Year-end lull?

Merry Christmas, hope you had a good Hanukkah, Happy New Year.

I’m assuming you may have some time for reading over the next two weeks—so today: an extended Water Cooler.

See you in 2026.

Around The Water Cooler ⛲

“As they say in Ekumenical School, when action grows unprofitable, gather information; when information grows unprofitable, sleep.” Ursula Le Guin, from A Working Library

What I Believe About Medicine by Bryan Vartabedian

“In many jobs, tasks are diverse, stakes are high, and demand is elastic. When this is the case, we should expect software to, at least initially, lead to more human work, not less. The lesson from a decade of radiology models is neither optimism about increased output nor dread about replacement. Models can lift productivity, but their implementation depends on behavior, institutions and incentives. For now, the paradox has held: the better the machines, the busier radiologists have become.” AI Isn't Replacing Radiologists by Works in Progress and Deena Mousa

“Use Your Best Judgment” by Seth Godin

The Return of the Weirdo by Ted Gioia

“Why is it for tens of thousands of years, humanity could paint paintings, write novels, use imagination? Why do you need a machine to replace that? I get why you need a machine to lift a heavy object. I get why you need a machine to do complex mathematical calculations. I get why you need a machine to do medical exams. We need machines for many things. The proponents of AI don’t really say why you need a machine to make what is now very mediocre art.” Publishing Is Getting Smaller—and Maybe Better by Jared Henderson

How AI, Healthcare, and Labubu Became the American Economy by Kyla Scanlon

“It involves actively reshaping how you think, how you handle your emotions, and how you react to tough situations. It’s about training yourself to see possibilities, even when things look bleak. It’s not about ignoring the bad stuff; it’s about believing you can find solutions and keep moving forward. This is different from blind positivity, which can be dangerous.” Why Optimism is a Learned Skill by Alison Atkinson

Be Slightly Monstrous by Venkatesh Rao

“To go upstream, we need to start with more basic questions: What IS ‘stress’? Why are we physically responding to our outside world in this way that would make us sick? How is all of this connected in our human brain and our body and, ultimately, our health?” You're Thinking About Stress Wrong by Pooja Lakshmin

“But real gratitude requires empathy. Everyone is under the circumstances. Everyone does the best they think they can with the options they think they have.” Gratitude and empathy by Seth Godin

Thanks for reading. Hit reply and let me know your thoughts.

How To Work is healthcare-focused work design inspiration (from the experts!) to nudge your perspectives and practices into better alignment with the world of work as it is, and away from what it was. Here’s my take on what we’re working through.