Sunday Musings #17

(That’s NYC from my view in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Selfishly, early morning weekend workouts – I was jumproping by the water – feel extra good because everyone else is sleeping.)

Live On The Vine. A little over a year ago I told you that TOUT was the future of marketing engagement. When Vine took the Internets by storm, I couldn’t believe I was this close on my prediction, but missed it by nine seconds. Like any other new tech that had potential for impact, I gave Vine a shot but it pretty much just sat on my home screen for a few weeks, untouched. It wasn’t until I created a recent Vine to show off a cool DM piece from Wix that I recognized the service’s simple brilliance. Because of its format (stop-and-start-as-you-please recording), a good video takes effort, thought, planning, even recruiting and teamwork. That’s a stark differentiation from Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It’s a production platform, not a mass blast tool. You don’t “take” a vine, you “make” one or, better yet, you “orchestrate” one. I mean, for real, look at this guy’s work!

15 vs 5×3. I’m a rabidly impatient man, that much is for certain. The hardest part of working out isn’t getting up early, or getting motivated, or even consistency – it’s having the patience to actually execute all 15 reps. That’s why I mentally portion my rep schemes out as I’m counting in my head. So, a set of 15 turns into three mini sets of 5. It works, trust me. “Empirically, the way to do really big things seems to be to start with deceptively small things….I think the way to use these big ideas is not to try to identify a precise point in the future and then ask yourself how to get from here to there…You’ll be better off if you operate like Columbus and just head in a general westerly direction.” Same principle as the Pomodoro Technique, which breaks a really big task (your day’s work) into really small tasks (25 minute bursts of focused activity). Progress begets progress, and that’s what makes these small victories so important.

The recipe industry is ripe for disruption. (Ya catch that pun?!) As a big cook-at-home guy, I get so damn bored with online recipes. They all pretty much follow the same format and look the same, more or less. That is, until you read the cultishly popular Thug Kitchen blog. With 255k Facebook likes and over 28k Twitter followers, you wouldn’t expect a tagline like “Eat like you give a fuck” on the site, but there it is. Apparently the authors of the vegan food blog are a mystery (many think it’s a crew out of LA), but the tone is unmistakeably unique. That brings me to my next point – a great way to differentiate yourself is by injecting some damn personality into what you’re doing, especially when nobody else is. Sure, you might piss some people off, but those weren’t going to be your advocates anyway. From a quick read, the Thug blog isn’t offering super unique recipes or photos of food compared to other sites. But, it’s fun as hell to read and adds a new element to the staid recipe finding/reading process. Take a look at the following excerpts from two different sites for the same recipe and tell me which one grabs your attention:

If you think quinoa is only good for savory salads and pilafs, you’re missing out. Pair it with steel-cut oats to amplify its hearty flavor. A little maple syrup brings out its sweet side…. Bring 1/2 cup dried fruit (such as goji berries, cranberries, or barberries), 1/2 cup steel-cut oats, 1/2 cup well-rinsed quinoa, 1/4 cup raisins, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoons ground cardamom, and 4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover and let sit off heat overnight. (Alternatively, bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until grains are tender, 20-25 minutes.)

OR

Don’t give me that “I don’t eat breakfast” bullshit. It’s too early to be an asshole. The fiber in the oatmeal helps control your blood sugar and keeps you feeling full until lunch. The quinoa gives your morning a little extra protein because why the fuck not? Start your day right by owning the shit out of it. CARPE FUCKING DIEM….Heat up the water in a kettle on the stovetop or in the microwave until it is near boiling. Put the quinoa in a strainer and rinse that shit so it isn’t bitter after you cook it. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat and add the steel cut oats. Stir them around and cook until they smell kinda toasty, like 1-2 minutes. Add the quinoa and the water and bring it all to a boil (this won’t take long because the water should already be hot as fuck)