Monday Musings (How I Improve)

How I improve as a writer and entrepreneur  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Read in your browser here.](=) Hi friends, Based on the number of email responses, [last week’s Musings](=) was the most popular one I’ve ever written. This week, I’m revisiting the list format. A few years ago, I had dinner with [Tyler Cowen](). Over Indonesian food, we talked about how knowledge workers should train as deliberately as athletes. As Tyler has [written](: “What is it you do to train that is comparable to a pianist practicing scales? My answer is a little peek behind-the-scenes of my writing process. It's about the lifestyle I've designed to improve my craft, generate ideas, and build a company. Here it is: - Write every day: I dedicate my mornings to writing. Since most of my writing falls into the “important, but not urgent” category, I block off time in my calendar to make sure it happens. To preserve this creative space, I rarely schedule meetings before noon. Writing in public refines the clarity of my thinking. My routine is driven by three deadlines: two weekly newsletters, a weekly call with my writing coach, and two [Write of Passage]( cohorts each year. ​ - Live in Austin: The Texas capitol is a home-base for Internet writers, podcasters, and education entrepreneurs. Most of my away-from-the-computer time with is with these kinds of people. After all, no matter how plugged into your scene you are digitally, certain conversations only happen in-person. Besides the interesting people, it’s hard to get distracted in [Austin](=). This lack of FOMO keeps me focused on my work, while the warm weather inspires walking and reflection. ​ - Travel with intent: While my life in Austin is designed for focus, my life on the road fuels my cultural and intellectual stimulation. I travel with the same intensity I bring to my work. I read extensively, interview locals, and hire tour guides whenever possible. I capture notes on my experiences in cities so I can write about my impressions afterwards (here are my reflections on [Austin](=), [Detroit](), [Montreal](, and [San Francisco](). ​ - Time with older people: I spend significantly more time with people much older than me, compared to others my age. I place an emphasis on extended in-person time with them, either by traveling together or visiting their homes. Though I treat them more like friends than mentors, I regularly ask for their advice. ​ - Curating my social group: I rarely party, drink, or watch sports on television. I’m much more interested in deep conversations instead. Socialization doesn’t need to be 'productive,' but it should be fun and interesting. I host a formal dinner salon series in Austin and organize a few small-group dinners each week. I rarely attend conferences though. Socializing with a bunch of strangers tires me out and makes it hard to get work done. ​ - Mistakes Page: I reflect on all my mistakes by asking three questions: (1) What went wrong? (2) What was I thinking at the time? (3) How can I prevent this from happening again? The process takes less than five minutes and has helped me identify consistent patterns in my behavior. ​ - Blunt and Honest Feedback: After every Write of Passage live session, my team does a 60-75 minute debrief. Critiques of my performance as a speaker have made me a better storyteller and discussions about the student experience have made me a better learning designer. At the end of each cohort, I read every piece of qualitative feedback from students, much of which focuses directly on my performance as a teacher. Inside the company, I receive feedback from every single employee when we do performance reviews. Outside of work, I try not to get offended by what friends say, so they're comfortable being direct and honest with me (which also makes oxygen for provocative ideas). ​ 8. Systematic Reflection: Though the majority of my day-to-day improvement comes from the seven bullet points above, I have built-in time for reflection too. I go for a walk alone on most days for 60-90 minutes, which keeps me centered throughout the week. At the end of every year, I also publish an [extensive Annual Review](). I begin by reflecting on the goals I set for the previous year and end by setting new goals for the upcoming year. This method of consistent reflection keeps me honest with myself and aligned towards my goals. ​ Have a creative week, [David Perell Logo 2x] Thanks for reading! If you’re serious about learning to write, [sign up for my 50 days of writing series.]() I’ll send you a series of emails about every aspect of the craft, from finding new ideas, to editing your writing, to building an email list. If you'd like to update your email settings, choose one of the options below. 1. [Click here](=) to unsubscribe from Monday Musings only. 2. [Unsubscribe]( to be removed from all future mailings. That'll make me sad. But hey... I get it. You're busy. Just know that once you click this link you won't receive any more emails from me. If you want to opt-out of Monday Musings and don't see a link above to do so, just hit reply and let me know. I'll take care of it for you personally. 3. If you're interested in subscribing to my other emails, [click here](). In particular, I recommend my weekly [Friday Finds]() email. In it, I share my favorite books, articles, videos, and podcasts every week. 10900 Research Blvd Ste 160C PMB 3016, Austin, Texas 78759