Things I learned from pickup basketball — Taking the ball up the court, executing a perfect play, hitting a quick 3; there’s just nothing better than being a point guard in the game of basketball. …

Why you love distractions — My computer is cluttered. There are over 70 tabs per window, and I typically have 5 windows open. That’s 350 tabs. And the number increases daily. 351. 354. 363. They just continue to grow. I continue to open tab after tab. I don’t like clutter, but I think that’s what…

How I stopped eating candy — At first, I take a small bite, hoping for just a little bit of pleasure. But as soon as I start chewing, I shrink and I’m ashamed. I consider stopping, but my anxieties come back, and I continue to eat, hoping to hold onto something. It wasn’t like I wasn’t…

How to prevent your articles from being boring — The stupider version of my current self, aka the past, has produced better work than the work I produce today. Said simply, the best work I’ve created has also been my first. My first article still stands as my most insightful article. One of my first poems has the best…

How to guarantee online anonymity — Two years ago, I began one of my biggest endeavors yet: a podcast. ‘The Roots and Ropes Podcast.’ At the time, it was my steppingstone to success: a way to explore my passions, develop skills, and express my voice. It was ‘the thing.’ I had a vision full of listeners…

Finding an answer to my demons — It always lingers in the back of my head, haunting me as I go through conversations, meals, even sleep: “What do I write about today?” I dream about my audience turning into mobs, coming after me, yelling “WHY DIDN’T YOU PUBLISH ANYTHING?” This irrational fear constantly haunts me. I’m afraid…

The strategies to overcoming deadlines — I hate deadlines. They’re constantly looming in the corner for one week like your bad uncle. Then on that last blessed day, they’re all in your face like your ex. I had to confront 5 of them recently (not exes, 5 deadlines. I wish I was that good-looking). After a…

And what we need to be asking ourselves instead — Let’s just say we were to answer the question of “Am I a good writer” for a second. We can go with “no” as our answer. We’re not a good writer. So, what does this mean? Well, it is what it says it is. For any task involving writing, we…

Steps to developing amazing ideas — Too often, we limit ideas from coming to fruition. Ideas that have potential. We think it’s not good enough. It doesn’t meet our standards. What we fail to realize is as I’ve already introduced, great ideas are not just created in one day. Ed Catmull’s Creativty Inc, puts it best…