Hello and happy birthday to John Hancock!
When it comes to making lists, I give a big ole signature of approval.
To-dos, gratitude, and even friends. I have lists. They help me visualize order amid chaos.
They also give me a mental framework for making decisions.
Here are two examples.
For choosing a job: Luke’s Method
Strange questions live in my mind rent-free.
Does Taylor Swift trim her own bangs?
Why does the word for a female hero sound the same as a hardcore drug?
And which of my ancestors rebelled against my family name and chose not to bake?
My name is Luke Baker, yet I can’t bake much beyond break and bake cookies.
Many of my ancestors are wrapped in their aprons and rolling in their flour-covered graves, shaking their rolling pins at me. But there’s one brave ancestor who broke away from the bread and is proud that I picked up the pen rather than the pan.
One of the greatest privileges of the modern Western world is the freedom to choose a job.
Not long ago, your work wasn’t too different than your mom’s hair and your dad’s distaste for cilantro — it was all passed down the family line. Your heritage, not your passion or dreams, determined your job.
But now, largely thanks to your ancestors' hard work and luck, you have more freedom to choose an occupation rather than it being chosen for you.
The opportunity to choose your job is a remarkable gift, but it can also be paralyzing. Because while humans love options, we love direction and clarity more.
Luke’s method gives you some guidance when choosing a job.
It’s based on four pillars of work.
Cause: what problem does my work solve? What value does my work bring to the world? Don’t overcomplicate this. Eliminate all jargon and get to the essence of the work.
Crew: who am I doing the work with? Are they people I admire and want to be like?
Craft: What is the actual work I’ll be doing? Again, don’t overcomplicate this. You don’t “optimize,” “leverage” or “synergize.” You write, code, call, sell, drive, etc.
Comp: How am I compensated for what I do? Think of everything you receive — financially, time, healthcare, 401(k), etc.
The first step of Luke’s method is to rank these categories by how much you value them.
All four categories are important, but they can’t be equally important in every season. If you’re in debt, then compensation may be your highest value. But that doesn’t mean it always has to be your top priority.
(Free opinion for those early in their career: Rank crew as high as possible. Who you work with is often the most fulfilling part of any job.)
The second of Luke’s method is to look at job opportunities and score each category (cause, crew, craft, and comp) on a scale of 1-5.
The third and final step is to combine your scores in each category.
Here’s a silly example. You’re considering becoming a stand-up comedian.
Cause: 3 (you get to make people laugh — that’s valuable)
Crew: 4 (you get to collaborate with the world’s funniest people, but they’re stereotypically not the most emotionally healthy of the bunch)
Craft: 5 (you get to write jokes and perform on a stage — so fun!)
Comp: 1 (you probably can’t pay the bills or have health insurance — unless you land a Netflix special)
Luke’s very subjective score of a stand-up comedian: 13 out of 20.
Your dream job would be a 20, but that’s not a realistic score when you’re 25 years old. When you’re first starting in your career, it’s a win to score high in a couple of categories. The further you advance in your career, the higher your score should be in each category.
For small talk: The FORD Method
I used to turn my nose up at small talk — like I was a Stanley Cup-carrying suburban mom looking at a Nalgene toter.
But I’ve slowly changed my mind and lowered my nose.
I still don’t love small talk, but I can’t argue against the fact that it’s important in building connection and trust.
The FORD method gives you an easy way to navigate small talk.
No, it doesn’t mean you treat conversations like a car on an assembly line — how quickly can we get through this?!
FORD is an acronym for family, occupation, recreation, and dreams. Here are some sample questions.
Family: Do you have any siblings? How are you similar to your parents?
Occupation: What do you do for work? What’s your favorite part about your job?
Recreation: Do you have any hobbies? What’s a movie you’ve enjoyed this year?
Dreams: Where’s somewhere you’d love to travel? What’s an activity you’d like to try one day?
Put the FORD method in your arsenal. And slay small talk with the FORD sword.
✌️
— Luke
P.S. Here’s some of my favorite content from the past week. It includes seven pieces that cover goblin mode, the most revealing app on our phones, a quirky playlist, and more.
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