Just arrived in Washington, DC. Big writing project tomorrow.
Journal
Getting things squared away on this new version of the site. It’s still not where I want it to be, as I try to rebuild its foundation, but I’ll keep chipping away at it. The projects page will be a simple timeline of all my big projects, and the rest of the site will be a footer that surfaces the wide range of content, right at your fingertips. A goal to be minimal but still with many layers is a tall task, but it’s possible, and we’re almost there. A vision and a partner like Jay Ray to code everything up has helped this site take the shape that I imagined.
Between running, reading, interview, planning, and writing—I’m feeling productive today. Still a ways to go before I catch up to my old self, but this is a good start. Habits and momentum. That’s the key.
I’ve been reading more. Chipping away at several books on the Kindle. A combination of self-development, business, and fiction. I know the routine and how to build up momentum with words again. It’s been awhile since I’ve been creative, but I haven’t been feeding my mind with the usual information that sparks the creativity. Reading does that. I’ll continue reading until I begin writing.
At the coffee shop. Doing admin work. Trying to get into the routine of Fridays being my admin day. Paying bills and collecting payments.
I started reviewing the Apple One subscription, and preparing to switch to the $30 plan. I already pay for Apple Music family ($15), 2TB of iCloud storage ($10), and Apple TV ($5). The fact that I’ll get Apple Arcade, Apple News+, and Fitness+ for free makes it a no brainer.
I have a Kindle Oasis on the way. Just got the notification that it just shipped. Thanks to my Paperwhite’s battery life acting weird, Amazon told me to pick any Kindle I want for free. The Oasis, with built-in cellular, is the one I chose. The thought of never having to worry about WiFi again when reading is something I look forward to. I also look forward to having physical buttons to press as I read with one hand, instead of swiping the screen to turn the page.
Spent the day organizing years worth of writing. Preparing for the next big phase of creativity. It’s fascinating going back through thousands of words from the past.
At 34 years old, this is the most aware I’ve ever been for an election. The division is real. No matter who wins, there’s a huge portion of America that’ll walk away very upset. I’m worried about that more than the actual winner. Troubled times are ahead.
Just finished going on a motorcycle ride with Olivia for a few hours. Now back, flashing sd card to install Ubuntu on Raspberry Pi. Organized my Things app to structure all my tasks and projects. Planning to experiment with not using the iPad as much, and just use iPhone, more paper and pencil, and Kindle—as I prepare to sell iPad. It’ll be a fun experiment, as I rely on the iPad so much. Wonder how much do I really need it, compared to just being comfortable with it always being there.
Testing. No iPad. Just iPhone paired to my Keychron keyboard. iPhone is propped up on my desk. This seems like a great way to bypass needing a iPad to get long form writing done. iPhone and a keyboard. Simple. That’s always the goal.
Finishing up my work in Lake Charles for the week. Almost done. Then home for awhile.
Planning to sell iPad and Kindle Paperwhite. Planning for PlayStation 5 and a free Kindle Oasis.
Need to do my October photoblog this weekend.
Woke up to it freezing outside. Great feeling (after putting pants and hoody on). Two more days of work in Lake Charles, then it’s back home for Halloween and my little sister’s birthday.
Some morning thoughts:
Don’t read and follow only like-minded people. Don’t think that the people you’re Facebook friends with or who are in your bubble is the truth everywhere else. Confirmation bias is a horrible thing that confuses people into thinking they’re 100% right. There’s a whole world out there that sees much more than you do.
Allow yourself mental space to be curiosity. Ask questions. Remain humble and nimble enough to change your mind. Don’t be set in your ways—ways that are usually not even your own, but the people around you think it, so you should probably think it to.
I look around and see so many blinded by their own opinion, rage, and insults. The insults is what gets me the most. I see a group of people rather joke and make fun of something instead of being curious about it. They’re basically walking into a book store, making fun of every cover, while never reading an actual book.
Been waking up at 5, but struggling to stay awake afterwards. Usually I go back to sleep for an hour or so. 5 am run, read, write is the ultimate goal. It’s hard to be on top of this when I’m away from home working, but I at least want to get used to waking up that early. Preparing my body. This frenchpress is helping this morning.
Last night, I downloaded Reeder 5. Ready to move back to RSS and get away from Twitter again. Having the right RSS reader and the right sources, can end up being much better than what I use Twitter for. From organization, to less noise, to a place to read just the text instead of everything their website throws at me. Another big reason is to get into the habit of not having to check it frequently. I can schedule time for RSS, instead of it taking up more time than it should.
Last night I opened up my Theme System journal, which I used for the first month of this year, before being distracted by the world again. But that first month—when I fasted from the iPhone and iPad, and read more books—was the exact thing that transformed my year into what it is now. I credit all the success and big changes in my life to that single point in time. Well, I’m preparing to close out the year with that journal, and hopefully make some more good changes in my life. End the year strong.
Two days away from Baby Yoda.
The weather’s changing. It’s getting colder. I always enjoy this time of year. Brainstorming on a 6-week exercise goal, instead of just trying to get healthier with no end goal in sight. Just finished watching some PlayStation 5 unboxing videos. Look forward to having one of those under my tv.
Currently listening to the podcast Deep Questions with Cal Newport. Started on episode 1. There’s a total of 39 episodes to get though.
I’m starting a 5 am routine again. I set my Apple Watch to wake me up every day at that time. Woke up, fixed french press coffee, then began reading Cal Newport’s So Good They Can’t Ignore You. My goal is to have space at the beginning of my day to learn and create. I also want to start running two miles before the sun rises.
Reading The Organised Writer. Setting up templates to start a new project. Rethinking the email newsletter. Was going to do a weekly essay every Monday, but I should push that back for now. Spend some time preparing for it first, and get the site flowing again before committing to something too big.
Got my motorcycle fixed today. Chain tightened and air in tires. Rides much smoother now. Look forward to riding it when I return next week. But for now, three hour ride in the passenger seat back to Lake Charles. Watching episode one of The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix during the trip.
Home for two days. A day of reading today, movies tonight. Tomorrow, church, then heading back to Lake Charles for another week of work.
Putting the final touches on the website (structure, domain, etc.) and making sure it’s easy to navigate. At the last minute, I decided to remove some pages and clicks, allowing you to get to places quicker. All this is thanks to Jay Ray. Preparing for liftoff.
On my way home from Lake Charles. Been doing some construction work there, remodeling a house that was destroyed from the hurricanes.
Welcome to the new, much cleaner version of my site. This has been my latest project. This new looks aims to be more minimal and more mature. Slowly adding all the content back from the previous site.