Mitch Joel's Blog: Six Pixels of Separation, page 81

Jenny Blake On How To Love Your Work – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #820 of Six Pixels of Separation is now live and ready for you to listen to.

Time is not money. Time is life force. This is the core of Jenny Blake‘s powerful new book, Free Time – Lose The Busywork, Love Your Business. Jenny is an author and podcaster (and friend) who loves helping people navigate change and free time to do more of their best work. Jenny is the author of the award-winning book, Pivot – The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One, and co-creator of Google’s acclaimed Career Guru coaching program. Free Time teaches people to move from friction to flow through smarter systems and the three-stage Free Time Framework. Jenny hosts two podcasts with over 1 million downloads combined: Free Time with Jenny Blake for heart-based business owners, and Pivot with Jenny Blake for navigating change. Jenny started her first blog, Life After College, in 2005. After two years as the first employee at a political polling start-up in Silicon Valley, followed by five years at Google in training and career development, Jenny moved to New York City in 2011 to launch her own business. Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via Apple Podcast or whatever platform you may choose): Six Pixels of Separation #820.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.

SPOS #820 – Jenny Blake On How To Love Your Work

Welcome to episode #820 of Six Pixels of Separation.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #820 – Host: Mitch Joel. Time is not money. Time is life force. This is the core of Jenny Blake‘s powerful new book, Free Time – Lose The Busywork, Love Your Business. Jenny is an author and podcaster (and friend) who loves helping people navigate change and free time to do more of their best work. Jenny is the author of the award-winning book, Pivot – The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One, and co-creator of Google’s acclaimed Career Guru coaching program. Free Time teaches people to move from friction to flow through smarter systems and the three-stage Free Time Framework. Jenny hosts two podcasts with over 1 million downloads combined: Free Time with Jenny Blake for heart-based business owners, and Pivot with Jenny Blake for navigating change. Jenny started her first blog, Life After College, in 2005. After two years as the first employee at a political polling start-up in Silicon Valley, followed by five years at Google in training and career development, Jenny moved to New York City in 2011 to launch her own business. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 48:13.Hello from beautiful Montreal.Subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.Please visit and leave comments on the blog – Six Pixels of Separation.Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook.or you can connect on LinkedIn.…or on Twitter.Here is my conversation with Jenny Blake.Free Time – Lose The Busywork, Love Your Business.Pivot – The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One.Life After College.Free Time with Jenny Blake.Pivot with Jenny Blake.Follow Jenny on LinkedIn.Follow Jenny on Twitter.

This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #820 – Host: Mitch Joel.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.

Six Links Worthy of Your Attention #613

Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?

My friends: Alistair Croll (Solve for Interesting, Tilt the Windmill, Interesting Bits, HBS, chair of Strata, Startupfest, FWD50, and Scaletechconf; author of Lean Analytics and some other books), Hugh McGuire (Rebus Foundation, PressBooks, LibriVox) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person “must see.”

Check out these six links that we’re recommending to one another: 

Querdenken Everything. “Can you think of a recent time when thousands of protesters, bristling against Covid restrictions and fueled by misinformation and conspiracies, stormed the houses of government? You may not be thinking about the 2020 storming of the Reighstag, but it has strong parallels to protests in Canada, the US, and elsewhere. This amazing piece of web design tells the story in several parts, and it’s interesting to see QAnon through another country’s eyes.” (Alistair for Hugh). The British amateur who debunked the mathematics of happiness – The Guardian . “Nick Brown was a starting student with nothing to lose, which is why he took on one of the psychology establishment’s favorite, and most-cited, theories. There’s a reproducibility crisis in social sciences, with plenty of highly quoted studies around priming, human behaviour, and self-help crumbling under the weight of scrutiny. This is a good tale of how it takes someone with nothing to lose to challenge norms.” (Alistair for Mitch). Lisa LeBlanc – Pourquoi Faire Aujourd’hui – YouTube . “A bit chiac (New Brunswick French Canadian) disco to cheer you up, from Lisa LeBlanc.” (Hugh for Alistair). Has An Old Soviet Mystery At Last Been Solved? The New Yorker . “I’m pretty sure I’ve posted about the Dyatlov Pass incident before, the 1959 mystery that saw nine young hikers/skiers die in the Ural mountains in the USSR. Their tent had been slashed, and bodies had a range of bizarre injuries: a burned head, missing eyes, missing tongue. UFOs, secret weapons, CIA assassins, and an attack by Yetis have been proposed as explanations. An explanation has been, perhaps, found.” (Hugh for Mitch). Slobbing out and giving up: why are so many people going ‘goblin mode’? – The Guardian . “I guess we need a name – or a new name – for everything. We used to just say that this person is a ‘slacker’ or a ‘slob’. The idea of going ‘goblin mode’, really does make me laugh. It’s a great visual. I’m busy hauling myself up to the summit, here in Montreal, every day as I trying to clock in 5 km of better health, while constantly fighting the goblin on my shoulder. Now, this isn’t to say that I think you’ve gone full goblin mode, but most of us have had our moments during this pandemic. Be the goblin. Embrace the goblin.” (Mitch for Alistair).  “After I Read It, It Took Me Two Weeks To Fully Recover”: People Are Sharing Books That Have Genuinely Changed Their Lives – BuzzFeed . “The hardest part about publishing a book, is selling it and marketing it. Most future-authors don’t realize this. Sure, the writing can be treacherous. Still, that’s nothing compared to trying to get people to buy the book, read the book, review the book, and talk about it. One of the many tactics that authors aim for is getting as many reviews as possible online. There’s something to be said about the quality over the quantity of these reviews. I read this article, and realized that the road to being a better writer is much longer and wider than I had ever believed. We can all pine for thousands of five-star reviews, but would that mean anything in relation to getting one or two book reviews that are written like the ones that are featured in this article?” (Mitch for Hugh).

Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.

Are you interested in what’s next? How to decode the future? I publish between 2-3 times per week and then the Six Pixels of Separation Podcast comes out every Sunday. Feel free to subscribe (and tell your friends): 

Maria Brito On How To Turn Your Ideas Into Gold – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #819 of Six Pixels of Separation is now live and ready for you to listen to.

You can learn how to make creativity work for your business or career. In her new book, How Creativity Rules The World, Maria Brito shows how creativity is merely a series of habits, actions, and attitudes that you can develop — regardless of who you are and what you do. There has never been a more crucial time than now to develop your creativity and your ability to innovate. Coming up with original ideas of value is today’s most precious resource. Contrary to a myth that has been unfairly perpetuated, creativity can be taught and learned. Maria Brito is an award-winning New York-based contemporary art advisor, author, and curator. A Harvard graduate, originally from Venezuela, her first monograph, Out There, was the recipient of the Best Book Awards in both the Art and Design Categories. In 2015 Brito was selected by Complex Magazine as one of the 20 Power Players in the Art World, and in 2020 she was named by ArtNews as one of the visionaries who gets to shape the art world. For several years, Maria has taught her creativity course in companies and, in 2019, she launched Jumpstart – an online program on creativity for entrepreneurs based on years of research and observation in both the areas of business and art. In 2019 she created and hosted The C Files with Maria Brito, a TV and streaming series for PBS‘s new station All Arts. Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via Apple Podcast or whatever platform you may choose): Six Pixels of Separation #819.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.

SPOS #819 – Maria Brito On How To Turn Your Ideas Into Gold

Welcome to episode #819 of Six Pixels of Separation.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #819 – Host: Mitch Joel. You can learn how to make creativity work for your business or career. In her new book, How Creativity Rules The World, Maria Brito shows how creativity is merely a series of habits, actions, and attitudes that you can develop — regardless of who you are and what you do. There has never been a more crucial time than now to develop your creativity and your ability to innovate. Coming up with original ideas of value is today’s most precious resource. Contrary to a myth that has been unfairly perpetuated, creativity can be taught and learned. Maria Brito is an award-winning New York-based contemporary art advisor, author, and curator. A Harvard graduate, originally from Venezuela, her first monograph, Out There, was the recipient of the Best Book Awards in both the Art and Design Categories. In 2015 Brito was selected by Complex Magazine as one of the 20 Power Players in the Art World, and in 2020 she was named by ArtNews as one of the visionaries who gets to shape the art world. For several years, Maria has taught her creativity course in companies and, in 2019, she launched Jumpstart – an online program on creativity for entrepreneurs based on years of research and observation in both the areas of business and art. In 2019 she created and hosted The C Files with Maria Brito, a TV and streaming series for PBS‘s new station All Arts. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 50:03.Hello from beautiful Montreal.Subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.Please visit and leave comments on the blog – Six Pixels of Separation.Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook.or you can connect on LinkedIn.…or on Twitter.Here is my conversation with Maria Brito.How Creativity Rules The World.Jumpstart.Out There.Follow Maria on Instagram.Follow Maria on LinkedIn.Follow Maria on Twitter.

This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #819 – Host: Mitch Joel.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.

Six Links Worthy of Your Attention #612

Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?

My friends: Alistair Croll (Solve for Interesting, Tilt the Windmill, Interesting Bits, HBS, chair of Strata, Startupfest, FWD50, and Scaletechconf; author of Lean Analytics and some other books), Hugh McGuire (Rebus Foundation, PressBooks, LibriVox) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person “must see.”

Check out these six links that we’re recommending to one another: 

How To Explain Technical Debt To Executives. Hint: It’s Not Technical – Startup Patterns – Medium. “It’s Not Technical: Most people understand that if you spend more than you have, you’ll get into debt. But as modern businesses—particularly startups—become more and more dependent on technology, there’s another kind of debt we need to worry about, and it’s one execs seldom understand: Tech debt. This article is the best explanation, from both the business and the technology side, of the problem, and how to change organizations so they properly take it into account.” (Alistair for Hugh). Documenting and Debunking Dubious Footage from Ukraine’s Frontlines – Bellingcat . “The fable of The Mice in Council tells of a group of mice who decide to put a bell on the cat that hunts them, the better to tell when it’s nearby. All the mice on the council approve—but when it comes time to find a volunteer, none steps forward. ‘Belling the Cat’ is an expression meaning to make a threat less dangerous, but also a reminder than doing so is harder in practice than in theory. For a few years now, my go-to for security and disinformation research has been Bellingcat, and they’ve really stepped up for the war in Ukraine. They’re an amazing resource for fact-checkers, journalists, and anyone who wants corroboration, and this offers some context and useful links.” (Alistair for Mitch). Mama Said Knock You Out (Auto Tunes featuring Mama & Papa) – Flula – YouTube . “Entertaining cover of the LL Cool J classic.” (Hugh for Alistair). What Was the TED Talk? – Some Thoughts On The ‘Inspiresting’ – The Drift . “A short history of the TED talk, through a skeptical lense.” (Hugh for Mitch). Are NFTs really art? – The Guardian . “I’ve stated this before, but I will do it again: I am a firm believer that NFTs are an important part of digital society and commerce. The fact that we can allocate provenance to a digital asset, moving it from a place of abundance to scarcity, is critical. We have it in the physical world, there is no reason not to have it in the digital world. With that, the conversation here isn’t really about whether or not something is considered ‘art’. The real conversation is about value. Again, I’ve said this before, I am a comic book collector. I’m sure many in the art world would sneer at the thought that comic books are art. Trust me, comic books are an incredible art form. In a myriad of ways. So, what are you actually buying when you buy an NFT? Are you buying art? Are you buying into some kind of community? Are you buying into some kind of future based investment? I’m not sure that these conversations are much different than when we talk about NFTs or art, in general. The issue, of course, is that art is subjective… so why are we surprised that NFTs stir those same emotions?” (Mitch for Alistair). How book lovers on TikTok are changing the publishing industry – Fast Company . “I’ve become a big fan of TikTok. There are some amazing creators on the platform who speak (passionately) about the publishing world. Personally, I love the videos created around comic books, graphic novels, and, of course, books. What we’re now experiencing, is the publishing industry opening their eyes and widening their arms to a better understanding of how to sell books. As we know, selling books is no easy task. Now, just imagine this: We have one of the largest video-based social media platforms (that most people assume is just for younger people), and it’s becoming a driving force for the book publishing industry. With that, I’ll give this a standing ovation.” (Mitch Hugh). 

Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.

Are you interested in what’s next? How to decode the future? I publish between 2-3 times per week and then the Six Pixels of Separation Podcast comes out every Sunday. Feel free to subscribe (and tell your friends): 

Jennifer Moss On The Burnout Epidemic – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #818 of Six Pixels of Separation is now live and ready for you to listen to.

Burned out? Tired of this pandemic? Jennifer Moss is a Harvard Business Review contributor and nationally syndicated radio columnist. She was on the Global Happiness Council — a small group of leading scientists and economists that support the UN’s sustainable goals related to global well-being and the Annual Global Happiness Policy Report. Prior to this, Moss worked in Silicon Valley, eventually joining Barack Obama’s California social team during his historic presidential campaign. Her new book is called, The Burnout Epidemic, and it looks at the causes of burnout and how organizations can stop the chronic stress cycle that an alarming number of workers suffer through. Jennifer was named a Canadian Innovator of the Year, an International Female Entrepreneur of the Year, and recipient of the Public Service Award from the Office of President Obama. Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via Apple Podcast or whatever platform you may choose): Six Pixels of Separation #818.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.

SPOS #818 – Jennifer Moss On The Burnout Epidemic

Welcome to episode #818 of Six Pixels of Separation.

Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #818 – Host: Mitch Joel. Burned out? Tired of this pandemic? Jennifer Moss is a Harvard Business Review contributor and nationally syndicated radio columnist. She was on the Global Happiness Council — a small group of leading scientists and economists that support the UN’s sustainable goals related to global well-being and the Annual Global Happiness Policy Report. Prior to this, Moss worked in Silicon Valley, eventually joining Barack Obama’s California social team during his historic presidential campaign. Her new book is called, The Burnout Epidemic, and it looks at the causes of burnout and how organizations can stop the chronic stress cycle that an alarming number of workers suffer through. Jennifer was named a Canadian Innovator of the Year, an International Female Entrepreneur of the Year, and recipient of the Public Service Award from the Office of President Obama. Enjoy the conversation… 

Running time: 49:38.Hello from beautiful Montreal.Subscribe over at Apple Podcasts.Please visit and leave comments on the blog – Six Pixels of Separation.Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook.or you can connect on LinkedIn.…or on Twitter.Here is my conversation with Jennifer Moss.The Burnout Epidemic.Follow Jennifer on LinkedIn.Follow Jennifer on Twitter.

This week’s music: David Usher ‘St. Lawrence River’.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #818 – Host: Mitch Joel.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.

Six Links Worthy of Your Attention #611

Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?

My friends: Alistair Croll (Solve for Interesting, Tilt the Windmill, Interesting Bits, HBS, chair of Strata, Startupfest, FWD50, and Scaletechconf; author of Lean Analytics and some other books), Hugh McGuire (Rebus Foundation, PressBooks, LibriVox) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person “must see.”

Check out these six links that we’re recommending to one another: 

Line Go Up – Noema. “Art has always been ‘meaningless toy money for the world’s rich to play with… we just made it more ubiquitous, more efficient, more technologically mediated. We made it faster.’ No pulling of punches in this sci-fi short story on Noēma. Just straight-to-the-vein cyberpunk social critique. ‘I can’t tell whether he’s worried someone is watching us, or terrified that nobody is.’ This one’s worth reading.” (Alistair for Hugh). The ‘Incredible Treasure Chest’ of Homestar Runner – Vulture . “If you’re of a certain Internet Age, after Usenet but before the death of Flash, you probably know Homestar Runner. This weird website was animations, and memes, and weird characters that didn’t need to explain themselves. It was somehow limnal: Free of the tyranny of a label, channel, or studio, but too early to be a true creator. And yet its influence is everywhere. This reference is either making you nostalgic, or making you wonder what the hell I’m talking about. This article will satisfy both of those positions.” (Alistair for Mitch). Andrew Dessler – The Joe Rogan Experience . “Podcaster Joe Rogan‘s been in the news lately for a variety controversies (Covid conspiracies, racism). I’m an occasional listener to Rogan. My observation is that he’s curious, interested and sympathetic to whoever is his guest. The conversations are 2-3 hours long, which gives a ton of time to really dig into ideas and issues. It’s a great format. But your mileage vary greatly depending on the guest: He is as interested and sympathetic to a seasoned epidemiologist/Covid expert one day, as he is to an Ivermectin champion the next. Clearly that poses problems. In any case: all that was a disclaimer before introducing this fascinating discussion with Andrew Dressler about energy and climate change, where I learned that the Texas grid is powered by ~40% wind and solar.” (Hugh for Alistair). Alan Allan Allen Steve WHAAAAT!! Best ending!! – Rahazul – YouTube . “To take your mind off of climate change (or pick your choice of existential threats these days), here’s an old memevid that made me feel good recently.” (Hugh for Mitch).  “We need to overcome our deep-seated phobia of major projects” – Dezeen . “I spent some time over this March Break in New York state. This involved a few day trips into New York City. I could not believe how unique and special the Hudson Yards development has integrated into the city. Couple that with a quick walk up the stairs into the High Line, and it’s hard to imagine this wasn’t always a core part of New York City. The landscape has completely changed in that city… in just a few years. Now, if we consider these as major projects, maybe we’re thinking too small? As I was reflecting on these spaces with a family member who lives in New York City, they mentioned this project. The ability to actually make Manhattan that much bigger. It got me thinking about our perspectives and limitations that we create around projects and new initiatives. If someone told you, we can make New York City bigger, how would you respond?” (Mitch for Alistair). Fiona Hill On The War Putin Is Really Fighting – The Ezra Klein Show . “I don’t know much about the history of Russia, let alone the Ukraine. I do know that war and violence is never the answer, for me. That’s probably the Canadian in me speaking. I’ve also not been doing great with my physical health. I put on a few too many pounds. and I stopped my daily walks up to the summit, here in Montreal. I decided to change that recently. It’s not easy doing this walk through the slush, snow and ice (and the cold… let’s not forget about the cold). I’m pushing forward. What gets me through these early morning steps is listening to podcasts. The Ezra Klein Show has done a great job of highlighting what’s really happening in that part of the world. I chose this episode, but you should also check out the episode titled, Putin Is ‘Profoundly Anti-Modern.’ Masha Gessen Explains What That Means For The World. Neither of these podcasts will make you feel less depressed about what’s going on in the world, but it will give you insights that you may not have previously had. I am learning a lot about that part of the world. With that, I’m hopeful for peace, but not feeling optimistic about it when you consider how these two thought leaders dig into the issues.” (Mitch for Hugh). 

Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.

Are you interested in what’s next? How to decode the future? I publish between 2-3 times per week and then the Six Pixels of Separation Podcast comes out every Sunday. Feel free to subscribe (and tell your friends): 

Carla Johnson On Rethinking Innovation – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast

Episode #817 of Six Pixels of Separation is now live and ready for you to listen to.

Carla Johnson helps organizations that are constrained by an old-school approach when taking on new world problems. They’re struggling with unpredictability, frustrations, and a shortfall of results. They might think the problem is the wrong people or strategy or product. But they’re really suffering from an outdated and faulty architecture. Even the hardest work and best intentions fall flat with the wrong conditions for innovation and more broadly – success – in these modern and volatile times. As an Innovation Architect and CEO of RE:Think Labs, Carla helps organizations design and build the ideal architecture to accelerate innovation, engagement, and growth. Having written ten books and studied both innovation and architecture for the last twenty years, she’s developed a specific framework to help leaders remodel their approaches in order to boost speed, reduce risk, and enjoy more predictable outcomes. In her latest book, RE:Think Innovation, teaches her 5-step framework to connect the dots, come up with the ideas and find the opportunities in any market, for any business and under any condition. Enjoy the conversation…

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via Apple Podcast or whatever platform you may choose): Six Pixels of Separation #817.

Before you go… if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (all new content arrives in your inbox). It’s easy, it’s free and it’s right here.