Category: career


Newvine Growing book club: Four-Hour Workweek

Newvine Growing book club: Four-Hour Workweek

It’s easy to see why Four-Hour Workweek is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek bestseller – working four hours a week and having a comfortable lifestyle is just short of winning the lottery in terms of fantasy freedom. After I heard author Tim Ferriss speak at MediaBistro Circus, where he shared many of the ways he’d marketed…

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger

You’ve probably heard that old chestnut “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” I’ve been thinking about that lately, in the context of my 2011 goals. We can aspire to a perfect year free of pain and suffering, but it’s pretty unlikely. And in the long run, that kind of year might not be in our best interest. It’s often…

Coming attractions on Newvine Growing

Coming attractions on Newvine Growing

After a month of daily gratitude posts, it’s taking me a bit to regain my rhythm of regular content — but I do have some good stuff in the hopper: I sat down with Larry Kirshbaum, formerly CEO of Time-Warner Book Group and now head of LJK Literary, and he shared the unvarnished truth about moving from a corporate gig…

Newvine Growing book club — also on my book shelf

Newvine Growing book club — also on my book shelf

I’ve been traveling a lot lately, and rather than falling into my usual trap of reading fluffy magazines, I’ve used that travel time to dive into some good books. I pounded through Mark Bittman‘s “Food Matters” in just a few days. Much like Michael Pollan‘s books about what’s wrong with American food production, Bittman writes that how we eat is…

I am grateful for: laughter

I am grateful for: laughter

Back in my college newspaper days, one of the big editors sat me down for a talking to because as a junior editor, I was laughing on the job. Being a cocky 19 year old, I responded that I was sorry she didn’t like her job but I liked mine and as long as I was getting the work done,…

James Tobin, historical author, on how and why he writes

James Tobin, historical author, on how and why he writes

This post continues an occasional series on writers — how and why they write, what inspires them and how they overcome challenges like writer’s block and rejection. Previously we’ve heard from Jim Ottaviani, Lara Zielin, Bruce DeSilva and Jennifer Worick. Today’s Q&A features a baker’s dozen questions with Jim Tobin, a newspaper reporter turned author and college professor. From the…

Month of Thanksgiving is coming

Month of Thanksgiving is coming

Thanksgiving is about a month away — on Nov. 25, in case you haven’t checked your calendar. That means I’m getting ready to do another Month of Thanksgiving. Maybe you recall that last year I did a post every day leading up to Thanksgiving, focusing on gratitude and getting in a thankful mindset. What’s so cool is that Paul Taubman,…

Shedding Our Stuff (via Snapurly)

Shedding Our Stuff (via Snapurly)

Before we moved to New York, some friends shared their strategy for successfully living in NYC’s small apartments: every time they brought something new in, something old had to go. Sharing an apartment smaller than the one I rented as a college senior has forced us to be ruthless in casting off anything unnecessary. This has been liberating. We’re such…

Nobody Wants To Read A Book Anymore, A Friend Quipped, But Everybody Wants To Get Published (via Bruce DeSilva's Rogue Island)

Nobody Wants To Read A Book Anymore, A Friend Quipped, But Everybody Wants To Get Published (via Bruce DeSilva's Rogue Island)

And just in case you haven’t gotten enough on Bruce DeSilva, click “read more” below for his first-person account of getting his novel, Rogue Island, published. Of course I have to point out the Michigan connections: Otto and Larry are Michigan alumni, and Susanna represents my friend, Lara Zielin, who edits an alumni magazine at Michigan. I love that even…

Journalist turned novelist Bruce DeSilva on how and why he writes

Journalist turned novelist Bruce DeSilva on how and why he writes

This post continues an occasional series on writers — how and why they write, what inspires them and how they overcome challenges like writer’s block and rejection. Previously we’ve heard from Jim Ottaviani, Lara Zielin and Jennifer Worick. Today’s Q&A features Bruce DeSilva, a retired journalist now putting his writing skills to work in longer form. From his bio: Bruce…

See, you're not wasting time online — you're innovating!

See, you're not wasting time online — you're innovating!

Well, maybe all that time you spend looking at LOLcats is lost. Then again, maybe it’s the missing piece to your great, long-simmering idea? With thanks to Mary Jean for pointing it out, here’s a wonderful four-minute video on where good ideas come from. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NugRZGDbPFU&feature=player_embedded]

Ding dong, the recession's dead

Ding dong, the recession's dead

Did you hear the recession is over? And has been for a year? As the blog Death and Taxes wrote this week: The recession is over. It is official. According to The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), our “Great Recession” lasted 18 months, beginning December 2007 and ending June 2009. Monday’s announcement from the NBER probably came as a…

Crafty gal author Jennifer Worick on how and why she writes

Crafty gal author Jennifer Worick on how and why she writes

Can I just say how much fun this series is? I’m learning a lot by getting a wonderful peek inside the brains of some excellent writers. Today we get the third installment of an occasional series on writers — how and why they write, what inspires them and how they overcome challenges like writer’s block and rejection. Previously we’ve heard…

Why I loathe Don Draper, part II

Why I loathe Don Draper, part II

Another season of Mad Men, another round of Sunday night obsession with what America’s favorite misogynist is up to. I wrote a while back about what a loathsome creep I think the lead character of this cult show is, but Linda Stasi at the New York Post did a far better job: So, what’s his appeal? Simple. Don Draper represents,…