Every day this week, I’ve had a different voice in my ear. Authors, thinkers, investors, entrepreneurs, poets, and even time travelers.

It’s part of my ongoing experiment. How much clarity, perspective, and wisdom can I absorb while managing school, family, work, and writing?

Turns out, quite a bit.

In the past seven days, I finished 13 audiobooks, watched two writing lectures from Brandon Sanderson’s 2025 series, and even took the kids to see the Minecraft Movie.

This isn’t about chasing productivity for its own sake. It’s about rhythm. It’s about staying curious while staying grounded.

Here’s a snapshot of what I’ve been feeding my mind and how it’s shaping the way I think, live, and write.

🎧 13 Audiobooks, 7 Days

(Each book is followed by a key insight or reflection.)

Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon

Creativity isn’t about originality. It’s about being brave enough to borrow, remix, and build. Everything is a remix, and that’s important when your creating.

How to Read People Like a Book by Patrick King

People give off signals all the time. If you know how to pay attention. Things like body language, tone, micro expressions. You can learn more from what’s unsaid than what’s spoken.

The Author’s Checklist by Elizabeth Kratch

A must-read for any writer serious about publishing. The editing process matters. So does the pitch. Every book is a collaboration, not just a creation.

The Real Estate Wholesaling Bible by Than Merrill

A practical look into real estate from a different angle. Creative deal structuring, speed, and hustle. It’s not my lane right now, but I’m always interested in learning about different systems, and how they work.

Walt Whitman Speaks

Whitman’s voice is eternal. There’s power in reflecting on your own aliveness, in noticing beauty, in walking with the rhythm of nature. A poetic dose of presence.

Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk

Value, value, value… then ask. That’s the intentionality required in modern storytelling and social strategy. People can smell the pitch, so give without having an agenda, then be clear when it’s time to strike.

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

A fun reset. Classic sci-fi with big philosophical undertones; evolution, civilization, time, and what it really means to move forward.

How to Survive in Space by Ronke Olabisi

Scientific and funny. A quick look at what would happen if you found yourself in the vacuum of space. Spoiler: it’s not pretty. But it’s fascinating.

The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by John C. Bogle

Index funds. Long-term thinking. Ignore the noise. Bogle’s voice is a quiet rebellion against get rich quick culture. Wealth takes time, not talent.

Organize Tomorrow Today by Jason Selk

Don’t aim for productivity perfection. Just focus on winning the mental game. One key task, one top behavior, repeated over time, and you’re in motion in the right direction.

The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel

The way we think about money is often more important than how we manage it. Your financial behavior matters more than your spreadsheet.

English in America: A Linguistic History by Natalie Schilling

A deep dive into how language evolves. Words shift, accents morph, dialects grow. If you enjoy language like I do, it’s a reminder that even the way we speak is living history.

Undistracted by Bob Goff

Clarity comes when you cut through the noise. Love more. Chase what matters. Drop what doesn’t. Goff’s voice is like calming in our world that often feels chaotic.

🎓 Brandon Sanderson’s 2025 Writing Lectures

Lecture #10 – How Publishing Works

This week, I dove into the publishing side of the writing world with Brandon Sanderson’s lecture on how the industry functions behind the scenes. He walks through how traditional publishing came to be, what actually happens when your manuscript moves through the Big 5 system, and what a professional book contract typically looks like.

For someone building a future in both fiction and nonfiction, this was invaluable. It gave me clarity on what I’d be stepping into and what I might want to avoid.

Lecture #11 – What Publishing Does For You

In this lecture, Sanderson breaks down what literary agents actually do, how they operate in the publishing ecosystem, and how authors can position themselves when querying or pitching. It’s the kind of tactical, experience-based guidance that brings clarity to an intimidating process.

It got me thinking about my long-term goals and whether I want to pursue traditional paths, stick with indie routes, or blend both. Either way, it reminded me that your book is not just art. It’s also a product. And if you’re intentional, it can also be your legacy.

🧭 Why These Lectures Mattered This Week

As I push forward on both Novel and 104 Poems and 104 Essays (Two separate books), these lectures gave me a creative calibration point.

For my novel, which unfolds across a futuristic society shaped by memory control and resistance, the idea of building a believable past, and anchoring that history in emotion, feels more important than ever. Sanderson’s insights about internal logic and cultural helped me refine the backbone of that world.

For 104 Poems and 104 Essays, the takeaway is more subtle but just as important. I realized that even in nonfiction, there’s worldbuilding. Every essay, every reflection, is crafted with context in mind. The emotional history of the reader, the narrative of growth, the inner world they bring to the page. I’m not just writing lessons. I’m building a landscape for reflection.

🎬 Family Time: The Minecraft Movie

I wrapped up the week by taking the kids to see Minecraft. Not exactly a philosophical epic, but full of laughter, imagination, and popcorn. Watching their faces light up reminded me why I work, why I write, and what it means to stay present in the world I’m building at home.

🧠 Final Thought

None of these books or lectures, or movies are magic bullets to the answer on the meaning of Life. But each serves a purpose in providing a spark, of something to think about, wrestle with, or apply.

And that’s really why I listen. Not just to learn, but to build an intentional rhythm to daily growth in life. Even if it’s just a five-minute insight, those add up. Fast.

If any of these titles jumped out at you, or if you’ve got recommendations of your own, I’d love to hear them.

Let’s keep the sparks flying.