Seth's Blog

5 Oct 2026

Imagine if your job required you to maintain an updated handoff doc, something the boss could give to a new hire that would let them immediately get caught up on the work. All the file names,

4 Oct 2026

I’d heard a lot about critical theory but didn’t really understand what was being talked about. The Frankfurt School of the 1930s wasn’t really a school. It was philosophers and academics who

3 Oct 2026

Consistency costs extra. If you want to buy machine screws or widgets that are exactly the same to five decimal points, you’ll pay a premium for that. In exchange, you’ll get parts that are

2 Oct 2026

“Vanity” has the same root as “in vain.” Emptiness. Staring at the mirror, focusing on our appearance. It’s an empty pursuit of a not-very-worthwhile goal. But modern vanity is amplified.

1 Oct 2026

Rock and roll came from the transistor radio. When Sony launched its cheap portable radio more than sixty years ago, it came with a headphone. For the first time in history, teenagers could listen to

30 Sep 2026

If you buy a coal mine, the business model is simple: dig out as much coal as you can economically justify, then walk away. On the other hand, the model for a brand or a community or a movement is to

29 Sep 2026

We avoid this question all the time, and it costs us. Don’t put kerosene in an electric car. It won’t work. Don’t give your dog dark chocolate, it’ll make him sick. And yet, we often hesitate

28 Sep 2026

Organizations invest to create an audience that sticks with them, either because they have no choice or because of an emotional connection. When this occurs, most then take profits. They decrease

27 Sep 2026

The mass market is seductive. It’s ‘everyone’. The mass market is powerful, but it’s only slightly interested. The opposite of mass is special. People who have chosen not to be in the mass

26 Sep 2026

The last of the series! Thanks to everyone who was part of it. Danny Meyer has changed the way we think about hospitality and what it’s like to eat out. His new book comes out in a few days, and it

26 Sep 2026

We can either accept that this is the state of our audience and plan appropriately… Or do the very difficult work of changing their state.

25 Sep 2026

Jennifer is a marketer, project manager and impresario. We’ve worked together on projects, and it’s always a delight. She and I sat down to talk about the hard work of what’s next.

25 Sep 2026

I don’t believe we’re each born with a purpose. We have more freedom than that, the freedom to choose the impact we’ll make. Our work, though, does have a purpose. The change we seek to make.

25 Sep 2026

The problem is with the “and.” (Often a ‘but’ in disguise.) I want to make the art I have in my head, and I want the market to love it. I want to have the wedding of my dreams, and I don’t

24 Sep 2026

Nicole Walters is a bestselling author, a TV star, a community leader, a mom and a maker of magic. Here’s the conversation we did about The Knot. PS to celebrate the book, my publisher put the

24 Sep 2026

They’re not the same. They (mostly) don’t even rhyme. People can evade responsibility by saying it’s someone else’s fault. They can take responsibility, even if it’s not their fault. In

23 Sep 2026

Our world is shaped by contagious and competitive games. Along the way, we invent scoreboards that change the culture, and badges that we award to various players. An example: How did we end up with

22 Sep 2026

Who’s it for? This problem you’re solving–is it your problem or are you focused on someone else? I had a conversation with Rodrigo about his restaurant in Mexico: You can have your own

22 Sep 2026

I’ve built a simple website that facilitates the conversations that can help us get unstuck. In The Knot, I describe how we get entangled, hoping for two things to co-exist that cannot. We hide

21 Sep 2026

All this week, to celebrate the launch of The Knot, I’ll be posting conversations I’ve had about problem-solving. Some are more focused on the structured approach built into the free tool I built

21 Sep 2026

But you can. Especially if your community is there to help. All help is self-help, multiplied by the expectations, support and compassion of the people around you. Willpower and self-control are a

20 Sep 2026

The sensitivity analysis for a decision is easy to overlook, because we tend to focus on the expected outcome. Perhaps it makes sense to begin with the edges instead. Upside: If this works, really

19 Sep 2026

If you sit down to watch a documentary and realize, about ten minutes in, that it’s actually a feature film, everything about it feels off until you shift into a different mode. Walk into a new

18 Sep 2026

Sometimes we make poor choices. And, unrelated to that, sometimes bad luck happens. The real problem kicks in after that. One bad decision after another. Choices that compound the problem instead of

17 Sep 2026

If you can provide the cheapest, fastest and best option, there will be a line out the door for your service or product. Most providers know, though, that good, fast and inexpensive are trade-offs.

16 Sep 2026

But this job is. We all need to feed our family, find shelter and contribute to the community. Finding useful work is a key part of the human condition. But that doesn’t mean the thing you’re

15 Sep 2026

Maps are easy to sell. If you know where you are and where you’d like to go, the map solves your problem. Maps are all around us: how-to, what-to, step-by-step. The compass is more resilient but

14 Sep 2026

Let’s imagine the airline you run had to cancel just one flight a year. You have three days notice. How would you go about it? You might begin by considering the travelers with the tightest

13 Sep 2026

One person isn’t a lecture, it’s lunch. Three people is office hours. Six people is a seminar. At some point, we shift from interaction to performance–but the people are the same people, the

12 Sep 2026

The office worker has learned to dread the annual review. For many good reasons. It’s going away. Now, like workers on the factory floor, it’s likely that the metrics will be exposed and the

11 Sep 2026

Seen. Remembered. Understood. It might not be enough, but it helps.

10 Sep 2026

The Knot is coming. On sale today, a limited-edition pennant made by hand in Buffalo… The five-pack from Porchlight (with bonus Spindex) is still available as well. The launch event on September 21

10 Sep 2026

Lazy isn’t a moral failing. It’s an economic consideration. We have limited time, limited energy and limited resources. Allocating that effort is often done in response to what’s at stake and

9 Sep 2026

One kind of school is about culture, compliance and community. We indoctrinate kids, for better or worse, in what it means to be in this world we’ve built, and how to do it together. We teach them

8 Sep 2026

The opposite of “I don’t know” isn’t “I’m certain.” No, the opposite is, “I’m not sure, but…” “I don’t know” is a conversation ender. It is almost never followed by a

7 Sep 2026

Culture is built on the stability of persistence. Pop musicians have farewell tours that last for decades. The local print shop is still there, reliably getting the job done. We want things that

6 Sep 2026

At the lab, they don’t know the right answer. They are explorers and scientists. If you’re not failing, you’re not trying hard enough. The work at the lab requires mutual support, shared

5 Sep 2026

We called them this because they used tools. The first proto-humans to clearly do so. The question that we need ask ourselves today, “Are you a tool user or a tool maker?” Everyone uses tools.

4 Sep 2026

If you have a phone, you can call anyone you like. The recipient doesn’t have to answer, but the network is an open API, available to anyone. The Bell System began as an actual networked

3 Sep 2026

We have no idea. Of course, there’s plenty of behavioral data. Say this phrase, or offer that treat, and this particular dog is likely to act in a certain way. But our inclinations about what

2 Sep 2026

“Why are you taking this class?” That seems like a fair question. After tenth grade or so, it’s a choice, after all. One honest answer is, “I have to get a good grade to get to where I want

1 Sep 2026

Apophenia is the uniquely human tendency to perceive meaningful patterns or connections in random or unrelated data, events, or objects. Humans are story telling machines. And one thing we do is turn

31 Aug 2026

Frederick Taylor taught Henry Ford how to do mass production. Deming brought quality, systems understanding and respect for the worker. And operations research brought insight. If you have a repeated

30 Aug 2026

The first day of classes, some students slouch in the back row, unprepared and uninterested. Some are up front, eager and ready. But it’s only the morning of the first day–these attitudes

29 Aug 2026

Snap, crackle and pop. A set of German-made socket wrenches can turn a bolt in a similar way to a cheaper alternative, but it feels far more rewarding. More than forty years ago, I started using a

28 Aug 2026

For fifteen or twenty years, this question is relentlessly answered, whether or not we ask it. After we learn fractions, the teacher moves on to decimals. After we read O’Connor, we’re handed

27 Aug 2026

It’s not up to us to fix the world all by ourselves. But we vote with our attention and our dollars. If we’re attracted to the wrong stuff like moths to a flame, don’t be surprised when folks

26 Aug 2026

It might be at school, at work or at home. Hunkering down, hoping we won’t get noticed. A safe spot, worth concealing. The problem with hiding out from responsibility or change is that we’re also

25 Aug 2026

Three paths are now available: We face this choice daily, but rarely name it or prepare for it. The moment just before shipping is where magic and leverage can dance together. Updates: Live in NY on

24 Aug 2026

That’s pretty new. Letters sent by Thomas Jefferson from France often took months to get a response. No points for shaving a day off a 90-day correspondence lag. The 800 toll-free number shifted