5 Questions For A.J. Jacobs

An inside scoop on A.J.'s daily writing routine, who he'd invite for dinner and why he believes we are all family.

We caught up with A.J. Jacobs after he answered all your questions at his Campfire Chat at our Brooklyn Work/Shop. Want to come to next Campfire Chat? Go here.

Q. What has been your biggest lesson from all the lifestyle experiments you've done?

A. If you want to change your life, change the way you behave. Your mind will follow. As the founder of Habitat For Humanity said, "It's easier to act your way into a new way of thinking than it is to think your way into a new way of acting."

Q. Do you have a daily writing routine?

A. I try to set aside fifteen minutes just for brainstorming. If I don't do that, the day can slip away answering emails and phone calls and tweets and all the other ways that humans communicate in the 21st century.

Q. How do you deal with creative block?

A. I just start typing. It doesn't matter what the words are. Usually it's about a pigeon on my window ledge or the coffee I'm drinking. The mere fact of typing, and moving my fingers over the keys gives me momentum. Eventually I'll start writing something semi-coherent. 

Q. Who would be your five fellow guests your dream dinner party? (Living or dead, bonus points for cousins.)

A. Ben Franklin, so I could show him the internet (he's a cousin, by the way). Shakespeare, so I could show him the Leonardo DiCaprio version of Romeo and Juliet. Lincoln, so I could show him the Spielberg movie. Henry Hudson, so I could show him the New York skyline. Lenny Bruce, so I could show him South Park.

Q. You're organizing the world's biggest family reunion this June! How can people join in the fun?

A. Everyone is invited! If you're not connected now, we'll figure out how we're connected at the reunion. It's on June 6th, right here in New York at the New York Hall of Science. Please go to GLOBALFAMILYREUNION.COM: we've got tons of entertainers, speakers, food, contests and, of course, cousins.

Image by David Howells via The Daily Beast.

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