Month: February 2020

You

Five Tips to Be Memorable in Social Settings (and Still Be Yourself)

patmcg1 Comment

This is a great article for those of us who may be on the understated side and/or not a big fan of small talk.

👉 How to Be Memorable in Social Settings – Five tips to stand out in a positive way

These tips are great because:

  • They’re genuine and let you be yourself. In fact, they kind of help you be more you.
  • They make socializing more fun and interesting for you, not just others.
  • They are simple and practical.
  • They even work towards some of an introvert’s strengths, i.e. reading books.

Cheat sheet:

  1. Have interesting answers ready for common questions (where are you from, etc.)
  2. Dress for success, i.e. find your style
  3. Remember people’s names (damn this is hard!)
  4. Give people your undivided attention (easy)
  5. Read so you have stuff to talk about
creativity · You

Shi**y First Drafts

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In a creative writing class I’m taking, our teacher pointed us to this great piece called “Shitty First Drafts”. It basically says what we all know but tend to forget: nobody ever just sits down and writes a great story on the first try.

👉 Shitty First Drafts by Anne Lamott

This approach frees you up to have fun with it (another topic from the class).

The first draft is the child’s draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later.

Anne Lamott from Bird by Bird

As a side note, this “shitty first draft” approach applies just as well to other creative endeavors such as making music or software. The key is to not actually ship the shitty first draft (although the occasional great album seems to be an exception to this rule).

Disclaimer: this blog consists entirely of shitty first drafts. 🤷🏻‍♂️