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Home > Infinite Loops > Paul Millerd & Jimmy Soni — The Creative Opportunities of a Boring Life (EP. 302)
Podcast: Infinite Loops
Episode:

Paul Millerd & Jimmy Soni — The Creative Opportunities of a Boring Life (EP. 302)
Category: Business
Duration: 01:30:08
Publish Date: 2026-02-19 11:00:00
Description:

Fresh off releasing one of the most beautiful hardcover books we've ever seen, Paul Millerd returns alongside Infinite Books CEO Jimmy Soni for a deep dive into the broken incentives of traditional publishing, why the industry breeds "cynicism at scale," and how the internet is powering a second Renaissance for creators.

We get into what it means to build a creative life on your own terms, the Taoist approach to growing an audience, how to navigate financial uncertainty while raising a family, and why seemingly boring daily routines fuel extraordinary creative work.

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, "Hmm, that's interesting!," check out our Substack.

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Show Notes:

  • Make Books Beautiful
  • Why Paul Turned Down Penguin
  • Creative Work Should Inspire More Creative Work
  • Cynicism at Scale in the Publishing Industry
  • The Long Tail of Book Marketing
  • Why Paul Launched a Hardcover Pathless Path
  • Dre, Spielberg & Chappelle: Design Your Own System
  • Playing Probabilistic Games
  • How to Live a Pathless Life With a Family
  • The Creative Perks of a Boring Life
  • "What If I Do Less?"
  • Books Are Win-Win
  • Paul as World Emperor

Books Mentioned:

  • The Pathless Path: Imagining a New Story for Work and Life; by Paul Millerd
  • Good Work: Reclaiming Your Inner Ambition; by Paul Millerd
  • The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley; by Jimmy Soni
  • What Works on Wall Street; by Jim O'Shaughnessy
  • How to Retire Rich; by Jim O'Shaughnessy
  • Walden (Steel Brothers reimagined edition); by Henry David Thoreau
  • Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned: The Myth of the Objective; by Kenneth O. Stanley
  • The Work Is the Win; by Billy Oppenheimer (forthcoming)
  • Reclaim the Book; by Paul Millerd (essay)
  • Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World; by Anne-Laure Le Cunff
  • The Chronic; by Dr. Dre (album)
  • Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing); by Lao Tzu
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