Issue #4
We All Need A Damn Break
Okay, okay. It’s been a bit, and the “let’s do this weekly” thing didn’t quite pan out. We can either spend time discussing that or plunge our hands deep into the soil and get back to work. So, since we control the narrative, guess which direction we pick. Here we go!
More than ever, the climate is telling all other global challenges to hold a beer. Our CEO spent last week riding out an earthquake as a hurricane battered his ADU, and while he only lost this candle, shattered on the floor, it was a reminder to focus on the essential things in life: safety, family, empathy, and friends. Please give us a shout if you’re going through anything trying right now and need support. If nothing else, we’ll ship you Keanu for a ritualistic burn when you need to reset while listening to his Smartless session.
ONE
Regarding the break we all need (before digging back in post-Labor Day), let’s begin this week with Anne Helen Petersen’s piece inCulture Study on how “smart” wearable tech can’t comprehend the idea of rest. Especially as we build out our platform and devices, we need to consider precisely how they connect with our audience and fit emotionally into their lives. The default push — often spurred when the goal is growth at all costs — is to build addiction loops that force engagement. Or, as Adrian Hon puts it, create a “kind of scaled-up digital gamification [that] quietly substitutes the goals of corporations (maximizing engagement and profit) in place of our own goals.”
I’m fascinated by the idea of overtraining. Not only in the way an Apple watch will bully someone into standing up and circling their arms in place for ten minutes at 10:57 pm, exactly when the latest episode of Justified: City Primeval is hitting its climax and Raylan is squaring off with Clement Mansell, but also in how our phones seemingly whisper to us dozens of times a day, like a siren from the deep, beckoning us to check email one more time because that note from a potential investor, already weeks late, just might have come though at midnight on a Saturday.
It’s all a lot, this path to perfection and exhausting growth — constantly striving without pause. Let’s acknowledge that there are different versions of ambition and remember the most straightforward approach to success in business and life: build for others in a way designed to help them, full stop. Everything else will follow.
Last, a quick nod to AHP for this link to a powerful reminder from Chloe Hall. From now on, when we get together and work in the lab, we need to stop the bit when we ask where we’re going to dinner as a setup for someone to shout, “Let’s go for sloppy steaks at Truffoni’s!”
Discovery: Pursuing constant growth without rest and recovery is a recipe for burnout and disaster.
TWO
Speaking of addiction, this post from SuperJoost is worth another look.
We’re all aware that the time spent on new technologies has skyrocketed across all demographics and platforms. And it’s essential to look at these numbers and try to deeply understand the risks (seemingly many and long-term) vs. the rewards (potentially fewer and further between). But we must also be smart about how we read these stats and interpret their actual impact. Remember, people overall tend to spend three hours a day watching awful pitches on Shark Tank and heartbreaking performances on America’s Got Talent, while a “lost generation” of young men play COD for less than two.
Is this better or worse than a past full of Friday nights circling the strip or a future pockmarked by pickleball? The jury’s out. For now, though, maybe we should heed Joost’s advice to stop being so terrified, take a breath, and begin to (re)build better.
Discovery: Less worrying, more doing.
THREE
Staying with a loose topic of pushing through difficulties, we’re excited to be headed to StratFest, presented by the 4As in early October. This year’s conference centers around bravery during risk-averse times, and we’ll be there to add a few pennies to the discussion.
We’re honored to be running one of the workshops and hope to see some old friends and meet many like-minded, curious, brilliant, and interesting new people. For a team that started during Covid and ran our first client work at the top of an empty building in downtown San Francisco amid a pandemic during a wildfire, we couldn’t be more excited to explore how the most significant challenges lead to the most incredible opportunities. Which sure as hell doesn’t make it easy, but does make it fun and worthwhile — if you find your tribe.
Here’s a sneak preview of how we’ll be approaching things and the kind of questions we all should be asking (via Eve Ensler):
Why are we suddenly a nation and a people who strive for security above all else? Here’s what happens when security becomes the center of your life. You can’t travel very far or venture too far outside a certain circle. You can’t allow too many conflicting ideas into your mind simultaneously as they might confuse or challenge you. You can’t open yourself to new experiences, new people, and new ways of doing things. Real security is deeper. Real security is the ability to tolerate mystery, complexity, ambiguity—indeed hungering for these things.
We’ll be onsite throughout, exploring shared insecurities, finding a spot for commiserating drinks after, and maybe handing out a few copies of this and this as we go.
Discovery: You’ve already gotten through a lot of very difficult times. Find support. Keep going.
ONE MORE THING
A few nights ago, I was onsite to workshop a live event for the closing of a project we’re working on. Where There’s Smoke has been running (to packed houses and rave reviews) at ArtYard all summer and will end in October. Note: Hit us up if you decide it’s worth a day trip!
Three key beats came out of the evening that seemed worth remembering and, now, sharing as touchstones to reflect on when facing barriers or suddenly up against obstacles. Please use them and share them as you see fit:
Be open to the process.
Realize you don’t know everything.
Break things to find out what they want to become.
Have a great last week of the summer, and we’ll see you rested and ready soon for an incredible fall.