Read moreWhenever I start a new book, I think, ‘This is the most interesting subject of all time. It’s sad, I’ll never enjoy writing another book as much as I enjoy this one.’ Every time, I’m convinced. And then I change my mind when I start the next book.
Read moreWhen you’re doing a job that benefits other people, it’s easy to assume that they feel conscious of the fact that you’re doing this work – that they should feel grateful, and that they should and do feel guilty about not helping you.
Read moreWhen accepting a responsibility, imagine that it’s something that you’ll have to do next week. That way you don’t agree to something just because it seems so far off that it doesn’t seem onerous.
Read moreTry to never say ‘yes’ on the phone; instead, say, ‘I’ll get back to you.’ When you’re actually speaking to someone, the desire to be accommodating is very strong, and can lead you to say ‘yes’ without enough consideration.
Read moreOne thing that makes me very happy is to have a complicated idea and to feel that I’ve expressed myself clearly. I remember writing the ending to ‘Happier at Home.’ I wrote the entire book to build to that ending ‘now is now,’ and what I had to say was very abstract, and yet I felt satisfied that I managed to say what I wanted to say.
Read moreOne of the most important elements of my identity is my identity as a reader. I love to read – really, if I’m honest with myself, it’s practically the only activity that I truly love to do.