We all want to do meaningful work that gives our lives purpose and lets us be creative. And yet, the very tools that help us stay organized and connected can cause the kind of distractions that erode time spent on meaningful work.

Jocelyn Glei, bestselling author and editor of Manage Your Day-to-Day, Founding Editor-in-Chief and Director of Behance’s 99U and the 99U Conference, talks about this and more in this episode. And she helps us rethink what we know about creativity, meaningful work, and happiness.

In this episode, we talk about:

why creative work is so important

how being busy can distract us from doing work that matters

the creative rituals and routines that result in more meaningful work

why we need to redesign and manage our relationship with technology

the positive roles of productive procrastination and anxiety in creative, meaningful work

short-term happiness versus long-term purpose and meaning

Jocelyn also gives us a glimpse into her upcoming book on the distractions of email. She is the author of two additional books, Make Your Mark and Maximize Your Potential.

Episode Links

@JKGlei

Brene Brown

Jonathan Adler

Zine

MIT Press

The Acceleration of Addictiveness by Paul Graham

Hooked by Nir Eyal

The Achievement Habit by Bernie Roth

Out of Sheer Rage by Geoff Dyer

Miranda July

Evernote

Scrum

The Gift by Lewis Hyde

The Concept of Anxiety by Soren Kierkegaard

Seth Godin

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