EP 490: Standardize Me
03/13/25 • 25 min
2 Listeners
Standardization is one of those ideas that, once you see it, you can't unsee it. It's a mental model that can explain, at least in part, many of our social, political, and personal challenges. Whether it's the clothes we wear, the language we use, the dates we go on, or the people we vote for, our choices are often unknowingly constrained by standardization.
In this episode, an update of an essay I originally released for premium subscribers back in November 2023, I explore the role that standardization has played in our economic development, our relationships, and even our identities.
Footnotes:
- Read the essay version of this episode
- "Butt Stuff" on RadioLab
- Doppelganger by Naomi Klein
- "Generation Why?" by Zadie Smith, The New York Review
- "The Bizarre History of Women's Clothing Sizes" by Laura Stampler, Time
- (00:00) - EP 490: Standardize This
- (24:22) - Credits
Standardization is one of those ideas that, once you see it, you can't unsee it. It's a mental model that can explain, at least in part, many of our social, political, and personal challenges. Whether it's the clothes we wear, the language we use, the dates we go on, or the people we vote for, our choices are often unknowingly constrained by standardization.
In this episode, an update of an essay I originally released for premium subscribers back in November 2023, I explore the role that standardization has played in our economic development, our relationships, and even our identities.
Footnotes:
- Read the essay version of this episode
- "Butt Stuff" on RadioLab
- Doppelganger by Naomi Klein
- "Generation Why?" by Zadie Smith, The New York Review
- "The Bizarre History of Women's Clothing Sizes" by Laura Stampler, Time
- (00:00) - EP 490: Standardize This
- (24:22) - Credits
Previous Episode
EP 489: Temporal Bandwidth
This episode is about the long term—the commitments, projects, and relationships we can work on when our "temporal bandwidth" widens. How we perceive time and our ability to do what's meaningful to us in time does have to be constrained by the urgency of now. There are ways to feel more grounded and create more possibilities at the same time.
Footnotes:
- Read the essay version of this episode.
- The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein
- On Freedom by Timothy Snyder
- Breaking Bread with the Dead by Alan Jacobs
- How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell
- "Practicing the Future" by Tara McMullin
- "Wibbly-Wobbly, Timey-Wimey Stuff" by Tara McMullin
- "Busyness Decoded" by Tara McMullin
Find the What Works archives and subscribe to the newsletter at whatworks.fyi.
- (00:00) - Time Flies
- (02:34) - The Steerswoman
- (06:20) - "Temporal bandwidth is the width of your present"
- (10:12) - Making the difficult choice
- (15:02) - Credits
Next Episode
EP 491: Meet Your Tiny Capitalists
Many of us (most?) have an inner voice that loves to remind us that "If there's time to lean, there's time to clean" or that "Coffee is for closers." We nag ourselves about being more productive, working more efficiently, or hustling for more money. Even if we value rest, care, and comfort, that voice can be hard to ignore.
Well, meet your Tiny Capitalist. Or rather, Tiny Capitalists: the Tiny Puritan, Tiny Manager, and Tiny Entrepreneur. Understanding the role they play helps us make better decisions about how we navigate the systems we exist in.
Footnotes:
- Read the essay version of this episode
- "Is There a Tiny Puritan Living In Your Head? Tell Him to Get Lost." by Joy Marie Clarkson
- The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism by Max Weber
- The New Spirit of Capitalism by Luc Boltanski and Eve Chiapello
- "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" by Jonathan Edwards
- Clips from The Office, Severance, Office Space, Parks and Recreation
- (00:00) - Why Your Inner Critic Sounds Like a Bad Boss
- (17:24) - Credits
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