These are my Momentos, short personal diary entries I write daily – since 2013 – and publish monthly. Some links are affiliate links.
1
Had great energy before my trip to Ireland. Back almost a week now and still feeling sluggish. Easy to get frustrated with that, but I’m managing it well for now, happy to take it easy for a few days, not force it. I usually come out of these downswings like a man possessed.
2
Fascinated by this YouTube channel. Only 16k subscribers but 1.7 million views on 600+ videos. Mostly screencast review videos, faceless with a voiceover, monetized with affiliate links. Super simple. Guessing most people find the videos via Google search. It’s like the YouTube version of an old school review site.
3
Said he didn’t like the newsletter and wrote…
I only want to earn a thousand a month in passive income. Please feature people and ways to do this.
If only it were that easy. I’ve never seen someone earn $1000/month passive before earning $5000/month active. But most people aren’t interested in figuring out active first.
4
Energy still hasn’t picked up. Always takes longer than I expect it to. Damn optimism. Got some work done today but said fuck it in the afternoon and headed out for a 10k trail run. Enjoyed that. Not sure if it helps get me back on track, but feels like a good use of my waiting time.
5
From A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles…
Then allow me to introduce myself: I am Osip Ivanovich Glebnikov—former colonel of the Red Army and an officer of the Party, who as a boy in eastern Georgia dreamed of Moscow, and who as a man of thirty-nine in Moscow dreams of eastern Georgia.
6
Trump again. The only way it makes sense to me: lots of people feel the current system doesn’t work for them so they want a wildcard like Trump to come in and break it. The enemy of my enemy is my friend kinda thing. But I think it will all get a lot worse before it gets better.
7
Watching a masterclass about building a business on YouTube. Apparently this guy started in 2020, has 800k subscribers, earns $200k per month, and only works 4 hours per week thanks to his team and AI. Similar niche to me, too. Has me excited to start producing long form videos.
8
Spent several hours getting to grips with this software, figured it would be good to promote as an affiliate. Now I see they recently shut down their affiliate program. That sucks. Would like to make a video about it anyway but gotta prioritize revenue-producing activities, find the sweet spot.
9
Exploring a new trail. I have to be careful not to turn a walk in the woods into another item on my to-do list, rushing there and back, or trying to get in as many steps as possible. Didn’t do it today but on my next hike I want to stop and sit for 10 minutes, try to be at peace doing nothing.
10
I hate leaving things unfinished, probably to my detriment. Thinking the smart thing would be to forget about the website for a few months and go all in on video content. But leaving the website sit there to rot feels wrong, like I’m abandoning one child to care for a new one.
11
Thinking more about politics, decided it’s silly for me to have a strong opinion about any of it when I spend very little time keeping up with it all. Maybe if I read Tangle regularly I could claim to be well informed. But I don’t. And I don’t particularly want to, rather stay focused on my circle of influence.
12
Watching Rosemary’s Baby for the first time, the last twenty minutes has me tense. Now to listen to a podcast about it, can usually find a good episode or two, adds a lot of context, helps me appreciate the movie more and stretches my enjoyment of it.
13
My compromise: spend this week getting as much as possible done on the website, then go all in on the video stuff starting Monday. That’s forced me to prioritize the website tasks. Going good so far, last two days I’ve had great energy, checking lots off my list.
14
This woman has cancer but says she doesn’t identify as a person with cancer. Positive vibes only, unshakeable belief that she will fully heal. And she has been healing. Is it mainly mindset, or something else? Maybe triggering the placebo effect? I can’t help but think: many people have tried her approach, and it didn’t end well for most.
15
Hate these big companies when something goes wrong. My YouTube channel got demonetized years ago for a nonsensical reason, appeal rejected, nothing I can do. Now Amazon rejecting me from something. Granted, their reason makes more sense, but no way to contact them and figure out a solution.
16
Frustration tolerance. Heard that term recently and it resonates. The more frustration you can put up with, the better off you’ll be in business and life. Because it’s all just dealing with one frustration after another, trying to keep going and maintain a positive attitude despite it all.
17
3 countries and 4 border crossings today. Parked by a golf course that made us want to take up golf. Cycled along a river through the Cerdanya Valley. Snacked on a hillside as the sky turned pink and orange. Drove home tired. Ate dinner while watching Dr Strangelove and marveling at George C. Scott.
18
Went for a 10k run in the woods, this time stopped halfway and sat quietly for a few minutes, eyes open, just looking around, trying to be present and notice things. The tumbling stream, all the moss-covered rocks, pine cones everywhere, and a curious lack of insects.
19
14 years today since I quit my job, been self-employed ever since. Which means it’s been 7 years since I made that 7 Years As A Digital Nomad video. Somehow the latter feels like a much longer stretch of time, even though I packed way more experiences into the first.
20
Spent almost $300 on a course so I can review it for my YouTube channel. No affiliate play here. Just thought it would be interesting, helpful content. Have a good sense of the course now after a few hours going through it. Some great theory in there but unfortunately they recommend a lot of shady practices.
21
Old movies, hazy memories. Smokey and the Bandit… can picture watching that in the family living room when I was about 12, my dad cracking up when they skid the Trans Am to a stop and she gives the cop the finger. Real or imagined, that memory warms me up.
22
I can be such a silly optimist. Don’t have time for a task today so I’ll schedule it a few days or weeks into the future, thinking I’ll magically have more time then. Of course, I never do. And yet I keep doing this, fooling myself over and over.
23
I’m a middle-aged man now. Which helps me understand the midlife crisis thing a lot more. You get to this point and you really feel the clock ticking, not so many good years left to make those dreams come through, to end up as the person you always expected to be.
24
Published that review video 3 days ago, hasn’t hit 500 views yet. But the engagement looks promising, much better than the shorts. Probably smart to quit the shorts and focus 100% on long form. Been putting out shorts for ~5 months now and nothing much to show for it.
25
Working on another review video today. Takes about 10 hours to research, plan, record, edit and publish this format. Maybe I can outsource the editing eventually, but I need to tighten up the rest of it first. That will take time and practice.
26
Woke up early, still dark, can’t get back. Must have been dreaming about New Orleans, head full of memories. Basketball fandom, streetcar friendships, Balcony Bar dates, drunken mishaps, a golden bicycle, colorful neighbors. Memories that make me happy and sad at the same time.
27
I notice at the hospital a couple of nurses knocking off for the day, smiles on their faces, a skip in their step. Been a while since I had that feeling but I remember the thrill of it. You don’t get that when you work for yourself, since you never fully clock out.
28
Another 10k trail run, my third this month. That’s becoming my go-to when I’m feeling burned out. Not a magic fix, but definitely helps. Time in nature is part of it, but perhaps the biggest thing is that running those rough trails requires complete focus. Gives my brain a break from everything else.
29
He’s no older than 25. Tell him I have ten cartons of eggs and he looks confused, takes out his phone to calculate 10 x 6 = 60. Afterwards, I try to think of a generous explanation. Maybe the store requires staff to use a calculator every time? Maybe he was just nervous and had a brain freeze? Maybe dyscalculia?
30
Still feeling down, took the day off and watched movies. I try not to think too much when I’m in this headspace, thoughts tend to be negative and spiral downwards. Easy to fixate on the wrong thing, blow small issues out of proportion. Close my eyes, wait it out.