These are my Momentos, short personal diary entries I write daily – since 2013 – and publish monthly. Some links are affiliate links.
1
Here comes the upswing, as usual after a batch of burnout. Plenty of energy and enthusiasm today despite poor sleep last night. I have to be careful not to ride this wave to death and fall into another black hole. Lower highs and higher lows. Steady as she goes.
2
At the cinema watching Dune Part Two. It’s incredible. I think what fascinates me most about a really good, epic movie, is how so many people can come together to make something so cohesive, so beautiful. Great art at that scale is such a mind-bending accomplishment.
3
We got a heap of snow the last two days. Waiting for my coffee to brew this morning, watching a family in a field across the way. Two adults, two kids, two dogs, frolicking in fresh powder. I don’t know them, but I’m happy they’re happy.
4
30-minute interview, they seem happy with it, said they’ll let me know when it airs. Second-guessing myself after, wishing I’d recorded everything on my end in case they take me out of context. The show gets 2.7 million viewers per episode, so the stakes are high.
5
Walking backwards for 20 minutes. Apparently it’s good for your knees. Unfortunately I look strange doing it in public. Only two people pass me on this quiet street, but I’m feeling self-conscious. What matters more: the health of my knees or the silent opinions of strangers?
6
Finally checked out the library in town. Better than a cafe to pop in and get some work done on the laptop. Tons of books here of course but very few people using them. Most of us come for the big study tables and quiet atmosphere. Will libraries even have books in the future?
7
Two hours into this deep work, could keep going but decide to quit while I’m ahead. I think this is progress. An hour or two of deep work every day would be better than the boom and bust burnout cycle I just went through.
8
Scheduling mishap, didn’t send out the newsletter today. Will have to send it tomorrow instead. I believe that’s the first time in five years I’ve failed to send on schedule. Last time this happened I was hospitalized in Bali with dengue fever. That was a better excuse.
9
More snow, about a foot since yesterday. Couldn’t get the car out of the driveway but no matter. The sky cleared up at that magic hour, all the orange lights of the village coming on and making it look like something out of a fairy tale. And then we met Enrique.
10
Thinking about Menorca, would be a good getaway every now and then, can essentially drive there with the ferry. Long-term, I wonder could we spend a month there each year, take a break from work, swim and cycle and improve my Spanish in little local cafes…
11
An ideal work day. Got a lot done without rushing, took several breaks, caught up on a few things. I’ll give myself an 8 or 9 out of 10 in terms of productivity. Could have done more and scored a 10, but trying to avoid those days now. They only lead to burnout.
12
Took a break in the middle of the day, headed to the next town over. Ordered an espresso and started reading a book about death. Then rambled up the hill and around the old streets. They have big photos showing how the place looked 100 years ago. All those people, long gone.
13
The older I get, the more easily I get overwhelmed by crowds, busy environments. I tend to notice a lot of things, can’t help it. People’s shapes and faces, car makes and registrations. I’ve always been this way, but I had more energy to process it when younger. Now I need to be more careful, take more breaks.
14
I love movies, but rarely have a 2 hour block of free time to watch one all the way through. So I’m watching them in chunks. A half hour here, 45 minutes there. They force me to slow down a bit. Something about watching 15 minutes of a movie, feels more sacred than a 15-minute YouTube video.
15
At a school music recital in a small Spanish town, kids as young as 4 performing on stage. There’s one kid following the beat of a completely different drum. Making up his own moves, facing away from the audience for long stretches, lost in his own world. I’d love to know how his life unfolds.
16
Turning 42 today. Could have been another birthday I didn’t pay much attention to, but ended up in a hot tub on a rooftop with three of my favorite people, talking and laughing and looking up at the moon and stars, 200 miles from home.
17
There might be 2000 people here, the line stretching back around the block. No way they’re all getting in to vote before 8pm. Not even half. Is this on purpose? I expect they’ll fudge the numbers anyway, but it’s probably easier if less people have their say. Especially people living outside the country, with access to other media.
18
Some complaints about the newsletter are legit. Others seem to be people frustrated with their own struggles, annoyed that we haven’t given them a highly customized foolproof step-by-step plan to achieve success. I try to tell them gently that such a thing doesn’t exist, and never will.
19
An ideal day. Some solid deep work, but not too much, was able to recognize when to pull back. Frequent breaks, allowed myself some laziness while still getting plenty done. Then an hour of basketball and a chat with my best friend in the evening, followed by dinner and a movie.
20
Doing the newsletter, I see a lot of different business ideas. Some get me excited, thinking I could do them myself. One like that this week. Although I know from experience that it won’t necessarily work for me just because it worked for someone else. But the only way to know for sure is to try.
21
Cal Newport calls it the pull model. I’m embracing that approach, instead of pushing more and more things onto my plate and frantically trying to get it all done before some self-imposed (and arbitrary) deadline. As a result, I’m enjoying the journey a lot more these days.
22
Didn’t watch it last night, in case something was off and it got my mind racing. Watched it this morning though and it was fine. Funny how I put 8+ hours into all that and the result is about 20 seconds of screen time. Still, a nice feather in my cap, worth the effort.
23
Had some knee pain a few weeks back, especially when playing basketball or hiking. Started doing the exercises in this video every day and no pain since. Still have the lower back issue though. There are probably exercises that would fix that, but I’ve yet to find them.
24
Didn’t have the juice yesterday so I chilled out. Took a nap, cycled through the woods, watched some Netflix. Rewarded for that today, plenty of energy, got lots done. Doesn’t always work that way though. Some days the lethargy lingers despite the rest. I find that tough to deal with.
25
I eat the same meals every day, rarely an exception, and rarely a craving for something different. I’m not much of a foodie anyway, and I like the convenience of it. Don’t have to think much about what groceries to buy or what I’m going to have for dinner each day.
26
Officially launched our first “product” today. It’s a simple Chrome extension, nothing fancy. The goal is to regularly launch lots of little products like that. Hopefully they will help us build links and boost our SEO.
27
The next phase of this project is like trekking through a dense jungle. It’d be nice if there was a clear path to follow, but there isn’t. You have to get sweaty and hack away with a machete. It’s not pretty and you’re never going in a straight line, but eventually you find your way.
28
Twenty minutes talking with this lady in Spanish and my brain is fried. I always come away from this kind of thing eager to improve, so I won’t feel so overwhelmed by the language. But more time and energy devoted to that means less time and energy devoted to something else.
29
Didn’t enjoy 3 Body Problem, feels like 8 hours of my life gone to waste. Not going to watch another TV series unless it’s considered a classic. At least if a movie sucks it’s only a couple of hours I’ll never get back.
30
Finally got the dashcam installed on the car. There’s a fleeting concern that I’ll end up like Charles Bronson in Death Wish, sitting on the subway with his groceries, hoping someone will try to mug him. Maybe now I’ll welcome people driving recklessly around me.
31
Weighed myself for the first time in ~18 months. I’ve put on about 2 kilos, or two bags of sugar as I like to think of it. Sneaky weight, knew I was gaining a bit but could convince myself it was nothing to worry about. No arguing with the numbers. Making some dietary changes immediately.