đ Time Well Spent: "The World Doesn't Need Another Expert."
+ A Manifesto for Saying No in the New Year
Hi Friends,
I had such a blast talking with Andrew Davis for this weekâs Free Time conversation. If youâve been following the drama thatâs unfolding at OpenAI, you might be interested in Andrewâs take on how to best employ our digital doppelgängers :)
According to Andrew, experts rely on hacks, tips, tricks, teaching, preaching, and over-promising. Visionary leaders a) tend not to call themselves that and b) focus on the quest for knowledge itself, with enough humility to admit what they donât know, or the problems they are exploring even while still in process.
Listen in to learn how to move past commoditized content toward launching a quest that builds trust and brings your audience along for the rideâwhile embracing digital doppelgängers to help you get there:
You might also enjoy Jay Acunzoâs interview with Andrew, Leaving Expertville, where I first lit up around all these ideas!
Now onto this weekâs round-up + Plus extra goodies over the paywall rainbow at the end . . .
âď¸ Tips & Tools
⨠On another recent episode, David Spinks shares the ingredients for engineering serendipity (be sure to subscribe to David Spinks' Newsletter too):
243: Engineering Serendipity and Best Practices for Community-Building with David Spinks
Listen now (53 mins) | "For the first time in a decade, I feel free again." Thatâs how one of my earliest blogging friends, longtime community leader David Spinks, was feeling when I caught up with him in-person in the middle of his yearlong sabbatical, after selling his community-based business.
â And if you need some tips for saying no in the new year, hereâs a FT favorite and donât miss Sara Tasker - Me & Orlaâs hilarious and oh-so-bookmarkable manifesto for posting online (thank you Sarah for sharing the link!):
đŁÂ Todayâs TWS is brought to you by Inbox Done
How many hours have you spent on email this week?
What would happen if it was someone else's job to reply for you?Thankfully, Inbox Done is here to help! When you become a client, they assign two email assistants (not software or AI) who custom build a system to filter, reply to, and follow up on your messages to reach inbox zero every day (cue angels singing!). Your assistants can also manage your calendar, write social media replies, follow up with leads, create SOPs, help plan events, and more.
More good news! Inbox Done is offering Free Timers a complimentary strategy session to see if delegating email could work for you.
đ Upcoming Events
đ¸ Calling all New Yorkers! My Dad and I are hosting an event for one of his biggest bucket list items: playing a set of his musicâsongs he wrote for his band right around the time I was bornâin front of a live audience in New York City.
He has been teaching himself guitar and practicing lyrics every day for the last ten years, and we are so excited to finally be making the show happen!!
Join us IRL on Thursday, December 7 from 5 to 7pm for an evening of original avant-country music by singer-songwriter Jim Blake, aka Mr. Gasoline, established in 1981.
𧥠Paid Subscribers: If you are active on social media or publishing online, you are invited to join our January BFF bonus workshop on How to Create Your Annual Content Calendar. In this session, Stephanie Huston will walk us through batching strategies for making content planning easier and posting more efficient.
Want to join us? Upgrade your membership here (promo code to register for free is at the bottom of this message), or purchase the session as a one-off workshop Âť
đŹ Quote
âJust because somebody shouts loudly in your inbox does not mean that that they are entitled to be heard. Often, it is in fact a good indicator that they are not worth listening to.â
âSara Tasker - Me & Orlain A Manifesto for Posting Online
Pair this with an excerpt from Free Time:
Author Elizabeth Gilbert taught herself to see email requests from strangers as people entering her home uninvited. Upon realizing how odd this would be, she dropped the guilt that she couldnât reply or accommodate their request. Adapted from Byron Katie, âThank you, and no,â became her go-to response for such inquiries, no further explanation needed.
As Elizabeth's friend and fellow bestselling author Ann Patchett shared with Jonathan Fields on his Good Life Project podcast, her books are her offering, and that is enough.
On Annâs decision to stay off social media (and cell phones in general), she said:
âI donât want to knock seven new doors in my house. I donât want to give you seven new ways to get a hold of me. I write novels. Every single thing you need from me, everything that I would ever have to give you that is worth anything, is [there]. So, if you are interested in me, in what I am thinking, and what I am doing, thatâs the very best of myself. I donât need to interact with the world any more than that.â
đ Questions
What types of requests will you stop saying yes to in the new year? What does your new ânoâ manifesto say?
đ Permission
To politely decline invitations and requests without a detailed explanation!
Per Liz G: imagine these requesters are knocking loudly at your door, requesting entry into your living room, then pressuring you into making them coffee or teaâeven though youâre occupied with other things of your choosing, based on your priorities (which can even include nothing at all â the bliss of silence and un-busyness). You donât need to comply! You can kindly (and concisely) leave them at the door, pointing them toward the nearest coffee shop instead.
đ Featured
Iâm delighted to share that Free Time was featured on Behanceâs Illustrator gallery this month, with all kudos to Together Agency for the brilliant brand strategy and design! Check out my conversation with cofounder Adam Chaloeicheep where we go behind-the-brand:
đŠ New Posts at Pivot & Rolling in Dđ¤Śđťââď¸h with Jenny Blake
âThe evolution of our species built into our brains and bodies an emotion, our species-defining passion, that enables us to wonder together about the great questions of living.â
Thatâs just one of many illuminating conclusions that researcher Dr. Dacher Keltner discovered in his scientific studies of awe. In this recent Pivot podcast conversation, youâll learn about the eight wonders of life, how to experience more everyday awe (and take yourself on awe walks), and whatâs behind our current crisis of meaning.
Be sure to check out Dacherâs book, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life, and visit the show notes for instructions on how to take yourself on an awe walk this week:
Speaking of awe walks, I experienced a serendipity signage bonanza earlier this month! Awe with every stepâcheck out the results in the photo essay here:
đ Recent Episodes
Free Time:
243: Engineering Serendipity and Best Practices for Community-Building with
242: From Commoditized Content to Visionary Quests + Digital Doppelgängers with Andrew Davis
241: Finding Freedom and Financial Reciprocity through a Paid Newsletter with Nic Antoinette
240: 3 Ingredients to Fill a Program Faster When Launching (BFF Bonus Replay)
239: âDonât Wait Until Youâre an Expertâ â Scratch Your Own Curiosity Itch with Nir Eyal
Subscribe wherever you listen here Âť
Pivot:
349: Embracing Doubt And Going For âGood-Enoughâ Work with Simone Stolzoff
347: Claim Your Bragging RightsâFrom Hidden Gems to Halo Effects
346: Finding Clarity While Navigating Change With Marc Lesser
Subscribe wherever you listen here Âť
Thank you for being here reading and listening!
â¤ď¸ With Gratitude,
P.S. Extra Goodies Over the Paywall Rainbow đđ°
đ Thank you to our generous paying subscribers who help sustain Time Well Spent! Upgrade to unlock this weekâs make-you-smile memes as a token of my gratitude âşď¸
