Hi N2N followers! You probably are scratching your head asking, "Where has Maddox been?"
I haven't published here in a while, but I'm back with a life update and a commitment.
Life Updates
Roughly 6 months ago I left my SaaS sales job and joined an internship program called The Hazlitt Project at a nonprofit think tank called the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE).
I performed well in the internship and I was able to land a 4-month contract under the title Content Systems Designer (CSD). Pretty cool name huh?
I'm now going full-time with FEE. As a CSD, I help build productivity systems for a team of about 7 on Monday.com, I write SOPs on various topics, and I help organize and send a newsletter, called The FEE Daily to nearly 21,000 subscribers.
That brings us to today. On April 3rd, I started a writing internship at another nonprofit called The Objective Standard Institute (OSI).
Yes, I know how that sounds. A 40-hour-a-week job and another internship? Are you crazy Maddox?
I'd agree, it seems crazy, but let me explain.
Why I'm Putting Myself Under Pressure
I'm working a full-time job and doing an internship because I tend to overthink and be perfectionistic.
I like to tell myself that I can't start until everything is organized perfectly. But, this is a lie.
I spent many months trying to develop the "perfect note-taking system" and I convinced myself that once that was finished, then, and only then, could I begin writing more. But, with this mindset, I would never actually start writing.
As Voltaire famously said: "perfect is the enemy of good."
Putting myself under more pressure is my way of making good stuff and not perfect stuff. That way, I can get more done and get more results.
What to Expect from Me In the OSI Internship
During this 4-month OSI internship, I'll be researching and writing about our current education system, its philosophy, why it doesn't work, and what education could be like with a sounder philosophy.
I'll publish my research thoughts to this Substack daily to essentially "learn out loud" as I do this internship. (I’ll also give updates when I publish longer pieces)
My current research reading list looks like this...
Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology
The Beautiful Tree
The Art of Nonfiction
The New Left, The Anti-Industrial Revolution
What Video Games Have to Teach us About Learning and Literacy
In Search of Deeper Learning
Why Johnny Can't Think
Bad Schools and What to Do about Them, with Andrew Bernstein
...and this list will be ever-growing. Are there any books on education, philosophy, psychology, or productivity that you think I should add to this list?
Let's Talk
If you're interested in my research, I'd love to hop on a Zoom call with you and have a casual chat. Or you can just start a discussion in the comments below.
Haven’t subscribed yet?