Take a Second Spin: A Guide to Revisiting

Often I find energy in the new, in the adventure, in the exploration. Recently though, I’ve found myself revisiting instead of exploring anew: picking up a book I’ve previously read; listening to a podcast for a second time; thinking through (again) my takeaways from a talk I attended over a month ago; rewatching a movie I haven’t seen in years; even resurrecting a book club that became a casualty of busy schedules and competing priorities.

In each instance, my "revisit" was distinct from my initial experience.

  • The Book: Even better!

  • The Podcast: Even more compelling.

  • The Talk: Now applicable in more settings.

  • The Movie: A bit boring now.

  • The Book Club: Super meaningful

It’s made me wonder what else I might want to revisit. What might land differently now? What will still hold? What will offer something new? What will lose its appeal? 

Here’s my list of shareable revisits in case you want to try them out (or revisit them yourselves as the case may be). More importantly than mine, I’m curious about your revisits. What have you noticed when you take something for a second (or third!) spin?  

Here’s my list of shareable revisits in case you want to try them out (or revisit them yourselves as the case may be). More importantly than mine, I’m curious about your revisits. What have you noticed when you take something for a second (or third!) spin?  

  • The Book: Designing Your Life

    • If you are working through the kinks of what makes you happy, or feeling stuck, this book will offer one reframe after another to get you moving along. This book, written by Stanford professors who specialize in design thinking, came out shortly after I started Parachute. I loved it then, and it's been super interesting to reflect on it again having worked with hundreds of clients seeking to tweak or try something new.

  • The Podcast: There are two!

    • NPR's Hidden Brain, Getting Unstuck (which includes an interview with Dave Evans, author of Designing Your Life in case you want the CliffsNotes version)

    • Reid Hoffman's Masters of Scale: They recently revisited their very first episode with Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky. It's a fascinating episode on its own, but the old refrain they share around there being no substitute for hard work makes it all very meta. 

  • The Movie: The King's Speech. Great story, but a less great depiction than I remembered. 

  • The Book Club: Old crew, new book: The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan is what we're reading next!


To second spins!

Lauren Laitin