unplugged

I’ve spent the last ten years exploring the reemergence of analog tools in the digital workspace. My wheelhouse is stacked to the eaves with fountain pens, notebooks, daytimers, inkwells, paper clips, Ishikawa diagrams, doodles, and Mitsubishi pencils. Every surface of my office is covered in sticky notes.
But the analog mindset isn’t just about material. Analog ideology spans both personal and professional spaces. It’s not merely about the instrument you write with or the paper you write on; it’s about what you have to say and your capacity to say it well.

In Unplugged, I explore what is real. That doesn’t limit us to the tangible, since much of what matters in any workspace is folded into an individual’s personality, education, and skill. Talent is intangible, but there is no doubt it’s real. Prudence—good old-fashioned horse-sense—is completely immaterial, yet when a leader is prudent, it shows in their success. Our most vital intangible assets aren’t just timeliness and affability; they are virtuous traits like temperance, fortitude, and a deep sense of justice.

At the same time, Unplugged is about digital wellness. We are drowning under a tsunami of Slack notifications, WhatsApp signals, reminders, calendar invites, and Zoom calls. This is the velocity of business, and it will probably only get faster. Analog will never replace the virtual workspace—nor should it try. But we can use analog tools to briefly disconnect from the digital overwhelm resulting in a resilient mindset that protects the professional against digital creep, AI skill erosion, motivational slump, and the growing dread of the cyclical grind of business.

Ultimately, Unplugged is about our most valuable asset: attention. By taking advantage of real tools, we can reconnect with our own attention and agency, and in doing so, cultivate a rich and rewarding inner life.