Chaos, Craft, and Capturing Ideas

Hey there,

It's a new week and we're going macro and micro: talking systems and the seeds that bear fruit (or weeds) in our lives.

↩ Looking Back

This week, my world was thoroughly rocked by The Path of Least Resistance by Robert Fritz:

Many people’s lives are inextricably tied to their problems. The majority of the actions they take are designed to eliminate the problems so that they can be problem-free. But with all this action they still have problems. Some of these people have the same old problems, some develop new problems.​What drives the action is the intensity of the problem. Once the intensity of the problem is lessened, people have less motivation to act. Thus, problem solving as a way of life becomes self-defeating. Problem solving mostly leads to less and less action as the actions work to solve the problem!

Here’s an example:

1. Your house is a mess (the problem)
2. You decide to organize it (action to solve the problem).
3. You put in a tremendous amount of effort, put everything away, and then enjoy your moment of peace (less intensity of the problem).
4. Now that things are organized, you give your attention to something more pressing (less action to solve the problem).
5. Next thing you know, your house is disorganized again (the problem remaining).

And the loop begins again.

Fritz’s approach isn’t just about solving problems—it’s about creating the life you actually want by building systems that align with what matters most. I even mentioned over on Goodreads that it’s the first book I ever remember wanting to reread immediately.

It’s worth asking:

How do I create the life, structures, or systems I actually want—so this problem doesn’t haunt me for the rest of my life?

↑ Looking Up

Once I recognized how often I was stuck in the same loop, I realized I wasn’t just reacting to problems—I was planting patterns. And every pattern starts with a seed.

The tiny seeds we’re planting—the small decisions, beliefs, and habits that grow into the fruit (or weeds) of our lives.

It’s not always easy to identify what seeds bloom into our best our worst qualities, so I took time to write how I’m figuring that out for myself:

What’s tricky is that the seed doesn’t look like the fruit. An apple seed looks nothing like an apple, and the seed of annoyance doesn’t look like anger—but they are deeply connected. The DNA of the plant is right there in the seed, and if we let it grow, it will produce something that is much harder to uproot and much uglier than a tiny seed.

👉 Read the full post: Tiny Seeds That Shape Your Life—and how to spot what you’re really planting.

↪ Looking Forward

Start Where You Are

Robert Fritz helped us think about the systems that ease recurring problems. Ryder Carroll inspired the post about how the tiny seeds we plant grow into fruit…or weeds.

And now Teddy Roosevelt is helping us remember: you don’t need the perfect conditions to begin—you just need to start.

Two questions to take with you into the week ahead:

1. Am I stuck solving the same problem over and over? What kind of system could I build to break the cycle?
2. Am I planting seeds that will actually grow into the fruit I want to harvest? Or am I unintentionally growing thorny weeds?

Big structures. Small choices.

Both shape your future.

🔧 One Useful Thing

Sometimes we wish someone would ask a certain question… but we don’t know how to bring it up. This question creates space and honors the quiet processors among us:

“Is there anything else you’d like to share that I haven’t asked about?”

If you sense something unsaid—or want to model care and curiosity—try it. And don’t be surprised if they ask it right back.

💭 What I’m Thinking About

• How do we stay patient when there’s a restlessness in our souls?
• How do we help others overcome deeply ingrained habits?
• Is gratitude the cure to most modern ills?

Wrapping Up

Hey, before you go—would you hit reply and tell me: was this newsletter too long, too short, or just right?

And if this newsletter isn’t useful to you anymore, feel free to unsubscribe and go in peace.

But if it is useful, would you forward it to someone who might agree?

Here’s to pursuing the useful life together,