Welcome to Snafu, a newsletter about resilience and behavior change. Great athletes don’t just train for performance – they train for chaos. Most of us wait until disaster has struck to figure out how we’ll react. As a result, we panic, freeze, and make bad decisions. If you're enjoying Snafu, it would mean the world to me if you would share it! Was it sent to you? Subscribe here. ↓ How to train for chaos Michael Phelp’s coach, Bob Bowman, understood that the greatest athletes don’t just...
14 days ago • 3 min read
Welcome to Snafu, a newsletter about resilience, learning, and behavior change. There are two different ways to tackle something difficult. You can plot, and plan, and spend months studying your challenge. And then you can make a single attempt – and hopefully succeed. Or you can do the opposite, and study your challenge while attempting it. Both of these approaches are valid, but I prefer the second. If you're enjoying Snafu, it would mean the world to me if you would share it! Was it sent...
21 days ago • 4 min read
Welcome to Snafu, a newsletter about resilience, learning, and behavior change. "Tilting at windmills“ means going to battle despite the certain knowledge that you can’t win. Not every battle is worth fighting. But some – even unlikely ones – align with your values, stretch your capabilities, and help you grow. Perhaps we all ought to spend a bit more time tilting at windmills If you're enjoying Snafu, it would mean the world to me if you would share it! Was it sent to you? Subscribe here. ↓...
28 days ago • 4 min read
Welcome to Snafu, a newsletter about resilience, learning, and behavior change. When faced with rigid bureaucracy, most of us react with frustration. We complain that the “System is out to get us” or that things “Just shouldn’t be this way.” In a world of rapidly accelerating AI, this collision between technological innovation and bureaucratic inertia isn’t going away. We each have a choice: build responsive systems or continue to stumble through chaos. If you're enjoying Snafu, it would mean...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Welcome to Snafu, a newsletter about resilience, learning, and behavior change. Fear is misunderstood as a negative emotion – as something to be avoided. Instead, it is a useful guide for action. Some of the most significant moments in my life came as a result of moving towards fear. I’m currently at one of those crossroads in my life. If you're enjoying Snafu, it would mean the world to me if you would share it! Was it sent to you? Subscribe here. ↓ The gift of fear For many years now, I’ve...
about 1 month ago • 5 min read
Welcome to Snafu, a newsletter about resilience, learning, and behavior change. I’ve known AI is important for years, but not taken it more seriously than I did the rise of blockchain, social media, or AOL chatrooms. My philosophy has been that of a casual early adopter, “Oh, look! The world’s changed again. But I still need to go train my handstands.” That changed last week... If you're enjoying Snafu, it would mean the world to me if you would share it! Was it sent to you? Subscribe here. ↓...
about 2 months ago • 5 min read
Welcome to Snafu, a newsletter about resilience, behavior change, and learning. The allure of breaking news, the infinite scroll of a social feed... Amidst the chaos of modern life, the ability to go deep – to immerse yourself in something new – isn’t just useful. It's sanity. If you're enjoying Snafu, it would mean the world to me if you would share it! Was it sent to you? Subscribe here. ↓ Rabbit holes, and why they matter Three weeks ago, my girlfriend and I were looking at rentals just...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Welcome to Snafu, a newsletter about resilience, behavior change, and learning. Over the last four months, I’ve dealt with a death in the family, a friend’s mental health crisis, an unexpected move, an angry client, a new relationship, the news, and still trying to run my business. This is what to do when you want to hide under the covers. If you're enjoying Snafu, it would mean the world to me if you would share it! Was it sent to you? Subscribe here. ↓ What to do with overwhelm Over the...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Welcome to Snafu, a newsletter about resilience, behavior change, and learning. Identity is malleable. When big events happen in our lives, those moments shape us. But it is up to us to decide who we become as a result. If you're enjoying Snafu, it would mean the world to me if you would share it! Was it sent to you? Subscribe here. ↓ The identities we hold I was at dinner with my parents and my girlfriend last weekend. For some reason, Robin’s Cafe came up in conversation. Anyway, I got on...
2 months ago • 3 min read