F the Lines

July 15, 2020—Soma Snakeoil is an artist, activist, dominatrix, and all-around fascinating human being. We talk about living and working on the edge of creativity and how radical honesty can lead to deep intimacy.Show Notes1:00 Soma's introduction.1:31 Oscillating between exploration and going deep on one project.3:16 Setting art down when you don't have something to say.4:16 Filling a void vs accepting a void. Lean into having space.5:07 Stripping and learning how to “walk” in your body.6:18 Owning your space. Confidence creates boundaries.8:11 Why is itself-care harder than caring for others?9:07 Choosing and stepping into a new name.10:56 At what point does a name become a point of no return?12:19 Aggressive honesty. Deciding not to hide yourself anymore.13:50 When do you pass on 100% honesty?15:24 Starting with the “hard thing” leads to intimacy.17:54 Mentors. Are you willing to go through life with this person?19:52 Mentors help you understand “the mess,” just the beauty of a trade or practice.20:32 Soma's mentor (Domina Angelina) saw her “fire.”20:54 Being willing to take on a submissive role in order to understand dominance.22:00 Dumpster diving for painting materials. Finding stories to create with.24:20 Finding inspiration sober. Creative edges are everywhere! Always a new question.25:35 There's always a new question. People and curiosity multiply your creativity.26:00 The importance of the push vs results. Letting go of the outcome.28:44 Homeless vs houseless. Capitalism eats people alive.33:42 GOTUS (aka Goddess of the United States). How would Soma change America?Where to Connect With SomaWebsite: https://www.somasnakeoil.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/somasnakeoilSidewalk Project: https://www.instagram.com/the_sidewalk_project

0:53 How did Joe Squared start?2:37 Finding an audience “desert” that needs water.3:07 “If you build it, they will come” mentality.4:33 Using demographics (logic) vs psychographics (emotion).7:48 Attracting an audience and being attracted TO an audience.7:56 The importance of “gimmicks” in business.8:29 Authenticity is magnetic. Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives.9:18 Building a community requires one-on-one relationships.10:21 Joe Square served pizza to both sides during the Baltimore “riots.”11:00 Crowdfunding $40,000 from the community when disaster struck.12:51 How does a community-focused restaurant respond to Covid?13:59 Derek Sivers, CD Baby customer service email.16:06 Are there some parts of a business that are too important to change?16:24 Creative people need connection, logical people need metrics.18:15 Takeaways.Key TakeawaysPassion: Find an idea that resonates with a community you're part of.Gimmick: Have a gimmick that helps people instantly understand and remember your brand.Relationships: Focus on one-to-one relationships, not hacks or advertising.p.s. You can find this article on fthelines.com, along with other stories about #creativity, #minimalism, and #mentalhealth. Thanks for reading! (:

Audiences and communities. Is there a difference? And how do you know which is right for you?

Back in 2019, I started a daily comic challenge on a whim. I didn't put much thought into it—but I had been recently humiliated by the state of my design portfolio and all I knew was that I NEVER wanted to feel like that again.Initially, the challenge was about mastering one thing (drawing comics), but after the first few weeks, I realized that the journey I had set out on was about more than becoming a better illustrator…It was about becoming a better PERSON.In the past six months, I launched a coaching business, started a podcast, switched to a plant-based diet, designed my perfect day, ditched the gym for free weights, and finally found my purpose as a creative human.Two hundred and six comics in, I'm sharing this list of perks because starting a 365-day challenge saved my damn life—and I know it can do the same for you.1. Get Your Shit Together!How many times has someone said that to you? And how many times have you said it to yourself? Starting a 365 challenge won't magically deposit $100,000 in your bank account, but it will show your friends and family that you're SERIOUS about your goals.While everyone around you dreams about all the things they “would” do if they had the time, money, or energy, you'll be quietly cranking out art. Your shit will come together and you'll have the evidence to prove it.2. Tracking 10,000 HoursIn his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell talks about how experts around the world all have one common characteristic—time. From musicians to hockey players, it seems to take roughly ten thousand hours to master a skill.If you're doing a little of this and that, it's impossible to track your progress.A daily challenge makes it simple to measure your practice, but it also focuses you on one specific thing, so you can get to 10k hours a lot faster.3. People See the REAL YouIn an episode of the Love Dripping From the Walls podcast, Seattle dating coach Cora Boyd has this great soundbite about authenticity where she calls out social facades: “People looking for you and they can't find you!!!”When I started my challenge, I was afraid to talk about controversial topics, like psychedelics, BDSM, and mental health. But when I decided to be 100% honest, people came out of the woodwork to tell me how much my comics resonated with them. It felt good to tell the whole truth.4. Iteration vs ScratchMy freelance career restarted probably twenty different times as I jumped from “web designer” to “coder” to “strategist” to “copywriter.” The sad fact is a lot of people waste their entire lives doing this.It's like Shia LaBoeuf says…If you're tired of starting over, STOP GIVING UP.I can't tell you whether a 365 challenge will make you “successful,” but I have experienced the power of iterating on a specific idea for a long time. If you never push yourself past the point “where anyone else would quit,” how can you truly know whether success if possible? Why not go all-in?5. Perfect Introvert ExcuseSaying “no” to things you don't want to do is one of the hardest parts of being an introvert. It's exhausting to constantly be defending your time and energy, but a 365 challenge is the perfect excuse for any situation.When you tell people, “I'm sorry, but I have to finish this comic for my 365 challenge,” they don't push back because they get what's on the line.No one wants to be responsible for breaking your chain on day twenty, let alone day two hundred!6. Library of Reusable ContentWhen I used to write blog posts as a web designer, I would always fill them with stock photos and memes. But the true genius of a 365 challenge is that by the end you will have 365 pieces of your own content!You can use this “evergreen” artwork (writing, music, etc) for the rest of your life wherever you need it.Even halfway through, I'm already finding uses for my comics on mental health, introversion, productivity. It's like the creative version of buying stocks and then just sitting back to watch your money grow.I might not be an illustrator for the rest of my life, but I'll always have a killer illustration portfolio. And that's an investment worth sweating for!

1. Processed Food (Inflammation)When arthritis brought my whole life to a dead halt this spring, I decided to try a plant-based diet. The results were ridiculous. In about a month, I went from barely being able to walk to running a 60-second 400m (in barefoot shoes) and regularly crushing 20-minute 5Ks like they were casual jogs.I'm now 5'11" and 145 pounds, which would have felt wimpy to my 170-pound self, but accepting my body the way it is feels amazing.Here's the best part—fruits, veggies, and legumes are so low-fat, you can literally stuff your face all day long and not gain a single pound. If you keep lots of vegan munchies on hand, it's easy to resist junk food.Plus, plants are much cheaper than meat!Breakfast: steel-cut oats and half a banana (instead of cereal)Lunch: freeze canning jars of legumes/veggies (instead of takeout)Snacks: nuts and seeds (instead of chips and candy)Dinner: veggie stirfry, sweet potato stew, etc (instead of meat)Dessert: fresh fruit (instead of cookies and pastries)Rules: mostly plants, not too much, and organic (when possible)Further Reading: How Not to Die by Dr. Michael Greger2. Working Out (Injuries)Planet Fitness closed about two weeks after the Coronavirus pandemic started ramping up, which left me without a gym for the first time in ten years. Initially, I tried using free weights, but the pain that had been developing in my knees and hips just got worse.I could barely walk and I started to question whether I would ever be able to run again. As a last-ditch effort, I bought a book on bodyweight exercise. I didn't care for it, but the general idea was interesting.After some experimenting, I finally stopped taking other people's work out advice and stuck to natural balancing/flexing moves. That, plus switching to a vegan diet made my whole body leaner, meaner, and pain-free.It's also more fun and less hassle, overall.Gyms: cancel your membership, you don't need itWeights: throw them out and just use your bodyAdvice: ignore fitness advice and do what feels naturalFlexing: tense your muscles, aim to feel a “burn” (not pain)Balancing: do exercises on one leg to recruit more muscle groupsBending: avoid full extension, as it can stress your jointsCardio: running and hiking are better than static liftingFreedom: bodyweight exercises can be done whenever, whereverDIY: use benches, walls, and tree limbs to work different angles3. Medication (Allergies & Baldness)I started taking Zyrtec in middle school to treat my pollen and dust allergies. It became so automatic that I took it every day for fifteen years. After going plant-based, I decided to go medication-free.I thought my allergies would go nuts, but there was almost no difference. I also felt less drowsy and more focused during the day.The same is true for my other meds. Propecia made me depressed instead of stopping my hair loss. Nasal sprays gave me nosebleeds. Inhalers reduced my lung capacity. In every case, the side-effects of modern science were worse than the symptoms I was trying to alleviate.Allergies: wash/vacuum frequently and eat a vegan diet (inflammation)Hair Loss: just shave your head and grow a beardMental Health: minimalism, outdoor exercise, avoid TV and newsSleep: buy a hands-free book stand and read for 1–2 hours before bedEverything Else: some or all of the aboveFurther Reading: Lost Connections by Johann Hari4. Cushioned Shoes (Plantar Fasciitis)In 2017, I got a part-time job at a local running store. With the employee discount, I was able to score some of the best shoes in the world—from high-cushion Hokas to “zero-drop” Altras.The problem was, no matter how many brands I tried, I kept getting injured. Calf strain. Plantar fasciitis. Joint pain. Shin splints. Plus, the shoes would wear out in under three hundred miles (not bad at a 50% discount, but expensive for regular customers).Finally, I ordered a pair of Vibram FiveFingers (minimalist toe shoes). After switching to a “midfoot stride” and training nearly barefoot for three months, my injuries disappeared. I haven't had a single twinge for TWO YEARS, which is virtually unheard of in the running community.Bonus…at 2,000 miles, my Vivos and Vibrams both feel brand new.Cushion: throw your cushioned running shoes in the garbageBarefoot: practice running barefoot around a local turf or grass fieldStride: use a midfoot stride (it's impossible to heel-strike barefoot)Footwear: buy Vibram FiveFingers or VivoBarefoot (if you don't like toes)Orthotics: inserts are a scam (your arches do not need support)Trails: trails are softer, more varied, and easier on your bodyMiles: gradually increase your distance with barefoot shoesRacing: put your body and health before your training goalsFurther Reading: Born to Run by Christopher McDougallConclusion: The Caveman RuleThere's been so much hijacking of the word “natural” in the past decade that it's hard to even tell what's natural anymore. Amazon and Google are rife with brands that claim to be organic (or minimal or harmless) but turn out to be poisonous garbage.My favorite trick for deciding what's natural is “the caveman rule.” When you're unsure about a product or you have a bad feeling, ask yourself…How ridiculous would a caveman look doing this thing?I can picture a caveman eating plants, running, washing their face, and wearing minimalist shoes or sandals. But when I try to picture a caveman eating at McDonald's, bench pressing two hundred pounds, using a nasal spray, or strapping $200 cushioned Nikes on their feet…I just can't, it's too fucking ridiculous. (:

I'm a very sneaky person. When I used to play video games, I would always choose the assassin or the thief. I loved the idea of “getting away with stuff” because it felt like having a backdoor to the entire universe.When I was in high school, I shoplifted, lied, and generally pretended to be someone I wasn't. I prided myself on my ability to be a social chameleon.I could fit in anywhere—I could be a jock, or a nerd, or a misfit, or whatever the current situation required.My sneakiness continued to open doors for me in college, at my first agency copywriting job, and as a freelancer, but all this pretending built up in my life like toxic sludge. My karma was fucked.I was so busy taking shortcuts, I never looked up to see where shortcuts were taking me.Tip: Your Brain Notices EverythingSomewhere between quitting my agency job and writing this blog post, I started to realize that there's no such thing as “getting away” with stuff.My brain is like a giant blender—and everything I think, do, or experience gets purred into an existential smoothie.It's funny because I used to fit in as a lier. But now that I'm clear on who I am as a person, people literally criticize me for being “too rigid.”I feel bad for them because they're living under the same delusion that I was five years ago. It's true, making an exception “once in a while” won't hurt. But life is full of exceptions, and before you know it, you'll be gulping down one big shortcut smoothie.I'll take the long-cut, thanks.It tastes good today, and it'll taste even better tomorrow. (:

0:29 Andrew's vegan change.1:17 Kathy starts her day by reading advice columns.1:50 Kathy has been know to give advice when people don't ask for it!2:10 Helpfulness is the sunny side of control. Kathy was a control freak.3:31 The closer you are to someone, the less receptive they'll be to your advice.3:57 Pointless to give advice to people who don't want it?4:19 Often, people take your advice in the longterm. Play the long game!6:20 What if people want your advice but don't follow through?7:11 Kathy didn't follow Andrew's iMovie advice.7:59 We don't give just ONE piece of advice. We overwhelm people.8:35 Andrew's mom didn't see his JOURNEY to becoming vegan.8:58 How to you frame advice so that it fits within someone's world view?9:34 Ask questions and help other people come up with the answer themselves.10:41 Relate your own experience. People love hearing about other people's mistakes.12:30 How do you help people not get distracted?12:45 Some people sound agreeable but have no intention of changing.13:03 Take care of yourself. Don't waste time helping people who don't want help.14:33 What's the difference between people who are open or not open to change?15:18 If someone isn't curious, they're not teachable.16:14 People can fool you into thinking they're willing to change.Key Takeaways (16:33)Attachment: Let go of your attachment to changing people in the short-term.Questions: Ask leading questions so people can come to the answer themselves.Cut Losses: Decide early whether someone is willing to change and bail if not.

I've been trying to take pictures of myself for ten years, and up until two days ago, the art of making normal human facial expressions in front of a camera was a mystery to me. I felt like a robot with its “smile” chip missing.I swear to god I'm a fun, chill person…It's just that when I see a camera lens, the fun, chill part of me vanishes into thin air. I mean…one time, I took a series of two hundred pictures, and not one of them was usable. NOT ONE!!!The problem is I have a squirrel brain.As an introvert, I'm constantly getting lost in my own head, and that makes it impossible to hold a pose for more than a split second. I don't know how celebrities do it. The red carpet is literally my worst nightmare.But while I might never set foot at the Oscar's, I have found a way to take a good headshot. It's a lot easier than you think.Step 1: CameraOne reason your photos might suck is that you're not using a high-enough quality camera. I guess I'm behind the times because I thought 1080p was fine, but when I got a 4K video camera, it was like WOAH.Apart from 4K, you also want to use a camera that's capable of pulling off that creamy “bokeh” effect where the background is blurred out.Here are the best options, IMO (no affiliate link bullshit)…OSMO Pocket: This is a tiny little powerhouse by DJI that shoots 4K video and comes with a mechanical “gimble” that can track your face. It's lightweight and super stealthy, which makes it perfect for vlogging.iPhone: If your iPhone is a 6 or later, you can take a great 4K headshot without buying an extra camera. I shoot with my Osmo Pocket because I still have an iPhone 5. I'm a caveman, I know…DLSR Camera: I have an old Canon Rebel, but again…it doesn't shoot in 4K. Smartphones are edging closer to the quality of DLSR's, but if you buy a standalone camera, make sure to use a lens with f1.4–2.8 (for bokeh).Step 2: LocationYou can shoot a good headshot indoors or outdoors, but the key is to find a time and place where the light is SOFT.Typically, this will be in the morning or near sunset, when the sun is low in the sky. If you try to shoot midday, the sun will be high in the sky (shoutout Reading Rainbow) and you'll get all kinds of harsh shadows.Also, you want to make sure you have lots of SPACE behind you. Shoot with a low “f-stop” so that the background blurs out behind you. Alleys and hallways work marvelously for this. They also reflect light from all directions, which gives your photo a warm, balanced feel.One time, I took a selfie in an old WWII tower. I had this goofy smile like I was a turtle that just got laid out by the lilly pads, but hey…at least the lighting was good!Step 3: ShootHere's where the magic happens. Instead of trying to catch the perfect shot, just leave the camera going and record 2–3 minutes of video.What's great about this is that you don't have to stress about each photo. Just go wild and try as many different facial expressions and poses as possible. The idea is that somewhere in all that, you'll do something interesting.Even if you end up with two minutes of serial killer and one minute of recently-laid-turtle, it only takes ONE GOOD shot to make the whole thing worth it.Step 4: EditWhen you get home, boot up Premiere or whatever video editing software you use and scrub through the footage until you find a still frame that looks good.Export an image file (or take a screenshot if you want to be super janky) and bring it into Photoshop or the photo editing software of your choice.I like to remove the background from my headshots so I can put a solid color behind me. This helps the image pop (ugh…I hate that word) and it makes your headshot feel more branded. If you want, you can even add illustrations or designs—but keep it minimal. Eyes on the prize!Step 5: The EndIt's funny, but a good headshot can do a lot for your confidence. I mean…no, I didn't find my missing smile chip, but I did this weird eyebrow thing—and it's kind of working for me. I look like a bearded Spock!The moral of the story is that you don't need to look normal, you just need to look like yourself. And video can create some space for you to do that.Pro Tip: Find Your PhraseAs a last thought, if you're having a hard time being yourself on camera, it can help to pick a phrase that describes which self you're trying to be.I'm writing a book called “Wildly Functional”—and that's how I knew this frame was the one. It felt wild yet functional. Perfecto!p.s. If this technique works for you, drop a headshot down in the comments below. I want to see what you come up with! (:

When I was in school, one of my teachers had a horrible temper. He was not a happy person and he would routinely take out his insecurities on students, but one day he singled out a classmate I'll refer to as Nathan.Nathan had Asberger syndrome and social interaction was challenging for him, so when my teacher got right up in his face and demanded that he repeat a lesson over and over, it was too much.Nathan closed his eyes tight like he was trying to shut out the rest of the world.It was horrible to watch. I felt my blood boiling and I wanted to scream STOP IT! CAN'T YOU SEE WHAT YOU'RE DOING TO HIM??But I didn't say anything. And neither did the rest of the class. We all just sat there, horrified and too scared to speak up.When the class was over, a few of us agreed that we should go to the main office and report the teacher. “Let's go do it now,” I said.At that moment, you could see a change in my classmates. One said, “Well…maybe we should wait a bit.” Another said, “It won't happen again…” The third person said, “I have a test to get to.”I had to do it alone, and the worst part was, I second-guessed myself all the way to the main office. I couldn't help but think…Why does doing the right thing feel so wrong?George Floyd is a Victim of Fear, Not HateWhen I watched the footage this morning of yet another black American being murdered by police offices, what caught my attention was not the act itself but the people witnessing it.Why are we all so scared to intervene?Why are we more intent on filming atrocities than stopping them?I think it comes down to intuition.Bystanders didn't help George Floyd for the same reason that I didn't speak up for my classmate—we felt kindness but didn't act on it.Don't Second-Guess YourselfI don't believe there's any such thing as a “racist” person or a “callous” person. Every human being is programmed for kindness. It's our second voice that makes us harm others or allow others to be harmed.We feel kindness before anything else, but when we don't act on our emotions, the conservative part of our brains takes over.We start to worry about what other people will think of us—how speaking up will affect our status and our safety. And once this second voice gets going, it's very hard to ignore. So we record things instead of challenging them.Never second-guess kindness.What Needs to Change?It's clear to me that nothing we're doing is working. Protesting does not work. Party politics don't work. Rioting certainly doesn't work. All these things just reinforce hatred and fear on both sides.So what do we do?If we follow racist behavior back to its roots, here's what we'll find…Racism is caused by fear.Fear is caused by a lack of understanding.Misunderstandings are caused by an inability to communicate.Unfortunately, the most important piece of communication in the #BlackLivesMatter debate is the one that no one is talking about…Police/bystander relations.Bystanders Have the Best ViewpointThink about it. Police officers and the people they arrest are the least equipped to be reasonable because they're in the middle of flight or fight mode. Bystanders, on the other hand, have an outside perspective.If we want to avoid more senseless deaths, there needs to be a protocol for civilians expressing their concerns—and police officers listening.What comes to mind for me is the idea of a “safeword.”In the BSDM community, this means STOP! Something is very wrong here and we need to bring everything to a dead halt so we can talk about it.Win/Win For People and PoliceAt the end of the day, what everyone wants is to be understood and respected. It seems to me that instead of treating punishment as a longterm solution we should be spending our time trying to develop a code of conduct for extraordinary situations like the one that resulted in George Floyd's death.As a civilian, I want to “say something when I see something,” but frankly I'm intimidated by police offers—first and foremost because I don't know how to safely express my concerns without being perceived as a threat.I think most Americans (especially black Americans) feel the same way.We want to do the right thing.We want to heal our country and our communities.We want to interact safely and respectfully with police officers. It's just that police departments haven't given us a way to do so (other than to “back up” and “disperse”).Communication has been lost somewhere in between protect and serve, but the good news is that both sides want to talk.It's time to figure out how.

I've been taking allergy medicine for almost twenty years. I started with Claritin, moved to Zyrtec, and then added a nasal spray (Flonase).To be fair, they all did the job. But I've been on a health kick this year, so a couple of months ago I decided to scale back the medications I was taking.My nasal spray was the first to go because it was constantly giving me nosebleeds. I mean…it was kind of badass in a way, but it's not particularly practical to walk around looking like Rocky after twelve rounds.The funny thing was, the nosebleeds were actually making my nose more stuffed up, and I felt less allergic when I stopped using my nasal spray!Zyrtec: The REAL CulpritIn high school, I used to struggle to stay awake in class. Same thing in college. Even when I started a freelance design business, I'd need to drink a cup of coffee by noontime just to survive the next five hours.I've struggled with depression and non-zombie behavior (in general) for years, so I finally thought What the hell…maybe I should stop taking my Zyrtec and see what happens.I expected an onslaught of pollen, dust, and mold.But what actually happened was a cloud lifted from my brain. I felt like an actor in one of those Claritin Clear commercials, except instead of drugs curing my allergies, my allergies cured my drugs.What Were the Side-Effects?Sure, I sneeze a few more times every day and my nose occasionally gets itchy, but creatively, it's like someone took a ten-pound weight off my brain.The best way to put it is that I feel like myself again.I've had three days in a row where I illustrated, designed, and wrote for twelve hours straight. Now, it's like…Ok, let's chill the f out—but being too productive is a great problem to have!Basically, what changed is that I'm more alert. I react to things (creatively and emotionally) where they used to hit me with a dull thud.Natural AlternativesAntihistamines like Zyrtec suppress your nervous system's response to dust, pollen, and dog fur, but they can't target those things specifically, so they just end up reducing your immune response to everything.The good news is that you can fight allergies with natural remedies.Nasal Strips: I stick one of these on my nose before going to bed and it opens my breathing up all night. I've been sleeping like a log.Cleaning / Vacuuming: Humans used to migrate constantly, so dust (etc) never collected in our living spaces. The best thing to do for your allergies is keep your house clean by frequently dusting and vacuuming.Sheets / Pillows: The same rule applies to your bedding. Change your sheets every week and use a different pillowcase every night. Sleeping with the same pillowcase is bad for your allergies AND your skin.Unprocessed Food: Eat as many plants as possible and remove processed foods from your diet, as they can cause inflammation and allergic reactions. Stinging nettle tea gets mentioned a lot, but I've never tried it.In case you're wondering, it took me about half an hour to write this article…which is record time for the old “medicated” me, but kind of par for the course now that I've embraced my allergies.I hope this article makes you sneeze. :)—Andrew

0:46 What does it mean to leap?1:50 Leaping because of...snakes!!2:23 What stops Andrew from leaping? What is the pit?2:50 Maintenance Mode vs Leaping3:38 Covid is the perfect example of not know "what's on the other side.4:07 What's the RIGHT leap to maximize time, money, and energy.5:33 Use your fear as your compass.5:59 What's Kathy afraid of?8:03 Dealing with the fear of rejection.8:11 Know the results: yes, no, maybe.8:31 Contacting people in a "higher echelon" than you.9:19 Getting older and learning to not give a shit. Being an adventurer.11:23 King Krule lyrics. Alone, Omen 3. See where you can go!12:19 Fear of "shutting down" emotionally.13:37 First, second, and third try will fail. Keep pushing.13:58 Does the time and place you leap matter?14:17 Getting stuck in your head . Just leap and see what happens.16:15 Key Takeaways.Key TakeawaysSwitch the metaphor: Reframe "leaping" to "shaking up the oil and water of your life"Use fear as a compass: What are you most afraid of? Go do that thing.Leaping is hard work: You have to push through fear to get somewhere meaningful.https://www.fthelines.com/blog/ep21-how-to-take-a-leap-of-faith-ft-kathy-palokoff

May 24, 2020 — Ambition is great until it becomes ADHD. If you want to progress in life, stop multitasking, and start solving one problem permanently every day.My to-do list is giving me the hairy eyeball. I keep promising to clean it out, but there's a handful of goals that have been sitting around collecting dust for months. I can't make any progress on them.For example, I really want to figure out how to trim my beard properly, so I went to YouTube this morning and started watching tutorials.The problem is, everyone uses a completely different technique. Some barbers use scissors. Others use clippers. Then, there's the question of length. Also, should I use beard balm or oil? And what if my hair's too curly to trim?? WHAT IF I SCREW UP AND HAVE TO SHAVE IT ALL OFF???It's like I'm stuck in the productivity version of Groundhog Day.I put effort toward my problems, but not *quite* enough to solve them. Every day, I have to start from scratch.Solution: Nail Smaller BoardsSo…what exactly makes a problem solvable? Here's a simple test. Before you put a task on your to-do list, see if you can divide it.For example, “Switch to bodyweight workouts” is a hard problem to solve because it can be divided into lots of smaller tasks.On the other hand, “Buy a book on bodyweight workouts” is a great goal because it's specific and doesn't need to be split into sub-tasks— I 100% know I can get that done, even if my day goes to hell.It's the whole tortoise vs hare dynamic.Buying a book might seem like a wimpy goal, but there's a real sense of satisfaction in knowing that you took a permanent step forward and won't have to redo some half-assed bullshit in two months.What can you nail down today?

Lately, I've been murdering checkboxes. Not filling them in but erasing them entirely, like a 1920's gangster. You can call me the Al Capone of productivity.This all started when I did a podcast episode with my friend Kathy Palokoff. I like to structure my life with systems and lists, while she's more free-flowing—so we staged a “Battle Royale” to see who had the best daily routine.Normally, it should have been an easy win for me.I'm on month seven of a daily comic challenge and it's turned me into a content machine, but I've been feeling stuck for a couple of weeks now.Halfway through the podcast, Kathy said something interesting that made me rethink my attachment to systems and productivity in general…You have to accept your distractions.Problem: Micromanaging MyselfWhen it comes to productivity systems, I've tried them all. Each one felt perfect at first and I'd be super-focused for a few weeks, but then something would start to annoy me.Every system I tried was more distracting than the distractions it was supposed to prevent. To illustrate the problem, here's a quick summary of the four best tools I've used ranked from worst to best…1. Productivity Apps (F)What are they? Apps like Notion help you to organize your life by creating infinitely flexible “boards” and “databases.”Pros: flexible, easily searchable, access from anywhereCons: your phone is a distraction machine2. Bullet Journal (D-)What is it? A bullet journal is basically a regular journal that you spruce up with illustrations and symbols to track your goals and tasks.Pros: beautiful, portable, handwriting is good for learningCons: time-consuming, can't revise easily, must rewrite every day3. To-Do List (C)What is it? A to-do list is (well, you know) a little piece of paper that you can carry around with you to remind yourself about groceries, etc.Pros: cheap, portable, dead-simpleCons: scraps of paper everywhere, must rewrite every day4. Don't Break the Chain (B+)What is it? DBTT is Jerry Seinfeld's method of doing something every day and building a “chain” of days to motivate yourself not to quit.Pros: simple, builds consistencyCons: doesn't work for one-off tasks*FYI: There are other systems, like Kanban boards, Pomodoro, etc, but they all have similar pros and cons.Solution: Do Less, Get More DoneThe siren call of productivity is the belief that by doing more you're accomplishing more. But when I looked at all the lists and rules I was creating, almost none of them had any measurable impact on my life.Other than wasting my time and energy, of course.So, I started murdering checkboxes. Every morning, I wake up and remove one piece of my productivity Frankenstein by asking myself…How can I do less today?The Essential PartsIf you start taking your productivity system apart, you'll get to a point where you wonder How much structure can I remove before everything falls apart?The truth is, your productivity system only needs three parts…To-Dos: Use a whiteboard or pencil and paper (so you can revise things). Make seven columns for weekly tasks and seven columns for times of the day. Design your perfect day, then live it on repeat.Archive: This could be an app like Notion or simply your journal. Don't go nuts—just write a daily paragraph (for the sake of reflection) and store any ideas that you have for future reference.Challenge: Pick one thing to orbit around. Start a 365-day challenge and keep going after that. When things go south, return to your one thing.Throw Out Everything ElseThat still sounds like a Frankenstein, doesn't it? I guess you're right, but the real measure of a monster is not how many parts it has.It's how those parts combine (for good or evil).I used to spend hours every day micromanaging myself to death with goals and check-ins—all to prevent myself from getting “distracted.” But now I spend less than fifteen minutes a day on productivity.I accept my distractions as they are.I can live with that monster.

Hello, humans! Welcome back to the F the Lines podcast, the show where we talk about creativity, minimalism, and how to stay wildly functional in a distracted world.I'm your host, Andrew Folts, and in this episode, I'm going to be talking with my creative partner in crime, Kathy Palokoff about productivity.How do you start the day right? What do you do when something ruins your flow? And how do you know when you've done a solid day's work?https://fthelines.com/blog/ep18-productivity-kathy-palokoff

December 2019—I was getting good at illustration and that was a problem. When I started my 365-day challenge, it took me about four hours to draw a comic, but two weeks in, I was cranking them out in half the time.At that rate, it would take me fourteen years to log ten thousand hours of practice. I wouldn't be an “expert” until I was forty-three.On the other hand, free time seemed to be good for me.After five years of grinding as a freelancer, I was doing…nothing. I would post my comic around noon then spend the rest of the day going for walks, reading, taking naps, and listening to music.The less I did, the more creative I felt.It got to such a ridiculous point, that I considered starting a local challenge called #RestedinROC (aka Rochester, NY) where people would compete to see who could spend the most time relaxing.I thought I had discovered the holy grail of creativity.But here's the thing…doing nothing is really fucking hard.Problem: Grinding to a HaltApparently, a week of relaxation was all my creative brain could take because it started begging me for work, like…What if we wrote some music today? Maybe we could journal for a bit. How about a mini blog post??On Day 54, I drew a comic called “Pro Bono: Freelance Hits,” which was inspired by this nightmarish nonprofit project I had done as a web designer.I broke down and decided to write an article about it, but when I got to the end and started browsing Pexels for a cover photo, it dawned on me…Why don't I just use my COMIC as the cover photo?Trap: Worlds CollideWhen I saw my writing and drawing in the same context, it was like the edges of my creativity had been thrown into a particle collider.I didn't have a chance in hell at being the best illustrator in the world…but what if my *one* thing was actually a combination of two things?For the next few weeks, I drew a daily comic AND wrote a thousand words. My plan was to reach ten thousand hours by illustrating two hours a day and writing four hours a day—it seemed totally doable.But I was ambitious. I wanted more creative collisions.Defeat: More is LessOnce I got into a rhythm with drawing and writing, I decided to record a daily podcast episode based on my daily article. Then I added a daily quote, bumped my article up to a thousand words, and started writing a piece of custom music for each new podcast episode.At the peak of my insanity, I was working fifteen hours a day and posting thirty-five pieces of content per week. I was high on math. If I worked sixteen hours a day, I could make it to ten thousand in under two years!!To literally no one's surprise (but my own), I burned out.Two months into my challenge, it was midnight and I hadn't even started my comic. I booted up Illustrator and wrote, “LESS IS MORE.” I crossed out the words “IS” and “MORE” then hit save.I shut down the computer and crawled into bed, thinking about how close I had come to giving up on my challenge…I had to find a balance between NOTHING and EVERYTHING. I couldn't keep going off the rails.Solution: Flexible TracksIn hindsight, it was ironic that I burned out on a comic called “less is more.” The obvious message from my brain was YOU'RE DOING TOO MUCH.At the same time, I felt like if I tried to starve my side passions (aka writing, music, and podcasting), they were going to eat me alive.The fix I came up with was to start grading my own work. In other words, my comic had to be an 8 out of 10 before I could move on to writing. This worked perfectly because I was motivated to level up, but I couldn't cut corners by posting low-quality work.Quest: Time TrackingI‘ve always been super-stubborn about finishing work and I'm also terrible at estimating how long things will take me, so even with my fancy grading system, I was still starting blog posts at 4 pm like…I can totally write a thousand words in an hour!!The nice thing about doing the same things every day, though, is that you can easily track and calculate how long each task takes you on average.Once I got the numbers down, there was no excuse for overextending myself.Comic (2 hours)Article (2–4 hours)Podcast (1 hour)Music (2 hours)Reward: Decide Early, Flexible ScheduleCreativity works in strange ways. Sometimes you're on top of the world and other times you feel like your work should be burned in a dumpster.When I wake up with the morning, I can usually tell within the first half-hour what kind of day I'm going to have, so I created some scenarios to fit my time and energy level. If I was tired or my schedule was loaded up, I started making executive decisions early before things got out of hand…Easy (Exhausted): comicNormal (Ok): comic + 250 WordsAdvanced (Happy): comic + 500 wordsInsane (Eureka): comic + 1000 words + podcastAction: Up or DownshiftHere's a pro tip…STOP WORKING SO HARD. If you're constantly tired, your brain can't focus—and productivity without focus is insanity.If you're wondering how to tell whether you're actually burned out or just making excuses, check your levels. Sacrificing sleep, exercise, freedom, or fun are all signs that you need to downshift.On the rare occasion that you actually are being lazy, feel free to step on the accelerator, but watch your gas tank. It's a short trip from full to empty.Stay on track, my friends!

I have more books than shelves. There's a little stack piling up at the foot of my bed. When I noticed it, I got this warm, fuzzy feeling.Some people get that feeling when they open up their bank account and see a bunch of zeroes. Other people get it when they climb into their concrete bunker and tally up three months of food.It's the feeling of safety—the knowledge that you have more than you need and you're good for a while if shit hit the fan tomorrow.You can tell a lot about a person by what they stockpile.So I guess I'm a starving artist.But it goes beyond that. Because the difference between bookshelves and bomb shelters is really the difference between confidence and fear.You Get What You Prepare ForRight now, I'm reading Civilized to Death by Christopher Ryan, and the main argument is that everything went downhill when humans stopped foraging and started trying to stockpile food by farming and raising animals.It's ironic because we had everything we needed.Our nomadic ancestors were happier, healthier, and more chill than us in almost every way. We didn't choose agriculture because nature stopped providing—we just lost our faith in the present moment.Ironically, the same pattern is playing out during the Coronavirus pandemic. Bread aisles aren't empty because there's a shortage of bread but because there's an abundance of fear.Preparing for the worst causes the worst to happen.Instead of buying a gun, why not become a mentor?Instead of starting an argument, why not donate to charity?Instead of building a bomb shelter, why not build a bookcase?You get what you prepare for. ✌️

November 14, 2019—I drew a couple of lines then scribbled them out and slumped down in my chair. The piece of paper in front of me was a war zone. Half-drawn heads, wobbly cups of coffee, and crooked guitars stared back like soldiers begging for a medic.This was supposed to be the new me.Yesterday, I had decided to start a 365-day challenge where I would draw comics for a whole year, but here I was on Day One and I couldn't come up with a single idea. Everything looked like garbage.I scanned the room for inspiration and suddenly it occurred to me…Oh…there's an anaconda on my desk!I had wrapped this giant stuffed snake around my computer a couple of weeks ago and had completely forgotten it was there.This time, when I picked up my pencil, everything just flowed. The thick lines and stark contrast of black on white felt like a goofy-yet-refined lovechild of The New Yorker and Captain Underpants. It was perfect.Oh, boy! I thought. This is going to be easy!Problem: Radio StaticI loved the comic so much that I changed all my cover photos and posted my challenge on Facebook: “From now until November 14, 2020, I'm going to be posting a new comic every day!”I didn't get a single Like, which, to be honest, I was kind of salty about because this was HUGE. I was about to go on a journey that would change my life.When I sat down to draw the next morning, though, I realized why no one cared about my challenge. I was back to square one, struggling with creative block, and I wasn't even sure I could come up with another comic today, let alone maintain the streak for a whole year. It's true, I thought…Talk is cheap. And yearlong challenges impulsively posted to Facebook are even cheaper.Trap: Remade LinesI got through Day Two by cheating (sort of). Instead of drawing a comic from scratch, I took a picture of some shoes and traced over it.People liked it, but I knew I had to do better because shortcuts weren't going to make me a better illustrator. The next five days, I drew music coming out of my head, an anti-aircraft gun shooting down an email, me steeping myself in a tea bathtub, and another one of me climbing an infinite bookcase.My ideas were creative, but there was something missing.Defeat: Foul Phone BeastOn Day Seven, I drew myself holding a sword and shield and fighting my iPhone. Again…it was technically ok and I could see my skills improving, but I felt like I was trapped under an invisible glass ceiling.Around the same time, I started following gemma correll (she's brilliant, btw), and I couldn't help comparing myself to her because we had similar illustration styles. I kept thinking…What makes her comics so good?Obviously, she had been at it way longer than me, but the one thing I kept coming back to was her honesty. Puns aside, she was being totally open about herself—taking her anxiety, depression, and insecurities, and throwing them all on the table like…Here I am! Take it or leave it.It was time to stop hiding myself.Solution: 365 BroadcastA few weeks ago, I came across this podcast episode where dating coach Cora Boyd was talking about how the “facades” we hide behind are really fucking distracting. For emphasis, she pauses and yells “PEOPLE CAN'T SEE YOU!”That's how I was feeling back in 2019 when I started my challenge.I kept putting up this sunny facade of “everything's fine, nothing to see here” and it was stopping me from making real connections. There were people out there looking for me and they couldn't find me because…A: I had hardly posted any of my work over the past five years.B: When I did, it wasn't honest. My portfolio and social media feeds were full of fake-happy illustrations and click-baity blog posts.Everyone thought I was just boring and quiet. No one had a clue that I was actually a total freakin' weirdo.Quest: Express MyselfI started my challenge to get better at drawing, but after the first week, I realized my real goal was to broadcast myself into the universe.On Day Seven, I made a comic about anxiety and thinking everyone hated me. I was terrified to hit publish—sirens were blaring inside me like What are you DOING? You can't say that!! People will think there's something wrong with you and you'll get locked up in a psych ward!!I was getting anxiety about anxiety, which is pretty hilarious, considering what happened next, which was…nothing.Reward: Friendly FeedbackFor the next hundred-and-fifty days, I drew comics about depression and existential dread and LSD and arthritis, and none of the bad things I thought would happen happened.No one cared. And when they did care it was to tell me how much they identified with my comics—how they were going through the same thing or had the same controversial opinion. Basically…I found out who my real friends were and completely forgot about my enemies (imaginary or otherwise).One other perk of my daily challenge was that when the Coronavirus hit, my life didn't change at all. While everyone was freaking out, I was in zen mode—just cranking out comics. I was the eye of my own storm.Process: How to Start a 365 ChallengeDoing something every day for a whole year is a huge commitment. You don't have to have everything figured out to start, but you do need the proper motivation. When I realized how much time I had wasted trying to be a jack-of-all-trades, it was humiliating.But humiliation is the fuel that kept me going every time I felt like quitting. While other people talk about their ambitious goals, I wake up every day and make mine happen. It's an amazing feeling and I want that for you, too!So here are some tips to help you get started.1. Topic & AudienceI've tried to start a daily challenge lots of times before, but I always gave up after a few weeks because I didn't have a big enough why.The two questions you have to ask yourself are…What am I creating? (What's the topic?)Who am I creating for? (Who needs my work?)One of my classmates from high school OD'd last year and the last time I saw him, he was trying to make it as a comedian. It breaks my fucking heart to see creative people spiral out like that, so I made it my mission to share practical tips on mental health and productivity.2. Format & LimitationsYou can increase the difficulty of your challenge as you go, but your core “promise” should be something you know FOR SURE you can accomplish every day—whether you're happy or totally burned out.On a good day, I can draw a comic, write a thousand words, and record a podcast episode, but that level of creativity is totally unsustainable.When in doubt, underpromise and over-deliver.Also, being lazy is a good thing. I draw my comics in one stroke weight and only use black, yellow, and white. You'd think putting limitations on yourself would make things harder, but it actually frees up brainpower. Because I don't have to think about color, I can be more playful with shapes and sizing!3. Publishing & DocumentationIt's hard to believe, but people care as much about how you work as they do about the art itself. Screenshots, mini-tutorials, and improvised vlogs show your raw side—when you're authentic, people will follow you.When it comes to posting your work, don't worry about whether it's perfect, just hit publish and move on. You should put all your energy into one main channel and use everything else as marketing. If you try to “engage” on ten different platforms, you're going to burn out.Finally, make sure to back up your files in DropBox and track your progress (notes, ideas, etc) in a productivity app, like Notion.Action: Hold Yourself AccountableHow do you know when you're ready to start a daily challenge? It all starts with one thing. Your thing. Maybe it's a drawing or a piece of music or a time when you helped someone in a powerful way.When you find that thing, make it Day One of your challenge and tell everyone you know that you're serious. Make it doable, but also set yourself up for massive humiliation if you fail—you can't change your life if there's a Plan B. You have to burn your ships.Stay challenged, my friends!

#1: Validation SeekingWhile your creative brain is too proud to beg for validation, it is not above manipulating other humans into “stumbling” on your work by “mistake.”When unsuccessful, you may find yourself resorting to increasingly obvious tactics, such as leaving your laptop open on the dining room table, laughing out loud, or the classic “posting work to Facebook and then batch-liking your entire news feed in the hopes of digital reciprocity.”Solution: Seek your own validation.#2: CatastrophizingAnxiety is just creativity flipped upside down and when your carousel of horrors gets spinning, you can start to lose touch with reality.Despite your best efforts to calm the fuck down, your creative brain pulls you toward Facebook, where you message anyone who is even vaguely qualified to diagnose your problem. You instantly regret hitting “send” and start brainstorming ways to assure your friends you are not completely crazy.Solution: Write down three DIY solutions before asking for help.#3: Creative ADHDMmmm. There's nothing your creative brain loves more than starting new projects. In fact, you collect them like Pokemon cards.Hand-coded WordPress plugins, clever logo redesigns, advertising campaigns for imaginary clients, trap beats, 4-minute mile training plans, tiny house schematics…it's all very impressive. Except that you never finish any of it and no one trusts a single word out of your mouth other than “hello.”Solution: Pick one thing and do it every day for a whole year.#4: Making Rash DecisionsAs a creative person, your superpower is seeing things differently. This allows you to make decisions quickly, while others drag their feet, but it can leave you vulnerable to the whims of shiny object syndrome.“If only,” your creative brain says. If only we had that $2,000 guitar. If only we had that granular synthesis plugin. If only we had a designer hoodie and a studio and Volkswagen Westfalia and a German Shepard puppy and ten thousand followers…THEN we could make music.Solution: You already have everything you need.#5: Overestimating Your Time & EnergyYou want to say yes so badly. Because yes means new adventures. Sadly, you are not Elasti-Girl (or Guy) and you can't be everywhere.Actually, you can hardly be anywhere. Yes, you can work eight hours and then go to a networking event and then get drinks with friends and then go home and freelance, but in two months' time you will have transformed into a full-grown burnout zombie.You will drag around moaning “yessss…yessss…” and people will stop inviting you to stuff because they know your “yesss” is a “no.”Solution: Say no first and ask questions later.#6: Going From Zero to a HundredYou spend a lot of time talking to your creative brain, which is fine, but unlike your brain, other human beings require context.When you finally match with someone interesting on OkCupid, it occurs to you only in retrospect that you should not have started the conversation by comparing their artwork to a bizarre abstract painter who was recently recommended to you by a dominatrix.Solution: Start with the weather and then accelerate.#7: Disorganized ConductAlthough you are secretly a genius, your boss and coworkers interpret your tangled exterior as a sign that you do not have your shit together.You struggle with basic tasks like tracking your time and putting cover sheets on TPS reports, but, to be fair, this is not because you're an idiot. Your creative brain is simply not motivated by meaningless bullshit.Solution: Continue to not give a fuck about meaningless bullshit. (: