Announcing my new book, 'Reframe the Day'

Let’s get right to it. I’m very excited to announce the upcoming publication of my first (and hopefully not last) book, Reframe the Day: Embracing the Craft of Life, One Day at a Time. You can read more about the book here.

You might be wondering where this is coming from. Like all great works throughout history, Reframe the Day began… with an iPhone note full of nonsensical brain dumps and half-finished thoughts. In early 2018, after Erin and I had settled into life in the UK, I found myself newly liberated from the always-on mentality of working in American politics and, thus, with a lot more time to reflect and process.

As we’d prepared for the move overseas, I hadn’t known what to expect. Would I be lonely? Aimless? Bored? Feeling FOMO? Missing Capitol Hill? The answer to all these questions turned out to be “yes,” at least to some extent, but mostly I found myself surprised by how quickly an exhausting career and life transition evolved into feelings of sustained fulfillment as we moved further into this new chapter. I even began to experience occasional moments of serene contentment—brief points in the day when I felt completely at peace.

I didn’t know why. Was it because I’d escaped Trump-era politics? Because I’d honed my meditation practice? Because I was working less and reading and exercising more? Was it because I was taking on a new adventure with my partner? Because I was learning to separate my identity from my job? Because I was getting older? Or was it simply because I was finally creating some mental space to reflect on how I could make my days a little more fulfilling?

I wasn’t sure, so as I often do when I need to make sense of the world, I started writing. Slowly, over the following weeks, months, and (at this point) years, that iPhone note became Reframe the Day.

***

I’ll have a lot more to share about the book in the new year, including a link to preorder on Amazon. (The link above will take you to the publisher’s website, but if you want to get the e-book or buy it from another bookseller, those links will be live in late February or early March.)

For now, let me offer a thought for anyone curious about why you’re just hearing about this now. When it comes to a long-term project or a big life goal (like this book), I think there are two schools of thought. One school says you should share what you’re working on with friends, family, and the internet. You should use your network to hold you accountable because you’re more likely to follow through if you know that other people will know if you don’t.

The other school of thought—the school I subscribe to (am I mixing metaphors?)—says the opposite. It says that every time you talk about a big goal or project before you’ve done the work, or at least made some progress, you get a tiny bit of the future satisfaction that would follow from actually doing it. That might feel good in the moment, but in the end it makes you less inclined to follow through because you’re already getting some of the reward from just talking about it. (I don’t remember where I first read about this notion, but if anyone can point me in the direction of existing research or writing on this topic, I’d be very interested to see it.) It’s sort of like using a credit card to get a cash advance. Or getting a fleeting rush of energy from eating candy. You get the idea. The point is, the more I talk about doing something before I’ve done it, the less likely I am to actually do it.

Anyway, that’s why I haven’t talked or shared much about this project until now. You may or may not buy this logic, but hopefully it at least makes some sense.

***

One last thought. Some of you knew I’d been working on this. Some of you provided invaluable edits and feedback to various iterations of the manuscript. But even if you (or I) didn’t know it at the time, nearly all of you have contributed to this book in some form or another through conversations, perhaps over coffee, beers, or some combination of the two. I am incredibly grateful to all of you.

By the way—since Reframe the Day won’t be on e-bookshelves in time for holiday gifting, feel free to print this cover, stuff it in a nice card, and let those special someones know they’ll be getting their present in early 2020.

And speaking of the cover, an enormous shout-out and thanks to Jesse Brown, the artist behind the cover illustrations. Check out more of Jesse’s work at www.jessebrown.co.uk.

Happy holidays and, as always, thanks for reading.