Hey Everyone,
Hope you're having a great week. Here are a few things I've been reading and pondering lately. Enjoy!
1. Why I Write a Newsletter
Swipe File just turned three years old!
Last year, I wrote about why I send this newsletter in the first place. Now seems like a good time to revisit that. If you don’t have a newsletter of your own, I highly encourage you start one. It’s one of the most rewarding parts of my professional life.
Thank you so much for being part of this.
My work has byproducts that go to waste if I don’t collect, organize and archive them. This newsletter is how I ensure I never forget about all the things I’ve learned along the way. Swipe File is essentially a weekly journal of the lessons I’ve learned for the last two years. It’s a database of verified ideas that I pull from often. It ensures that everything I read and love is put on a shelf to be referenced later.
2. To Change Your Life, Consider the Easy Route
If you like posts backed by tons of research, this one’s for you.
“Better self-control is, paradoxically, associated with less inhibition of immediately available temptation,” write psychologists Brian Galla and Angela Duckworth in a 2015 paper. The implications are both gladdening and disheartening. On the one hand, think of all the effort we’ve wasted over the years trying to make something better of ourselves. On the other, imagine what we can accomplish now that we know we can do better by not trying too hard.
3. “Lista”
I stumbled across this excellent Swedish concept in a Shopify post by Dan Wang. Seems like Americans could benefit from more of this.
IKEA is obsessed with lista, which translates roughly to “making do”. Here are a few examples.
First, IKEA uses employees as models for its catalogues. The happy people sitting by the dining table are available employees, not specially-trained models.
One more story: In early days, someone once tried to sell Kamprad an intercom system for a store. Kamprad turned to a worker to bellow: “We already have one!” This is the billionaire famous for always flying in the economy class and who often recycles his teabags.
4. Tweet of the Week
Carson Palmer is a class act.
Carson Palmer’s retirement letter: pic.twitter.com/mOuQG5OJUV
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 2, 2018
5. Random Links
- This comparison between Google Maps and Apple Maps is insanely detailed (and very cool).
- Lots of interesting stuff in here: 15 of the Best Pieces of SaaS Content Published in 2017
- Really Good UX: I recently discovered this treasure trove of user experience examples.
- I bought Bear this week. I don’t really know what I’m going to do with it, but I love it anyway.
- New podcast I’m loving: Slow Burn: A Podcast About Watergate
Have a great weekend!
Jimmy
PS - I’m looking to partner with a few great businesses to sponsor this newsletter. It reaches a bunch of smart folks from places like Google, Apple, Spotify, New York Times, Marriott and Harvard. Shoot me an email if you're interested in working together.
PPS - I created an email course called 5 Days to Better Content Marketing. More than 300 people have already taken it. You should check it out too.