This month I’m creating a project centered around my interest in the field of operations. While I have a lot of the soft skills needed for such a role—I’m organized and I enjoy creating systems—I want to hone some of the hard skills that would be used in such a field. Specifically, I’m going to learn some of the most common software tools and applications that someone in operations may use and document the experience.
This is it. Day 30. I’ve written and posted something every day this month and still have a few ideas in draft form. When I started, I had no idea whether this would prove to be an incredible challenge or fairly easy. It ended up being neither.
If I’ve learned one thing about writing this month, it’s to delete the first paragraph.
Most of the time, the first paragraph is like turning the key in the ignition: necessary to get started, but less than riveting to watch unfold.
Your readers—and your future self—will thank you.
I don’t know who needs this today, but I’m sure someone does.
For all your turkey questions, Butterball (yes, THE Butterball) offers a free Turkey Talk Line.
This is The Stuff That Pings Me: a curated, ongoing series about the stuff that makes me laugh or cry, makes my heart beat a little faster or takes my breath away. It’s the stuff I read, watch, listen to, and think about. Books, podcasts, films, music, quotes, articles, whatever.
What makes a good landing page?
What encourages customers to keep reading?
To click for more information?
While on a recent subway trip, I noticed the subway line had replaced the live-person announcements for each station with pre-recorded announcements.
Most of the stations along the route have fairly ordinary names. But there’s one station with an odd name, one that’s not even remotely phonetic. Unless you’re from the area, you probably wouldn’t know how to pronounce it correctly.
The zoom setting on a camera is safe. It allows you to take a picture of something without getting close enough to experience it.
Which can be helpful, if you want a shot of a lion’s canines.
Moving closer requires risk. Vulnerability. Intimacy.
(And by now you realized we’re not actually talking about photography.)
Don’t zoom in on people; move closer.
“At a fraction of the cost…”
7/10 is a fraction. So is 99/100.
Before you jump at the fraction, ask what the starting number is.
The final cost may still be too high.