April 23, 2026

My “LOVE/HATE” List

This past Wednesday, Bradley Hamner interviewed me for the Above the Business Podcast.

I’ll share the recording when it comes out, but something came up while we were talking that’s worth calling out.

Bradley’s worldview is that hiring people is the only way to grow a business, and my worldview is that hiring is the worst way to grow a business.

(I’m generalizing, but this is close enough for the purpose of this email.)

He began delicately prodding my position - like an entomologist who had just encountered a nine-legged beetle - when he asked something like:

“Why do you think this?”

And my answer was something like:

“Because having employees means having meetings, and having meetings is on the HATE side of my LOVE/HATE list.”

Bradley:

“What’s a LOVE/HATE list?”

Me:

“As I go through my day, I notice when I love doing something and when I hate doing something, and then I add it to my LOVE/HATE list. Then I periodically review the list and optimize my life to do less of the stuff I hate and more of the stuff I love.”

Bradley:

“Wait... is this just conceptual, or do you have an actual list?”

Me:

“It’s an actual list.”

...which is true. As of this writing, it has 28 items on it.

Judging by the look on his face, he was shocked by this.

This is a total guess, but...

I don’t think he was shocked that I keep an actual LOVE/HATE list.

I think he was shocked that he had never thought of keeping one himself.

Here’s the thing...

I wonder how many self-employed people don’t realize they can design their life and business to do more of what they love and less of what they hate.

It’s kind of the whole point of working for yourself, no?

Yours,

—J

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