Merlin's Wisdom Project
@merlinwisdom.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Posts a bit of wisdom from Merlin Mann's Wisdom Project (http://wisdom.limo) every six hours.
This bot is maintained by @josh and is not officially […]
[bridged from https://mastodon.social/@merlinwisdom on the fediverse by https://fed.brid.gy/ ]
This bot is maintained by @josh and is not officially […]
[bridged from https://mastodon.social/@merlinwisdom on the fediverse by https://fed.brid.gy/ ]
*Collecting* and *Hoarding* are insanely different things. It's only a "collection" if it's actively displayed and curated. Six unread magazines, on the other hand, is not a collection; it's a recycling project and a personal affliction.
January 13, 2026 at 5:00 PM
*Collecting* and *Hoarding* are insanely different things. It's only a "collection" if it's actively displayed and curated. Six unread magazines, on the other hand, is not a collection; it's a recycling project and a personal affliction.
Relatedly related: have you leavened your estimate of the project with your hunches about the credibility of the client? Have you accounted for human foibles and flakiness in your estimate?
January 13, 2026 at 11:08 AM
Relatedly related: have you leavened your estimate of the project with your hunches about the credibility of the client? Have you accounted for human foibles and flakiness in your estimate?
Rather than curating a collection of well-rounded students, strive instead to attract the constituents of a well-rounded *class*. (Thanks, Rab T.)
January 13, 2026 at 5:11 AM
Rather than curating a collection of well-rounded students, strive instead to attract the constituents of a well-rounded *class*. (Thanks, Rab T.)
Related: if it's useful, you might want to think about meditation as regular office hours with yourself.
January 12, 2026 at 11:06 PM
Related: if it's useful, you might want to think about meditation as regular office hours with yourself.
Relatedly related: a *goal* can be a fine thing that describes a desired outcome defined by a positive change that you desire. On the other hand, think of an *intentionality* as the mindful way you'll choose to conduct and focus yourself on the way to a "goal." Or pretty much anything else for […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
January 12, 2026 at 5:06 PM
Relatedly related: a *goal* can be a fine thing that describes a desired outcome defined by a positive change that you desire. On the other hand, think of an *intentionality* as the mindful way you'll choose to conduct and focus yourself on the way to a "goal." Or pretty much anything else for […]
If you think about someone when they're not around and you find yourself wondering whether there are ways you could make their life a little better, consider that you might love them.
January 12, 2026 at 11:00 AM
If you think about someone when they're not around and you find yourself wondering whether there are ways you could make their life a little better, consider that you might love them.
Nearly everything that happens in the world doesn't involve you. How often do you think about this?
January 12, 2026 at 5:00 AM
Nearly everything that happens in the world doesn't involve you. How often do you think about this?
Any noun can be made a lot funnier by placing the word "prescription" in front of it.
January 11, 2026 at 11:00 PM
Any noun can be made a lot funnier by placing the word "prescription" in front of it.
Relatedly related: whenever you catch yourself getting frustrated because you're hung up on some weird implementation detail, please say the following outloud in a firm but friendly tone: "*Just do the thing*."
January 11, 2026 at 5:03 PM
Relatedly related: whenever you catch yourself getting frustrated because you're hung up on some weird implementation detail, please say the following outloud in a firm but friendly tone: "*Just do the thing*."
Related: consider accepting that you do not actually *have* to do anything except die.
January 11, 2026 at 11:00 AM
Related: consider accepting that you do not actually *have* to do anything except die.
Never try to bribe someone unless the amount you’re offering them feels *ludicrously* high.
January 11, 2026 at 5:10 AM
Never try to bribe someone unless the amount you’re offering them feels *ludicrously* high.
Archive any email that’s older than 30 days. If it kills you to archive a given email, *immediately* turn it into a task, and then archive it.
January 10, 2026 at 11:04 PM
Archive any email that’s older than 30 days. If it kills you to archive a given email, *immediately* turn it into a task, and then archive it.
You'll almost always eventually regret having named something you made with a pun.
January 10, 2026 at 5:07 PM
You'll almost always eventually regret having named something you made with a pun.
If you think about someone when they're not around and you find yourself wondering whether there are ways you could make their life a little better, consider that you might love them.
January 10, 2026 at 11:07 AM
If you think about someone when they're not around and you find yourself wondering whether there are ways you could make their life a little better, consider that you might love them.
Whenever you're considering escalating any relationship, ask yourself whether you'd be okay with getting ten times more of them. In other words, consider whether a lot more of "how they are" is a thing you really want to pursue.
January 10, 2026 at 5:06 AM
Whenever you're considering escalating any relationship, ask yourself whether you'd be okay with getting ten times more of them. In other words, consider whether a lot more of "how they are" is a thing you really want to pursue.
Always have a twelve-pack of Diet Coke and a good quantity of unflavored fizzy water. A lot of people love one (or both), and most of the people who do drink a lot of it.
January 9, 2026 at 11:07 PM
Always have a twelve-pack of Diet Coke and a good quantity of unflavored fizzy water. A lot of people love one (or both), and most of the people who do drink a lot of it.
You'll almost always eventually regret having named something you made with a pun.
January 9, 2026 at 5:01 PM
You'll almost always eventually regret having named something you made with a pun.
Related: try to avoid saying that you're going to "make yourself" do something. Instead, take a breath, and describe what you hope to *find yourself* doing. Inhabit your intentionality, and quit trying to knock down a fully unlocked door.
January 9, 2026 at 11:05 AM
Related: try to avoid saying that you're going to "make yourself" do something. Instead, take a breath, and describe what you hope to *find yourself* doing. Inhabit your intentionality, and quit trying to knock down a fully unlocked door.
Relatedly related: *Thank you*.
January 9, 2026 at 5:00 AM
Relatedly related: *Thank you*.
If you have time to check email, you have time to *do* something about it.
January 8, 2026 at 11:03 PM
If you have time to check email, you have time to *do* something about it.
Corollary: if someone you love wishes you were better at something, it's probably worth at least looking into.
January 8, 2026 at 5:13 PM
Corollary: if someone you love wishes you were better at something, it's probably worth at least looking into.
"Experience" is rarely the verb you're looking for. Reword your sentence with a more clear and muscular focus on what actually happened—and who or what caused it to happen. So, maybe don't say "I am experiencing technical difficulties" if you really mean "I broke the internet." You're not […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
January 8, 2026 at 11:07 AM
"Experience" is rarely the verb you're looking for. Reword your sentence with a more clear and muscular focus on what actually happened—and who or what caused it to happen. So, maybe don't say "I am experiencing technical difficulties" if you really mean "I broke the internet." You're not […]
When you get hit with a sock full of coins, it doesn’t really matter that much whether they're pennies or quarters.
January 8, 2026 at 5:09 AM
When you get hit with a sock full of coins, it doesn’t really matter that much whether they're pennies or quarters.
Listen to a record you liked when you were fifteen.
January 7, 2026 at 11:00 PM
Listen to a record you liked when you were fifteen.
Reading Shakespeare is all about finding the right velocity. Read it too fast, and it won't make any sense. Read it too slow, and it'll make even less sense.
January 7, 2026 at 5:13 PM
Reading Shakespeare is all about finding the right velocity. Read it too fast, and it won't make any sense. Read it too slow, and it'll make even less sense.