1/ One of the biggest changes I'm seeing in the productivity/self-improvement world in the wake of COVID and everything else happening in 2020:
We're entering the Post-Achievement Era
We're entering the Post-Achievement Era
2/ In 2019 we were clearly in Late-Stage Capitalism: obscene displays of wealth, status-driven imagery, consumption as an art form, etc.
But like a fever breaking, the first few months of the year saw that era end abruptly
But like a fever breaking, the first few months of the year saw that era end abruptly
3/ Now we're in a Post-Achievement Era. I see it most clearly in the book publishing world, which works on multi-year timelines
Book proposals from 2019 about "crushing it," "killing it," "personal optimization" feel completely irrelevant, off color, tone deaf
Book proposals from 2019 about "crushing it," "killing it," "personal optimization" feel completely irrelevant, off color, tone deaf
4/ To be clear, achievement will still be a thing. But now the status symbols will be about resilience in the face of tragedy, connection with family, deep friendships that stand the test of time, being healthy/balanced (vs. ripped/optimized), cooperative vs. competitive
5/ It won't be about achieving your most ambitious goals, but about finding beauty in every day moments
Won't be about making the most money, but about making money in sustainable and humane ways
Won't be about making the most money, but about making money in sustainable and humane ways
6/ Won't be about polish and idealized lifestyles, but about domestic cozy and authentic lifestyles
Won't be about winning at all costs, but about finding new ways to win a game that none of us chose to enter
Infinite games vs. finite games
Won't be about winning at all costs, but about finding new ways to win a game that none of us chose to enter
Infinite games vs. finite games
7/ All this has been coming for some time, of course, but it couldn't really happen en masse until a critical mass of society could no longer win Game A, and had to switch to Game B
Now even the winners of Game A are having to shift gears to demonstrate their mastery of Game B
Now even the winners of Game A are having to shift gears to demonstrate their mastery of Game B
8/ I've noticed an abrupt change even in why people want to "build a Second Brain." It's switched from offense to defense, from holding the fort vs. capturing territory, minimizing first brain cognitive load vs. maximizing second brain load
9/ I predict we're going to see a stark shift in marketing and product design across health/wellness, fitness, clothing, nutrition, entertainment, sports, media – every industry that touches self-improvement, which is almost every industry
10/ The winners will be those who can frame what they do in terms of the fundamentals of human life. Who can reveal more of themselves in authentic, humble ways. Who can make the lack of aspiration into an aspiration within itself
11/ Achievement never really goes away. Now the race will be to see who can achieve without seeming to try to, without openly thirsting for it, without making achievement a virtue, without sacrificing their integrity
12/ A lot of this is good news, but it's not all rosy. Achieving without looking like you're trying to achieve is actually much harder. Luckily, the definition of achievement is getting much wider as well, so we can all slouch our way to our own personal definition of success
