
A Year in Books – 2023
25 books and quotes that shaped and inspired me in 2023
The Creative Curve by Allen Gannett
How to Develop the Right Idea, at the Right Time
The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
How to free yourself, change your life and achieve real happiness
Build by Tony Fadell
An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making
The Little Book of Ikigai by Ken Mogi
Live a Happy and Long Life the Japanese Way
Time Off and Japan: A Culture of Leisure that Lost Its Way
Foreword to the Japanese version of the international bestseller Time Off
A Year in Books – 2022
31 books and quotes that shaped and inspired me in 2021
Hooked by Nir Eyal
How to Build Habit-Forming Products
The Two Cornerstones of Creativity and How to Unlock Them
Why leisure is essential for pattern recognition and risk tolerance
Company of One by Paul Jarvis
Why Staying Small is the Next Big Thing for Business
A Year in Books – 2021
42 books and quotes that shaped and inspired me in 2021
The Art of Impossible by Steven Kotler
A Peak Performance Primer
Using the Idea of a Work-Rest Fractal to Find Balanced Success
How one the most successful tech entrepreneurs in history came to rethink his approach to work-life-balance and what we can learn from it.
The Togetherness Epidemic: How to Balance Hyper-Connectivity
Wading through the shallows of loneliness to discover deep blissful solitude
Rethinking the Extroversion Ideal
On embracing your inner introvert and finding restorative niches in your daily life
How the Breath Controls the Heart
The Biomechanics of HRV Biofeedback Training and Resonance Breathing
The Income Energy Product: A More Meaningful Way to Assess the Value of Your Job
Why absolute and hourly income miss the main point
Introducing Yudemon
Elevating Human Happiness, Performance, and Wellbeing through Creative Technology
Universal Basic Income, Degrowth, and the Future of Work
Exploring alternative and complimentary approaches to the growth mindset
Stop Apologizing for Your Late Replies
Replying to messages at a more moderate pace sets the right expectations
Lifespan by David Sinclair
Why We Age - and Why We Don't Have To
Noble Leisure Is the Antidote To Languishing
Rediscover an ancient concept to fight off stagnation and start flourishing again
How to Travel Without Leaving Your Neighbourhood
Experiencing Your Hometown Through the Eyes of the Traveler
Deliberate Cultivation of Playfulness Is the Key to Success in Creative Work
Innovation happens at the intersection of wonder and rigor – child mindset and adult mindset
The Dubious Trait of Being a “Fast Learner”
Why more people should embrace being slow learners
The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin
An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance