I met a woman at work recently — we’ll call her Jane — who’s been doing her job for thirty-five years. She made a comment in passing that stuck with me. She said somebody needs to get all the knowledge out of her head before she retires, because if nobody comes to extract it, it’s … Continue reading Keep Building Context
Category: Work & Data
What Do You Have to Offer?
Cal Newport asks a question that most people get backwards. The passion mindset asks, “what can the world offer me?” The craftsman mindset asks, “what can I offer the world?” I’ve been sitting with that second question for a while now. And the honest answer surprised me. For a long time, I didn’t think I … Continue reading What Do You Have to Offer?
The Battle
There’s a battle going on inside me that I’m only now learning to talk about. On one side is the craftsman. He wants systems. Structure. Reps. He wants to know the plan, follow the plan, and measure the results. He’s the one who built a 280-day challenge with assessment weeks and daily checklists. He’s the … Continue reading The Battle
The Craftsman and the Machine
I’m reading Cal Newport’s So Good They Can’t Ignore You, and I keep seeing his argument play out in real time at work. Newport says rare and valuable skills — career capital — are what give you leverage. The craftsman builds that capital through reps, not passion. Show up, get deep, get good. The leverage … Continue reading The Craftsman and the Machine
The Craftsman
I’m reading Cal Newport’s So Good They Can’t Ignore You, and he makes an argument that I can’t stop thinking about. Most people are told to follow their passion. Find the thing you love, then figure out how to get paid for it. Newport says that’s backwards. The craftsman doesn’t start with passion. The craftsman … Continue reading The Craftsman
David Willis 