Even if you’ve never had a hamster for a pet, you’ve witnessed the spectacle of them running in a hamster wheel. They step inside a giant wheel in the center of their captivity and run, and run, and run. It’s so adorable when they do it. But what if I could tell you we have human hamster wheels, in the center of our captivity, and we run, and run, and run? They aren’t literal wheels, but they serve the same purpose: keep us distracted from the reality that we aren’t where we want to be, not doing the work that matters to us, and somewhere along the way, we took a wrong turn. It’s never been easier to numb out and just keep running, but one day, the call will come from inside the house, it’s time to answer the call, step off the wheel, and jack in to life.



Six ways to ditch the hamster wheel:




Incorporate experimentation and research and development into your creative process.



Look for ways to increase diversity in your work.



Before you offload tasks to someone else or another system, make sure that what you’re building isn’t just a larger hamster wheel in disguise.



Offload repetitive tasks to virtual assistants, employees, or AI and automation systems.



Batch recording is great until it’s not.



Don’t fool yourself, the hamster wheel is pernicious, don’t be afraid to step away.




Show Links




The Running Man (2025)



Neuromancer by William Gibson



Starship Troopers (1997)



Showgirls (1995)



Episode photo from Envato Elements: A playful hamster runs energetically on its wheel inside a bright, colorful cage

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