John Paul Hernandez
@hellojohnpaul.bsky.social
B2B SaaS content writer. Follow me for writing and marketing tips.
Today, technology often serves dopamine. Our sleep suffers, as do our mental and physical health. Instead, technology should focus on optimal living. It starts with e-ink.
curioussardine.substack.com/p/why-e-ink-...
curioussardine.substack.com/p/why-e-ink-...
Why e-ink is the only tech that won’t make you sick
Platform designs are engineered to hijack your attention. E-ink gives it back.
curioussardine.substack.com
January 23, 2026 at 6:49 PM
Today, technology often serves dopamine. Our sleep suffers, as do our mental and physical health. Instead, technology should focus on optimal living. It starts with e-ink.
curioussardine.substack.com/p/why-e-ink-...
curioussardine.substack.com/p/why-e-ink-...
If you're not thinking about Reddit visibility, you're missing a huge audience.
I just published 10 strategies for actually showing up where people are searching—including how to avoid the mistakes that get brands shadow-banned or downvoted.
sproutsocial.com/insights/red...
I just published 10 strategies for actually showing up where people are searching—including how to avoid the mistakes that get brands shadow-banned or downvoted.
sproutsocial.com/insights/red...
The 10 best Reddit SEO strategies to maximize your brand’s visibility
Reddit SEO is about building trust, driving discoverability in Google and AI search and proving ROI. Learn how to optimize with Sprout Social.
sproutsocial.com
January 22, 2026 at 2:51 PM
If you're not thinking about Reddit visibility, you're missing a huge audience.
I just published 10 strategies for actually showing up where people are searching—including how to avoid the mistakes that get brands shadow-banned or downvoted.
sproutsocial.com/insights/red...
I just published 10 strategies for actually showing up where people are searching—including how to avoid the mistakes that get brands shadow-banned or downvoted.
sproutsocial.com/insights/red...
Surprisingly, it wasn’t AI tools that 10x’d my productivity—it was a digital typewriter.
Using a smart typewriter like the Freewrite helped me get ideas out clearly and completely, without distractions or premature influence from algorithms, feeds, or prompts.
Using a smart typewriter like the Freewrite helped me get ideas out clearly and completely, without distractions or premature influence from algorithms, feeds, or prompts.
January 5, 2026 at 6:24 PM
Surprisingly, it wasn’t AI tools that 10x’d my productivity—it was a digital typewriter.
Using a smart typewriter like the Freewrite helped me get ideas out clearly and completely, without distractions or premature influence from algorithms, feeds, or prompts.
Using a smart typewriter like the Freewrite helped me get ideas out clearly and completely, without distractions or premature influence from algorithms, feeds, or prompts.
I think content is restarting its market cycle.
AI pushed us back to the early blogging phase: more volume, more noise, less differentiation.
I wrote about why this happens, what comes next, and how brands can adapt if they want real traction.
johnpaulhernandez.com/the-state-of...
AI pushed us back to the early blogging phase: more volume, more noise, less differentiation.
I wrote about why this happens, what comes next, and how brands can adapt if they want real traction.
johnpaulhernandez.com/the-state-of...
The state of content: where we are now and where we’re going - John Paul Hernandez
What is the state of content after AI-generated articles and AI search? It's nothing new. The industry restarted. Learn how to build a modern strategy.
johnpaulhernandez.com
January 5, 2026 at 5:00 PM
I think content is restarting its market cycle.
AI pushed us back to the early blogging phase: more volume, more noise, less differentiation.
I wrote about why this happens, what comes next, and how brands can adapt if they want real traction.
johnpaulhernandez.com/the-state-of...
AI pushed us back to the early blogging phase: more volume, more noise, less differentiation.
I wrote about why this happens, what comes next, and how brands can adapt if they want real traction.
johnpaulhernandez.com/the-state-of...
Rust appears everywhere: playground equipment, grills, screws in outdoor furniture...
Anything exposed long enough will eventually show it.
And yet, when we instinctively fight rust, we often miss what it represents.
www.curioussardine.com/p/why-rust-i...
Anything exposed long enough will eventually show it.
And yet, when we instinctively fight rust, we often miss what it represents.
www.curioussardine.com/p/why-rust-i...
Why rust isn’t the enemy we think it is
How repair, restraint, and time shape what we choose to keep
www.curioussardine.com
January 2, 2026 at 12:22 PM
Rust appears everywhere: playground equipment, grills, screws in outdoor furniture...
Anything exposed long enough will eventually show it.
And yet, when we instinctively fight rust, we often miss what it represents.
www.curioussardine.com/p/why-rust-i...
Anything exposed long enough will eventually show it.
And yet, when we instinctively fight rust, we often miss what it represents.
www.curioussardine.com/p/why-rust-i...
Writing hack: If you want to write about something that feels too complex or you lack direction, don’t plan or write about it yet.
December 26, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Writing hack: If you want to write about something that feels too complex or you lack direction, don’t plan or write about it yet.
These were some of my favorite reads in 2025. What were some of yours? www.curioussardine.com/p/the-books-...
The books that carried me through 2025
How fiction, history, and presence shaped a difficult and good year
www.curioussardine.com
December 26, 2025 at 4:35 PM
These were some of my favorite reads in 2025. What were some of yours? www.curioussardine.com/p/the-books-...
I propose "Prompthead" as a slur for people who always use ChatGPT to think.
December 20, 2025 at 8:44 PM
I propose "Prompthead" as a slur for people who always use ChatGPT to think.
New essay ➡️ Stepping back, and resisting gut reactions, often allows clearer thinking and better decisions.
Read how to think with context and awareness and what happens when you push through without all the information.
open.substack.com/pub/curiouss...
Read how to think with context and awareness and what happens when you push through without all the information.
open.substack.com/pub/curiouss...
The discipline of not acting
Why knowing when to pause matters more than knowing what to do
open.substack.com
December 19, 2025 at 11:05 PM
New essay ➡️ Stepping back, and resisting gut reactions, often allows clearer thinking and better decisions.
Read how to think with context and awareness and what happens when you push through without all the information.
open.substack.com/pub/curiouss...
Read how to think with context and awareness and what happens when you push through without all the information.
open.substack.com/pub/curiouss...
Honestly the real answer to digital detoxes and fixing your dopamine levels is reading for 2 hours straight. No distractions.
December 19, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Honestly the real answer to digital detoxes and fixing your dopamine levels is reading for 2 hours straight. No distractions.
Jekyll & Hyde wasn't about a monster. It was about us.
Stevenson wrote about what happens when a world only allows us to live as one acceptable version of ourselves. Today, that pressure feels quieter...
A new essay on performance and the selves we hide. www.curioussardine.com/p/jekyll-and...
Stevenson wrote about what happens when a world only allows us to live as one acceptable version of ourselves. Today, that pressure feels quieter...
A new essay on performance and the selves we hide. www.curioussardine.com/p/jekyll-and...
Jekyll & Hyde was never about a monster. It was about us
How performance, social pressure, and algorithms split us into the selves we show and the selves we hide
www.curioussardine.com
December 12, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Jekyll & Hyde wasn't about a monster. It was about us.
Stevenson wrote about what happens when a world only allows us to live as one acceptable version of ourselves. Today, that pressure feels quieter...
A new essay on performance and the selves we hide. www.curioussardine.com/p/jekyll-and...
Stevenson wrote about what happens when a world only allows us to live as one acceptable version of ourselves. Today, that pressure feels quieter...
A new essay on performance and the selves we hide. www.curioussardine.com/p/jekyll-and...
Atomic Habits in 50 years. A Penguin Classic. As it should be.
December 11, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Atomic Habits in 50 years. A Penguin Classic. As it should be.
Pinterest = a visual search engine hiding in plain sight.
In this piece, I unpack how it fits into the future of SEO, social, and AI-driven discovery.
Also: smart takes from Jeremy Moser (USERP) and Nat Miletic (Clio Websites).
Read if search is on your radar.
sproutsocial.com/insights/pin...
In this piece, I unpack how it fits into the future of SEO, social, and AI-driven discovery.
Also: smart takes from Jeremy Moser (USERP) and Nat Miletic (Clio Websites).
Read if search is on your radar.
sproutsocial.com/insights/pin...
Pinterest SEO: 8 steps to master the visual search engine
Stop guessing. Use 8 essential Pinterest SEO tactics to optimize Pins, boost engagement and secure your brand's authority in visual search.
sproutsocial.com
December 10, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Pinterest = a visual search engine hiding in plain sight.
In this piece, I unpack how it fits into the future of SEO, social, and AI-driven discovery.
Also: smart takes from Jeremy Moser (USERP) and Nat Miletic (Clio Websites).
Read if search is on your radar.
sproutsocial.com/insights/pin...
In this piece, I unpack how it fits into the future of SEO, social, and AI-driven discovery.
Also: smart takes from Jeremy Moser (USERP) and Nat Miletic (Clio Websites).
Read if search is on your radar.
sproutsocial.com/insights/pin...
Posted a new piece: Why great ideas often come from the wrong people.
It’s a meditation on curiosity and how unfamiliar viewpoints reveal truths institutions sometimes overlook. Outsiders aren’t a threat to knowledge—they’re often the ones who move it forward.
www.curioussardine.com/p/why-great-...
It’s a meditation on curiosity and how unfamiliar viewpoints reveal truths institutions sometimes overlook. Outsiders aren’t a threat to knowledge—they’re often the ones who move it forward.
www.curioussardine.com/p/why-great-...
Why great ideas often come from the wrong people
How amateurs, outsiders, and the simply curious expand what experts miss
www.curioussardine.com
December 5, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Posted a new piece: Why great ideas often come from the wrong people.
It’s a meditation on curiosity and how unfamiliar viewpoints reveal truths institutions sometimes overlook. Outsiders aren’t a threat to knowledge—they’re often the ones who move it forward.
www.curioussardine.com/p/why-great-...
It’s a meditation on curiosity and how unfamiliar viewpoints reveal truths institutions sometimes overlook. Outsiders aren’t a threat to knowledge—they’re often the ones who move it forward.
www.curioussardine.com/p/why-great-...
There were the AI-isms where you could tell a sentence or two came from AI. But now, in my own experience reading content, I feel an immediate aversion the moment I spot one, then bounce away or scroll past without reading the rest.
Anyone else?
Anyone else?
December 5, 2025 at 1:33 PM
There were the AI-isms where you could tell a sentence or two came from AI. But now, in my own experience reading content, I feel an immediate aversion the moment I spot one, then bounce away or scroll past without reading the rest.
Anyone else?
Anyone else?
Every small habit you practice today will have huge consequences 6 months from now. Good or bad. And it’ll take the same amount of time, or more, to reverse it.
December 1, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Every small habit you practice today will have huge consequences 6 months from now. Good or bad. And it’ll take the same amount of time, or more, to reverse it.
I just wrote a new piece: How I Like My Coffee.
It’s about the quiet wisdom hidden in a cooling cup—how hot, warm, room temp, and cold each reveal something about the rhythms of life and the transitions we usually miss.
Let me know what stage you enjoy most.
open.substack.com/pub/curiouss...
It’s about the quiet wisdom hidden in a cooling cup—how hot, warm, room temp, and cold each reveal something about the rhythms of life and the transitions we usually miss.
Let me know what stage you enjoy most.
open.substack.com/pub/curiouss...
How I like my coffee
A meditation on taste, time, and small descents
open.substack.com
November 29, 2025 at 12:19 AM
I just wrote a new piece: How I Like My Coffee.
It’s about the quiet wisdom hidden in a cooling cup—how hot, warm, room temp, and cold each reveal something about the rhythms of life and the transitions we usually miss.
Let me know what stage you enjoy most.
open.substack.com/pub/curiouss...
It’s about the quiet wisdom hidden in a cooling cup—how hot, warm, room temp, and cold each reveal something about the rhythms of life and the transitions we usually miss.
Let me know what stage you enjoy most.
open.substack.com/pub/curiouss...
We waited twenty-one hours during the blackout in Spain; far longer than most. What stayed with me wasn’t the outage, but how differently people responded to it.
That moment became my newest Curious Sardine essay.
www.curioussardine.com/p/what-a-twe...
That moment became my newest Curious Sardine essay.
www.curioussardine.com/p/what-a-twe...
What a twenty-one-hour outage taught me about panic
And why modern "connection" produces disconnection
www.curioussardine.com
November 21, 2025 at 6:04 PM
We waited twenty-one hours during the blackout in Spain; far longer than most. What stayed with me wasn’t the outage, but how differently people responded to it.
That moment became my newest Curious Sardine essay.
www.curioussardine.com/p/what-a-twe...
That moment became my newest Curious Sardine essay.
www.curioussardine.com/p/what-a-twe...
I think a mobile coffee cart like this would be amazing (and I would argue quite needed).
The differentiator is moving away from a minimal or Gatsby-style design for mobile coffee trucks and opting for a bright, traditional artisan look; instead of grab and go, it’s sip and stay.
The differentiator is moving away from a minimal or Gatsby-style design for mobile coffee trucks and opting for a bright, traditional artisan look; instead of grab and go, it’s sip and stay.
November 18, 2025 at 12:55 AM
I think a mobile coffee cart like this would be amazing (and I would argue quite needed).
The differentiator is moving away from a minimal or Gatsby-style design for mobile coffee trucks and opting for a bright, traditional artisan look; instead of grab and go, it’s sip and stay.
The differentiator is moving away from a minimal or Gatsby-style design for mobile coffee trucks and opting for a bright, traditional artisan look; instead of grab and go, it’s sip and stay.
www.curioussardine.com/p/the-math-o...
Just published The Math of Missing.
It’s about how falling short isn’t the opposite of success, but part of the path; each miss teaching you something about your aim, your patience, and yourself.
What’s a miss that changed you?
Just published The Math of Missing.
It’s about how falling short isn’t the opposite of success, but part of the path; each miss teaching you something about your aim, your patience, and yourself.
What’s a miss that changed you?
The math of missing
Why missing your shot is part of the equation
www.curioussardine.com
November 14, 2025 at 3:49 PM
www.curioussardine.com/p/the-math-o...
Just published The Math of Missing.
It’s about how falling short isn’t the opposite of success, but part of the path; each miss teaching you something about your aim, your patience, and yourself.
What’s a miss that changed you?
Just published The Math of Missing.
It’s about how falling short isn’t the opposite of success, but part of the path; each miss teaching you something about your aim, your patience, and yourself.
What’s a miss that changed you?
Reading a book about the sea, as I’m lounging on the Space Coast, waiting for the Blue Origin launch.
November 9, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Reading a book about the sea, as I’m lounging on the Space Coast, waiting for the Blue Origin launch.
I don’t judge a book by its cover. But I do buy a book with a beautiful cover—no questions asked.
November 9, 2025 at 12:21 AM
I don’t judge a book by its cover. But I do buy a book with a beautiful cover—no questions asked.
I forgot how good The Martian movie is.
Need to read the book.
Need to read the book.
November 8, 2025 at 10:03 PM
I forgot how good The Martian movie is.
Need to read the book.
Need to read the book.
When we frame ignorance as opportunity, then the scales tip.
Ignorance isn’t the refusal to learn: that’s arrogance. Ignorance, combined with self-awareness and humility, leads to growth.
Ignorance isn’t the refusal to learn: that’s arrogance. Ignorance, combined with self-awareness and humility, leads to growth.
November 7, 2025 at 1:55 PM
When we frame ignorance as opportunity, then the scales tip.
Ignorance isn’t the refusal to learn: that’s arrogance. Ignorance, combined with self-awareness and humility, leads to growth.
Ignorance isn’t the refusal to learn: that’s arrogance. Ignorance, combined with self-awareness and humility, leads to growth.
Ignorance isn’t the opposite of wisdom; it’s the doorway to it.
New essay: The Gift of Ignorance
Why admitting what we don’t know expands life in surprising ways.
www.curioussardine.com/p/the-gift-o...
New essay: The Gift of Ignorance
Why admitting what we don’t know expands life in surprising ways.
www.curioussardine.com/p/the-gift-o...
The gift of ignorance
When we admit we don’t know, life expands in surprising ways
www.curioussardine.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Ignorance isn’t the opposite of wisdom; it’s the doorway to it.
New essay: The Gift of Ignorance
Why admitting what we don’t know expands life in surprising ways.
www.curioussardine.com/p/the-gift-o...
New essay: The Gift of Ignorance
Why admitting what we don’t know expands life in surprising ways.
www.curioussardine.com/p/the-gift-o...