My Personal Manifesto
10 simple rules for living a playful and purposeful life
A good life is simple, but it’s not easy. These “rules” are merely reminders to myself of the things that make me feel more alive.
More sunrises, more salt water
Two things that guarantee a great day: waking up early to catch the sunrise and taking a dip in the ocean or sea. Doing them both at the same time quells all worries and woes.
Create your own constraints
There are laws, but there are no rules, except the ones you choose to follow. A well-defined personal challenge is a good way to take steps to become the person you want to be.
Respect the morning
If you don’t respect your morning, no one will. Life moves fast, take control by starting slow. Wake up early. Go for a walk, journal, or watch the last hour of the movie you started the night before.
Be ruthless with your attention
How you spend your time is how you spend your life. There are an increasing number of powerful forces vying for your attention — and therefore, your time. Try to do one thing (screen) at a time. Replace scrolling with a read-later app, carry a book/Kindle with you at all times, call your grandma while you’re on a walk.
Choose the silliest option
Things are never as good or as bad as they seem. And they are rarely that serious. When in doubt, pick the option that makes the better story.
Own your work
Optimize for upside: equity, profit-sharing, or commission. Passion, people, and profit are the great motivators. Don’t accept less than two of these three.
Push the body to its limit
Lift heavy shit. Run far and fast. Regularly finding out just how much more you can handle than you thought is one of the purest forms of accomplishment. But have a consistent mobility practice (yoga, pilates, foam roll, stretching) for activity longevity.
Cook 80% of meals
Cooking your own food is healthier, cheaper, and more fulfilling. Roast her a chicken on the 4th date, make your mom’s banana bread recipe at a dinner party, smoke a turkey for the family on Thanksgiving.
Exercise agency
Becoming an adult is realizing no one makes decisions for you anymore. This is terrifying, then liberating. “You can just do things.”
Share your work online
Post about your thoughts and obsessions online. There has never been a better time in human history to have an interest in things. Every resource and every expert is available to you, often for free.
EconTalk: James Marriott on Reading
The first 20 minutes of this podcast are an incredibly practical reminder of how easy it is to read 25+ books per year (or 50-100 in James’s case), and how important it is, and how you can create the scaffolding in your life to become a person who reads a lot of books. —Andrew
Just A Show
Adults
I was listening to an episode of “The Town” last week that centered around the question, “Is comedy back?” I certainly hope the answer is yes because we need more shows like Adults on Hulu. Like Girls a generation earlier, it does a wonderful job of capturing the silliness that comes with being young in New York. As someone who is now old in New York, it’s great to see how much of that experience remains unchanged and also get up to speed on the ways it has changed. —Justin
Mike Gracie Bertha Racing Shirt
While I still listen to the Grateful Dead weekly (if not daily), I’ve mostly refrained from buying new merch as the turn of the decade hype around the band has receded. But damn if Mike Gracie isn’t going to get me off the bench with this motocross-inspired longsleeve tee released to coincide with the 30th anniversary of Jerry Garcia’s death on August 9 and the band’s 60th anniversary concerts in San Francisco this weekend. Gracie always has the most thoughtful logo flips and this is one of the best. (Password: NFA) —Justin
Love it, thanks for sharing these!
Committing to a weekly podcast on my own... has been a beautiful and special self-imposed constraint!