Seinfeld on fashion, time management, and living the good life
I've pulled some of the best life advice from Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld created the best comedy show ever. He then returned with Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Now he's taking his turn as a life guru while promoting a movie about cereal?
I’ve binged his podcast guest appearances and noted his best life advice.
Here are seven quotes from Jerry on writing, fashion, time management, and living the good life (with my added perspectives).
I’ve linked the quotes to the videos they come from since his delivery is half the effect.
Time Management
It's a great thing to waste time. The secret of life is to waste time in ways that you like. You spend all your life trying to save time. But when you get to the end of your life, there is no time left. And you'll go to heaven and you go, "But wait, I had Velcro sneakers, no iron shirt, clip-on tie. What about all that time? It's gone. (Link)
This is the anti-time management advice that type 'A' personalities like us need to hear.
No matter how you spend your time, it keeps ticking. It’s easy to focus on saving time and not loving time.
Don’t focus on optimization. Focus on how you feel.
Living the Good Life
Bee society works perfectly. No bee looks at any other bee and goes, "How did he get that job? Why aren't I doing that? How much does that bee make?" (Link)
Comparison is the thief of joy. Humans unlike other species feel envy. It’s the human condition to compare but comparisons are flawed. We only see one aspect of someone’s life.
Warren Buffet is a billionaire investor, but it’s been documented that his home has been chaotic at times.
I would never live any place that does not have four seasons. I find that to be a pathetic way of life. If you don't have four seasons, it's like you don't have all the colors. I like freezing. I like sweating. I like, "Oh my God, this season's over. We're going to get a new one." (Link)
On the surface, he is talking about the weather but if you go deeper it’s about life seasonality. You want to embrace changes in and outside of your control.
How can you make sure you are evolving and not feeling stagnant in life?
All human life, all endeavor in human life is chaos. You find chaos, and you try and create some order. Even if it's a chaotic order, it could be a pleasing chaos or a beautiful chaos, but it can't be as you find it. (Link)
Yeah, nature's-- it's all beautiful, but not really, until we do something with it. That's a worthwhile-- worthwhile energy. Put it there. Make something. Do something.
The purpose of life is to fight struggles. Be a problem solver. Build things. Everything in life starts in beta form. It’s our job to remove the bugs and make it better.
Writing and Creativity
I've always written on Yellow Pads. I wrote the entire Seinfeld TV series, every single episode, like this. I like to write more than Larry did, so I would keep the notes.
Even if you're writing comedy, a legal pad, it says, I'm taking this seriously.
I love pens. I think pens are a very important creative tool. Keyboards really crush your freedom, and it's too corporate to be creative. You want to feel like you're getting away with something. (Link)
This isn’t advice to abandon technology. It’s to find the tool that speaks to you— the right tool for the right job.
Find it. Then marry it. Avoid shiny object syndrome.
Fashion
I don't think men wear enough sports jackets. Women too. It just pulls anything you're wearing together.
The scarf is the greatest garment of all clothing because of how it enables you to adjust to a range of temperatures. If you're wearing a T-shirt and jeans and you throw on a blazer and a scarf, people think you look nice, but you don't. (Link)
These are fashion cheat codes. When I hear slacks and a button-down, no one says anything. Add a sports coat. People notice. You stand out and look more put together.
Thanks for reading!
Irfan
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