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Chris Guillebeau spent years racing against time, visiting all 193 countries before he turned 35, hosting annual gatherings of thousands, and writing bestsellers like The $100 Startup. But his latest book, Time Anxiety, tackles something different: our collective panic about never having enough hours in the day. The book challenges productivity culture’s relentless optimization, offering counterintuitive solutions like embracing “granny hobbies” and creating reverse bucket lists. For Guillebeau, who admits he’s “very forward-minded” and constantly asking What’s next? these insights emerged from his own struggles with time pressure. Fast Company spoke with Guillebeau about why excellence isn’t always the goal, what he learned from visiting every country, and how to find meaning when you can’t control your legacy. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. You introduce this concept of the reverse bucket list. Why is looking backward as important as looking forward? I am a very forward-minded person. Im always like, What’s next? It’s like, Oh, the book is out. What’s the next book? And its like, well, I just spent two years writing this book. Maybe I should live in that zone for a little bit. The reverse bucket list is just like it soundswhat have I done that is interesting or notable, whether to other people or not? I think its helpful to just celebrate or even observe some of those things. You can do it as a big picture, like a life bucket list, or you can just be like, whats your list of things that youve gotten done today? For those of us who tend to be thinking more about the future, perhaps reflecting on what we’ve been able to do thus far can actually bring us to a centering point. You visited every country in the world before age 35. What surprised you about that experience? I first got into that idea because Im kind of compulsive, and I am a list maker. I was an aid worker in West Africa in my early twenties, and Id been to maybe 70 countries. I was like, how many are there, and what would it take to do that? Some of my favorite discoveries were the Baltics and the Balkans. Places like Lithuania and Montenegro ended up being really peaceful spots where I had great experiences and met interesting people. I definitely wouldn’t have gone to either of those places if it wasn’t for having this objective. There was something about combining a love of travel with a love of goal setting and list making that made it really work for me. The book mentions someone who flew to different European cities every Wednesday, only to fly right back without visiting. What’s the lesson there? This Dutch guy would go to Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam every Wednesday for 20 years and fly somewhere within EuropeStockholm or Barcelonaspend a couple of hours in the terminal, then fly back. That was his happy place, his Zen. A lot of people are gonna say, Oh, that’s so dumb. He’s doing all this travel without ever traveling anywhere. But the point is, that’s something that made him feel alive. It gave him a little milestone to anchor the rest of his life with. There’s some weird thing like that for everybody. The whole point is to figure out what that looks like to you. You advocate for granny hobbies and tactile breaks. Why are these important in our digital age? There’s actually research behind having a hobby that’s hands-on but thumbs-downmeaning not digital, not scrolling. It could be knitting, baking, gardening. These are things that are really easy to pick up, and you can leave them for a while and come back. The research shows this actually can reduce anxiety and contribute to peace of mind. And its low pressure. If your knitting project goes awry, oh well. Its not like you forgot to use BCC and emailed a hundred people by mistake. These hobbies get us operating on a different time scheduleyou’re not racing against a digital deadline, but working more slowly to hand-make something. Your three-quarter-ass rule seems to challenge conventional wisdom about aiming for consistent excellence. Why do we need permission to not do our best? I used to run an event series, and the team would spend forever talking about tiny details. Someone finally said, We don’t want to half-ass it, but do we really need to put our full ass behind this thing? Can we just three-quarter-ass it? You cant actually do your best at everything. Its not possible. Life is about choice and selection. You want to maybe pick a couple of things to be excellent at, and for everything else, there are ways of not doing things or doing them adequately. Excellence is not always the standard. Sometimes done is better than perfect, especially for those of us who get stuck because we want things to be perfect and don’t even know where to begin. How has writing this book changed your own relationship with time? I used to think a lot about legacy: What do we leave behind? But I’ve distanced myself from that because legacy is something we can’t really control. Most things we do are forgotten. People who leave legacies aren’t on some 60-year strategic plan. They’re just doing things that ultimately have a positive impact. So I’ve shifted to focusing more on living well. What does it mean to live well? Hopefully that involves contribution and service. I want to make some part of the world a little better, and thats achievable. Its measurable for those who want to measure it, and even if you dont, its intuitively knowable.
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E-Commerce
A company that has name recognition among both students and their parents is going public today. McGraw Hill, the education publisher, has priced its initial public offering of shares and is expected to make its market debut on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Heres what you need to know about McGraw Hills IPO What is McGraw Hill? If youve ever been a student, youve likely come across the name McGraw Hill. The company is one of the largest educational publishers in the world. It produces myriad educational materials, from the textbooks used in classrooms across the country to digital learning platform software for teachers. McGraw Hill is one of the oldest education companies operating in America. It was founded over 137 years ago in 1888 and is currently headquartered in New York City. Though the company is American, it provides educational solutions for countries across the world. Currently, its educational products are available in more than 80 languages. The brand has been in the hands of private equity for more than a decade. It was purchased from its former parent company by Apollo Global Management in 2013 and later sold to Platinum Equity for $4.5 billion. From textbooks to digital While McGraw Hill has historically been one of the biggest publishers of school textbooks, in recent years, the company has gone all-in on digital education solutions as the worlds learning moves online. According to its Form S-1 registration statement, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), McGraw Hill serves 60 million digital learners each year. Twenty-six million of those learners are paid digital users. For its fiscal year that ended March 31, McGraw Hill says it had an adjusted EBITDA of $727 million, with $1.4 billion in digital revenue. It is the most recent company to go public this year, which has seen renewed interest from investors in initial public offerings. Other recent notable IPOs include listings from Chime, Circle, MNTN, and Hinge Health. When is McGraw Hills IPO? McGraw Hill priced its shares yesterday and is expected to list today: Thursday, July 24, 2025. The offering was led by Goldman Sachs & Co., along with BMO Capital Markets, J.P. Morgan, Macquarie Capital, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank Securities, and UBS Investment Bank. What is McGraw Hills stock ticker? McGraw Hills stock ticker is MH. What exchange will McGraw Hill shares trade on? McGraw Hill shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). What is the IPO share price of MH? McGraw Hills IPO price is $17 per share. That was below its earlier estimated IPO price range of between $19 and $22 per share. How many MH shares are available in its IPO? According to a company press release, McGraw Hill offered 24,390,000 shares of its common stock in its IPO. How much did McGraw Hill raise in its IPO? McGraw Hill says it received approximately $385,697,545 million from the sale of its shares in its IPO. How much is McGraw Hill worth? At its $17 IPO price, McGraw Hills market cap is now valued at $3.25 billion, according to Reuters.
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E-Commerce
Tequila, the Mexican hard liquor that’s become a bar staple, has its very own holiday to celebrate its crisp, earthy flavors. Today (Thursday, July 24) is National Tequila Day. Lets take a look at the history of the adult beverage so you can wow your coworkers at happy hour. Then we can explore some fun offers to celebrate the day. A shot or two of tequila history A forerunner to the modern hard liquor dates back to the Aztecs (and possibilty even earlier civilizations) in Mexico, as noted by Liquor.com. They fermented the sap of the agave plant to create a milky beverage called pulque and worshipped the husband-and-wife god duo behind this act, Mayahuel and Patecatl. The Spanish arrived in Mexico in 1517 and two years later began their conquest to take over. The soldiers missed brandy and began to experiment with mud stills and agave to replace it. Eventually the Marquis of Altamira took things a step further. He opened the first major distillery in the early 1600s in present-day Tequila, Jalisco. The Cuervo family took things commercial in 1758 with their own distillery. The Sauza family followed suit in 1873. It is believed that Don Cenobio Sauza first imported tequila to the United States in 1873. The alcohol was present at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. The spirit also grew in popularity during Prohibition as it was easily smuggled into the country. The invention of the margarita in the 1940s further strengthened tequilas public relations. In 1974 Mexico declared tequila its intellectual property meaning it had to be made and aged in certain regions of the country. The Tequila Regulatory Council was formed 20 years later in part for quality control. What truly cemented tequilas legacy was when imported tequila shifted from mixto, a combination of a tequila from agave plants and other sugars, to a 100% agave tequila. Bartenders loved using these pure liquids to create even more yummy cocktails. Additionally, these smaller batched craft creations helped elevate the liquor, while the celebrity endorsements didnt hurt either. (Were looking at you, George Clooney and Casamigos.) These days, the United States is tequilas best customer. In 2024, almost 32.2 million 9-liter cases were sold, making it the best year ever for the spirit, according to Statista. How to celebrate National Tequila Day After that lengthy history lesson, you probably worked up a thirst and want to help the 2025 statistics. Below are a few deals to be had for National Tequila Day: Chili’s: Restaurant chain Chilis is here to help. It is offering $5 Tequila Trifectas. This cocktail contains three kinds of tequila: El Jimador Blanco, 1800 Reposado, and Jose Cuervo Gold. Chuy’s: Your local Chuy’s features Grande ‘Rita specials and $5 tequila shots. Margaritas Mexican Restaurant: The chain boasts $5 Don Julio Blanco shots and $7 Cadillac Margaritas made with Don JulioReposado. You can even get a $19.42 Don Julio1942 Margaritas that comes with a free Don Julio hat while supplies last. Hooters: Participating Hooters locations like the one in Brunswick, New Jersey, have $5 margaritas. Red Robin: If you are looking for something more family friendly, Red Robin always offers $4 margaritas during Happy Hour Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. However you choose to celebrate, cheers!
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E-Commerce
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