Before you have breakfast, or eat anything in the morning, start working on a task that will take you less than 90 minutes. Once you get a little momentum, put a pot of coffee on.

Beneath every interpersonal conflict is an opportunity. An opportunity to understand the other person better and deepen your relationship

Self-awareness and reflection are great tools for getting your days back on track quick. So often, we push, and we push, and we push against the door we want open–only to discover a handle we could have pulled to open the door.

If we sit around waiting for the free opportunities, they won’t come around very often. If you want to see a train, go to the tracks. You’re not guaranteed to see a train every time you go, but you’re much more likely to see one than if you didn’t go.

When something new arises, early adopters adopt early to gain a cultural edge. They read tech rumors to chat about it with their community. They stand in line to feel the excitement of being one of the first.

On Sundays, I often write about the importance of rest. Rest has been seminal in the sustainability of my career. Working as a contractor and a freelancer has been tough, but carving out time each week to enjoy my life has helped me stay grounded.

This week in the Ads Review I’m breaking down Converse’s set of Product + Background ads, and showing you how simple this concept can be to bring to your own campaigns.

I just opened my laptop to write with no ideas for what I was going to write. I clicked on the Apple Notes app, where I write all of my blogs, without knowing what I was going to write about.

I want to write a book for digital creators. But I was resistant to this for a while. Am I ready to write a book? What should I write about? What should I research? Should I find a publisher first? All of these questions stacked up as resistance and kept me from starting.

Some of my friends with more demanding majors, like nursing, biology, or pre-law, had a much simpler time getting jobs straight out of school. I didn’t have an easy time, and had to start putting in the work and paying my dues after school.

When decision-making gets stressful, our ability to think clearly is limited. If you can take a walk and have a glass of water, a third option will likely become clear.

When I first started freelancing, I lamented my lack of a strong network. I knew a lot of people, sure. I cultivated strong relationships. But none of them were in a position to hire me.

People aren’t always excited about technological progression. The main pushback sounds something like this: “Now there are a bunch of people running around thinking they are photographers!”

This week’s ads review is about Lemonade’s app introduction ads. Lemonade creates a simple way to buy renters insurance and file claims. This ad set, which is currently running as YouTube pre-roll ads, is a great example of how to naturally incorporate an app into an ad.

When we build a creative project (or work out, or clean, or study), there may not be results every day. But showing up every day is the only way to find out.

Unless you’re a robot (and Elon Musk just might be, by the way), you won’t achieve your morning routine perfectly every day. I sure don’t. You’ll sleep in. You’ll feel bummed out. You’ll check Instagram. You’ll skip breakfast because you have to run out the door. That’s ok. It happens.

The biggest production you’ve ever done is the biggest production you’ve ever done. It doesn’t matter if it’s a 10-minute iPhone shoot with a friend, a 2-week commercial shoot, or a 6-month movie set.

The ones who “tried but never made it” are usually the ones who were unwilling to come out from their hiding places. The ones who make it are usually the ones who stop hiding and are willing to just go for it.

Donald Miller’s new book, Business Made Simple, is a great overview of key business concepts for people who are interested in business. And that’s the key here. It’s for people who are already interested in business.

I think this is a good model for marketing copy. It’s also great for websites, sales pages, blogs, Instagram captions, and all written words on the internet. Focus on the details, details, details. Then, when the moment is exactly right, let the poetry spill out.