Top 15 Links from 2023

Last updated: March 27, 2024

Every month I send out an issue of my special Friends Newsletter.

These are the most popular links that were clicked from over 100,000 opens in 2023.

Most Popular Articles of 2023

Articles link directly to source, with no paywall backup when available.

👧🏻 Spaced repetition for teaching two-year olds how to read (Interview)

“A redditor did spaced repetition with his kids. He taught his 4yo daughter to read at a 5th grade reading level and his 3yo son to do times tables up to 12×12.” via @Prigoose on X, article is free on Substack

🎩 Surprisingly Relevant Rules From 1882 on Being a Good Houseguest (and Host)

“No one should accept a general invitation for a prolonged visit. “Do come and spend some time with me” may be said with all earnestness and cordiality, but to give the invitation real meaning the date should be definitely fixed and the length of time stated.”

🚢 The Secret Language of Ships

“Signs and symbols on the sides of ships tell stories about an industry few outsiders understand.”

💸 Braid Is Dead, Long Live Braid

For finance nerds: My friend Amanda started and now just shut down a fintech company. This is her recap of what happened: “A dispatch from the wild, vicious world of consumer payments.”

💊 Murder, Money and the Battle for a Pharmaceutical Empire

$3.6B net worth at time of murder. 6 years later and no clue what happened. No paywall link.

🔂 Andrew Wilkinson’s daily routine

Very detailed with supplements, diet, apps, routine, etc. Andrew is a friend. This is a good deep dive into his daily routine.

🚨 Two Rhode Island officials visited Philly. They were so rude their state launched two separate investigations

Still one of my favorite and most insane stories from 2023. “David Patten and James Thorsen toured as part of official Rhode Island state business. Now, their actions are under review by the Rhode Island state police and the governor.”

▶️ This TikTok Girl Band Ruined My Life

“A group of triplet sisters that play country music, but also make extremely strange TikTok videos and YouTube shorts. Who are they?”

👩🏻‍🤝‍👩🏼 So pleased to meet you: why it’s never too late to make close friends

A sweet tale about friendship, via Luke Leighfield. From the article: “She’s 10 years younger than me and lives on the other side of the world – but we forged the friendship of a lifetime”

👱🏻‍♂️ The most interesting people are not super successful billionaire types

Investor and entrepreneur Andrew Wilkinson wrote a nice Tweet about me that went viral. He called me a “friend billionaire.” See why.

🔈 The Art of Manliness: Throw a 2-Hour Cocktail Party That Can Change Your Life

Perhaps the best interview I’ve ever done? I was flooded with feedback afterwards and hello to new readers who found me from there! I’m going to link it below, too.

My Most Popular Articles in 2023

A few of my own articles were popular, too.

📱 Instagram Reels Best Practices

I had a phone call with a Meta representative, perhaps after my clip went viral or perhaps just randomly, as part of their Instagram Creators program. She shared all the best practices with me on a call and I typed them up on this article.

📧 How to Introduce Two People via Email: Sample Scripts (2023)

Pro tip: ALWAYS DOUBLE OPT-IN! I wrote this article to show you exactly how to introduce two people via email.

✅ 79 Tasks for My Virtual Assistants: Real World Examples

New article I just published! See an updated list of actual examples for things I get help with.

👟 7 Small Trade Show Booth Ideas for 2023

Most small business owners first exhibit in 10×10′ spaces at a trade show. See a few layout ideas and lots of photos here. I wrote this article and it is very niche, but I love trade shows because you get so many new leads (if you do it right).