Chris Guillebeau's Blog, page 74

We’re Having a Party on December 28, and You’re Invited!

Link: Join Us in Portland on December 28!

Hey everyone,

For the past few years, we’ve hosted a holiday party in Portland. This year is no exception: if you’re around or want to travel in, please join us!

We’ll be producing this year’s party on the evening of Sunday, December 28, right before New Year’s Week. The best thing about the experience is everyone who attends, and you’ll definitely have a chance to meet some fun people.

We charge a nominal fee ($10 for the first 75 people, then $15) to...

Reject Every Option That Isn’t at Least a 90 Out of 100

From Greg McKeown’s Essentialism:

“As you evaluate an option, think about the single most important criterion for that decision, and then simply give each option a score between 0 and 100. If you rate it lower than 90 percent, then automatically change the rating to 0 and simply reject it. This way you avoid getting caught up in indecision, or worse, getting stuck with the 60s or 70s.

Think about how you’d feel if you scored 65 on some test. Why would you deliberately choose to feel that way a...

Is a Quest Better if it Helps Others?

I got an interesting question from Allan about the nature of quests:

I really enjoyed “The Happiness of Pursuit.” It appealed to the adventurer in me. I understand that you are encouraging others to pursue whatever quest they are passionate about, but my question is, “Do you notice that people who pursue quests that give something to others are more happy than quests for self interests?”

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I love this question, and I think the answer is two-fold. In the long-term, I do believe that most of us...

2014 Thanksgiving Sale: Avoid the Crowds, Save 15% Or More, and Eat Pie

Hey everyone, Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, almost. And if you’re in Canada, you’ve already had this drill last month.

Wherever you are, and whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not, I hope your holiday season is beginning restfully, and perhaps even without any all-night camping in front of the electronics store. Over here, I’m planning a long run and an early start to this year’s Annual Review.

We’re also kicking off the only sale we do every year at Unconventional Guides. Only one! And now it...

How to Make the DMV a Happier Place: Dan Pink’s New “Crowd Control” Series

You might remember Daniel Pink from his New York Times bestsellers, A Whole New Mind, Drive, and To Sell is Human, or from his hugely popular Ted Talk about motivation.

Using behavioral science, Dan has done some really interesting things to show us why we do the things we do. His newest project is a series on National Geographic called Crowd Control: “a hidden camera series that uses high-tech and mechanical builds to manipulate bad behavior.”

Here’s the synopsis:

“What if we could make the DMV...

Remember to Earn Miles for Everyday Purchases (“AKA Shopping Online While At the Apple Store”)

I went to the Apple Store to buy a new computer. I had already done my research and knew what I wanted. I just needed to verify a few things in person, which I did with the helpful associate. “OK, I’m ready,” I said—and then I logged on to a website from the in-store computer to make the purchase.

The associate was a little confused. “I can ring you up right here, and for the same price.”

“I know,” I said, “But this way I’ll earn more miles.”

I bought the computer through the AA shopping mall a...

Recruiting an Army of Allies: Essay for “Making Your Mark”

I’m a big fan of 99U, an offshoot of Behance that exists to help people implement their great ideas instead of just brainstorming more and more ideas. Last week they published have a new book of collected essays, and I contributed one about “Recruiting an Army of Allies.”

You can check out my essay below, or (even better) pick up a copy of the book for essays by much smarter people.

Recruiting an Army of Allies

by Chris Guillebeau

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The blog post asking for donations went up with no preamble. T...

6 Discoveries from Near and Far: Volume XX

I. Around the World

Things I found on long walks in foreign cities, or perhaps when someone posted them on Twitter.

The Man Who Wrote 1,547 Books — Brazil’s most prolific author produces a new book every few days
Ridiculously Clever Halloween Costume Ideas by Jean Jullien — My favorite is the “Pumpkin Spice Latte” costume. Be ready a year in advance for Halloween 2015!
The Agency Moment — How “so many people” are searching for the ability to assert their desires and self-worth
Graphic Novel Unfold...

What If We Don’t Improve After a Difficult Experience?

“One of the unspeakable things that I think might even be the most unspeakable way of carrying on is this idea of not improving from an experience, not becoming a better person, not having a redemption. Our culture is so obsessed with the idea that you’re going to go through a crisis or some difficult event and come out the other side a changed or improved person and I just think that if you’re honest, that often does not happen, and in fact, it shouldn’t happen.

Shouldn’t recovering from a c...

“Do You Want Something to Drink?” — Lessons from My Grandmother

On my recent book tour, I usually began each night’s talk with a story about playing Super Mario Brothers with my grandma. Her name was Regina but we all called her Nana, and she’s been one of the most important people in my life for as long as I can remember.

My grandpa died when I was five or six, and I spent a lot of time with Nana over the next few years. I lived in the Philippines for some of that time, and Nana came to visit. We played basketball and tetherball. Then I lived in Montana,...