Becoming Unobstructed

I don't know why I'm suddenly resisting innovation. For most of my life, I've been driving it. My fi...

It was an accident. Ok—no it wasn't. But it's not like I went looking for it. It just sort of... hap...

On days when you can't do a lot, try for a little.

I'm listening to a podcast, but all I can think of are Henry David Thoreau's words from Walden, "I w...

I don't know when playing got so hard. It didn't used to require so much thinking... and, if anythin...

I've been playing chicken with the line between creating and critiquing for as long as I can remembe...

Before deleting the Substack app, I worried about not finding new stuff to read, but then I realized...

I used to be part of multiple friend groups, but not anymore... not really.

Wipers whipping, rain hammering the windshield, and I'm dumbfounded. Then, I'm both impressed and mi...

The Unobstructed Podcast: Episode 31 This episode of The Unobstructed Podcast is about trade-offs.

Sometimes acceptance looks like inaction, but requires motion.

Mick Jagger sees a red door and wants to paint it black. Don't we all, though?

My whole life has been shaped around tech advancements. That's the blessing and the curse of being a...

"Hey Derek—the usual?", she asked with a smile I wasn't expecting. It's been a long time since someo...

I hate to say it, but I think I need to delete the Substack app.

Today was a "holy shit" moment for me: this has been an 18-month writing journey of nearly 400,000 w...

"Just because your gut told you something was wrong doesn't mean you have to figure out why."

The creator economy is the new “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” fallacy. Isobel’s boiling water...

Finding your rhythm requires some blues. Today was a good day, but I've been in a rut lately.

Productivity feels a bit like pushing peas around on your plate. You might be making space, or just ...

Within six months, he'd have a heart attack at 24 years old.

My relationship with control and capability is a work in progress. As you might know, the idea is to...

I woke up rested, which never happens. I think I forgot what it felt like?

Good things happen to those who participate. But I'd planned on being a spectator, not a participant...

My 93-year-old neighbor forgot, so I let him.

"You looked so locked-in, and we could only see half of your face, so... we weren't sure if it was y...

Do you ever feel like you're trying and failing to resume your normal life after coming back from tr...

Turns out my doctor’s a real person. I spotted him at a local coffee shop today. As in, somewhere ot...

I want to be someone who engages effortlessly online, but I'm not. Maybe you relate?

Productivity for the sake of productivity is dumb, but so is performing your indifference by doing n...

I'm ready to knock something down, but sad to see it go.

Maybe art helps people heal because there’s no right answer.