Hi friend,
My first two shows of tour in NYC and Toronto were amazing. Thank you so much to everyone who came out!
In 1830 Victor Hugo was catastrophically behind deadline on The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.
His publisher had given him only a few months left, but Hugo was a spectacular procrastinator, entertaining visitors, wandering Paris, and finding excuses not to write.
Desperate, he invented a bizarre discipline system.
He gathered all his normal clothes, gave them to his servant, and ordered them locked away.
He kept only a massive wool shawl that draped around him like a monk’s robe.
Too embarrassed to leave his house dressed like a hermit, he confined himself indoors.
He also bought a huge bottle of ink—a literal symbol of his siege.
Every morning he sat half-naked at his desk, the cold air biting, with nothing to do but face the manuscript.
From that point on, his study became a cell.
According to legend, Hugo would draft furiously, then slide finished pages under the door, where his servant collected them for safekeeping.
He was so cut off that even small needs had to be negotiated through the barrier – food and fresh paper were passed back the other way, so the routine never broke.
Adèle, his wife, said he had “entered his novel as if it were a prison.”
It was less “jail” and more “self-imposed monastic cell.”
The result?
In a feverish burst he wrote day after day, often for 12 hours straight, and finished the entire novel within the locked-down months.
By January 15, 1831, the manuscript was complete—a frantic burst that birthed one of the great novels of the century.
Without that desperate, almost theatrical punishment system, the book that cemented Hugo’s legacy might never have been completed.
You’ll be amazed at what you can complete when you have no other option.
MODERN WISDOM
I do a podcast where I pretend to have a British accent.
This week’s upcoming episodes:
Monday.
Alex O’Connor & Joe Folley – Two of my favourite young thinkers on the history of philosophy, the darkest ideas in books, whether it’s immoral to have ever been born and how to love what you read. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Thursday.
Scott Galloway – the algorithm of manhood, why the Left doesn’t care about men’s problems and why I keep getting frustrated at having to acknowledge every other disadvantaged group before talking about the issues of men and boys.
Saturday.
Dr Mark Brackett – how to feel your feelings, why is it so hard for people who like thinking to sense emotions below the neck, what is the usefulness of sensitivity and how to truly embrace your vulnerability with pride.
THINGS I’VE LEARNED
1.
Gen Z wants a lot of money.
Salaries Americans say they consider the minimum to be “financially successful”:
Boomers – $99.9K
Gen X – $212.3k
Millennials – $180.9K
Gen Z – $587.8K
Average – $270.2K
(Survey of 2,203 U.S. adults conducted Sept. 13-14, 2024)
2.
Habits from the habits guy.
“Habits that have a high rate of return in life:
– sleeping 8+ hours each day
– lifting weights 3x week
– going for a walk each day
– saving at least 10 percent of your income
– reading every day
– drinking more water and less of everything else
– leaving your phone in another room while you work” — James Clear
3.
Beware delays masquerading as research.
“Wanting more information is often just a form of procrastination.” — Russ Roberts
LIFE HACK
Flighty App.
I’m on tour at the moment and this thing is so SO good.
Automatically loads your flights in from your email and calendar, tracks delays, gate changes and has a live island at the top of your phone telling you where to go in different terminals.
Also allows you to track flights of friends live and share your flight status with them.
Beyond a game changer, has saved me from missing a bunch of flights. No affiliation, it just rules.
Big love,
Chris x
Try my productivity drink Neutonic.
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PS
My live show in Austin at The Paramount Theatre is also completely sold out too. Tickets only left for Boston, Denver & Chicago now!
