Recent articles
July 16, 2026
Two kinds of word salad
The right words in the right sequence create information. Ideas that change our world. The first kind of word salad allows the writer to hide. Fancy words, carefully juxtaposed, saying nothing. Thi...
seths.blog
July 15, 2026
Disposable software
Even though it’s invisible, easily transported and weightless, software used to stick around. It took years to architect and build a complex bit of software, and thousands of people to help maintai...
seths.blog
July 14, 2026
“Is it okay if I share my screen?”
The meeting is now broken. Even if you were actually engaging with the attendees before, it’s over. You took a new medium and stuffed an old one into it, changed the dynamic and ruined it. Zoom is ...
seths.blog
July 13, 2026
The hedonic treadmill
When we upgrade something in our lives, the thing we used to be satisfied with is no longer satisfying. That’s the nature of an upgrade. After a certain point, the only thing we’re buying is the wa...
seths.blog
July 12, 2026
Controversial
This is a useful term. It helps us understand a topic or theory that can be considered from multiple points of view by people engaging with good intent. “Pluto is a planet” was a controversial stat...
seths.blog
July 11, 2026
Mel’s back
Last year, the recording session I did with Mel Robbins was going so well that her producers asked me to stick around–four hours later, we had recorded enough for two episodes. One never knows how ...
seths.blog
July 11, 2026
A captive audience
The moment you start treating your customers as captives, they begin to make other plans. It might take a while, but they always end up leaving. The first step is warning away their friends. On the...
seths.blog
July 10, 2026
Riff-o-matic
More than 345 riffs, worthy of a calendar, all in one place. They don’t fit in a blog post, so I made a page of them. Hit the refresh above to see another one, or see them all, and vote on your fav...
seths.blog
July 9, 2026
Generous collusion
The professionals you have the most in common with may be your competition. They wrestle with similar problems and have similar goals. And you can offer value by sharing what you’ve learned and wha...
seths.blog
July 8, 2026
Goal clarity and the Hawking index
What’s this idea (book, meme, song, TV show, marketing campaign) for? Perhaps you want to reach the largest number of people. Or make the most sales. Or generate the most word of mouth. Or be notor...
seths.blog
July 7, 2026
The Builder’s Creed
A hundred and fifteen years ago, Christian Larson wrote one of the first popular self-help manifestos. The Optimist’s Creed argued that it was a choice, and a useful promise. Not to promise the wor...
seths.blog
July 6, 2026
Facts and feelings
The world is like this and therefore I feel like that. That seems right. It’s raining, so I’m sad. The person cut me off in traffic and so I’m angry. Ford makes better cars, so I like them more tha...
seths.blog
July 5, 2026
The urgency paradox
The more often we succumb to the urgency of the moment, the more urgency we create. The next minute is probably not the last minute, but when we treat it this way, it will be soon followed by anoth...
seths.blog
July 4, 2026
Freedom
Freedom is responsibility with a sexier name. 250 years in, democracy still matters. Click to upvote the ones that resonate and please share.
seths.blog
July 3, 2026
Operator error
“I blame myself.” Said no one, ever. At least not the consumers I know. When a careless woodworker loses a digit on a table saw, they almost certainly blame the design and instructions of the devic...
seths.blog
July 2, 2026
Left unsaid
It’s difficult to ride a bicycle in the pitch darkness. We need to see where we’re going to avoid obstacles. And it’s hard to maintain our balance. When we choose to avoid the conversations that ma...
seths.blog
July 1, 2026
Can you believe it?
The standards have changed a lot in the last few millennia: The big man said it. The book said it. The newspaper said it. I saw a photo. I saw it on TV. I read it on the internet. That’s what the A...
seths.blog
June 30, 2026
Fancy food update
Everybody eats. And, now and then, it’s fun to find something better. In the scheme of things, fancy foods are a bargain, a chance to have the best in the world for a few dollars. Here are some per...
seths.blog
June 30, 2026
We are all weird
A simple 7-question test helps us realize how diverse a population is. On this quiz, the highest possible score is less than 7%. No matter how common you think your answers are, no matter how norma...
seths.blog
June 29, 2026
Backlist confusion
The backlist are the products already in the marketplace. Built earlier, still sold. The frontlist is the new. Restaurants have regulars (backlist) and new patrons. Broadway shows are attended by p...
seths.blog
June 28, 2026
The generic headline and the lazy slogan
If you can swap your slogan with a competitor’s without changing the meaning of either brand, then your slogan is meaningless. For example, “You belong here” is not a positioning statement for a co...
seths.blog
June 27, 2026
Seeking a complement
One of the nicest thing you can do for someone you care about is point them to an idea, a book, a talk or a tool that will amplify their work and help them get to where they’re going. It’s not easy...
seths.blog
June 26, 2026
You don’t need a better camera
They keep getting fancier. But you would benefit from investing in better lighting instead. It’s tempting to upgrade your computer processor, your frying pan or your sneakers as well. The thing is,...
seths.blog
June 25, 2026
Standby –> Intervention
Look around the room you’re in. There are dozens of electrically powered devices, each waiting for you to request their assistance. A toaster, six lights, an oven, the ice maker, stereo, TV, microw...
seths.blog
June 24, 2026
Empathy and good advice
Focus groups and informal feedback offer a trap: Asking someone in the target audience if they like something might get you useful feedback. But most of the time, the people you’re asking aren’t ac...
seths.blog
June 23, 2026
Limited swag (the Knot multipack)
Promotion, activation, and conversation come together when the early adopters have a tool to share a new idea. My new book is out a few months, and it’s a chance to create a share package with swag...
seths.blog
June 22, 2026
Blogs, traffic, and Google
I asked Google Gemini about the last decade of Google’s relentless push to make blogs less popular. It wrote: Your timeline is spot on. The systematic destruction of the independent web’s infrastru...
seths.blog
June 22, 2026
Anniversaries
Birthdays are a little overrated. I’ve never met anyone who was more than a passive participant in their birth, but anniversaries represent a choice. Every year, we can commemorate a commitment we ...
seths.blog
June 21, 2026
“In its larval state”
Thirty years ago, Cory Doctorow did an interview showing primitive inklings of the internet future (music, videos, etc.). At the time, it was easy to dismiss it as an irrelevant toy, and most peopl...
seths.blog
June 20, 2026
99% might be enough (or not)
A 100-foot long boat that’s 99% complete is going to sink before it leaves the dock. That gaping hole is more than enough to do it in. On the other hand, a baked ziti that’s 99% as good as the best...
seths.blog