in praise of imbalance

This issue is sponsored by Brooklinen. We just outfittedoutfitted our bedroom with their duvet & sheets and were super impressed.

It’s surprising what you can accomplish in a single day—if no one interrupts you. But those kinds of days are usually rare.

We’re pulled in so many directions: emails, errands, calls, obligations. Creative work requires something different. It needs full immersion. Spaciousness. A kind of quiet where ideas can actually form.

Every so often, I manage to carve out a full day to focus deeply on one project. No notifications. No multitasking.

Just me, the work, and time. And by the end of that day, the project feels more connected. The vision feels clearer. There’s a cohesion that only comes from being fully present.

A whole day to obsess, methodically knock down problems, and build something cohesive and beautiful.

A friend invited me to join a “life balance” challenge about a year ago. It included daily workouts, journaling, no alcohol, goal setting, family time, reading, and date nights. The idea was to keep all the plates spinning every day.

I passed.

Not because I’m against any of those things—most of them are beautiful. But I knew I couldn’t give equal energy to everything and still do my best work. No way.

If you want to make something truly exceptional—thoughtful, personal, and meaningful—it often requires a kind of creative imbalance. It requires a willingness to go deep, to give one or two areas your full attention—not forever, but long enough to make something that matters.

In his excellent essay "How to do Great Work," Paul Graham writes that great work is rarely balanced. It usually comes from a place of obsession—of following what fascinates you, sometimes at the cost of doing everything else “right.”

I’m not trying to be perfect. I’m trying to make something excellent.

That means prioritizing long, uninterrupted stretches of creative time. It means guarding my energy. It means saying no to things I’d really enjoy—so I can say yes to the most essential.

Of course, I want space to rest, travel, socialize, read, and connect. And that will come. But right now, if we're honest, what needs the most attention is doing exceptional creative work and building a system that facilitates it.

This chapter of my life is about dedication to that process.

To let the ideas breathe in longer stretches of focused, creative time.

To go all in, not on everything, but on the one or two most essential things.

If you are able, this coming week, I'd encourage you to try to give an entire day to that most important work.

Chances are, if you are reading this, it's probably something creative or the business infrastructure around that creative thing.

Get rid of that massive distraction machine in your pocket - lock the phone in your car. No meetings, no social media, no email, and maybe just take a walk for a break.

You won't believe how much time you have and how good it feels to truly be all the way in it.

a few things I saw this week - bathroom edition:

Wood toilet seats. I'm sure this will be polarizing, but it does seem like an aesthetically pleasing solution that might catch some anti-microplastics tailwinds.

Marable bath hardware via Montana Labelle. How is this not more of a thing?