Member-only story
What If I’ve Got This Productivity Thing All Wrong?
A story of how we’ve muddied the waters and how a heartfelt letter of resignation reminded me of an important little idea I’ve been overlooking
Whatever your thing is, whatever passion you have, it has an origin. It’s that place where for you at least, it all started. For me, since my thing is personal productivity, that origin was a site called 43 folders.
In its heyday, it was a place to find everything from wonky tips on how to use apps better to deep and insightful essays about the nature of work and life. But in 2011, that all came to a halt — at least as far as the website was concerned.
Cranking
In April 2011, Mann posted what would prove to be his ultimate post. Entitled “Cranking”, it was a long, emotionally charged essay that read like a combination between a personal history and a break up letter with the editor of the book he was supposed to have been writing for the preceding two years.
It’s a long, winding, heartfelt post. It begins with a vivid memory of the hospital bed that Mann’s father was confined to shortly before his death, when Merlin was still a child. The only way to adjust the top half of the bed up or down was to use an old crank…
