About Lindy Letters
“This is the best thing written about my productivity system.” - David Perell
“Speed of execution here was impressive. Phil and I talked about the idea this morning and he had it up this afternoon.” - Balaji Srinivasan
If you read the same information as everyone else, you’ll have the same thoughts.
I started Lindy Letters because I was frustrated by headlines that seemed to be missing the bigger picture. There is a shocking lack of nuance in our dialogue, especially if you’re like me and rely on the internet as your primary source of news. This realization lead me to intentionally seek out stories that are underrepresented in an algorithmic newsfeed.
This is not the place to find the current news of the day — I try to avoid recency bias by focusing on content that has stood the test of time. This means that much of what I cover was originally published decades ago. I’m a believer in The Lindy Effect, which states that the longer something non-perishable has lived, the longer we can expect it to live.
If a book has been in print for forty years, I can expect it to be in print for another forty years. But, and that is the main difference, if it survives another decade, then it will be expected to be in print another fifty years.
Taleb, Antifragile
Every week I summarize my findings into a newsletter that concentrates on topics across science and technology. Paid subscribers receive direct access to my notes on these topics, as well as essays where I put my personal spin on things.
Here are some of my selected favorites to give you a taste of what to expect:
Maintenance and Machine Learning
Why you should pay more attention to your body’s maintenance. I wrote this piece after seeing a trend of smart people using specialized devices to track their metabolism.
Result: The CEO of Levels, a brand new monitoring company, reached out to me after reading this essay. I am now one of their first users.
Senior Year Summer
Ideas on how to spend a gap year. I give a talk to high school seniors each spring - this essay is a written version of that talk.
Result: I've spoken with dozens of high-school seniors and college freshman about the ideas in this essay.
Work With The Door Open
When to ask for feedback on a project. This essay is based on Richard Hamming’s “You and Your Research.”
Result: My engineering team now uses this strategy when developing new features. The term "working with the door shut/open" is a daily occurrence in our scrum meetings.
Nurturing Curiosity
Some promising strategies for someone looking to nurture intellectual curiosity. My favorite essay by far. Three big ways to find interesting people and cultivate meaningful relationships.
Result: After writing this, I realized I needed to quit my job in corporate America and join a startup. I convinced myself to change careers.
The Perell Production Function
An analysis of David Perell’s modern media empire and strategies for growing an audience online.
Result: This essay coined the term "Gross Domestic Content" (GDC) that David and his team now use internally at Write of Passage.
Why people like you subscribe
To learn how to build an online presence.
Your resume is not a sheet of paper. Whether you want to work for yourself or find your dream job, a strong online presence will help you find customers or stand out to employers.
This newsletter will teach you how to cut through the fluff to spot trends, create portfolio projects, and expand your digital presence. All of the opportunities that I’ve been given have come about as a result of writing online. The internet is a fantastic place, but it can be overwhelming to try and navigate everything by yourself.
About the author
👋🏼 Hi. I’m Phil.
I’m a writer, sailor, and full-time human. I started Sunday Scaries in 2019 and it has since transformed into a key part of my online presence. Writing online is the best tool that I’ve ever found for meeting interesting people.
You can reach me easily on Twitter, where I make bad jokes:
Want to chat? An invitation for a thoughtful discussion or a book recommendation will get my attention every time.
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