Is there a downside to seeing everything as a skill?
Skill sees to be everywhere, and everything, it seems, is now a skill. Compassion is a skill, as you can discover in a day-long seminar with Kristen New. In
Speaking Notes 4: Travel
Travel for professional speaking is different than for academic talks. For one thing, I've almost never been invited to give an academic talk by someone who wasn't a
Speaking Notes 3: Crafting Your Talk
There are several things I've had to learn while transitioning from giving academic talks to doing broader talks. Here are the big ones. Don't just read your papers
“I spend four hours a day bragging to people like you about how busy I am, so you think I’m important”
You know the pushback against the cult of busyness is growing when there’s a Vooza video about it:
Your search for five signs you need to take a break from social media is over!
Because I break it down in this Health magazine article. Basically, the advice (drawn from my book) comes down to this: it’s fine to weave social media into
Reading my book in Argentina
A picture of someone reading the Spanish edition of The Distraction Addiction in (I believe) the Buenos Aires subway system, from a Tumblr of people reading on subways: This
Speaking Notes 2: Working with an Agent
First and most important: if at all possible, Get an agent This can't be overstated. If you think signing with an agency of speakers' bureau is a luxury,
“Stillness… is a skill, and as a culture we’re not practicing this skill much these days”
The Greater Good Science Center’s Christine Carter argues that “we have gotten really, really bad at just doing nothing,” and it’s taken a toll. Stillness—or the ability to
Speaking Notes 1: Introduction
A couple weeks ago I got a request from an academic friend for some advice about speaking at a trade conference. It got me thinking about the differences
A brief rant in favor of literary agents, or at least my agent
In the New Republic Stephen Akey has a piece complaining about how literary agents choose who to represent. "Everyone’s trying to make a buck and literary agencies can