Author: Andy (Page 2 of 27)

30 Day Results of the Caffeine Purge

August 7, 2025 / Andy

About a month ago, I started dialing caffeine back to almost nothing.

I’m not going to lie, the 1st week was brutal. Even though I warned everyone, “Hey, I’m going to be cranky,” I seemed to exceed their expectations and still annoyed them.

But then it passed and now that I’m on the other side of it, here’s the quick report:

Sleep: The first week was amazing. Now it’s just… better. Not perfect, but steadier.
Focus: On the softball field I noticed a real difference. My reaction time was noticeably improved. I felt sharper, like my brain wasn’t juggling 34 distractions at once.
Mood: Less up-and-down. Easier to slow down and pause before responding. (That topic is probably worth a post or two of its own.)
Energy: No dramatic crashes at night, just a gradual wind-down. But also no huge daytime surges.
Weight: No big changes, other than a little natural water loss.

I still enjoy a cup of coffee here and there, and I’ll grab an iced tea at a restaurant if I’m out or in a coffee shop if I’m working. But the dependence is gone. And we’re measuring in cups, not pots.

Overall: Let’s call it a meaningful success with no downside. Not life-changing, not a miracle cure. Just a steady improvement that makes me feel pretty good about the choice.

How Do You Know It’s Time to Invest in a New Social Channel?

August 3, 2025 / Andy

I was asked an interesting question the other day by a senior marketer. She wantd my opinion on how to decide it’s time for a brand to start a new channel, as well as how I keep up on social trends.

It’s an interesting question, because here we are 20 years into this social media phenomenon, and there’s never been a perfect answer. If you rushed right into MySpace, or even Friendster, back in the day, you had to decide when to leave. Then came all the others, Shoot, remember when Google was trying to make everyone do Circles on Google+?

The good thing about social is that trends don’t go hide under a lot of research. They are literally blasting you in the face to the point you can’t ignore them.

So my opinion is that trends can be monitored constantly, but investment only happens when data shows audience fit, potential ROI, and brand alignment. And tofigure that out, we look at a few things:

The Strategist’s Dilemma: When Even Google Says “Just Let Us Run It”

July 27, 2025 / Andy

Early in my career, I was a tactician. Email campaigns, SEO, SEM, building landing pages, hacking together A/B tests. Whatever the job needed, I’d figure it out.

Then I got older. Took on bigger roles. Strategy became my thing. I got an MBA, which basically teaches you how to never do real work again. Just make PowerPoints and use fancy terms like “ubiquitous” and “leveraging synergies.” Just kidding. Kind of.

Then I taught at UW. Strategy-heavy, theory-driven. But not much time for learning how to troubleshoot a broken Meta ad pixel or chase down why TikTok didn’t like the file format you uploaded.

Fast-forward to a recent client gig. A small, scrappy brand with big potential. I figured with AI at my side, I could go back to being a full-stack marketer. The headlines promised that AI was like hiring a 12-person team. All I had to do was show up and prompt. Well, that’s what I thought would happen…

When You Have Too Much to Do, Stop and Do Less

July 13, 2025 / Andy

Eventually, the list gets away from you.

You sit down ready to work, but nothing moves. Your brain stalls. You’re not even procrastinating. You’re just stuck. The list looks like a mountain, and instead of climbing it, you stare at it, waiting for something to change.

The anxiety and stress don’t come from the list itself. They come from the pressure we put on ourselves to catch up. That pressure builds, and the spiral begins.

The Caffeine Purge Begins

July 6, 2025 / Andy

I drink a lot of coffee. Usually a full pot by the end of the day, and sometimes I throw in three or four Cascade Ice caffeine drinks just to round things out. It’s not that I think I need that much. It’s just what I do. Part habit, part coping mechanism.

But I’ve been feeling the effects lately and I don’t like them. Anxiety, restless sleep, a sense that my nervous system is running slightly off the rails even when nothing’s happening. So I’ve decided to do something about it. Not some dramatic life overhaul. Just one thing: cut back on caffeine with the goal of a total abstinence. Seven to ten days of tapering. Let’s see what happens.

The plan is to mix decaf into my coffee grounds, tart with half and half, then taper it down. That will remove about 1/3 and gives me a few days to fool myself before things get more difficult. Next, drop the Cascade Ice drinks and try to replace them with pure water and electrolytes. That’s 1/2 of the current state so 2/3 total.

Then, it’ll just be cutting down the pot to 1/2, then one cup, then none at all. Sounds easy. I mean, I’ve done much harder things.

Why now? Because I want better sleep. Less edge. More clarity. And I want to see what my face and gut look like without all the hidden water retention and stimulant drag. Ten days without caffeine should be enough to know whether any of that’s real or just a theory I invented while over-caffeinated.

So this is Day 1. No big declarations. Just an experiment. I’ll check back in if things get interesting.

Baseball and Presence

June 29, 2025 / Andy

An old lecture from Father Hobbs:

“Baseball is a metaphor for how to practice restraint.You can’t out-hustle the pitcher. You can’t rush the at-bat. You have to wait for the game to come to you. And in that waiting, everything gets quieter.”

Entrepreneurship, marketing, the tech world – they all teach us how to sprint, to go chase the game. But baseball taught me to stop swinging at bad pitches.

Now I use that same mindset to handle distractions, deadlines, and overthinking.

Stay in the box. Watch the ball. Swing when it matters.

Does the 3-30-3 Writing Framework Still Work?

June 22, 2025 / Andy

Does the 3-30-3 Writing Framework Still Work?

There is a writing model I’ve followed for years. I swear I stole it from someone else, but whenever I try to find the article that taught it to me, I can’t locate it. Maybe I dreamed it. Maybe it was a late night conversation at Ad Club.

Regardless, the idea is simple:

You get 3 seconds to grab someone’s attention and earn 30 more seconds.
You have that 30 seconds to earn their interest and earn 3 more minutes.
Only then, in that 3 minutes, do you get to earn enough trust to shift their mindset, earn a response, or close the deal.

So, does it still work today?

1. 3 seconds to stop the scroll

The Nielsen Norman Group says most users decide whether to stay or leave a page within 10 to 20 seconds. But if you can keep them for the first 5 seconds, the odds of them staying longer go up significantly.

Mobile is even less forgiving. A Meta study found people make up their mind about content in just 1.7 seconds while scrolling. First impressions matter. A lot.

2. 30 seconds to hook curiosity

The average reader doesn’t get far. According to Chartbeat, more than half of visitors spend less than 15 seconds actively reading a piece of content. But if someone makes it to 30 seconds, their chances of continuing to the 1-minute mark nearly double.

That’s where interest turns into attention.

3. 3 minutes to actually do something

If someone spends 3 minutes or more with your content, they’re in it. A Nielsen study showed that readers who stay that long are more likely to subscribe, share, or convert. Heatmaps from Crazy Egg show that serious purchase intent tends to happen after the 2-minute mark, when people have read enough to feel confident.

So yes, the 3-30-3 model still works.

It lines up with how attention works in real life. People make fast decisions, scan quickly for value, and only commit when they feel something is worth it. If you can clear those three checkpoints of attention, interest, evaluation in one piece of content, you’re doing more than getting clicks. You’re actually getting through.

Your 2% Battery: When Real Work Starts

May 18, 2025 / Andy

I’ve noticed something. Most of the real progress in life doesn’t happen when you’re rested, focused, and firing on all cylinders. It usually shows up when you’re barely hanging on. When your brain is foggy, your patience is shot, and everything on your to-do list sounds equally annoying. At least that’s how it is for me.

It’s when the old stories come in. The ones that say, “Screw it, let’s just do this tomorrow” or “This probably isn’t worth it anyway.” And if I can manage to ignore that voice for five minutes and just do the thing, even halfway, it changes something deeper than the task itself.

I’ve also seen this in fellow friends, athletes, and especially parents. We’re not struggling because we don’t know what to do. We’re struggling because we’ve convinced ourselves that it only counts if it’s done perfectly, at the perfect time, with perfect energy. That’s garbage.

Sometimes being a dad means cleaning up a mess you already cleaned yesterday. Or setting up an obstacle course in the yard after a long day when you’d rather just lie down, stare at the ceiling and hand parenthood over to the TV. But we do it anyway, because consistency matters more than inspiration.

Lately I’ve been thinking about that in terms of performance. Not just fitness or business, but the mental side. The part where we’re in the batter’s box and don’t swing, because it’s not the right pitch yet. The discipline isn’t in the swing. It’s in the stillness. It’s in trusting that the next one might be the right one.

So as I was thinking about what to do with this site as I bring it back to life in a world where no one blogs anymore, I think I’ll use it as an excuse to keep leaning into that space. How to stay focused when my brain wants a nap.

I might talk about AI. Or parenting. Or playing softball on a sore calf because it feels good to compete again. It’s all part of the same thread. Eventually, it might have an actual point, but for now, this is just about building the muscle to keep going when the battery light comes on.

Here We Go Again

April 1, 2025 / Andy

Well its that time of year. Opening Day. Yay?

Man, I used to love Baseball Opening Day. So much hope. If this falls right, and that goes our way, and if that guy has a great year, then we can win it!

But, I’m jaded now. When your team has a publicly stated goal of going 87-75 every year and maintaining a profit, it’s hard to get more excited than they do.

But its a fun time to look at stats anyway. It is baseball after all. So lets open up to a couple of pages.

1) Championships by Team (MLB, NFL, NBA, MHL, MLS)

Overall Stats:

Total Franchises with titles: 74 (out of 160)

Baseball: 23 (out of 30)
Football: 20 (out of 32)
Basketball: 20 (out of 30)
NHL: 19 (out of 32)
MLS: 15 (out of 29)

Teams

11 Titles

Los Angeles Lakers (NBA)

7 Titles

New York Yankees (MLB)

6 Titles

Chicago Bulls (NBA)
LA Galaxy (MLS)
New England Patriots (NFL)
Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL)

5 Titles

Boston Celtics (NBA)
Edmonton Oilers (NHL)
Golden State Warriors (NBA)
New York Islanders (NHL)
Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)
San Antonio Spurs (NBA)
San Francisco 49ers (NFL)

4 Titles

Boston Red Sox (MLB)
D.C. United (MLS)
Dallas Cowboys (NFL)
Kansas City Chiefs (NFL)
Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB)
Montreal Canadiens (NHL)
New York Giants (NFL)
San Francisco Giants (MLB)

3 Titles

Chicago Blackhawks (NHL)
Columbus Crew (MLS)
Denver Broncos (NFL)
Detroit Pistons (NBA)
Detroit Red Wings (NHL)
Las Vegas Raiders (NFL)
Miami Heat (NBA)
New Jersey Devils (NHL)
Philadelphia Phillies (MLB)
St. Louis Cardinals (MLB)
Washington Commanders (NFL)

2 Titles

Atlanta Braves (MLB)
Baltimore Ravens (NFL)
Colorado Avalanche (NHL)
Florida Panthers (NHL)
Houston Astros (MLB)
Houston Dynamo FC (MLS)
Houston Rockets (NBA)
Los Angeles Rams (NFL)
Miami Marlins (MLB)
Minnesota Twins (MLB)
Oklahoma City Thunder (NBA)
Philadelphia Eagles (NFL)
San Jose Earthquakes (MLS)
Seattle Sounders FC (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL)
Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL)
Toronto Blue Jays (MLB)

1 Title

Anaheim Angels (MLB)
Anaheim Ducks (NHL)
Arizona Diamondbacks (MLB)
Boston Bruins (NHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (NHL)
Chicago Bears (NFL)
Chicago Cubs (MLB)
Chicago White Sox (MLB)
Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA)
Dallas Mavericks (NBA)
Dallas Stars (NHL)
Denver Nuggets (NBA)
Detroit Tigers (MLB)
Kansas City Royals (MLB)
Milwaukee Bucks (NBA)
New Orleans Saints (NFL)
New York Mets (MLB)
Philadelphia 76ers (NBA)
Portland Trail Blazers (NBA)
Seattle Seahawks (NFL)
Texas Rangers (MLB)
Toronto Raptors (NBA)
Washington Nationals (MLB)
Washington Wizards (NBA)

2) Championships by City

Los Angeles – 26 Titles
Dodgers (MLB) – 6
Lakers (NBA) – 11
Rams (NFL) – 2
Kings (NHL) – 2
Galaxy (MLS) – 5

Boston – 20 Titles
Red Sox (MLB) – 4
Patriots (NFL) – 6
Celtics (NBA) – 8
Bruins (NHL) – 2
Revolution (MLS) – 0

New York – 15 Titles
Yankees (MLB) – 5
Giants (NFL) – 3
Mets (MLB) – 1
Rangers (NHL) – 1
Islanders (NHL) – 4
Knicks (NBA) – 0
NYCFC (MLS) – 1

Chicago – 13 Titles
Bears (NFL) – 1
Bulls (NBA) – 6
Blackhawks (NHL) – 3
White Sox (MLB) – 1
Cubs (MLB) – 1
Fire (MLS) – 1

San Francisco – 12 Titles
49ers (NFL) – 5
Giants (MLB) – 3
Warriors (NBA) – 4

Pittsburgh – 10 Titles
Steelers (NFL) – 4
Penguins (NHL) – 5
Pirates (MLB) – 1

Detroit – 8 Titles
Pistons (NBA) – 3
Red Wings (NHL) – 4
Tigers (MLB) – 1
Lions (NFL) – 0

Washington, D.C. – 8 Titles
Commanders (NFL) – 3
Capitals (NHL) – 1
Nationals (MLB) – 1
D.C. United (MLS) – 3

Denver – 7 Titles
Broncos (NFL) – 3
Avalanche (NHL) – 3
Nuggets (NBA) – 1
Rockies (MLB) – 0

Dallas – 6 Titles
Cowboys (NFL) – 3
Stars (NHL) – 1
Mavericks (NBA) – 1
FC Dallas (MLS) – 0
Rangers (MLB) – 1

Houston – 6 Titles
Astros (MLB) – 2
Rockets (NBA) – 2
Dynamo (MLS) – 2

Kansas City – 5 Titles
Chiefs (NFL) – 3
Royals (MLB) – 2

Miami – 5 Titles
Heat (NBA) – 3
Marlins (MLB) – 2
Dolphins (NFL) – 0
Inter Miami (MLS) – 0

San Antonio – 5 Titles
Spurs (NBA) – 5

Tampa Bay – 5 Titles
Buccaneers (NFL) – 2
Lightning (NHL) – 3

Philadelphia – 4 Titles
Eagles (NFL) – 1
Phillies (MLB) – 2
76ers (NBA) – 1
Flyers (NHL) – 0
Union (MLS) – 0

Seattle – 4 Titles
Seahawks (NFL) – 1
Sounders (MLS) – 2
Supersonics (NBA) – 1

St. Louis – 4 Titles
Cardinals (MLB) – 2
Blues (NHL) – 1
Rams (NFL) – 1

Toronto – 4 Titles
Blue Jays (MLB) – 2
Raptors (NBA) – 1
Toronto FC (MLS) – 1

Atlanta – 3 Titles
Braves (MLB) – 2
United (MLS) – 1

Baltimore – 3 Titles
Ravens (NFL) – 2
Orioles (MLB) – 1

Columbus – 3 Titles
Crew (MLS) – 3

Milwaukee – 2 Titles
Bucks (NBA) – 2

Minneapolis – 2 Titles
Twins (MLB) – 2

Portland – 2 Titles
Timbers (MLS) – 2

Cincinnati – 1 Title
Reds (MLB) – 1

Cleveland – 1 Title
Cavaliers (NBA) – 1

Las Vegas – 1 Title
Golden Knights (NHL) – 1

New Orleans – 1 Title
Saints (NFL) – 1

Oklahoma City – 1 Title
Thunder (NBA) – 1

Phoenix – 1 Title
Diamondbacks (MLB) – 1

Salt Lake City – 1 Title
Real Salt Lake (MLS) – 1