What did I not get done?
- Stick to my routine: I think I was getting on top of building good habits, have been sliding back into a void of doing things without real progress this week. Maybe it’s the change from summer to winter, or maybe that’s just an excuse.
- Climbing: I didn’t get any climbing in, which makes me really sad.
- Drumming: I signed up for Drumeo to restart learning the drums but forgot about it entirely, which also makes me really sad.
- Google Startup School AI Course: I’m now three weeks behind on the exercises.
- Deck presentation: I wanted to create a deck to solidify my knowledge from the course, but right now, it’s just a random collection of screenshots and notes scattered across my desktop, notebook, and notes app.
What did I actually do then?
Built this site
Creating this site felt like a time-sink, distracting me from what I thought I should be doing, but I was actually really excited to do it.
I came across the concept of publishing week notes, intended for cross-functional teams to share their activities. It’s meant to be free-form and quick. I started incorporating these techniques into my daily notes, which began to take meaningful shape for the first time. This got me thinking about content for my portfolio, which I needed to do.
While researching what to include when you’re in a leadership position and not really hands the work so much, I found a lot of advice on demonstrating principles, practice, and approach. But if ultimately the key questions you need to answer with a portfolio is are you any good? and what is it like to work with you? Publishing my notes seemed like a unique way to show, not just tell, these things. A showcase of decision-making, things I think I about and what I learn in the process. It also provides a reflective practice for me and hopefully becomes a helpful resource for others. I like the idea of doing this to keep myself accountable as well. I intend to keep open and honest, which also means showcasing vulnerabilities. It might mean I turn some people off, but I’m okay with this.
Signed up for Futur’s accelerator program
I attended the webinar to find reasons to discount the program but ended up convincing myself it could help my side hustle in photography. Despite breaking down the sales funnel techniques as they were unfolding… It worked, I’m in.
Chose delegation and guidance
Initially, I wanted to jump in and take control, thinking the team wasn’t set up for success. But I realised that approach wouldn’t benefit anyone. Instead, I focused on delegating and providing guidance, which felt good.
Figured out what’s important
Faced with a potential new project, I paused before reacting emotionally. I asked myself these questions and answered simply:
- Will I be fully invested in a successful outcome?
- Does this align with my expertise or interests?
- Will I be embarrassed to tell friends and family about this project?
- Would I put my name on it?
- Will society benefit from this?
The conversation seems worth having, and this approach feels right.
What did I learn?
- Despite advocating for no/low-code approaches, I still default to coding the old-fashioned way. As a relative non-coder, it’s a nightmare, and I should practice what I preach.
Discovered
- I found an app called Bebop, which is great for quick note-taking. It does one thing well: capturing thoughts. I use it for quick captures, like podcast insights or spontaneous ideas, and it saves them to a folder in my Obsidian files. More on the creator’s rationale and process here
Listened to
Podcasts
- “AI Will Make Money Sooner Than You’d Think,” says Cohere CEO Aidan Gomez on Decoder.
- “Never Feel Burnout Again,” with Cal Newport on The Kevin Rose Show.
- “The Economic Theory That Explains Why Americans are So Mad,” on The Ezra Klein Show.
Music
- The Kinks: My kids mentioned Baby Yoda, so I played Weird Al’s “Lola” parody, got hooked on the original, and discovered my wife thought Weird Al’s version was the original.
- Vampire Weekend: Their new album is on my record player, getting daily listens.
Watched
- Apple’s WWDC Keynote: The big rumours didn’t land, but their investment in distributing AI between devices and the cloud seems smart.
- The Acolyte: So far, so good! It feels very Star Wars, but also new. It’s kind of hokey, but Star Wars is endearing because of that. It feels very much in line with the animated series. Are we having a good Star Wars year?
- Eric: It’s a little hard to watch, which seems on trend this year. I tend not to like worlds where every character is compromised by their environment. I feel like you need a safe place in a story. But I’ve been enjoying it regardless.
- The Boys: Speaking of stories where every character is compromised, I could do with less gross-out humor, but I really like the character and plot development in The Boys.