Work is central to the human experience. It helps us shape our identities, care for those we love, and contribute to our communities. Work can be a source of power and a catalyst for change. Unfortunately, that's not how most of us experience work—even those who work for themselves. Our labor and creative spirit are used to enrich others and maintain the status quo. It's time for an intervention. What Works is a show about rethinking work, business, and leadership for the 21st-century economy.…
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A few episodes ago, I shared that I was rethinking social media as a way to fix my "distribution problem." Well, it's been a month, and I've posted 8 videos. The results have been not at all what I expected. In this quickie, I share my results so far, what's changed, and—because I can't help myself—a bigger question I have about interest-based distribution algorithms. Summer Seminar is back! Join…
If you're like me (and frankly, you probably are), you're easily overwhelmed by the sheer scope of your ideas. Not so much because they're so grand or world-changing, but because you see all the connections that could be included in your projects. Background information, theory, history, caveats... if you're curious and value context, any project can take on epic proportions. And that's when you…
Today, I'm resharing an episode from last spring but with a fresh introduction about the feeling (too) late and some timely advice for my daughter, who graduates from high school tomorrow. It might be a good one to share with the graduate in your life! *** This episode is about the long term —the commitments, projects, and relationships we can work on when our "temporal bandwidth" widens. How we…
"No matter how hard you post or what sites you do it in it’s never going to be 2019 again." — Amanda Mull on Bluesky I'm thinking about getting back on social media. Weird, I know. But (1) I have a distribution problem, and (2) it's not what it used to be... which is bad, but maybe also good for me? Today, I'm putting my thoughts into words and relying on a new essay by communications scholar…
Eight months before ChatGPT launched to the world, I wrote about "the eggbeater effect," or the tendency for labor-saving tools to create new labor. Four years later, I'm revisiting that idea. Remember: just because you can doesn't mean you should . Footnotes: Read the essay version of this episode. " The Stepford Wives " on You're Wrong About More Work for Mother by Ruth Schwartz Cowan " The…
You can always rely on me to channel my righteous indignation at shoddy data analysis into a lengthy podcast episode. Footnotes: Read the essay version of this episode. " How Short-Form Clips Took Over the Internet " on Galaxy Brain with Charlie Warzel " The Clip Economy " by Ed Elson on the Simply Put newsletter " What happens when the short-form video bubble bursts? " by Ryan Broderick on…
Another episode featuring HBO's The Pitt? You know it. This time: finding your course of action in the space between personal challenges and systemic and structural failings. Footnotes : Read the essay version here. " Rethinking Busyness " on What Works HBO's The Pitt " Changes in Burnout and Satisfaction With Work–Life Integration in Physicians and the General US Working Population Between 2011…
On March 11, the 5-time World’s Best Restaurant, Noma, began a 3-month Los Angeles residency. The vanguard establishment of New Nordic Cuisine, was finally available to Americans without an international flight. All-inclusive bookings—sold out well ahead of opening day—went for $1500 per person. Diners, arriving in luxury vehicles with tinted windows, anticipated the hyper-local, painstakingly…
To the uninitiated, "being your own boss" sounds pretty nice. Of course, the moment you go into business for yourself, you realize the wide variety of skills it requires—skills that you yourself do not possess. Skills that you don't want to and have no intention of learning. Being your own boss means balancing a host of functions within one corporate (that is, "body") system. You can address the…
I live for people explaining how they approach analysis and critique. I desperately want to know how other people think about things so I can learn to think in new ways. I want a compelling intellectual or journalistic project, but I also want to know how it was conceived and executed. I hope you enjoy hearing that kind of behind-the-scenes, too, because that's exactly what this episode is. It's a…
