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What Works is a newsletter and podcast about work, the many ways it shapes us,
and how we can better shape it.

By Tara McMullin

· Over 9,000 subscribers

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“Tara's voice is effortlessly entertaining and brilliant, and her content is
meticulously researched and produced. Every piece will turn your thinking upside
down and send you off with a freshly-squeegeed view of work and labor in our
society.”

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navigating work in the twenty-first century. Her posts and podcast episodes
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living in a hype-filled culture) and zeroing in on -- well, what (really) works
for human beings, not just for consumers of how to do business. She is honest,
has a great...”

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What We Value Versus What We Pay For
Not everything we value works as a product—or why writing a premium newsletter
is more like a crowdfunding campaign than a business

May 21 • 
Tara McMullin
64
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WHAT WE VALUE VERSUS WHAT WE PAY FOR

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5

'The Creator Economy Is Eating Creative Acts'
This moment on the internet is weird—and more than a little frustrating. I sat
down with Charlie Gilkey and Kate Tyson to hash it out.

Apr 11 • 
Tara McMullin
, 
Charlie Gilkey
, and 
Kate Tyson
93
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'THE CREATOR ECONOMY IS EATING CREATIVE ACTS'

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4


"Wait, I think you're platform-pilled"
Peer into the matrix and discover how everything we think we know about creating
content and online marketing is an illusion.

Mar 12 • 
Tara McMullin
86
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"WAIT, I THINK YOU'RE PLATFORM-PILLED"

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What Makes Self-Knowledge So Shareable
Self-knowledge is big on social media. We love to share our Enneagram,
Myers-Briggs, horoscopes, and even diagnoses. But why?
Aug 1 • 
Tara McMullin
16
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WHAT MAKES SELF-KNOWLEDGE SO SHAREABLE

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To Bundle or Not to Bundle—That Is The Question
Business often cycles through periods of bundling (combining products and
services) and unbundling (separating products and services). Here's why and…

Jul 30 • 
Tara McMullin
7
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TO BUNDLE OR NOT TO BUNDLE—THAT IS THE QUESTION

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Most Popular
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Sorry (Not Sorry), Self-Promotion Doesn't Work
Feb 6 • Tara McMullin

432
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SORRY (NOT SORRY), SELF-PROMOTION DOESN'T WORK

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How A Syllabus Could Change The Way You Plan

Dec 12, 2023 • Tara McMullin and Sean McMullin

38
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HOW A SYLLABUS COULD CHANGE THE WAY YOU PLAN

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Quid Pro No Thank You

Sep 26, 2023 • Tara McMullin

37
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QUID PRO NO THANK YOU

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5

'The Creator Economy Is Eating Creative Acts'
Apr 11 • Tara McMullin, Charlie Gilkey, and Kate Tyson

93
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'THE CREATOR ECONOMY IS EATING CREATIVE ACTS'

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Rethinking work, business, and leadership for the 21st-century economy
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DECODING EMPATHY

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How to Make Room for Others
How can we reimagine our practices, systems, and norms to invite everyone to
participate and contribute?
Mar 21 • 
Tara McMullin
17
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HOW TO MAKE ROOM FOR OTHERS

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Learning Empathy from Copywriters & Doppelgangers
Copywriting gave me a toolkit for cognitive empathy. So I asked a copywriter to
tell me how she does what she does.
Mar 14 • 
Tara McMullin
10
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LEARNING EMPATHY FROM COPYWRITERS & DOPPELGANGERS

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Decoding Accessibility and Sparking Wonder
Questions about accessibility are really questions that wonder about who gets to
be together and how they gather.
Mar 7 • 
Tara McMullin
14
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DECODING ACCESSIBILITY AND SPARKING WONDER

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A Brand is a Constellation
The mythical norm, visibility bias, emerging from the margins, and expanding our
circle of recognition
Feb 29 • 
Tara McMullin
24
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A BRAND IS A CONSTELLATION

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5


Decoding the Language of Empathy
Ask 100 people what empathy is, and you'll get 100 different answers. Yet,
empathy is billed as an essential "soft skill" for today's world of work. So…
Feb 22 • 
Tara McMullin
31
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DECODING THE LANGUAGE OF EMPATHY

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WORK

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Evenings and Weekends
My daughter's simple question made me (eventually) remember the people we so
easily forget when we talk about work.
Jul 4 • 
Tara McMullin
41
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EVENINGS AND WEEKENDS

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1
How to Give Yourself a Break with Progressive Overload & Periodization
Rest and recovery are critical to pursuing excellence in all its forms.

Jun 11 • 
Tara McMullin
13
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HOW TO GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK WITH PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD & PERIODIZATION

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2
Speculative Investing Made Personal
How we've turned ourselves into speculative projects—and then pulled others into
our schemes.
May 16 • 
Tara McMullin
33
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SPECULATIVE INVESTING MADE PERSONAL

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17
The Subversive Potential of Defining 'Good'
Without clearly establishing what we're really trying to do, we end up relying
on assumptions of what's good—assumptions that rarely align with our…
May 14 • 
Tara McMullin
17
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THE SUBVERSIVE POTENTIAL OF DEFINING 'GOOD'

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Rethinking Creativity
Creativity seems to be the cure for whatever ails you. But there is reason to be
cautious when invoking its name.
Apr 25 • 
Tara McMullin
23
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RETHINKING CREATIVITY

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How to Take Back the Vision of the Creator Economy
"How do you want to live?" that question—and a few more—are at the heart of my
conversation with Charlie Gilkey and Kate Tyson.
Apr 18 • 
Tara McMullin
, 
Charlie Gilkey
, and 
Kate Tyson
31
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HOW TO TAKE BACK THE VISION OF THE CREATOR ECONOMY

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What Works
What Works is a newsletter and podcast about work, the many ways it shapes us,
and how we can better shape it.

Subscribe



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THIS IS NOT ADVICE

View all
14:43
Why Nachos Aren't on the Menu
Or, how do you decide to expand your business to include a new product or
service offering?

Apr 23 • 
Tara McMullin
12
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WHY NACHOS AREN'T ON THE MENU

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How Structure Transforms Our Ideas
The way we structure our work can turn mere information into stories and wisdom.

Apr 9 • 
Tara McMullin
17
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HOW STRUCTURE TRANSFORMS OUR IDEAS

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19:01

Process Entropy and Process Evolution
If you're waiting for the day your business, system, or process runs itself,
you'll be waiting forever. Change happens—what we do with it is what…

Feb 20 • 
Tara McMullin
14
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PROCESS ENTROPY AND PROCESS EVOLUTION

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2
17:47

Making What Can't Be Sold
How do you turn a jumble of thoughts into a cohesive project?

Dec 26, 2023 • 
Tara McMullin
18
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MAKING WHAT CAN'T BE SOLD

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14:03

How A Syllabus Could Change The Way You Plan
Planners and project management apps reinforce linear, chronological thinking.
What if we used a completely different medium to plan for growth?

Dec 12, 2023 • 
Tara McMullin
 and 
Sean McMullin
38
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HOW A SYLLABUS COULD CHANGE THE WAY YOU PLAN

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5
24:19



PRODUCTIVITY

View all
How to Give Yourself a Break with Progressive Overload & Periodization
Rest and recovery are critical to pursuing excellence in all its forms.

Jun 11 • 
Tara McMullin
13
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HOW TO GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK WITH PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD & PERIODIZATION

www.whatworks.fyi
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2

What I've Learned About Pacing Myself
On coaching myself to go slower and say 'no' more often

May 28 • 
Tara McMullin
14
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WHAT I'VE LEARNED ABOUT PACING MYSELF

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What Works?
A brief reflection on effectiveness
Apr 2 • 
Tara McMullin
31
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WHAT WORKS?

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How to Rethink Work Stress
The stress of work can be especially tricky to describe for creative and
knowledge workers who love what they do. That doesn't make it less real.
Jan 18 • 
Tara McMullin
26
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HOW TO RETHINK WORK STRESS

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How to Feel Good About Going Slow
I love going fast. But here's how I also learned to love being patient and
enjoying the process.
Jan 11 • 
Tara McMullin
36
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HOW TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT GOING SLOW

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Rethinking work, business, and leadership for the 21st-century economy
Subscribe


RECENT POSTS


View all
What Makes an Expert an Expert?
The personal growth space is riddled with self-proclaimed experts in everything
from relationships to careers to wellness. Who should you trust?
Jul 25 • 
Tara McMullin
13
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WHAT MAKES AN EXPERT AN EXPERT?

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"She Looks Like an Instagram" Or, How Empowerment Became A Brand
How the aesthetics of self-help shape its message and marketing
Jul 18 • 
Tara McMullin
28
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"SHE LOOKS LIKE AN INSTAGRAM" OR, HOW EMPOWERMENT BECAME A BRAND

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Toward a "Local" Approach to Building a Business
Or, the trouble with scaling up

Jul 16 • 
Tara McMullin
12
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TOWARD A "LOCAL" APPROACH TO BUILDING A BUSINESS

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2
How Advice Culture Turns Us Into Winners (And Losers)
"Self-help" is more than a category of books or podcasts—it's a medium through
which we perceive the world and ourselves.
Jul 11 • 
Tara McMullin
20
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HOW ADVICE CULTURE TURNS US INTO WINNERS (AND LOSERS)

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"Do People Know What It Is?"
The case for prioritizing recognition over attention in offer development and
marketing
Jul 9 • 
Tara McMullin
27
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"DO PEOPLE KNOW WHAT IT IS?"

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2
Evenings and Weekends
My daughter's simple question made me (eventually) remember the people we so
easily forget when we talk about work.
Jul 4 • 
Tara McMullin
41
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EVENINGS AND WEEKENDS

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1
You Get What You Pay For—Or Do You?
Thoughts on price, sustainability, and our due diligence as business owners in
response to NYT's "They Spent Their Life Savings on Life Coaching"

Jul 2 • 
Tara McMullin
18
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YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR—OR DO YOU?

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3
On Restlessness
"The urge to leave began with a cricket song."
Jun 24 • 
Tara McMullin
32
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ON RESTLESSNESS

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Leaving the Cult of Never Enough
At age 50, Manisha Thakor realized that she'd sacrificed her life at the altar
of work. Her new book tackles how to unwind a toxic relationship with…
Published on What Works • Jun 20
Always Be Optimizing
Mechanical nursemaids, self-imposed insomnia, maintenance as art, and the quest
for a life that's full but not overflowing—not in that order.
Jun 18 • 
Tara McMullin
24
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ALWAYS BE OPTIMIZING

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