Once a month, I curate the best links on how to find work that you love, be excellent at what you do, and unlock any door that stands in your way.
Here’s your list for August!
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
• The city of Melbourne assigned email addresses to various trees so that citizens could report problems, like dangerous branches. Instead, people wrote thousands of love letters to their favorite trees. (Note to self: visit Australia immediately. Obviously, its inhabitants are amazing!)
• The art of the simple “to do” list from bestselling author and time-hacker Tim Ferris. The secret to hiring a top-notch virtual assistant from finance expert Ramit Sethi. Just a few of the 28 Steal-worthy Tips From The Most Productive People on the Planet.
• San Francisco bakeries have tried and tried again to replicate the chewy, crusty perfection of NYC’s legendary bagels. They are still trying — to no avail! Which brings up the question that has kept great minds awake at night: Why Is It So Hard To Get a Great Bagel in San Francisco?
• You think you want to start a blog. But when it comes right down to it, you are just not sure. Alex Franzen shares 35 things you can do instead of starting a blog.
• “Create an affiliate program.” “If you’re selling anything on Amazon.com, upload a sales video to go with it.” These are just 2 out of 49 brilliant promotional ideas from Danielle LaPorte, who makes “marketing” seem effortless and even artful.
• Advice from the CEO of tech company Better Cloud: Keep pushing the envelope. Work beyond your résumé.
• Spend one hour outside every day. Have a family dinner. Get home on time. Counter-intuitive advice from very successful people.
• Not sure what kind of job you want? LinkedIn is adding new services to help you find a career path.
• The workplace seems to be getting younger and younger. But be careful not to discount the value of experience and maturity. Here are several good reasons why we need older women in the workplace.
• The media is brimming with stories about young kids in their twenties inventing apps that turn into billion-dollar businesses. But there’s another side to the story: Millennials living in (literal) poverty, crushed by student loan debt, strapped into unpaid internships with no promise of a paycheck. This article reveals it all: Millennial Poverty: How did we end up poorer than our parents?
• On a more uplifting note: two great new poems by spoken word poet Sarah Kay.
• It is hard to believe that in 2015, women are still paid less by men and are encountering sexism in the workplace (and everywhere else!). It’s hard to figure out how to break that glass ceiling. Here’s some wisdom from 25 women on being in charge.
• From Sarah Von Bargen: 12 of the most helpful articles about blogging / business / creativity. I agree with her: I love the 1-3-5 method for my daily to-do list!
• If you’re anything like me, you are always looking for fresh, invigorating new ways to start your day! Which is why I love this website: My Morning Routine. Inspiring morning routines from artists, entrepreneurs, early and late risers, travelers, and parents, delivered every Wednesday. Check out the archives. They’re chock full of interesting stories and ideas!
That’s a wrap for this month!
Find great work. Do great work. Unlock every door in your way.
Image: Willie Franklin