Welcome to Forge

A new Medium publication focused on how to be more productive, inspired, and whole

Welcome to Forge! Medium’s newest publication is here to examine and illuminate our constant struggle to get more done, invest in creativity and focus, and be happy doing it.

We live in the era of self-optimization. Everyone wants to be better at life, whatever that means to them. “Self help” has come a long way, and in its current iteration we talk more about progress, bravery, and mindfulness; doing more, and being more creative. The field has become less gendered, more universal and global, and a whole lot more interesting than it once was.

But it’s also a place where charlatans, self-made gurus, and pseudoscientists thrive. Forge brings journalistic rigor and credible, peer-reviewed science to bear. We don’t use vague inspiration-speak or glibly suggest quick fixes to major personal problems. Medium is ad-free, and Forge will not peddle product recommendations or embed affiliate links. And while our approach is thoughtful, we don’t take ourselves terribly seriously.

We are launching with a collection of stories on focus, one of our fundamental preoccupations (and we’ll have more in the days to come, so stay tuned).

Focus is our most precious — and limited — resource as thinking humans. It’s a key element for success and social mobility; the often-cited differentiator between kids destined for great things and those doomed to mediocrity; and a primary ingredient in mindfulness.

It’s also a mass-marketed commodity, bought and sold endlessly on the internet for fractions of pennies. As Matt Richtel writes in his perceptive and entertaining essay, “This mismatch, between the way they value your attention and the way you should value your attention, is a disconnect at the core of many of our lives. It’s a commodity to them, and priceless to you.”

Resisting that commodification and reclaiming our attention allows for the higher-order work that we’re capable of when we allow ourselves to ponder and ruminate, or even when we simply allow ourselves to be bored. It’s also the call to action in Jenny Odell’s soon-to-be-classic book, How To Do Nothing, excerpted here.

So, let’s forge ahead, shall we? Or, if you prefer: Let’s forge a better self, a better world, a better future.

If you like what you see on Forge, you can stay up to date on what we’re publishing by tapping the FOLLOW button on the top of our homepage.

Thanks for being here.

Indrani Sen
Editor in Chief, Forge