Herbert Lui

本頁 50 篇

• Joint accountability

  For many years, I signed up for a gym and worked out on my own. The pandemic interrupted that for over a year, and I struggled to return to the gym. What eventually worked for me was to hire a personal trainer for a few months. That worked out really well, but it was very […] The post Joint accountability appeared first on Herbert Lui.

  2026/10/27 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/joint-accountability/

• The best gift you can give someone

  • #Creativity
  • #Expectations

  It’s simple. When someone tells you about what they’re working on, or what they want to do, you say: “I believe in you.” Here are other things you can say: “When someone works as hard as you do, something good is gonna happen.” “Of course it’s gonna work! You can do this.” “We’ll figure it […] The post The best gift you can give someone appeared first on Herbert Lui.

  2026/10/26 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/the-best-gift-you-can-give-someone/

• Don’t save the good stuff

  • #A Matter of Time
  • #Creativity
  • #Creator Confidential
  • #Expectations
  • #Turning Stories

  My latest column for 3 Quarks Daily is live, entitled, “A Creative State of Mind Starts with Curiosity and Pronoia.” I’ve been wanting to explore these topics in a new book, but the way I was going about it wasn’t very useful. In the spirit of publishing before making it perfect the second time, I […] The post Don’t save the good stuff appeared first on Herbert Lui.

  2026/10/25 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/dont-save-the-good-stuff/

• True fandom

  • #Creativity
  • #Creator Confidential
  • #promotion
  • #Turning Stories

  Nearly two decades ago, Kevin Kelly suggested that you just need 1,000 people who will buy anything you produce to make a successful creator. This is known, by shorthand, as 1,000 True Fans. Is it really 1,000, though? Or is it 100? Or does the theory not actually work in practice? All valid questions, but […] The post True fandom appeared first on Herbert Lui.

  2026/10/24 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/true-fandom/

• Don’t wait to get asked

  • #A Matter of Time
  • #Creativity
  • #Creator Confidential
  • #Expectations
  • #Turning Stories

  Getting asked by someone important to do your dream project will make you feel amazing. But if you’ve never done anything like it before, it’s not very likely to happen. Don’t wait for someone else to ask you. Ask if there’s an opportunity. Observe problems and suggest a solution. Make a proof of concept, and […] The post Don’t wait to get asked appeared first on Herbert Lui.

  2026/10/23 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/dont-wait-to-get-asked/

• The supporter

  • #Creativity
  • #Expectations
  • #Turning Stories

  Being a good supporter means showing up for someone else, just to be present. To give energy and make noise. To respect their competitors and peers. To thank, and not expect to be thanked, because your only contribution is to make someone else’s contribution possible. It’s not a job that gets the spotlight, but it […] The post The supporter appeared first on Herbert Lui.

  2026/10/22 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/the-supporter/

• Don’t work with clients who don’t care

  • #Creativity
  • #Creator Confidential
  • #Expectations
  • #Turning Stories

  A prospective client once told me, “I don’t care about what you do or how. I only care about results.” This statement conveys short sightedness and ineffectiveness. Even if clients only care about results, they need to learn to respect the process. They won’t need to become the expert or execute on research or production, […] The post Don’t work with clients who don’t care appeared first on Herbert Lui.

  2026/10/21 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/dont-work-with-clients-who-dont-care/

• Effects are not excuses

  • #Creativity
  • #Life

  An effect is the sum consequence of your actions, the actions of those around you, your environment, your stories, and the systems you participate in. There are causes to an effect. When you change enough causes, you can change the effect. An excuse is a story about why you aren’t doing something important. Excuses are […] The post Effects are not excuses appeared first on Herbert Lui.

  2026/10/20 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/effects-are-not-excuses/

• Gut checks

  • #Creativity
  • #Creator Confidential
  • #Expectations
  • #promotion
  • #Turning Stories

  Many years ago, when I first tried gaining weight, I followed a diet plan that called for me to eat egg whites. The only option that came to mind at the time was to buy a carton from the grocery store. It tasted very unpleasant, and it was probably processed. I tried it a couple […] The post Gut checks appeared first on Herbert Lui.

  2026/10/19 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/gut-checks/

• Misapplying the Pareto principle

  • #Creativity
  • #Expectations
  • #Turning Stories

  In the fitness world, a saying goes that your diet produces 80% of your results, and working out only 20%. So, focus on your diet, right? In my case, I haven’t found that to be useful or true at all. I’m trying to gain weight and build muscle, so I need to eat more. That […] The post Misapplying the Pareto principle appeared first on Herbert Lui.

  2026/10/18 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/misapplying-the-pareto-principle/

• The best in the world is not a global competition

  • #Around the World
  • #Creativity
  • #Creator Confidential
  • #Expectations
  • #Turning Stories

  When you’re the best in the world at something, you get paid disproportionate rewards compared to second best or tenth best. If you can’t be the best in the world at your current thing, quit and focus your energy on something you can be the best in the world at. (This is Seth Godin’s thesis […] The post The best in the world is not a global competition appeared first on Herbert Lui.

  2026/10/17 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/the-best-in-the-world-is-not-a-global-competition/

• Aspirations need updates

  • #Creativity
  • #Creator Confidential
  • #Expectations
  • #Turning Stories

  When I was in my 20s, a mentor asked me to envision what I wanted my 30th birthday to look like. What would be the first thing I did? Where would I wake up? Who would I spend the day with, and what would we do? What I thought I wanted turned out very differently […] The post Aspirations need updates appeared first on Herbert Lui.

  2026/10/16 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/aspirations-need-updates/

• Instead of saying everything, just say something

  • #Creativity
  • #Creator Confidential
  • #Expectations
  • #A Matter of Time

  One of the imaginary barriers that get in the way of my writing is to express everything. It seems like the more time that passes in the day—the more I experience, talk, and think—the more I want to express. That’s part of why writing as early as possible in the morning feels easier to me. […] The post Instead of saying everything, just say something appeared first on Herbert Lui.

  2026/10/15 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/instead-of-saying-everything-just-say-something/

• Priority amnesia

  • #Creativity
  • #Creator Confidential
  • #Expectations

  This blog is intentionally distant from most of my readers, which frees me up to try out many ideas. However, being more immersed with my readers is a useful idea to me, one that I was reminded of in a recent conversation with a friend. After my brain started chattering with new ideas, I paused. […] The post Priority amnesia appeared first on Herbert Lui.

  2026/10/14 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/priority-amnesia/

• Sophomore slump

  • #Creativity
  • #Creator Confidential
  • #Expectations
  • #Turning Stories

  The tendency for a recording artist’s second album not to live up to the debut happens for a variety of reasons. (Nowadays, it’s more like their debut falls short of their mixtapes.) Some notable ones: The artist had their whole life to make their first album. They have a year to make their second. They […] The post Sophomore slump appeared first on Herbert Lui.

  2026/10/13 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/sophomore-slump/

• Creator Confidential Archives - Herbert Lui

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• Life Archives - Herbert Lui

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• The value of a better guess

  • #Creativity
  • #Turning Stories

  My dog instinctively chases squirrels, rabbits, and racoons. I used to want to train her out of this. In an uneducated bid to teach her not to chase, I would hold the leash tight, attempting to keep her stationary. This never worked. The second I started walking or let the leash slack, she would pull […] The post The value of a better guess appeared first on Herbert Lui.

  2026/10/12 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/the-value-of-a-better-guess/

• Don’t play games rigged against you

  • #Creativity
  • #Creator Confidential
  • #Expectations
  • #Turning Stories

  Due to his work’s immense commercial success and mainstream relevance, Drake has been nominated for the Grammy awards 56 times. He has only won five times. (By contrast, consider that Kendrick Lamar has been nominated 66 times, and won 27 times.) This year, Drake declined to submit his records for consideration. Perhaps the line of […] The post Don’t play games rigged against you appeared first on Herbert Lui.

  2026/10/11 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/dont-play-games-rigged-against-you/

• The accountability edge - Herbert Lui

  • #Creativity
  • #Creator Confidential
  • #Expectations
  • #Turning Stories

  The other day, I was leaving a personal training session. The trainer asked me when I was coming in next. Maybe Thursday or Sunday, I responded. I could book it at home. Let’s do it now, he told me. So with his nudging, I downloaded the app, logged in, and booked my next class on […]

  2026/10/10 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/the-accountability-edge/

• Creativity Archives - Herbert Lui

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• Turning Stories Archives - Herbert Lui

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• Expectations Archives - Herbert Lui

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• Your schedule is not the blocker - Herbert Lui

  • #Creativity
  • #Creator Confidential
  • #Expectations
  • #Turning Stories
  • #A Matter of Time

  One evening, I had scheduled a personal training session and a phone call starting an hour later. How would I find the time to eat between these commitments? I didn’t know. An hour didn’t seem like enough. However, I figured I would just try it and see what happened. As I left the gym, with […]

  2026/10/9 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/your-schedule-is-not-the-blocker/

• It won’t get easier on its own - Herbert Lui

  • #Creativity
  • #Creator Confidential
  • #Turning Stories

  A couple of weeks ago, I watched my friend Nik present at Medium Day. He also writes every day, and he made an observation that resonated with me: If you write in the morning, you can feel proud of it all day. If you write in the evening, you can feel pressure and anxiety knowing […]

  2026/10/8 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/it-wont-get-easier-on-its-own/

• A return to the gym - Herbert Lui

  • #Expectations
  • #Turning Stories
  • #A Matter of Time
  • #Life

  For many years, since I was a teenager, I have worked out at the gym. My goal was to gain weight and get stronger. I’ve managed to develop a good frame, and I’m functionally strong enough, but for the most part I haven’t gained the weight I’ve wanted to. A physical trainer once gave me […]

  2026/10/7 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/a-return-to-the-gym/

• A Matter of Time Archives - Herbert Lui

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• Almost there! - Herbert Lui

  • #Expectations
  • #A Matter of Time
  • #Around the World

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  2026/10/6 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/almost-there/

• Around the World Archives - Herbert Lui

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• Time bound does not mean rushing - Herbert Lui

  • #Expectations
  • #A Matter of Time

  Good goals are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound. The acronym for this is SMART. Keeping a goal “time bound,” estimating a fair amount of time it takes to achieve a goal, needs some flexibility. A good time estimate needs to be realistic, and adapt to new information along the way. A few months […]

  2026/10/5 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/be-flexible-with-your-time-estimates/

• Creative constipation - Herbert Lui

  • #Creativity
  • #Creator Confidential
  • #Expectations
  • #Turning Stories

  A few years ago, I suggested why focusing directly on “quality” wasn’t as productive as it sounded: In many cases, and definitely my own experience, “quality” is an abstract word that smart people use to procrastinate. There’s an exceptional subset of people who are really good at shipping high quality work, but more often than […]

  2026/10/4 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/creative-constipation/

• Ordinary breakthroughs - Herbert Lui

  • #Creativity
  • #Creator Confidential
  • #Expectations
  • #Turning Stories
  • #A Matter of Time

  There are many ordinary moments when I made major breakthroughs in my writing. For example, early into my career, I tried turning my ideas and research directly into articles. Eventually, as I tried moving on towards books, I found my brain just couldn’t handle so much information. I resisted this for a while (mostly because […]

  2026/10/3 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/ordinary-breakthroughs/

• The consolations of The Office’s alternate ending - Herbert Lui

  • #Creativity
  • #Creator Confidential
  • #Expectations
  • #Turning Stories

  A woman who works a day job as a receptionist is invited to participate in a local group art show. She draws the exterior building where she works. Nobody viewing the show appreciates it, and she feels dejected. Then, the manager of her day job unexpectedly visits. In awe of its beauty, he is the […]

  2026/10/2 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/the-consolations-of-the-offices-alternate-ending/

• Space easy rewards out - Herbert Lui

  Every couple of days, I’ll drink a hojicha latte at a coffee shop I like. It’s delicious and gives me a perfect energy lift. I intentionally make sure it doesn’t happen every day, because I don’t want to rely on caffeine to get work done. I drink one beer very occasionally, perhaps once a season. […]

  2026/10/1 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/space-easy-rewards-out/

• Discount fixation - Herbert Lui

  The best time to buy something is, usually, when it’s out of season. For example, a fashion brand will sell the past season’s knit sweaters and winter coats at a discount during the summer. It’s alluring to know you might be buying something at 60% off. Deciding whether you actually need the item, or if […]

  2026/9/30 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/discount-fixation/

• Not making a decision is a decision - Herbert Lui

  Shortly after my wife and I rescued our dog, we realized how much there was to learn. We were trying to learn it all ourselves, which felt challenging, and we could continue doing that. Or, we could do something else, like hiring a professional trainer. The specific trainer mattered, of course. However, it mattered less […]

  2026/9/29 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/not-making-a-decision-is-a-decision/

• An entrepreneur’s mascot - Herbert Lui

  Savvy entrepreneurs respect survival. When Airbnb was running out of money as it was starting up, the co-founders made and sold custom cereal in order to pay off their debts. Paul Graham praised them, “You guys are like cockroaches. You just won’t die.” It’s the unofficial mascot of Y Combinator. In an anthropomorphic sense, cockroaches […]

  2026/9/28 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/an-entrepreneurs-mascot/

• Promotion Archives - Herbert Lui

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• Premature product positioning - Herbert Lui

  In professional services businesses, one common piece of advice is to find a very specific customer and focus on serving them. You can segment your customer by an industry, a job role, or a company’s size and growth rate. There are lots of useful books about positioning that help formalize this process. Several years ago, […]

  2026/9/27 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/premature-product-positioning/

• Time desensitization makes it easier to be patient - Herbert Lui

  As you get older, you tend to perceive time passing more quickly. When you were a teenager, a week felt like forever; when you turn 60, you feel like it passes by in the blink of an eye. There are many different theories as to why this perception changes. The one I believe is as […]

  2026/9/26 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/time-desensitization-makes-it-easier-to-be-patient/

• The shifting meaning of radio - Herbert Lui

  A year ago, I switched from Apple Music to Spotify. One of the programs I’ve noticed is Apple Music Radio, where Apple hires real people to broadcast music on live streams. Many years ago, the word, “Radio,” defined technology hardware. Now, the definition of “Radio” is more useful as a genre that is bound to […]

  2026/9/25 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/the-shifting-meaning-of-radio/

• Willingness is the cost of admission - Herbert Lui

  When I was in high school, I spent a semester riding a bus to and from a co-op placement. In need of listening material, I came across downloadable university lectures through iTunes University. I felt incredibly energized by how much knowledge from great schools was available without paying tuition. All you needed was a willingness […]

  2026/9/24 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/willingness-is-the-cost-of-admission/

• Keep work in perspective - Herbert Lui

  When you care about your work, it can feel like the stakes are high. In times of stress, it’s useful to keep in mind that work is just one part of your life. This sign at the entrance of a construction site illustrates the principle well: Nothing you do on this site today will be […]

  2026/9/23 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/keep-work-in-perspective/

  

• The line between the last to win and the first to lose - Herbert Lui

  When I was in high school, I participated in a math contest held by my tutor. Whoever scored over 80% would be able to go on stage at a ceremony and collect a medal. The tutors printed the results on a piece of paper. I found my name and was in disbelief. I scored 79.5%. […]

  2026/9/22 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/the-line-between-the-last-to-win-and-the-first-to-lose/

• A writer’s little empire - Herbert Lui

  If you’re a writer practicing independent publishing, you need to take on a whole lot of tasks and develop skills that are tangential to actually typing out your books. In a sense, it feels like a distraction, instead of focusing on your writing. Another, more useful, way to see it is that all of these […]

  2026/9/21 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/a-writers-little-empire/

• Look Back - Herbert Lui

  The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is a special time for the city, one I didn’t appreciate until I moved away from it. This year, I did my homework and found a movie I wanted to watch: Hirokazu Kore-eda’s adaptation of Look Back, a one-shot graphic novel originally written and illustrated by Tatsuki Fujimoto. While […]

  2026/9/20 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/look-back/

• The gravity of the interim - Herbert Lui

  A couple of weeks ago, I bought a new pair of glasses. I intended them to be a backup pair. The gold plating on my main pair has been wearing off after several years of use, so I was hoping to get them replated. Guess what? The price of gold has gone up. People don’t […]

  2026/9/19 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/the-gravity-of-the-interim/

• After an athletic career - Herbert Lui

  What happens when you’re an incredibly dedicated and successful athlete who doesn’t find success? What happens when you lose the lottery? In the Netflix show Final Draft, every participant is a former athlete who is pivoting into their next career. Some have an opportunity to walk away on their terms, while others are forced into […]

  2026/9/18 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/after-an-athletic-career/

• Beauty in the ordinary - Herbert Lui

  By definition, celebrities are the most visible, widely recognized, people who make art. They work in entertainment, and their work and lives fit into the show business model. (I consider fine artists who work in the gallery business model as part of this group. Local fame counts.) There’s also a message that you might receive: […]

  2026/9/17 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/beauty-in-the-ordinary/

• Don’t paint those stripes - Herbert Lui

  During my junior and senior years in high school, a few of my classmates attended private schools for some of their courses. These schools offered easy high grades as long as you paid tuition. If you needed the grades, and you could afford it, it was a good deal. It seemed like a no-brainer. Now, […]

  2026/9/16 23:11Herbert Luihttps://herbertlui.net/dont-paint-those-stripes/