When should my free office hours happen?
For the launch of my latest book, Why Design Is Hard, I did weekly office hours every Thursday on…
Archives
Why Design Is Hard (new book)
My latest book, Why Design Is Hard, launches next week. This is a sequel to How Design Makes The…
Leading Design 2022: Live Notes
I’m in NYC for Leading Design 2022, and I’m livebloging the event (taking notes in real time, updated for…
A big update on my last few months
This is my first blog post in almost six months, the longest lapse I’ve ever had. Hi! How have…
I’m for hire for FT role (an explanation)
These last three months have been a wild ride. If you’re on my newsletter you’ve been getting updates about…
Audiobook for How Design Makes The World
Excited to announce the audiobook for How Design Makes The World is now available on most platforms. I worked…
The Greatest Design Lessons: Tue. June 8th (live)
Two weeks from today tune in for this live presentation on the greatest design lessons I know. It’s a…
Why Bad CEOs Fear Remote Work
Remote work expert David Tate wrote that when fearful CEOs talk about workplace culture, they’re really talking about workplace…
The Lost Designer
We know that designers are hired to change things, as no one hires a designer to keep everything the…
Management of the Absurd
Do you wonder why we obsess about categories and labels for things? It goes back to Plato, Aristotle and…
The Insider’s Guide To Evangelizing Good Design
Do you wish you had more influence on product decisions? Or that more of your talents were put to…
Event: Beyond How Design Makes The World
Did you enjoy the book? Or own it but haven’t read it yet? This session is for you. To…
Are You a Self-Limiting Designer?
“self-limiting – an organism or person that limits its own growth by its actions.” Do you want to make plans…
The Best of My 20 Years of Writing on Design
If you’re familiar with my my books and talks, you know I’ve written about innovation, public speaking and other…
Leading Design Festival 2021 – Live Notes
Here are my notes from Leading Design Festival 2021, liveblogged (recorded in real time and updated as I go).…
What we can learn from vaccine website failures (Fast Company)
There’s been plenty of news about Americans struggling to register to get vaccinated for COVID. I noticed a story…
How Design Makes The World: Typos and corrections?
Did you read How Design Makes the World? Thanks. I’m glad you did. If you found any any typos…
UX Design: The most difficult concepts to explain (list)
Last week I asked on twitter which concepts were hardest for UX designers to explain to their teams. As…
How To Put Faith in Design
Anglerfish are famous for the glowing lure they dangle from their heads that they use to catch small fish.…
Do you teach with my book? Get in touch for a custom video
Over the years it’s been rewarding to see how many courses use one of my books. I write to…
My answers to the Proust Questionnaire: What Are Yours?
They say the web is decaying all the time and it’s true. When sites redesign they break hundreds or…
Sale Today: 50% off paperback edition of How Design Makes The World
You can now get my latest book, How Design Makes The World, for 50% of the paperback price here…
Audiobooks are finally here
It’s taken quite a few years but the audiobook versions for three of my most popular books have finally…
Lessons from the Xerox-914: the first copy machine
A great innovation in business tech was announced on Sept. 16th in 1959 – The Xerox 914. It is…
Design hero: Chuck Harrison
[Originally this was a twitter thread – reposted here with various edits and link corrections] A new hero for me…
Police Reform and Systems Design in 5 Clear Points
Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of Black Lives Matter, has said that police culture has long been detached from the needs…
Bring Berkun and How Design Makes The World to your team meeting
Does your creative team need a morale boost? Perhaps some inspiring new stories of how to design and engineer…
Available now: How Design Makes The World (+trailer)
The day is here. You can now buy How Design Makes The World in various formats and from all…
(video) 5 minutes to explain How Design Makes the World
Yesterday I’d planned to do a livestream about ideas from the new book, but Twitter/Periscope refused to allow it…
LIST: 60+ well designed everyday things that go unnoticed
With the new book coming out, I’m running a little contest on Twitter. Best three answers get a signed…
Free Chapters from How Design Makes The World
You can now read the first three chapters from my upcoming book, which launches on May 5th. The opening…
It’s Time To Learn
Yesterday my feed had many references to a new Marc Andressen essay titled It’s Time to Build. I understand…
Want a better world, by design? Join the street team
Want to read my upcoming book, How Design Makes The World, before everyone else? And/or are you passionate about…
Design During Pandemic: a Visual History
Design, good and bad, is central to the human response to the COVID crisis. From the design of respirators,…
The World Needs Designers Now More Than Ever
When Dr. Jan Mikulicz-Radecki designed the first surgical mask, he was questioned by his peers: they didn’t believe that…
Free digital version of The Year Without Pants (my book on Remote Work)
[UPDATE: the book is no longer free! Sorry if you missed it. We gave it away to all for…
Wanted: Ambassadors For Good Design
Most designers agree the world would be a better place if more people understood good design. But since designers…
My new book – How Design Makes The World (Coming Soon)
I’m excited to announce my next book is almost here. It’s called How Design Makes The World and it…
What’s the best first book on visual / graphic design?
I posted on twitter recently asking for recommendations. Specifically for non-designers who need some design literacy, but without the…
Free pass to Interaction 20
[UPDATE – WINNER HAS BEEN CHOSEN: will reveal who won once they confirm.] I have a free conference pass…
Help wanted: motion graphics / video for book launch trailer
[Update: filmmaker found! Position closed.] My next book, How Design Makes Out the World, comes out in a few…
Cover design vote: How Design Makes The World (first round)
My next book, which teaches just about everyone how to understand good design, is on the home stretch (release…
Help wanted: design literacy for everyone project
UPDATE: This book is in progress – head over here for details: designmtw.com. My next book is about teaching…
Public Speaking Workshop: April 8th 6:30pm
(Hi folks – the blog has been quiet for awhile. Good to be back! I’ll explain more soon. Happy…
Public Speaking Workshop: open to all this October
For years now I’ve been quietly teaching public speaking workshops in-house at corporations and organizations and doing private speaker…
UX Lisbon 2018 – Talk Notes
I speak later today at UX Lisbon 2018, Here are my notes from the sessions so far, will update after each…
How Creative Friction Can Help Your Team
Creative abrasion is Jerry Hirshberg’s term for the kinds of friction that helps develop better ideas. Hirshberg, a former design…
FREE Today: The Dance of The Possible on Kindle
Sunday was my birthday and to help celebrate my success at avoiding death in this universe I’m giving my…
Why Designers Hate Politics (And What To Do About It)
People who design things for a living depend on optimism. To do their job well, whether it’s designing websites or…
The Three Gaps of Creativity: Effort, Skill and Quality
[This is an excerpt from the book The Dance of The Possible: the mostly honest completely irreverent guide to…
How and Why To Ask Better Questions
On Tuesdays I write about the top voted question on Ask Berkun (see the lovely archive). This week’s question came via email…
The Questions To Ask About The News
On Tuesdays I write about the top voted question on Ask Berkun (see the lovely archive). This week’s question came via email…
The proof that we’re all creative: losing your keys
On Tuesdays I write about the top voted question on Ask Berkun (see the lovely archive). This week’s question is from Crysel…
Are engineers more creative than designers?
On Tuesdays, I write about the top voted question on Ask Berkun (see the lovely archive). This week’s question came via email…
Has Your Boss Set You Up To Succeed or Fail?
A reader asked recently (see the archive): I have a new boss who I don’t trust yet. How can I…
What makes a book a good read?
On Tuesdays I write about the top voted question on Ask Berkun (see the lovely archive). This week’s question came via email…
Which is more dangerous: writing badly or reading poorly?
On Tuesdays I generally write about the top voted question on Ask Berkun (see the lovely archive). This week I turned the…
Star Trek and the ideas we must reject to save our future
On Tuesdays, I write about the top voted question on Ask Berkun (see the lovely archive). This week’s question came from Ms.…
Contest: Take a photo and win free signed books (+$100)
Do you like to take photos? Do you own at least one of my books? Then this contest is…
How to master the ways to say NO
On Tuesdays I write about the top voted question on Ask Berkun (see the lovely archive). This week’s question came from Sam…
Does the attention economy make life harder for creatives?
On Tuesdays I write about the top voted question on Ask Berkun (see the lovely archive). This week’s question came from Daniel…
How Can You Recognize a Wise Person When You Meet One?
On Tuesdays I write about the top voted question on Ask Berkun (see the archive). This week’s question is from Mike: How can…
The Last Jedi and Suspension of Disbelief
[There’s no askberkun post today – hope you enjoy this timely essay on films and expectations. There are no…
Why Remote Workers Fail
[On Tuesdays I write about the top voted question on Ask Berkun (see the archive). This week’s question is from Regina [330…
Why The Right Change Often Feels Wrong
On Tuesdays I write about the top voted question on Ask Berkun (see the lovely archive). This week’s question came from J.R.…
How can you know someone’s true motives?
On Tuesdays I write about the top voted question on Ask Berkun (see the lovely archive). This week’s question came from Faisal…
The Pay-To-Stress Ratio
On Tuesdays I write about the top voted question on Ask Berkun (see the archive). This week’s question is from Kate N.…
Why do people fall into the trap of the narcissist?
On Tuesdays I write about the top voted question on Ask Berkun (see the archive). This week’s question came from J. Mill…
Why do so many managers have poor people skills?
On Tuesdays I write about the top voted question on Ask Berkun (see the archive). This week’s question is from Bobby [with…
Why Do We Avoid What is Good For Us?
On Tuesdays I write about the top voted question on Ask Berkun (see the archive). This week’s question is from TJ with…
Notes from Seanwes conference 2017
I spoke at the Seanwes conference in Austin,TX this week about the Dance of the Possible. Here are my…
Notes from Business of Software Conference 2017
I speak tomorrow at the Business of Software conference. Here are my notes from the sessions so far. 1. Jason…
Notes from Mind The Product 2017
I speak later today at Mind The Product, an event about product management and design, in London. Here are my…
Notes from PPP 2017 Chicago
I spoke this morning at Prototypes, Process and Play, in Chicago about The Dance of The possible (slides, sketchnotes). Here…
Netflix’s updated guide to culture – an analysis & commentary
In 2009 Netflix released a slidedeck outlining their company culture and I summarized its core themes with commentary in a popular…
Does “think outside the box” help? Popular creativity cliches explained
While researching The Dance of the Possible: the mostly honest, completely irreverent, guide to creativity, I studied the history of…
What We Can Learn From The Eiffel Tower
We take great works for granted. We forget, but the fate of even our most famous ideas and creations…
Dance of the Possible: Launch Recap (w/ Photos)
About 80 friends and fans joined me on Wednesday night to celebrate the launch of The Dance of the…
How Ignorance Drives Creativity
[In the countdown to the release of The Dance of the Possible: the mostly honest completely irreverent guide to…
Inside the messy invention of the microwave oven
[In 23 days my latest book, The Dance of the Possible: the mostly honest completely irreverent guide to creativity,…
How the Post-it Note Was Invented
[In 27 days my latest book, The Dance of the Possible: the mostly honest completely irreverent guide to creativity,…
Why no one cared about the Wright brothers airplane
[In 28 days my latest book, The Dance of the Possible: the mostly honest completely irreverent guide to creativity,…
The Dance of the Possible
The Dance of the Possible is a short book that captures my best advice from years of work as a…
Orwell’s Animal Farm – Book Review
I’ve read Orwell’s Animal Farm three times now: once was in high school when I wasn’t paying attention, another was…
Hidden Insight and The Third Donkey
There is a viral video making the rounds of several donkeys at an animal sanctuary trying to work their…
2016 Post-Election Sanity Guide
For three weeks I worked hard to put the 2016 election in some kind of context. I read selections from…
Eight lessons from Nazi Propaganda
On my way through Austin, Texas last week I had a free afternoon and on a whim went to…
New Release: Updated Edition of The Ghost of My Father
I’m proud to announce the new edition of The Ghost of My Father, with a new epilogue, is now…
Notes from Leading Design 2016
I gave the opening talk at the first Leading Design event in London, hosted by Clearleft. I spoke about…
Notes from Digital PM Summit 2016
I’m the I was the closing speaker today yesterday at Digital PM Summit in San Antonio, TX, and I’ll be taking…
On The Quest For Fun
Last week I saw Ian Bogost speak at Town Hall Seattle about his new book, Play Anything: The Pleasure…
The 7 Questions For Any Tradition
A tradition is simply a custom that has been passed down from one generation to another. Their longevity can…
The Real World of Technology (Book Review)
Despite our cultural obsession with new technology, we forget that the idea of new technology is old. We also…
The 7 Questions For Any Technological Idea
From Neil Postman’s lecture On Culture’s Surrender to Technology: What is the problem that this new technology solves? Whose…
Staying Sane In An Insane World
How would you explain the events of this year to someone from the year 2050 who time traveled to…
Quote of the week, from Viggo Mortensen
One of my favorite podcasts is Here’s the Thing, and on a recent episode host Alec Baldwin interviewed Viggo Mortensen about…
Five Ways To Survive Fathers Day
I always had a tough relationship with my father, and the week of father’s day is a tricky time.…
How To Be a Better Speaker – The Short Honest Truth
For any skill, the only way to improve is through practice. This is not the same as reading or…
The Simple Plan for People Who Want To Solve Big Problems
[This is an excerpt from chapter 12, of the bestseller, The Myths of Innovation] The Simple Plan If you want…
The Real Reasons Why We Vote The Way We Do
We all tend to think our own political views are sound, but that it’s “the others” that are crazy,…
Why Do Idiots Get Ahead?
On Tuesdays I often write about the top voted question on Ask Berkun (see the archive). This week’s question is…
My Eight Favorite Podcasts
I am a heavy podcast listener. It’s a primary source of news, entertainment and education for me. Between daily…
8 Reasons To Take My Public Speaking Workshop (April in Seattle)
I recently announced a new workshop on public speaking, taught here in Seattle. Here’s why you should sign up:…
iPhone vs. Light Switch: which invention is more impressive?
If you could only pick one, would you rather have power in your home or a working iPhone? We…
Creativity Is Not An Accident
[This is an excerpt from The Dance of the Possible: the mostly honest completely irreverent guide to creativity] Many…
My Best Posts of 2015
Best of lists are fascinating things. They have their problems, but they’re a fun way to summarize, review and…
The Problems with ‘Best Of’ Lists
I like “best of lists” as they are fun, convenient and easy to argue about with friends, but beneath…
Holiday Music That Won’t Kill You: A List
One consistent annoyance of the holiday season is the terrible music that comes along with it. It seems stores…
5 Things I Learned From My Amtrak Writer’s Residency
Last month I took a long train ride from Atlanta to Seattle over six days for my Amtrak Writer’s…
Help me plan my Amtrak Writers Residency
I’m honored to be one of the winners of the Amtrak Writer’s Residency. All 24 winners were announced last…
The Advice Paradox
“The ultimate question of any advice, rules, or traditions is, What do you ignore and why? No one can…
Questions For The Next Design Revolution
(I gave the opening comments at a keynote panel on The Next Industrial Design Revolution for IDSA’s Future of…
The Mistakes Of Writing About Company Culture
Recently the New York Times published an article called Inside Amazon: Wrestling Big Ideas in a Bruising Workplace. It describes…
Designers, Morality and the AK-47
Recently Mike Monteiro wrote about whether the AK-47 is worthy of study for a design student. I agree and…
Live Notes from World Domination Summit 2015
I spoke last year at The World Domination Summit about Saving Your Creative Soul, and had such an excellent…
The Many Mothers of Invention
[This is an excerpt from chapter 3 of the bestseller, The Myths of Innovation] All the clichés about beginnings…
The Four Lies of Storytelling
Recently on The Gist podcast novelist and storytelling coach Matthew Dicks offered his four useful lies of telling true stories. He believes…
We Are All Politicians
Mike Pesca hosts The Gist podcast on Slate, one of my favorite news/opinion shows. He had an excellent piece on…
Giveaway: A Ticket to World Domination Summit 2015
I spoke at WDS 2014 in Portland last year about Saving Your Creative Soul and had an amazing time, which…
Coming Soon: Updated Edition of Ghost of My Father
[Update May, 18 2016: Yes I know, a year has passed. My father died October of last year, more…
My Burnout Update
Thanks to everyone who left a comment or sent me email in response to the previous burnout post. I’m…
Poll: Help me name an important event
For years I’ve struggled with Father’s Day. It was a reminder of a difficult relationship and a tough problem that…
My Creative Burnout
I’m ten days into the worst burnout of my life. I’ve discovered, in times like these, it’s a challenge…
How to Ignore Pessimistic Family and Friends
[Every Tuesday I write about the top voted question on Ask Berkun. This week’s question is from Gord, with…
Irreverent Roundup of Writing Advice (Q&A)
[Every Tuesday I write about the top voted question on Ask Berkun. This week it’s a roundup of unanswered…
What Questions Never Leave You?
[Each Tuesday I take the top voted question from readers and answer it (submit yours here). With 119 votes, this week’s winner…
Starting Today: Berkun Book Club / Making Things Happen
One of my most popular books, Making Things Happen, was published 10 years ago. Originally titled The Art of…
How To Write A Memoir
The Ghost of My Father has received some of the best reviews of all six of my books. I’m grateful…
How Do You Know When You’re Done?
The more creative the project, the more subjective the answer is for when it’s finished. If the project was…
Can bad workplace communication be fixed? An interview with Phil Simon
My friend and fellow author Phil Simon has a new book out today on on one my favorite subjects:…
Reading Group: Making Things Happen (Starts now)
One of my most popular books, Making Things Happen, was published 10 years ago. Originally titled The Art of…
28 (Better) Things No One Tells You About Publishing
The recent Buzzfeed post by Curtis Sittenfeld called 24 Things No One Tells You about Publishing was fun to read. I’ve…
Live Q&A: How To Write a Memoir
[Update: The writeup and video from this event can be read/watched here] Interesting in writing a memoir? or did you…
How does physical fitness help productivity?
Each Tuesday I take the top voted question from readers and answer it. With 143 votes, this week’s winner was from…
Live Q&A: When should it be?
UPDATE: Poll closed. Date now set for Wednesday March 4th, 12:00pm. RSVP here. One of the promised rewards to…
Quote of the week: Pesca on Williams, Stewart and the Truth
Mike Pesca hosts The Gist podcast on Slate, one of my favorites. He had this fantastic piece on Wednesday, 2/11 which…
The Night of The Gun, Review
“We all remember the parts of the past that help us connect with the future.” – David Carr, The…
How Do You Make People Think?
[Every Tuesday I take the top voted question from readers and answer it. With 65 votes, this week’s winner was from…
The Paradox of Expertise
A previous essay, Why Smart People Defend Bad Ideas, continues to get feedback, despite the fact that I wrote…
Why You Need To Watch Bitter Lake
As a writer I think often about storytelling and different ways to tell stories. I recently watched Bitter Lake,…
The Burdens of Expertise
[I post every Tuesday with the top question from AskBerkun – this week I took a pass and shared this…
Apologies for the last post (if you saw it)
I’m working on some improvements at the site and had a post go out a few minutes ago that…
Edison did not invent the lightbulb (The Myth of The Lone Inventor)
[This is an excerpt from The Myths of Innovation] Who invented the electric light? No, it wasn’t Thomas Edison.…
Should you fix or cheat a broken system?
Each Tuesday I take the top voted question from readers and answer it. With 146 votes, this week’s winner was from…
Why has innovation slowed down? (Or has it?)
I do not like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. My reason is that while it seems sensible, it’s largely made…
How much do authors really earn? Some answers
Ann Bauer recently wrote at Salon on Why it’s a problem that writers never talk about where their money comes…
I’m Overwhelmed By Fear. How Do I Gain Confidence?
Each week I take the top voted question from readers and answer it (submit one here). I jumped this one to…
What I learned at the Civil Rights Museum / MLK
The hotel where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4th 1968, is now the primary site of the…
My Writing Process: A summary of writing on writing
Each week I take the top voted question from readers and answer it (submit one here). There were three questions about…
The Myth of Epiphany
One of the most provocative chapters of The Myths of Innovation is The Myth of Epiphany. Do you love…
Why Small Ideas Can Matter More Than Big Ideas
[Originally published at Harvard Business as Does Size Matter For Ideas?] Americans are preoccupied by the size of things: big…
3 reasons you should see the movie Wild (if you’re a writer)
Many books are made into movies, but most movies aren’t very good. Movies are hard to make, period. Even…
Why Isn’t Remote Work More Popular?
I wrote the popular book The Year Without Pants: WordPress.com & The Future of Work about my 18 months working…
How can Obama & Congress foster innovation in 2015?
Each week I take the top voted question from readers and answer it (submit one here). I jumped this one, submitted…
The Distraction-Free Life?
Maybe the challenge of modern life isn’t external distractions, but our lack of practice with concentration? I learned to…
Saving Your Creative Soul (video)
We share a mass confusion about creativity – why are ideas are so fun in our minds but so…
The Myths of Innovation: in 10 crazy acronyms?
A reader took their favorite ideas from The Myths of Innovation and made them into fascinating, but rather hard to…
Who influences me as an influencer?
Each week I take the top voted question from readers and answer it (submit one here). With 35 votes, this week’s…
5 reasons to read The Ghost of My Father
What? Who is this Berkun guy and why should I care he wrote a book? Good questions indeed. Here…
How To Design A Book Cover (The Ghost of My Father)
Now that my sixth book, The Ghost of My Father is out, it’s time to share the process that led…
The Rules I Live By
[Note 12-5-17: this question came up this week for a 2nd time, with 368 votes, by Richard Ferrers, and…
The Importance of What You Say
People laugh when I tell them I’m a professional speaker. They assume at first that I’m some kind of…
List of Famous People Estranged From Their Parents
Along the way to writing The Ghost of My Father, I came across many stories of famous people who…
Life as Reinvention
[Of the 247 kickstarter backers of The Ghost of My Father, there was one gold sponsor, contributing $1000 in…
The Apprentices of The Future
Last month I was invited by Dana Nunnelly to speak to some of her students in this year’s Microsoft…
My Next Book? The Atheist of Jerusalem
In 2012 I visited Jerusalem for the first time and had an amazing experience. I’ve long been a student…
Notes from visiting the WWII museum on Veterans Day
On the end of a long road trip through the southeast, I spent yesterday at the WWII museum in…
Help wanted: researcher & photographer for next book
[THIS POSITION WAS FILLED. THANKS FOR YOUR INTEREST] My latest book, The Ghost of My Father, is barely two…
Is it common to be estranged from family? Research results
In my research for my book The Ghost of My Father, I was surprised at how little data there was…
On Sale NOW – The Ghost of My Father – Launch Day
I’m pleased to announce the launch of book #6, The Ghost of My Father. It’s on sale now on…
FAQ about The Ghost of My Father
My 6th book, The Ghost of My Father is, as the title suggests, a departure from my other books. Many…
Help me launch the new book Today
If any of my work has helped you in the past, here’s an easy way to return the favor.…
Early reviewers wanted for my next book
My 6th and most personal book, The Ghost of My Father, launches next week. If you’re willing to write…
The best memoirs I’ve read: a list
When writing a new book I often start by making a reading list. It’s by reading books in the…
The 5 Worst Fathers Of All Time
In working on my book, The Ghost of My Father I’ve read many books about fathers, both good and…
Exclusive: Read the first chapter of my next book
For the last 18 months I’ve been working on a very different kind of book, a memoir about a…
I’m on tour in the Southeast this month
I’ve been to 43 of the 50 states in the U.S. This month I’m hoping to get that number…
Finalist in the Amtrak Writers in Residency Program
I learned today I’m a finalist in Amtrak’s Writer’s in Residency program. Of over 16,000 applicants 124 semi-finalists were…
An offline design magazine: Offscreen
The new issue of Offscreen magazine is here. As the name suggests, it’s print only, and it’s one of…
New design of scottberkun.com is live
I’m happy to say the new design of this site is live. Thanks to Ryan Sommers for the design…
New site design launches Monday
Ryan Sommers at Sevenbold and I have been working on a redesign of scottberkun.com for the last few weeks.…
Questions for a bad question
I regularly take the the top voted question from readers and answer it in a post. With 85 votes, today’s winner was:…
Can You Have a Career In Solving Big World Problems?
I regularly take the the top voted question from readers and answer it in a post. With 41 votes, today’s winner was:…
Did you read Making Things Happen? Anniversary soon
Nearly 10 years ago, on May 2 2005, I published my first book, originally titled The Art of Project…
Why Bad Odds Can Be Good For You
Sometimes I have an idea for something I want to make. When I mention it to friends, I eventually…
Drawings inspired by The Myths of Innovation
Artist Amy Burvall took some of her favorite quotes from The Myths of Innovation and made them into drawings. Thanks…
Why I Love Bukowski (and my favorite quotes)
It was my friend Rich Grudman who first told me to read Bukowski. He gave me Post Office, about…
Book Review: The True Believer – Thoughts on The Nature of Mass Movements
Somewhere back in college I became familiar with The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements. It…
Copyeditor wanted: for The Ghost of My Father (memoir)
[This position has been filled. Thanks] My 6th book, The Ghost of My Father, is on the home stretch.…
Why The Best Idea Doesn’t Always Win
[This is an excerpt from the bestseller, The Myths of Innovation. You can read a summary of the entire…
My Automattic Anniversary
Four years ago, on August 4th 2010, I was hired at Automattic, makers of WordPress.com, as the first leader…
Speaking at Seattle’s Robots, Writers & Ciders
Later this month I’ll be speaking at a community arts event at Umqua bank in South Lake Union. You’ll…
How To Pitch Ideas: Q&A
Last night I ran a workshop on How To Pitch Ideas, hosted by the wonderful folks (Llewyn Paine, Emilie Thaler…
Vote On The Cover Design: Final Round
More than 350 of you voted for the previous round of cover designs. Thanks for your feedback dearest readers.…
Snowpiercer: Movie Review
I’m a fan of creative dystopia and when I saw the graphic novel Snowpiercer at Elliot Bay Books I…
How To Get Out Of A Bad Habit
I regularly take the the top voted question from readers and answer them in a post. With 62 votes, today’s winner…
Notes from World Domination Summit 2014
I speak Sunday spoke yesterday at the World Domination Summit in glorious Portland, Oregon. The event started Friday and it’s…
5 Questions that decide if Facebook crossed the line
There are 4 points and 5 questions at the heart of the latest drama around Facebook and ethics, and…
Why You Are Not Drowning In Data
[This essay appeared in issue #9 of Offscreen magazine] We love to blame the world because the world can’t…
The doors of Paris: a photo essay
I spent a few days in Paris last week (to speak at USI 14). For fun I took photos…
Back my next book on Kickstarter today
This morning I launched the kickstarter campaign for my next book, The Ghost of My Father. I’ve written several…
Results: What do readers want from author kickstarter projects
Thanks to everyone who voted last week about my upcoming book, The Ghost of My Father (background here). Here are…
Can technology reduce consumerism?
I regularly take the the top voted question from readers and answer them in a post. With 62 votes, today’s winner…
What’s the best kickstarter reward for a book?
I’m considering using Kickstarter for my upcoming book, The Ghost of My Father, a memoir about the most difficult…
Lessons from working on the 3rd draft (The Ghost of My Father)
The book in progress, The Ghost of My Father, is a memoir and it’s no surprise the process of…
Feedback wanted: redesign sketches for scottberkun.com
For the last two weeks I’ve been working with designer/developer Ryan Sommers on a redesign for scottberkun.com. I asked you…
Vote on The Cover of My Next Book
Today I’m working on the third, and likely final, draft of my next book. For this project I’m again…
How do you transform fear?
In this edition of Ask Berkun, where I pick the top voted reader question and answer it, this time it’s one…
Redesign: How can my website better serve you? An invitation
It’s time to redesign scottberkun.com. Yay! I’m looking to hire a designer to work on a redesign of scottberkun.com…
Min / Max Note Taking for Conferences
As part of my recent talk about getting the most from events and championing ideas, I mentioned a brief…
Why Culture Always Wins (An Excerpt from The Year Without Pants)
[This is an excerpt from The Year Without Pants, An Amazon.com best book of the year] Chapter 4: Why Culture…
A Critique of “Don’t Fuck Up The Culture”
I enjoyed Brian Chesky’s recent post Don’t Fuck Up The Culture, where he proclaims to the employees of Airbnb…
Life Under Surveillance: Snowden, NSA and America
I frequently take the the top voted question from readers and answer it on the blog. With 64 votes, today’s…
Web designer wanted for work on scottberkun.com
Hi folks. I’m working on a minor to moderate redesign of scottberkun.com and I’m looking to hire a freelance designer to…
When My Parents Separated
This is a brief excerpt from a draft of my next book, a memoir about my family. When I…
Mindfire book is FREE today: download it here
Hi folks. It’s my birthday, and to celebrate I’m giving away one of my most popular books Mindfire: Big…
Please Don’t Be Generic (When sending LinkedIn requests)
I believe in first impressions, especially if you’re asking someone else for something. When you make a connection to…
Noah: movie review (Spoiler Free)
I’m fascinated by religious history and love movies, so it’s no surprise I’ve seen many films with religious themes.…
Book Review: Smarter Than You Think
It’s wise to read books with points of view you don’t share. It’s the only way you get exposed…
How Events & Conferences Should End
Yesterday I gave the closing talk, How To Champion Ideas, at An Event Apart Seattle (If you saw me at…
Improving the User Experience of (User Experience) Conferences
I’m finishing up work on a talk for An Event Apart Seattle about what happens after the conference is…
What does a good father do?
What does a good parent do for their children? What specifically, if anything, can only a father do for…
How To Convince Your Boss To Try Something New
Powerful people often become conservative. Once they’re in charge, it’s easy to feel that the knowledge that helped them…
How do *you* eat Pho?
I rarely write about food here, but eating and cooking are two of my favorite things. Pho, Vietnamese rice…
How Remote Work Improves Diversity
A good question about The Year Without Pants: WordPress.com & The Future of Work from Sibylle, in a comment: I…
Free Webinar: Future of Work & The Year Without Pants (3/27)
Next Thursday Citrix will be hosting me with a live webinar about remote work and The Year Without Pants.…
Signed copy of The Year Without Pants to First 10 commenters
Hi folks. Its been a long time since I gave things away. Some of you subscribe directly by email…
Silicon Valley’s Youth Problem & The Myths of Innovation (NYTimes.com)
This essay in the NYTimes, Silicon Valley’s Youth Problem by Yiren Lu, is a kaleidoscopic essay on culture divide, and the…
The First Time I Saw The Web
In honor of the 30th anniversary of the web, here’s my story. I was a senior at CMU in…
The Three Writing Mindsets
I write nearly every day and I have the hypothesis that there are three writing mindsets. Put simply: Raw.…
Remote work @ WordPress.com by the numbers (Infographic)
[Update: I learned a lesson about infographic spam after posting this] Here’s a quick visual rundown on remote work and…
Have we reached the death of the author? (Publishing and Poverty)
I’m a fan of Melville house, a young, savvy publishing company founded in 2001 in Brooklyn, NYC. They have…
Why Fathers And Children Don’t Get Along
My next book is a departure and a risk. If you want to understand why, read the goal of…
Famous programmer Leaves Google Because of Remote Work Ban
Yahoo is a curious poster child for banning remote work, as they’re not a company that’s doing very well.…
The Goal of My Life Explained (tattoo included)
The photo below explains my ambition: I’m working to fill this shelf with books I’ve written. I want an…
What If Managers Didn’t Get Paid More?
One of the many surprises from The Year Without Pants is that Automattic, makers of WordPress.com, doesn’t pay employees more…
FAQ about The Year Without Pants (with satisfying answers)
It has been a great few months for The Year Without Pants (the book about my year managing a team…
Should you ban Woody Allen’s films?
The resurfacing of Woody Allen’s past is sad from many perspectives, amplified by how a daughter and a family…
Why I Loved Webstock & What Organizers Can Learn
Last week I had the pleasure of speaking for a second time at Webstock in Wellington, New Zealand. Natasha…
Speaking In Portland next week (Thurs/Fri)
Hi folks. Just a quick post about some speaking dates next week in wonderful Portland, Oregon. Thursday, 2/27 6pm…
Buy The Year Without Pants 50% off (Ebook / DRM Free)
[Sorry: this post was scheduled for last week but never posted. The book is still available DRM free, but…
Why Speed Reading Is For Fools
‘There are two motives for reading a book; one, that you enjoy it; the other, that you can boast about it.”…
(Book Review) The Up Side of Down: Why Failing Well Is the Key to Success
I read a prerelease copy of The Up Side of Down: Why Failing Well Is the Key to Success from Viking…
Big Questions for “Secret Ingredient for Success” (NYTimes)
Ranting about opinion pieces isn’t generally worthwhile, but some pieces are deeply flawed and popular enough that they demand…
When Did You Last Change Your Mind?
When was the last time you changed your mind about something important? As children we changed our minds frequently…
What is the nature of friendship in an era of Facebook? An opinion
I’m back on the reader suggestion horse, and what a fun horse it is. The current top voted question…
Q&A from Toughest Public Speaking Situations
I did an entire presentation on How To Overcome Tough Presentation Situations, based on Confessions of A Public Speaker. If…
Can Free Speech Survive The Social Media Mob? (Video / Slides)
Thanks to SeattleSMC for hosting me to speak at Seattle City Hall on Free Speech and The Social Media Mob. Additional…
Book Review: Writing On the Wall – The First 2000 Years of Social Media
I’m a fan of Tom Standage‘s earlier works, particularly The Victorian Internet, which explored the parallels between the rise…
Compiled list: Legal cases related to online harassment & free speech
In preparing for my lecture on Free Speech and Social media, I’ve been looking for examples where these issues…
scottberkun.com may be down this morning
I’m having some work done on scottberkun.com today (moving to a new webhost) and the website may be down,…
Lecture Wed 1/22: Free Speech and Social Media (Seattle)
The Seattle Social Media Club is hosting me to speak next week about Free Speech and Social Media. They…
Kindle editions on sale today: $3.49 (act fast)
Three on my books are heavily discounted on Kindle today. $3.49 for some of them. Confessions of a Public…
What are the toughest public speaking situations?
On Tuesday 1/28 I’ll be doing a free, live webcast (register here) about public speaking, hosted by O’Reilly Media.…
Social Media, Free Speech and the Mob: input wanted
I was invited to speak at Seattle’s Social Media Club on Wed 1/22 (registration here) on the topic of Free…
Issues with scottberkun.com
Hi there. Just wanted to drop a short note to let you know there have been performance issues with…
How To Handle A Heckler
It’s rare to get heckled when giving a lecture, yet it’s a top fear for many people. My own…
How I Decide What To Read
This month I’m posting every day, taking the top voted question from readers and answering it. With 37 votes, today’s…
When Is Something Worth Teaching?
This month I’m posting every day, picking the top voted reader question and answering it. With 37 votes, submitted by Andrew…
Why It’s Ok To Be Average
This month I’m posting every day, picking the top voted reader question and answering it. With 41 votes, submitted…
When is it ethical to sell low quality products?
This month I’m posting every day, picking the top voted reader question and answering it. With 50 votes, today’s winner, submitted…
How to Overcome Cynicism
How do you overcome cynicism in an environment determined to maintain it? You overcome a toxic environment by walking…
My Most Popular Posts of 2013
There are always surprises in which posts earn the most attention and which are ignored. I’ve learned it’s hard…
Why I’m Posting daily in January 2014
I love writing by assignment, especially challenges that test my limits. I’m grateful to you readers for helping me…
What designers can learn from the AK-47
Mikhail Kalashnikov, the primary inventor of the AK-47, died yesterday in Russia. His invention is possibly the most popular…
How to present well without slides
If you were having an important conversation with a friend at a restaurant, would you pull out a projector…
The 3 best books I read in 2013
It’s common in December to see lists of “best of the year” for books and films. I read 20…
Banning Something Makes It Powerful
Today is the 80th anniversary of the repeal of the American prohibition of alcohol, and it serves as an…
Why Writers Are Cranky
I enjoyed this recent post, 14 Ways to Tick off a Writer, because many of these things have happened to…
The Dangers of Faith In Data
Here are the notes from my Warm Gun SF keynote, based on one of the stories from The Year Without Pants (An…
The Year Without Pants Cover: how it was designed
I’ve previously written about how covers should be designed (See How To Design A Great Cover). My fifth book,…
What I Learned At Hiroshima (In Photos)
I just returned from two weeks vacation in Japan. It was the first true vacation (no email, no lectures,…
Amazon.com names The Year Without Pants a best book of 2013
Last week Amazon.com announced its best business books of 2013 and The Year Without Pants made the list.
Meeting the Street Poet of NYC
Selling books is hard. It’s a surprise for most writers, even experienced ones, how much harder finding people interested…
Video: The Year Without Pants lecture (@Google NYC)
From this month’s book tour, the good folks at Google posted the video from my talk. Q&A begins at…
Updated: Speaking checklist for great talks (Printable)
Here’s the best checklist for ensuring sure your presentation is as great as it can be. There’s a lot…
SF/Bay Area Book Tour, 2013
The third leg of The Year Without Pants book tour will be in the San Francisco bay area the…
Book Review: Remote: Office Not Required, by 37Signals
In writing The Year Without Pants, about my year working for the 100% remote organization at WordPress.com, I deliberately avoided…
Working For Free: An Argument
Tim Krieder, author of the excellent We Learn Nothing, wrote in the NYTimes about the mistake of working for…
Do You Need That Meeting?
I’m sitting in Kevin Hoffman‘s session at UI18 on Running Better Meetings. He makes good arguments about facilitation and visual…
Stories from Book Tour Day 1 (w/photos)
I’m here in NYC all week on book tour for The Year Without Pants (full schedule here). There is nothing fancy…
How to transition a team to remote work
Vivek Haldar wrote this thoughtful review of The Year Without Pants. His primary critique is there wasn’t enough focus on…
Should you marry and have kids?
In a series of posts, called Ask Berkun, I write on topics people submit and vote for. Here’s an old…
My letter to the Next Microsoft CEO (BusinessWeek)
BusinessWeek asked me to use my experience at WordPress.com to offer advice to the future CEO of Microsoft: Recently,…
Why the book is called The Year Without Pants (the real reason)
When you put the words without pants in the title of a book people ask interesting questions. Some love…
Why Consultants Should Get “Real” Jobs (HBR)
My latest post for Harvard Business is about why consultants should return to traditional full-time work now and then:…
Gravity: movie review (spoiler free)
Side story: as I kid I remember the joy of stumbling on a movie on TV where I had…
Archive of articles I’ve written elsewhere
Beyond this blog, I’ve written for, or have been written about by, many places. Here’s the most comprehensive list…
Q&A about The Year Without Pants
The folks at Jossey-Bass asked me a few questions about The Year Without Pants. I’m reposting them here: You…
The Best Narrative Books about Making Software
I read many books about the making of great things. I want to learn everything I can from historic…
My Return to WordPress.com
It’s rare that companies have books written about them. Most aren’t interested and those that are must find a…
Mega list of Remote Work Tips and Tricks
There is a ton of advice on remote work and I’m compiling a list of good, simple advice for…
The Year Without Pants v1: Typos and corrections
Much like software, first releases of books, despite the makers best wishes, have their share of mistakes. Mary, John…
How To Change A Company
I spoke about The Year Without Pants last week at Seattle Town Hall. I talked about some of the…
And the signed book goes to…
Recently I offered a signed copy if you vote on the ad for The Year Without Pants. Nearly 80…
Pantless at 7000 feet
My friend Shawn Murphy read some of The Year Without Pants on a recent hike to the top of…
Ten Great Reasons To Try The Year Without Pants
If you’re not sure if the book The Year Without Pants: WordPress.com & The Future of Work is for you,…
Year Without Pants: Launch Party in Seattle (Photos)
About 100 friends and fans joined me last night to help celebrate the launch of The Year Without Pants which…
List of Year Without Pants reviews & mentions
Thanks to everyone who has tweeted, Facebooked and blogged so far in support of The Year Without Pants: WordPress.com…
On Sale NOW: The Year Without Pants
The time is now. Three years in the making, you can now buy The Year Without Pants. It’s launch…
How To Help with Book Launch (Today)
Thanks for even thinking of helping out with launching my next book. What many don’t know is marketing is…
The 7 things authors do before book launch day
Authors lead odd lives. Most of what people know of us we control through blog posts and books. Behind…
Does your charity want pants? (Seattle)
Sept. 17th is launch day for my book The Year Without Pants. I’m throwing a launch party, and I’d…
The Year Without Pants: Official Movie Trailer
I think you folks will like this, and it’s definitely worth watching thru to the last shot. If you…
Book Tour Schedule 2013 (Year Without Pants)
Here is the current speaking schedule for The Year Without Pants. Note: this is changing quickly and the further…
Free chapter: The Year Without Pants
Hi there. I’m proud to share with you today a free chapter for The Year Without Pants. The official…
Labor day: facts on the future and present of work
16 days from now my fifth book, The Year Without Pants, launches, and I’m posting daily till that happens.…
I’m posting daily until YWP launches
(and I’ll explain why)
I’ve been waiting 3 years for The Year Without Pants to launch and I can’t wait any longer. For…
Sept 17th: Official Launch for The Year Without Pants (details)
Hi folks. We’re getting close. Tuesday September 17th will be the official launch date for my 5th book, The…
You Pick The Ad for My Book (Get a signed copy of The Year Without Pants)
The fine folks at Jossey-Bass are working on some web ads for The Year Without Pants. We’ve narrowed it…
The Year Without Pants: The Movie
For every book I do something different for PR and marketing. For The Year Without Pants (pre-order now), it’s…
Don’t Be Precious (with your ideas)
[This a chapter from The Dance of The Possible: the mostly honest, completely irreverent, guide to creativity] Three magic…
How to survive and thrive with multiple stakeholders
Each week I take the top voted question from readers and answer it (submit yours here). With 40 votes, this week’s…
Why do we accept bad systems?
Each week I take the top voted question from readers and answer it. With 45 votes, this week’s winner was “Why…
Scoble’s review of The Year Without Pants
The official launch date for The Year Without Pants: WordPress.com and the Future of work is September 10th, but early…
Facts and Myths about Remote work
While working on The Year Without Pants: WordPress.com and the Future of Work (An Amazon.com best book of 2013), I’ve…
Why I’m making a film about Seattle
I’ve made my living as a writer in part because of of where I live. The city of Seattle…
Advice on visiting Tokyo for first time?
Later this year I’ll be visiting Tokyo for the first time. I’ve always wanted to go to Japan and…
Should your book be a memoir or fiction?
Here’s a common question about writing memoirs from the mailbag: I just read a novel I loved and was…
Thoughts on Death to Bullshit & Information Overload
I recently watched Brad Frost’s interesting talk Death To Bullshit (slides). He takes strong positions about information overload and…
Are Hospitals More Important Than Art?
Each week I take the top voted question from readers and answer it (submit yours here). With 35 votes, this week’s…
Why Do Some Innovations Spread Slowly?
I’m a fan of Atul Gawande’s books (here’s my review of Checklist Manifesto). His essay in the New Yorker,…
How to make smart project decisions: the checklist
Yesterday I was working on a complex project and found myself stuck. I was out of time and had…
Best Book On Self Publishing: APE – Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur
I was pleased when I heard that Guy Kawasaki was working (with Shawn Welch) on a book about self-publishing.…
How to read an amazon.com book review
We read for different reasons, but we often write reviews as if everyone in the world is just like…
Understanding Detroit: Detropia (documentary review)
I watched the documentary Detropia on Netflix Streaming recently and I highly recommend it. With the recent news of…
What is the meaning of life? (and why do people keep asking)
[Each week I take the top voted topic from readers and answer it. With 45 votes, this week’s winner was “What…
What To Expect If You Follow Me on Twitter
Twitter is a curious place. It’s used in so many different ways that when I follow people whose work…
The law does not guarantee justice
“The court doesn’t exist to give them justice… But to give them a chance at justice.” -Galvin (Paul Newman),…
Book Review: Jung’s Man and His Symbols
I’d heard of the work of Carl Jung by reference, and despite never reading anything he wrote I knew…
How To Work With Stupid People
I wrote the popular essay How To Manage Smart People years ago, and often heard the feedback: “advice on smart people is…
Inside Buckminster Fuller’s house (w/ photos)
Today is when noted inventor, designer and philosopher Buckminster Fuller was born in 1895. He’s most famous for the geodisic dome,…
NYC/Boston: Book tour venues wanted
To promote my upcoming book The Year Without Pants I’ll be touring the NYC/Boston area 10/15 thru 10/28. Just…
Why is Our Civilization Dying?
Each week I take the top voted question from readers and answer it. With 49 votes, this week’s winner was…
Help Wanted: Marketing / research assistant
I’m hiring a marketing assistant to help with the upcoming launch of The Year Without Pants. I’m hoping one…
Want an early copy of The Year Without Pants? (exclusive)
The Year Without Pants: WordPress.com and the Future of Work is just a few weeks away from releasing. It’s already…
Book review: Your First 1000 copies – a guide to marketing books
Last night I read Your First 1000 copies: The step by step guide to marketing your book by Tim Grahl…
New site feature: Control My Mind (Ask Berkun)
I’ve been working with the folks at FreshMuse on a new feature: Mind Control. I’ve always enjoyed Q&A with you…
Movie review: Tales From The Script (The business of writing films)
Screenwriting is hard, but what’s harder is selling a screenplay and getting a film made. The best documentary I’ve…
How Do You Build a Culture of Healthy Debate?
From Monday’s pile of questions reader Ev Larsen asked: Assumptions have an unnerving way of becoming facts and received wisdom…
When to quit working for a bully?
From Monday’s question pile an anonymous reader asked: After five years of consulting I accepted a full time job with a…
Should you self publish your first book?
From Monday’s question pile reader Gutenberg Neto, who has one of the best names ever for questions about publishing, asked: After releasing books…
Book Review: Designing Together
I was honored to write the forward for Dan Brown’s new book, Designing Together, because I thought it was excellent.…
How to Find Your Niche In Life
From my Monday question pile Jennifer asked: How do you find your niche in life? This seems like a simple question but…
My process for blogging
From my Monday question pile, my friend Angela asked: As an active blogger and communicator, I’m curious your setup. Obviously…
Q&A Monday: ask me your questions
Here’s an experiment: what question do you want me to answer? Something you want advice on? A topic you…
Changing your life is not a (mid-life) crisis
“Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.” –…
The Year Without Pants: early praise and reviews
It’s been an amazing journey writing a book about my year working for WordPress.com. Now in the last three…
How To Write a Second Draft
As I’ve been working on The Year Without Pants, I wrote recently about how to revise a first draft,…
Book Review: Good Prose – The Art of Non Fiction
I gave a talk at WordCamp Seattle recently about writing. One point I made was the limitations for improving…
How Pulp Fiction was written (and rejected)
From Cinephillia and Beyond, this comment from Roger Avary, who co-wrote Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction with Tarantino: We just took…
The Meaninglessness of Google Glass
“The more we elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate.” – J. B. Priestley [Update 1/16/15: Google…
Would you hire me? Resume from 1994
In going through old boxes I found this resume from 1994. And a wave of bad memories returned. I had…
When In Doubt, Make a List
The most helpful action when feeling overwhelmed is to make a list. Lists do many good things for our…
Are you important? (Emotions vs. Actions)
When people say “you know you are important to me” the best answer is “I don’t know.” Think about…
Blog Community Panel: Summary (WordCamp Seattle)
Thanks to everyone who attended our panel session at WordCamp Seattle, and to our panelists: Ariel M Stallings, from Offbeatempire.com,…
How to Meet Your Hero
Here’s a question from the mailbag: I’m going to a conference for the first time, in part to meet…
Book Review: Microinteractions
They say the devil is in the details, but the angels are in there too. That is, if you…
The Idiot Ratio
Every organization has a ratio of idiots to non-idiots. This is the idiot ratio. This is a harsh, shallow,…
Why Do Communities Thrive or Die? Questions wanted
[The panel is over: notes from it are here] Next This week I’m moderating a panel on building online communities…
Summary: Best Posts on Getting Feedback
I’m speaking today at An Event Apart San Diego about Feedback Without Frustration. Here’s a summary of my best…
Saving Your Creative Soul
I spoke at TEDXDepaul last month, on the invitation of Daniel Gurevich. He gave me free reign to decide what…
Why hats and iPads are speaking mistakes
I spoke at TEDXDepaul last month and it was a fantastic event. The organizers Daniel Gurevich and Matt Helbig did a…
Why I’m not a fan of teams or religions
I don’t root for sports teams for the same reason I’m not religious. The divisions between one group and…
Truths, myths and lies
There are two different uses of the word myth: A falsehood, as in “the weight loss myth” A story with…
Why It’s OK To Buy Books And Not Read Them
I used to feel guilty about books I own but haven’t read. They’d sit in piles making me feel…
What I learned From Improv Class
A decade ago, on a dare, I took a class in improvisation. I was surprised how much the class…
On Getting Old(er)
I’m 41 years old today and I never expected to live this long. Although I’ve spent more time in…
Don’t Go Back to School: Book Review
I wrote recently about whether a college degree is worth the expense, and when I heard about Kio Stark’s…
How to Build A Billion Dollar Company (A critique)
A recent post called The Surest way to build a billion dollar company by James Slavet tries to look at…
How to Get Better Feedback
Stacey Hanke asked on twitter: Why is it that when I ask for feedback, it’s never constructive. It’s always…
Notes from TedxDePaul 2013
I’ll be updating this post with notes from each speaker – Rules: I will revise and update all day long,…
The Best Definition of Innovation
For years I’ve studied use and abuse of the word innovation. In the business world, it’s often used as…
Why I sit in the back row at conferences
Clay Hebert recently posted on the The Best Conference Hack, which is simply sitting in the front. As a frequent…
The 177 truths of innovation
In making the mega list of 177 innovation myths, I hoped the hours it took to research would pay…
The Great Gatsby: Book Review
I’ve read the Great Gatsby more than a dozen times. It’s a reference book for me, in that I…
The 177 Myths of Innovation & Creativity: Mega summary
The term Myths of Innovation has become popular on the web, but few articles on the subject link to…
Thanks for helping spread Mindfire (the report in numbers)
Thanks to everyone who spread the word about the free download of my book Mindfire. As of this moment…
Vote on the cover for my next book
A few weeks ago you voted on the title for my next book. Thanks to your help that decision…
The Ten Myths of Innovation: the best summary (Updated)
The timeless patterns that explain how innovation happens, or more often doesn’t, are explained in the bestselling book I…
Why We Love Sociopaths: Interview
Last week I reviewed the book Why We Love Sociopaths: a guide to late capitalist television and I enjoyed it…
How to get your name in my books
A few weeks ago I asked for photos of Mindfire out in the world. I promised to include their…
Learning from how Mindfire was made
To help celebrate the launch of Mindfire 1.1 (free for 48 hours), here’s a round up of the many…
Making Things Happen: Kindle edition news
I’ve heard a handful of reports of issues with the Kindle edition of Making Things Happen. I talked to…
Get Mindfire 1.1 Free for the next 48 hours
Mindfire: Big Ideas for Curious Minds is a collection of my best and most provocative essays. It’s short, fast,…
Blame the speaker or the organizer?
Linda at Cook for Good asked me about Godin’s recent post Communication is a path, not an event: The other…
Tomorrow get Mindfire 1.1 for free
The revised 1.1 edition of Mindfire: Big Ideas for Curious Minds is finally finished. More than 100 typos, fixes…
Why you can’t ignore Big Data
I’ve known Phil Simon since college and he’s one of the only people I’ve known that long that’s taken…
Why We Love Sociopaths: Book Review
The other day I saw some high school students in a coffeeshop, and on the table was a book…
How to design a great book cover (Behind the scenes)
The 1.1 edition of Mindfire: Big Ideas for Curious Minds, a collection of my best essays, was officially released.…
Simple isn’t always good
[Originally published March, 2013 as The No UI debate is Rubbish, a reference to a once trendy concept that…
Mindfire 1.1 Launch: Wednesday 3/20 – help wanted
An updated edition of Mindfire: Big Ideas for Curious Minds, with more than 100 fixes, typo corrections and other…
Why schedules help even when they’re wrong
In an HBR article called The Dirty Secret of Project Management, the author claims the secret is no one…
Upcoming speaking engagements near you (Bellevue, Chicago, Minneapolis, San Diego)
Here are a few speaking engagements over the next few weeks: April 1st, Bellevue, 6:30pm, Microsoft Retail Store (details)…
The Top Women Innovators of All Time
Historical note: a disturbing element of history is its unfairness to women. The majority of our most famous inventors…
A class full of The Myths of Innovation
Many universities use The Myths of Innovation in courses on entrepreneurship or creativity, but David Burkus lined up his…
What work traditions need to go away?
One theme of my book The Year Without Pants: WordPress.com & The Future of Work, is questioning aging work…
Grand summary of posts on Remote work & Yahoo
With my upcoming book about my experience at WordPress.com, where everyone works from home, I’ve been following the Yahoo announcement closely.…
In Defense of Remote work (and Marissa Mayer)
Recently Yahoo CEO Marrisa Mayer decreed that working from home would be banned at the company. In a company…
How many companies are 100% distributed? (Research Summary)
[post updated 1/9/18, originally posted 2/2013] One common question about The Year Without Pants: WordPress.com and the Future of…
On What Your Culture Really Says
There’s an excellent rant on startup culture making the rounds called What Your Culture Really Says (archive link)by Shanley Kane.…
How do you hire for culture?
Bob Sutton wrote bravely about the No Asshole Rule, and how talent should never excuse destructive behavior. It’s a…
How many people really work from home? (research summary)
By Shawn Prenzlow A few weeks ago, Scott hired me to help with research for his upcoming book. The…
Announcing guest posts by Shawn Prenzlow
A few weeks ago I put out a call for a research assistant for the new book about my…
Used copies of Mindfire selling for $300+
I’m happy to announce that Mindfire 1.1 will be here shortly. Over 150 minor corrections have been made, making…
Two ways to write: with your gut or with your head
An amazing comment from Charley Daveler on my post How to Write a Book: You can tackle a book…
The Redemption of Jonah Lehrer?
Twitter is aflutter today with talk of Jonah Lehrer, the (in)famous young author caught fabricating quotes, about his recent…
Advice for speakers bored with their own material
A basic rule offered in Confessions of a Public Speaker is to pick material you care deeply about, since…
Meet me in Dublin next week
I’ll be in Ireland next week, giving the Keynote at the Technology at Work conference organized by Invest NI.…
Why you should pick your own boss
Ty Clark asked me for advice on job seeking: The best advice I’ve ever heard about picking a job…
How to learn from a nuclear missile
One great way to learn is to study a field you know little about. By becoming a tourist, a…
Research assistant wanted
[Update: This position is closed. Do not apply. Thanks] I’m hiring a research assistant to help with my current…
How to revise a first draft
The only faith a writer needs to have is in the next draft. The quality of any draft does…
What rules do good friends follow? (thoughts wanted)
I’ve been thinking about friendships and why some last and others fade away. It seems there is an unwritten…
Learning about management from open source projects
In the course of working on the new book about my time working for WordPress.com, I’ve been reading various books…
The Meaningful is greater than the Improbable
In Kevin Kelly’s recent article The Improbable is the New Normal, he points out how we can now see amazing…
How to Run a Good Workshop
Workshops are hopeful things. They’re sold on so much promise, but that promise is often dashed as students discover…
You are not what you measure
On the day you die, what will your friends and family remember about who you were? At work, they…
Damp garbage and the writing process
John Steinbeck, in Writers at Work, recounts a fictional dialog with a publisher, illustrating the gauntlet of publishing a book.…
How To Write A Good Bio
Many good people write bad bios for themselves. Anyone asking you for a bio, or reading it, wants you…
The Best Books On Public Speaking
A feature of some of my books is a ranked bibliography. I rank books that I read while doing…
Your Notebook Fundamentalism Is a Shame
In a recent on HBR article titled Alexandra Samuel explains how she can tell instantly that someone is wasting her…
Liberals vs. Conservatives is a False Dichotomy
Most things we commonly split into two piles fall apart if you think about them: In the U.S. we…
How to get from an idea to a book
Success in the majority of circumstances depends on knowing how long it takes to succeed. » Montesquieu I’m sure…
The Great Big Book of Horrible Things: Book Review
This book, The Great Big Book of Horrible Things, by Matthew White, is a masterpiece. We think thing are…
Is a college degree worth it?
Many of the posts I write are inspired by reader questions and requests. Smaranda Calin, one of my awesome fans, asked: what’s…
The three things you always have
You always have three things. The three things are your answers to these questions: What happened? How you feel…
Next book to be published by Wiley / Jossey-Bass (with FAQ)
My upcoming book on my year at WordPress.com will be published with Jossey-Bass. I signed with agent David Fugate, who helped…
Best of Berkun
I’ve written 1400+ posts, and eight books, on many topics over the 16 years this website has existed. If…
Good Beats Innovative Nearly Every Time
[This post originally published on Bloomberg / BusinessWeek, February, 2010] One troubling phenomenon is the push for everyone to…
The Amazing Invention of Braille
While studying to write the Myths of Innovation I read hundreds of accounts of how world changing inventions were…
Quit your whining
Whatever your excuses are, these guys can’t hear you because they’re busy living. From Sports Illustrated Top 100 Photos (Photo…
We Learn Nothing: Book Review
I love books comprised of essays as they free writers to go in a wide range of directions and…
Nexus: a sci-fi novel of a post-human future
My friend Ramez Naam’s first novel, Nexus, just released and it’s getting great reviews. I haven’t read it yet,…
Great talk: Life on a Möbius Strip
One reason I rarely get excited about TED talks, although I do enjoy many of them, is I’m drawn…
Mind over mind: book review
Why do great players sometimes choke in key games? How do scientists explain the placebo effect, where merely believing…
Quote of the month: Steinbeck on writing
Steinbeck on writing: Writing is a very silly business at best. There is a certain ridiculousness about putting down…
Steinbeck’s advice on getting started
When I’m supposed to be writing but don’t quite have the nerve, I read. I have a special stack…
How to Thank a Customer
Some people just give good thanks. I bought a t-shirt online awhile ago from Sean McCabe, an artist who…
What I learned going back to UX school
Last week I was on an expert panel, giving feedback to final project presentations at the HCDE 518 User…
Calling London: Anyone want me to speak?
I’ll be in London for a few days in February 2013 with some time. Anyone interested in having me…
The truth about choosing book titles
I’ve published six successful books and in the years it took to write each one I’ve heard every range of…
Vote for the title of my next book
I’ve been hard at work on book #5. It’s about the year I spent working at WordPress.com. I want you…
Do you want a bar in your workplace?
Taking the question of how much does your workplace affect creativity in a new direction, the folks at Janelia…
Extreme Makeover: Bad Marketing Email
In response to my claim Jargon Feeds on Lazy Minds, my friend Kav sent me one of the worst marketing…
99 second presentations
A running joke in the world of presentations is: how short can they be? They used to be an…
The Art of Explanation (book)
Explaining things is my job. A living hero of explanations is Lee Lefever, one of the founders of CommonCraft.…
Why Jargon Feeds on Lazy Minds
[Note: this post was first published at Harvard Business Review and has been edited] If I could give every…
Idea beginnings and endings
The beginning of a very bad idea often feels very good. And the beginning of a very good idea…
Lessons from 24 hours offline
On a whim I decided to spend all of yesterday offline. No email, no Facebook, nothing. I used to have…
Eight ways to avoid killing your family over the holidays
We love and hate our families. We want to be with some of them, but after a few hours…
What I learned from Powerpoint Karaoke
Everyone has fears about regular public speaking, but what if you have to present someone else’s slides? And see them…
John Cleese on Creativity
I recently re-watched this excellent talk by John Cleese (of Monty Python) on creativity. The best parts are after the…
The hypocrisy of bosses asking for ideas
I discovered the CBC Comedy The Newsroom a decade ago, while watching PBS late one night. I didn’t know…
How To Find Your Voice
You have to play a long time to be able to play like yourself – Miles Davis There is a…
Best posts of the month (October)
Last month was one of the best months of traffic ever at scottberkun.com. These posts led the way in…
How to be a great host (at Ignite)
Ignite Seattle, an evening of fast presentations, runs like clockwork. We think of the evening as a show, and each…
Seven Problems with American Elections
America is one of the greatest countries the world and is often heralded as the best example of democracy…
How to make a good book from a blog
RR from the Reluctant Runner blog read my post on how to turn a blog into a book and…
How much vacation would you take if you could?
The Wall Street Journal recently ran a poll asking “If you had unlimited vacation, how much would you take? The…
Bob Ross, Picasso and Creativity
Growing up in NYC in the 1970s, with a mere 4 TV stations, any show in regular rotation on…
Quote of the day
This quote appears in chapter 2 of The Myths of Innovation: “It used to be said that the facts…
Why You Shouldn’t Trust Your Instincts
Among the most annoying platitudes we have is the saying “Always trust your gut”, a reference to your deepest instincts.…
Notes from Failcon 2012 – part 2
You can find Part 1 of my notes from Failcon 2012. Here’s part 2: #5. Braden Kowitz, Google Ventures, Pianos, Battleships,…
My slides from Failcon 2012
I presented at Failcon 2012 on The history of failing to learn from failure. You can grab the slides…
Notes from Failcon 2012 – part 1
Here are my notes from Failcon 2012, a conference about learning from failure. You regular readers know I love…
Poll Results: Would you work from home?
Thanks to all 524 people who voted. All the data is in. Here are the results. Of the 341…
Quote of the day
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of my favorite buildings. I’ve studied its history and the story of how it…
Would you work from home if you could? (Poll)
As part of research for my next book, I’m curious about general perceptions of working from home. Assuming you…
New site is live: report any issues here
Thanks for bearing with us. The new design is live and the basics are working. It should look like…
Can self-awareness be taught?
There is a self-awareness paradox. To become more self-aware you have to be self-aware enough to realize how self-aware…
How to be good at anything
There are only 4 steps: Do it Get feedback on how you suck Study how to improve at where…
Quote of the week
Here’s the quote of the week: We’re all going to die, all of us. What a circus! That alone…
The history of religion: explained
I have a fascination with religious history. It’s a fantastic lens on the history of civilization. I’ve never had much…
Are design exercises in interviews unethical?
Recently my friend Jared Spool posted on twitter about why it’s wrong to give interview candidates design exercises: Asking…
Does Your Workplace Affect Creativity? Mostly No
There’s a misguided trend in looking to architecture to explain why some groups of people are creative and others…
What should you do when stranger sends high priority email?
I asked this question on twitter – here are the best responses: “Hey, thanks for the email; please enjoy…
Fermat and ideas are made of other ideas
A nice email from Ro about how the proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem is an example of ‘ideas are…
Is ‘being spiritual’ a cop-out?
A recent op-ed piece on CNN by Alan Miller critiques the trend of people identifying themselves as spiritual, rather than…
Site news: new design coming soon (sneak preview)
As a design minded person I’ve had a long list of fixes, improvements and updates I’ve wanted for scottberkun.com.…
Innovation is an illusion
Here is a good thought experiment: Consider the last time you walked into a convenience store . Perhaps you grabbed…
I answer MBA student questions about Innovation
Liz Barclay at Oakland University, is using the Myths of Innovation in a MBA course on creativity. I offer…
News: I’m working on a UX book with Jackson Fish
When my friends Hillel Cooperman and Jenny Lam started their UX company JacksonFish, I thought, how awesome. Every designer…
Haiku Deck: a simple way to make better presentations (review)
I recently wrote a harsh review of Prezi, focusing on how that tool makes it easy to make distracting,…
Why we’re wrong about the phone of the future
I recently read a fine article in the Atlantic called iPhone 5? Yawn. What Will the ‘Phone’ of 2022…
Open letter to Americans about our politics
Dear people who complain: There was never a golden age in American politics. If you despair at how depressing…
Man’s Search for Meaning: Book Review
This is one of those classic books I’ve had on my shelf for over a decade, but never touched.…
On Free Speech vs. Religious Respect: in five sentences
Either people believe in free speech or they don’t. Some cultures do, but many do not. It’s inevitable that…
What I learned from losing a leg
Three weeks ago I tore my Achilles tendon playing basketball. Just like a well worn rope that snaps from…
9 ways to understand how ideas spread
A reader named Niko, who is working on a PhD in social network analysis, asked me for my favorite…
Last call: Mindfire photos wanted
There are about 12 awesome photos so far, and the photographers will all get their name in the upcoming…
The Math and Aftermath of 9/11
Eleven Fourteen years ago 2996 people died during the events of 9/11/2001. It was a tragic day for thousands of…
Free Ticket to XOXO event in Portland, 9/13-9/15
(Update: ticket given away! You’re too late) I have a ticket to XOXO in Portland next week, Sept 13…
Researching and writing the next book
As mentioned before, the next book is about my experience working at WordPress.com. Something I do while working on…
Lessons learned from my bad habits
Since leaving WordPress.com to return to writing full time, a surprise has been the decline in my writing habits.…
Get your name in Mindfire 1.1: just take a picture!
Among other writing projects, I’ve been working on a revised and cleaned up version of Mindfire: Big Ideas for…
Lessons from blogging every day
I gave the keynote at WordCamp 2012 Seattle. They’ve posted the keynote talk and you can watch it online…
WordPress dev wanted for scottberkun.com
(Update: developer found. thanks.) The design here at scottberkun.com is old and crusty, much like I am. At least…
The paradox of political leaders
Some people are more certain of everything than I am of anything. – Robert Rubin The people most attracted…
The first scoop on my next book
The good news is my next book is well underway. As many of you know, I quit my job…