Maria Popova on Being Interesting, Creating More Time in a Day, And How to Start A Successful Blog
“Life is a continual process of arrival into who we are.”
– Maria Popova
Maria Popova (@brainpicker) has written for amazing outlets like The Atlantic and The New York Times, but I find her most amazing project to be BrainPickings.org.
Founded in 2006 as a weekly email to seven friends, BrainPickings now gets more than 5 million readers per month (!). I read very few blogs regularly, but BrainPickings is one of the few that makes the cut. It’s a treasure trove.
Maria is massively successful, and her output is staggering. None of it’s accidental, and she’s great at teaching what she’s learned.
This episode answers the top-10 most popular questions you all had for Maria, including:
The single attribute that leads to greatness in any given field
Required reading and habits for anyone in public office
How Henry David Thoreau was the first to talk about the dangers of sitting
Why we must stop referring to our work as “content”
Listen to it on iTunes.
Stream by clicking here
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as”.
Want to hear more from Maria Popova? — Listen to our conversation in which we discuss writing, workflow, and workarounds (stream below or right-click here to download):
This podcast is brought to you by Vimeo Pro, which is ideal for entrepreneurs. In fact, a bunch of my start-ups are already using Vimeo Pro. WealthFront uses it to explain how it develops personalized investment portfolios. TaskRabbit uses it to tell the company’s story. Twitter uses it to showcase Periscope. Why are they using it instead of other options out there? Vimeo Pro provides enterprise level video hosting that typically costs thousands of dollars for a tiny fraction of the cost. Features include:
Gorgeous high-quality playback with no ads
Up to 20 GB of video storage every week
Unlimited plays and views
A fully customizable video player, which can include your company logo, custom outro, and more
You get all this for just $199 per year (that’s only $17 per/mo.) There are no complicated bandwith calculations or hidden fees. Just go to Vimeo.com/business to check it out. If you like it, you can use the promo code “Tim” to get 25% off. This is the deepest discount you will find anywhere for Vimeo Pro.
This podcast is also brought to you by Mizzen + Main. These are the only “dress” shirts I now travel with — fancy enough for important dinners but made from athletic, sweat-wicking material. No more ironing, no more steaming, no more hassle. Click here for the exact shirts I wear most often. Don’t forget to use the code “TIM” at checkout.
QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What blogs do you consider a must-read every week? What makes those sites worth your time? Please let me know in the comments.
Scroll below for links and show notes…
Enjoy!
Selected Links from the Episode
Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert
Working Days by John Steinbeck
The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
Gathering Moss by Robin Wall Kimmerer
The Journal of Henry David Thoreau by Henry David Thoreau
Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey
A Rap on Race by James Baldwin
On Science, Necessity and the Love of God by Simone Weil
The Republic by Plato
On the Move by Oliver Sacks
Mentioned from Brain Pickings
Vonnegut’s 8 Tips on Writing
Sontag on Writing
Dan Gilbert on the Present vs. Future Self
Van Gogh’s letters to his brother
Desert Solitaire
Gathering Moss
Thoreau’s Journal
A Rap on Race
Simone Weil
Oliver Sacks’s Memoir
Show Notes
What advice would you give to someone just starting a blog? [4:07]
You have probably read all the wisdom shared on Brain Pickings. Has this helped you become who you want to be? If not, what is stopping you? [8:45]
What is the most significant characteristic that distinguishes people who have accomplished greatness in any given field? [11:43]
How do you decide what to read? What makes something not worth reading? [16:00]
What book have you read multiple times? [19:23]
If you could guarantee that every public official or leader read one book and engaged in one habit, what would those be? [24:38]
How do you turn down invitations that don’t interest you? How do you avoid losing time in your day? [26:05]
People Mentioned
Kurt Vonnegut
Edward Abbey
Sheryl Strayed
