These are my Momentos, short personal diary entries I write daily – since 2013 – and publish monthly. Some links are affiliate links.
1
Sometimes an obscure song pops into my head. Today it was I Loves You, Porgy. Nina Simone’s version. She loves Porgy but sounds like he can’t keep her. Maya Angelou said of the story…
How many Black men had been crippled by American oppression and had lost the women they loved and who loved them, because they hadn’t the strength to fight? How often had the women submitted to loveless arrangements for the sake of bare survival?
2
Asking this woman at the pharmacy if they have safety goggles. They don’t. Next I show her a photo on my phone of a pee cup, for collecting a urine sample. They have those. But the one she offers me has a little spoon in it. I’d rather one without, but I’m mixing up the words for spoon and knife in Spanish and she’s very confused.
3
I strike up a conversation with the young fella beside me. He’s coming back from holidays. I ask about his Apple Watch. He says it’s great for work because you’re not allowed have your phone on you but you can still be connected. Oh yeah: most people work regular jobs, with bosses and rules and stuff.
4
She’s a tiny creature wandering the hallway half asleep, little discontented noises out of her. I’m not sure what to do. Then she sees me and puts her arms up. Probably thinks I’m her dad. I pick her up and put her back to bed. She falls asleep almost immediately. She’ll never remember this but I will for a long time.
5
I always feel like a bit of anthropologist when I’m back in Ireland. Like this morning, sitting out front of that cafe, watching the city and its people come to life. American accents, a redhead flowing into the art gallery, a couple of musicians, cyclists and joggers, beards and cigarettes.
6
Glad to have figured out good eating habits before getting old. Because the older you get, the more you have to be careful with that stuff, the more it affects you. It’s simple enough, but most people never get a handle on it. More protein, less carbs, very little sugar, not eating too late, etc.
7
Get through security, drop my bag in the car, come back in, sit and eat my packed lunch. Four boiled eggs and some elk jerky. A three hour drive ahead of me. As always after a trip, I’m in a reflective mood, eager to get back into a routine and take things to the next level.
8
Many years ago when I lived in New Orleans, drink driving was commonplace. It was taboo in Ireland so I never did it there, but I did it a few times in NOLA. So dumb, looking back. Could easily have killed myself (or someone else) before I turned 30. Environment is powerful.
9
Revenue will only be about $15k this month, my lowest in about two years. But I’m optimistic about the future of the business. Launching our new-style reviews in the coming days, and will soon be getting back into video. Feels like there are lots of opportunities out there. Just gotta do the work and take advantage.
10
I’ve trained myself to be happy with simple, often bland food. I almost never eat dessert, candy or junk food. No cream in my coffee. 95% of the time, I eat the same 3 meals a day. So used to it now that it doesn’t feel like I’m missing out. In fact, I get a perverse pleasure from it.
11
Frustrated today. Five months since I started working on the new reviews system, still haven’t launched it. So many little issues and hiccups that set me back. Loads of other things I’d like to do in the business but hard to imagine how I’ll get to them when everything takes so long.
12
From Dune by Frank Herbert…
The Fremen were supreme in that quality the ancients called “spannungsbogen”—which is the self-imposed delay between desire for a thing and the act of reaching out to grasp that thing.
13
So easy to let bedtime drift later and later. Reset it yesterday, up at 6:40 this morning, did wonders for my mood and productivity. Eventually I’ll forget the importance of this again, will start to drift and have to reset. What’s that saying? It’s not so much about knowing as remembering.
14
Finally landed a backlink I’d been chasing for months, on a DR91 site. Took about 8 hours up front, then lots of follow-up. The first contact was ignoring me so I tried his colleague and she came through. I often think it’s the tedious, annoying shit like this that ends up making a big difference.
15
Google Search Console for my site has been quite the roller coaster the past few months. I check it every morning, but try not to take it too seriously. The graph can shift up or down for no apparent reason. I’m focused on being proactive, building what I believe will best serve visitors to my site.
16
There’s a guy freaking out in the post office. It’s like a game for me, testing my Spanish, trying to figure out what he’s upset about. Sounds like they’ve lost his package and he tried to call them but no answer. Always the same, always the same. He mentions Germany a couple of times.
17
Some mornings I need to push myself to eat the frog. Other mornings I need to ease into the day, give myself some easy tasks to warm up. It’s a bit like the serenity prayer. And as with that, the real trick is knowing the difference.
18
Working on recording my first video review, to accompany the new-style written reviews. Did some test recordings today, figuring out all the steps. So far, my pre-record checklist is a 2-page Google doc. Yeah, I might be over complicating it.
19
Sunday. Didn’t feel like recording that video – or doing much of anything, for that matter – but had to push through. They’re doing construction across the road, too much noise on weekdays, had to make the most of the quiet today. Not all that happy with the footage but it’ll have to do.
20
Still lots of resistance towards deep work, so I busied myself today with bits and pieces. Accounting tasks, fixing some display issues on the site, clearing my inbox. Responded to a bunch of emails from readers, recorded screencasts for a few of them.
21
Getting back into video feels overwhelming right now, so many things to figure out, and how am I going to find the time with everything else I’m doing in the business? But I know it’s all about building new habits and systems, and taking it a day at a time.
22
I’m now having voice conversations with ChatGPT, feels like the future. Example: couldn’t think of an exact quote I wanted, vaguely described it into my mic and the AI replied in seconds…
“If I answer all the emails, then I’ve answered all the emails. But if I have time to think and create, then I can write books” – Neil Gaiman
23
Been watching the movie Her for the first time. It does feel like we’re heading that way, where we’ll all be having relationships with AI. Who wouldn’t want an attentive, supportive and insightful friend who is always there when you need them? Of course, that will make us less likely to invest in relationships with other humans.
24
They do a nice thing in Andorra, displaying old photos on the streets where they were taken. Saw one by an old bridge today. The buildings in the photo were all different back then, only the bridge and a stone cross remain. Reminds me how fast the world changes, especially when there are people in the photos, probably all dead and buried by now.
25
My energy levels are probably 65% of what they were five years ago. Not sure why. Could be a macro burnout kind of thing, maybe I just need a proper 2-week holiday. Or it could be biological, maybe a thyroid or testosterone issue. Likely a simple enough fix once I know the cause, but figuring it out ain’t easy.
26
Looking at fancy apartment tours on YouTube. Often the furnishings are optimized for Instagram, but when you think about practical day-to-day use, much of it seems ridiculous. Like the big sculpture in the middle of the dining table. Wouldn’t you have to move that for every family meal?
27
We had several legal threats to eBiz Facts within the first 3 years. Haven’t had any since. That was the hope when we put more of a focus on student reviews. Hard for a course creator to threaten us with legal action when the main thing we’re doing is telling their students’ stories.
28
They’ve been building a little car park across the road since September with a budget of €300,000. That’s about how much revenue my business did last year. And all that money gets you in the real world is 22 hillside parking spaces.
29
Up early, TWolves stay alive, squatting and stretching and packing, driving driving driving, 20k cycle along a voie verte, through a long tunnel, a lady and her dog with the same hairstyle, pass through Lourdes, check-in with loud and proud host, dinner on the terrace, jacuzzi, sleep.
30
This part of the Pyrenees is proving spectacular. Went further up into the mountains today, rode a cable car, saw epic waterfalls, walked around a historic little French town, ended the day with sauna and jacuzzi. But my favorite part of the day? That long, unhurried breakfast on the terrace.
31
Staying in places like this gets me motivated to earn more. They’ve got a nice gym in the building. We’re the only guests, so all to ourselves. I want a home gym like this. If you’re into health, it’s one of the most important rooms to have in a house, one I’d be using every day.