anthology: the best of the blog and the department

You know the moment – that moment when it’s time to make the next move, but something is missing. You need to choose a direction, but have questions. Or you’ve chosen a direction, but have doubts.

These aren’t questions or doubts that need some intensive immersion program to be addressed. You just need a little clarity or a shift in perspective to get you into forward motion.

So you go seeking that missing insight, affirmation or kick in the pants online. You scan social media and your RSS reader, hoping someone will happen say just the thing you need to hear so you can get started.

Problem is, repeatedly browsing even a well-curated feed or stream can leave you feeling less informed, encouraged or motivated than when you began. And waste a ton of time and energy in the process.

It’s like pulling the arm of a slot machine. What are the chances you’ll hit the jackpot?

There’s nothing wrong with wanting a 140-character or 1000-word boost. Just don’t leave it up to chance.

Stop with the checking, checking, checking already. Stop clicking those refresh buttons and get your hands on something truly refreshing – the Anthology – and get what you need to make the next move.

la crème de la crème

The Anthology is the cream skimmed from the top of my blog -  the fifty articles written between 2008-2011 that best illustrate my most important ideas and principles.

Also included are seventeen essays written for a program I offered from 2010 to mid-2011 called the Maintenance Department – a space where graduates of my classes could continue to put theory into practice and study ideas not covered in the course material. These essays were month–long explorations of a theme and are not only more in–depth but also intimate conversations that are a more candid window into my experience.

insight and inspiration at your fingertips

Unlike blogs and social media, these articles and essays are organized by theme and arranged in a sequence that builds on the information that came before. However, you don’t need to read them in the order presented. Throughout the Anthology are links which will take you to related subjects.

Whether you dip in as needed or read it cover-to-digital-cover, the Anthology is structured to help you synthesize the fundamental lessons that make up this collection.

themes that matter

This is material born from the everyday, hands-on experience of crafting a life and business that is both sane and rewarding. It’s 196 pages of practical observations and guidance that can give you just the right push in the right direction right when you need it.

• Building the support structures of your business? Review the six articles on systems and structures (my favorite topic).

What I most want you to know: It’s not you, it’s your systems. And systems are liberating.

• Handling the nitty gritty details? Delve into the seven articles, including three in-depth essays, on money, law and technology.

What I most want you to know: Systems are also empowering.

• Looking ahead? Study the nine articles on planning, including in-depth essays on space-making, success and failure.

What I most want you to know: Everything is an experiment.

• Feeling in over your head? Read five essential articles on overwhelm (FYI, these are not included in How To Get Out of the Quicksand of Overwhelm).

What I most want you to know: Capacity always wins. So choose or the Universe will choose for you (and you won’t like it).

• Stuck at the crossroads? Peruse the seven articles on choosing priorities, including an in-depth essay on decision-making.

What I most want you to know: Systems are what keep this from being exhausting.

• Still in-between? Dive into the five articles on transitions, improvisation and adaptation (another favorite topic).

What I most want you to know: You are an organic co-creator, not a factory.

• Trying to giterdone? Study the seven articles on finishing, including in-depth essays on practice and perfectionism.

What I most want you to know: Discipline is about consistently bringing yourself back.

• Finding it less than easy to just be yourself? Browse the nine articles on radical self-acceptance, including five in-depth essays exploring authenticity.

What I most want you to know: It’s much easier to change what you do than to change who you are.

• Feeling too cool for school? Read the four articles on learning, including an in-depth essay on curiosity.

What I most want you to know: You have the ability. All you need is know-how and practice.

• Have no energy to bring to your time? Review the two articles on self-care, including an in-depth essay on our relationship with the body.

What I most want you to know: You aren’t just a brain with a body. Your brain is your body.

• Can’t think for all the mess? Peruse the five articles on environment and the practicalities of organizing your space and your stuff.

What I most want you to know: Everything is better when you start with a container.

• Feeling isolated? Read the two articles on connection, including an in-depth, saccharine-free essay on gratitude.

What I most want you to know: It’s simple. Be a mensch.

get answers

If you could use greater clarity and a fresh perspective on these questions and challenges, if what I most want you to know sounds a lot like what you need to hear right now, the Anthology is for you.

To get your hands on a copy, just click the book below.

Clicking the book above will take you to my shopping cart. Once there, click the green “check-out” button and enter your contact info on the following page, then click the green “submit order” button. That will take you to PayPal – but you don’t need a PayPal account to make your purchase. Look for the “Don’t have a PayPal account?” link in the lower right of that page if you prefer to pay with your debit or credit card. Once you complete your payment, click the link provided to return to Third Hand Works.

In addition to your receipts, you will receive an email confirmation from me with details about how to download the anthology. (This should arrive shortly after your purchase – usually in minutes, sometimes a bit longer – and might end up hiding itself in your junk/spam folder, so check there if that message doesn’t seem to have arrived in a timely fashion.)