The Clubhouse, Vol 41

BANK ROBBER'S HOLIDAY

Happy May! 

After a long winter holed up in The Clubhouse, we’ve emerged blinking into the sunlight. Jackets have been shed. Windows are open. A number of knees have been spotted and reported. And we're getting down to some serious crime. 

This month, we’re celebrating the power of writing for yourself (yes, even now), pondering what it really means to find your ideal job and teaching the world to rob banks with our new course.

Welcome back.
 

TIPS FOR SELF-EDITING
Notice when you're boring yourself

 Editing your own writing is not easy: your mistakes can become invisible to you – you can be too close to a thing to see it objectively. Some of our rules are about our approach to this problem. And there's a lot of crossover in Austin Kleon's three tips here too. 
 

WHEN POSITIVITY BECOMES POLICY
Starbucks and the misery of forced joy

Starbucks now requires its baristas to foster 'moments of connection' by writing uplifting little messages on your no-froth frappuccino. Is this thoughtful customer service or creepy corporate forced joy?

FIND YOUR LIFE'S WORK
Aim for interesting, not fun

What defines the perfect job? Maybe it's not the passion that borders on obsession, or the elusive work-that-doesn't-feel-like-work – but something that's interesting enough to offer a rewarding process and a balanced sense of satisfaction.

See also: Happiness isn't the answer

THE JOY OF WRITING IT YOURSELF
A letter from a philosophy professor

We're not anti LLMs. AI writing tools definitely have their uses. But as this letter points out, they have costs, too. Much of what we hate about writing – the wrangling of sentences, the wrestling with structures, the difficulty of getting it out – is also what makes it worthwhile. That's the stuff that teaches us to think. And in the end, it's the stuff that makes us.

ROB A BANK WITH US
A writing course that really could make you rich

In a world where we all need to compete for attention, persuade strongly and inspire people to take action, writing skills are a secret weapon.

Our new bank heist-themed writing course uses behavioural science and elaborate costumes to improve your team's communication skills – and have a lot of fun in the process.

We've run HOW TO ROB A BANK with teams from MOO and EE recently. If you'd like to spend an afternoon plotting and jotting in the pub with us (and come out with some useful loot) just get in touch.