Michael Wade reminds us about keeping a “Not Doing List”.
Common “Not Doing” projects involve physical exercise, connecting with old friends, volunteering for good causes, and writing thank you notes.
Writing
On the practice of writing and finding the words.
Steven Pressfield on breaking through resistance.
The more Resistance we feel to a project or idea, the more certain we can be that that idea is critical to the evolution of our soul.
I needed this.
The use of the word “very” is something I’m always aware of when I’m writing. I try not to use it, but finding a replacement can be challenging. If you find yourself in the same spot, try the Lose the Very website for alternatives.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Having another go
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been re-writing a small product that I spent sometime building before lockdown.
The product has been gathering dust since the start of lockdown. It does have a handful of customers and generally good feedback from those customers, but I wasn’t happy with my first pass at it. There were so many things that I would do differently if I could start it over again. So I decided to have another go at it.
I’ve made pretty good progress so far and will be able to launch it again in a few months.
Migrating Bear notes to Ulysses
This weekend I’m hoping to move all my Bear notes into Ulysses. My Bear renewal for the Pro subscription is at the end of September and while I find the app useful, I’m finding that I don’t use it as much as I used to. I’m also starting to consolidate some other files that I have into Ulysses. It’s becoming my go-to app for writing and note taking.
Most of the notes I have already moved across, but there’s a few that I need to do some more work on to tidy up the formatting that was lost in the migration. Hopefully by the end of the weekend, most of this migration will be complete.
Do what Matt Gemmell does and write down your writing ideas.
Julian Summerhayes on the importance of handwriting.
I remembered Draft, the writing app I used years ago. Checked it out today, and it’s still there! The web is truly an under-appreciated and brilliant platform.
The first step
I’ve been putting off starting what I know will be a long-running item of work. I’m putting it off because I haven’t taken that first step. And that first step is essential. Not the most critical step mind you, but necessary all the same. That first step could the first of hundreds, maybe thousands. Whatever it is, it’s that first step.
The first step doesn’t need to be a grand gesture, either. It doesn’t mean planning the next hundred things you need to do. It means just writing down what you need to do next and then maybe follow it up with the following two after that. Once those steps are complete, move onto the next few.
Whatever it is you want to do, take that first important step and see where it takes you. I’ve lost count of the number of things I haven’t done because I didn’t take that first step.
I’m writing this morning on Ulysses. I forgot how great it is to simply write.
I had one of those mornings on the train where I could have just kept writing and writing. Sadly, it came to my stop and I had stop and head to work. I hope I can pick up tonight where I left off this morning.
It’s never too late to start writing.
Struggling to do the usual reading and writing that I use to do on a daily basis. I finished Andy Weir’s Artmeis last night. It took me a month to read it. Who takes a month to read a relatively light book?
40 day writing streak on 750words.com. The daily habit is getting easier to do now. Here’s to another 40 days of writing!
I’ve returned to blogging with a post about why I think web analytics are not a good fit for my own websites.
I must say, it feels great to be writing again. I really enjoyed pulling this one together.
8 day streak on @750words. Feels great to be writing daily again.
Who do I know that’s been writing frequently on Medium?
1000 words done for my first newsletter. Not a bad start. #amwriting
Medium still isn't for me
I've wrote in the past about the blogging platform Medium and how I have issue with such a high volume of people writing under one roof and how the lack of
Here's what I wrote at the start of last year:
Access to the network is easy but I can't help but wonder if in the future they'll get it wrong and piss off a good chunk of their user base. I'd rather not take that chance.
Well Medium did get it wrong. The ad model isn't working for them. That and fifty of their staff have been dropped. What looks like a cost-cutting exercise is what they're calling a change in their business model. What that business model will be is unclear at the moment.
One option Medium has is to charge users for the privilege of using Medium. If Medium wanted to charge me to use Medium then I would be all for it. I love products that look for money up front before you can use their product. How else are they going to survive as a business?
I like the idea behind Medium but the recent change in their business model (or even lack of one) has me wondering how long they'll be around for. Not a nice thought, especially when it concerns a platform that many use to publish their thoughts and ideas. I'd rather not see it go under, but it needs to start adapting and fast.
Medium still isn't for me though. I'm happy to blog away from my own little corner of the Internet.
Announcing my monthly newsletter
I'm starting a newsletter this year.
Yes, I'm a bit late to the newsletter thing and yes this is probably another newsletter that you don't need, but here me out before you make any decisions.
On the 19th of each month I'll send you a long form piece of writing about my thoughts on a topic that will usually revolve around technology, productivity or products. If you like my blog then you can expect content along the same lines, just in a longer form. Each month, I'll also include a link list of interesting titbits from the Internet that have caught my attention and I think are worth passing on.
Interested?
First edition drops on the 19th of January and is entitled, "Back to basics".
A Little Inconvience Is Okay
When you notice something is affecting your drive, find a way to adjust your environment. Even if it’s a little inconvenient to others.
— Titlting My Mirror by Derek Sivers
Or even yourself. Hand writing my to-do list each morning is inconvenient but it gives me time to sort out the "must do" from the "want to do".
Considering starting a monthly newsletter for next year. One essay a month on a general topic with a few links to round up.
I love Patrick Rhone's approach to his online writing.
Much like Henry David Thoreau had three chairs in his house, I’ve come to realize that I generally have three types of posts for my online writing — what I’m collectively and quirkily referring to as “Rhoneisms”.
— The Three Types of Rhoneisms by Patrick Rhone
Curtis McHale has the three step process for marketing your business. Blog, podcast and meet people.
The primary thing you need to do is blog. Write for your own site at least weekly. You write because when people have issues, what do they do? An internet search. And search engines index your writing. People will land on your site and start to get to know you. Getting to know you is the start of the sales process.
— A 3-step marketing plan for your business by Curtis McHale
The one thing I think I couldn't do is podcast. I could write all day if I had the chance. Meeting people certainly isn't an issue, but I think putting your voice out there is something that will take me a while to do.
The love-hate relationship with Medium
I'm still on the fence about Medium. Despite having an account there and no stories posted I still get people following me.
Sure I get what Medium is trying to achieve by making blogging easy for everyone but I'm still on the fence about such a high volume of people using one platform.
Mark Lowenstein highlights a few of the benefits and drawbacks with Medium.
Medium offers very little in the way of guidance or tutorials to help one get discovered. There is nobody one can talk to, unless you’re an established brand or company who wants Medium to host your content. I’d bet many writers would be willing to pay a modest fee, or sign up for a premium membership with Medium, for some help building an audience/following and getting their content discovered.
Discoverability is a problem many people face on Medium but I don't think this a problem with Medium directly.
When you start writing on Medium, you're writing with (and against) thousands of other people. That's a lot of competition, so why not blog elsewhere? It's your decision.
I think I've found myself a new set of labels for categorising my tasks in Todoist.
Think of your tasks in categories called the "three Cs," he says: creative, collaborative, and connecting. Schedule your creative work—when you’re thinking, making decisions, writing, and planning—when you’re mentally strongest. For many, that’s early in the day, he says. Block out times for collaborative work, such as meetings, phone calls, and other work tasks where you need to interact with others. Then, plan your connect time, when you recharge with family and friends.
— 8 Productivity Habits Of The Most Successful Freelancers by Gwen Moran for Fast Company
Slow and Steady
Wins the race.
This morning, just as a test, move very slowly. Avoid scanning material. Read it carefully. Sense the rhythm of the words. Make all of your actions as precise as possible. Be in the moment, whether you are sipping coffee, writing a note or talking to a customer.
‐ Slow and Precise by Michael Wade
The Morning Pages Experiment
What I'm experimenting with now, though, is adding a little more structure to my pages. Not something overbearing (the whole point of morning pages is for it to be free, stream-of-consciousness writing), but more a footnote. Once my daily pages are dumped from my brain, I've started adding three lists: Focus, Fears and Excitement.
— Pulling Focus by Relative Sanity
My morning pages routine has also seen a little change in its format in the last few weeks. I pick a word, form a topic or question around it and then start writing. It's working well so far.
“A solid post” says my editor. I have to be doing something right with this writing lark!
A Father's Advice
A wonderful piece highlighting some life lessons from a father.
Begin conversations with people on airplanes when you hear “We have begun our descent.” If they prove to be fascinating, you will broaden your world; if they prove insufferable, it’s only 15 minutes. Uber rides and chairlifts provide a similar opportunity — exposure to people you would not otherwise meet in controlled time periods.
— Unsolicited Advice for My Three Sons, In No Particular Order by Rufus Griscom
It's writing like this that I love to read but going through the thousands of posts on Medium is a real problem. Another walled garden of potentially great content I guess.
And on the same day @medium announce a way for writers to get paid for their content. Good move!
On Writing Well - Technical Writing
While reading On Writing Well last night, I was glad to have found the section on technical writing.
Describing how a process works is valuable for two reasons. It forces you to make sure you know how it works. Then it forces you to take the reader through the same sequence of ideas and deductions that made the process clear to you.
— On Writing Well by William Zinsser
Pushing words out even when I don’t have a lot of things I think others will care about is a growing thing. I’m happy that I’m writing what’s real in my little world.
— Writing Every Day by Jamiee Newbury
I need to get back on track with posting daily. Even if it is just a few brief words.
Got an Amazon Fire 7 ordered. For the money you can’t beat it for the kids to use. I’ll also be trialling it for writing and researching.
Tools & Toys has another fantastic guide. This time it's the tools needed for writers that travel.
A nice reminder that while places like Medium allow you to share your writing easily, you're still playing by someone else's rules.
The allure of other playgrounds, that already have lots of people using their jungle gym and interacting, is great. It’s hard (and far less fun) to play with your bouncy ball all by yourself. But if you want to ensure you’ve always got access to a bouncy ball and some killer monkey bars, you’ve got to be the one who owns them.
— Whose playground are you playing in? by Paul Jarvis
Why Do I Like To Write?
Jason Fried answers this on Twitter.
Why do I like to write? Because words are fucking fun to play with. Writing is playing. Can't think of a better reason.
— Jason Fried (@jasonfried) September 17, 2015A writer has to focus. She can’t just flip a switch and start grinding. She needs time to settle in, to let the current start to flow. She can’t do that in fifteen-minute increments with the kids screaming and her husband phoning from the office. Nobody can.
— Our Fractured Days
by Steven Pressfield
Read on for Steven's rules on dealing with those days that fracture.
iA Writer 3
I love how iA have opened up with their iA Writer 3 release:
If you came here to read about ground-breaking new features, we have to apologize: iA Writer has not become bigger. It has become lighter, smarter, more refined.
— iA Writer 3
by iA
That's how you sell software.
Life or Death on the Roll of the Dice
This brought back a few memories.
Despite their unique preferences and stylistic tendencies, all of the module authors I spoke with agree that there’s a difference between being a good Dungeon Master and writing a great adventure. A Dungeon Master should be concerned with creating a seamless and engaging narrative for their players. An adventure writer, on the other hand, needs to produce modules that will motivate those DMs, capturing their imaginations while leaving them room to embellish, adjust, and alter as desired.
— Total Party Kill - The Architects of Dungeons & Dragons by Wills Plummer
I had a short spell (groan) as a DM but I didn't have a full grasp of the rules at the time. Enjoyed my time as a player though.
I'm writing again. Trying to get into the habit of writing (not typing) 750 words every morning and keeping a written log of each day as well. Going well so far.
Blank pages are great. They are empty to begin with. Devoid of markings, letters, pictures, symbols or any written mark that represents something. They are empty for a reason. They need to be filled. But what with?
With a blank page you can start writing. A sentence, a paragraph, a poem, a short story, a long story, a film, a trilogy of films. It all begins on a blank page with a few words.
With a blank page you can start drawing, sketching or even doodle. Whatever it is you want to call it. Your thoughts visualised could be an idea that will change the world or act as a window for future generations to see through. It all begins on a blank page with a few lines.
With a blank page you can start making. Take an idea. Iterate over it with different approaches. Draw variations of it, list the pros and cons for each different variation. Finalize it before moving forward. It all begins on a blank page with an idea.
With a blank page you are recording a thought or idea that could outlive you and even the end of this century. With a blank page you are freeing yourself from the confines of technology. With a blank page you have decided that it is better to have a reliable means of recording that doesn't require wi-fi, the Internet or even a battery.
Did I mention that blank pages are great?
There's no excuse for the lack of blog posts around here recently. I've tried to kickstart my daily posts a number of times in the last couple of months but each time ends up in failure.
At first I had problem with ideas for writing. My ideas list had run dry and I struggled to fill it again.
Then when I had an idea for a post, I would quickly dismiss it on the grounds that it isn't worth publishing. I didn't have confidence in the idea to write about it to begin with, let alone actually get to the step of deciding whether it is publishable or not.
Now I'm so focused on other work that I am struggling to fit writing back into my schedule. I'm stretching myself in too many different directions.
None of these are valid reasons for not writing. They're excuses. I aim to do better in the future with regards to my writing.
The Writing Workflow of Curtis McHale
We need more posts like this. Good to see that Markdown is favoured by Curtis.
A little self promotion. My latest book, This Could Help, is now officially available on all platforms. It’s a collection of essays and asides, all of which could potentially help you in some way. Each one is purposely written to land hard and make an impact that matters.
— This Could Help — Now Everywhere by Patrick Rhone
Patrick's latest book will help many people. Not too late to buy as a stocking filler!
Team 256
What started as a monthly challenge is now fast turning into a social network daily ritual, which isn't a bad thing when it comes to the fast and furious world of social networks.
Back in September, I started a challenge of writing a 256 character post everyday on App.net. Aside from missing a single day's post I completed the challenge. It was a refreshing use of my time on a social network. Rather than simply typing the first thing that comes to your head and posting it, filling the post with 256 characters means you need to spend a bit of time editing, re-wording and ensuring your post is correct and uses all character space available. It's this time spent on getting the message right that makes my 256 character posts so different from every other post I make.
Social networks are often seen as a cheap and fast way of getting messages across to people, so few people think before they post. While they are great for short bursts of information, social networks are mostly places where masses of un-edited information stream by us every day. My #team256 posts on App.net are not wildly profound or better to read than other posts on App.net, but they do provide me with a chance to write something a bit more detailed.
What started as a monthly challenge has fast become something of a daily habit. I'm still keeping the habit going to post 256 characters a day on App.net and while I might have missed the last couple of days, I did look forward to writing my post for the day. I hope that it continues and gathers pace on App.net in the future.
Be More You ...
... with a journal.
Want to Blog?
Write Carl's question on an index card. Put it on your wall. Answer his question. Repeat daily.
I miss longer-form pieces. I miss the minds behind the writing. Anyone can share a link with a snarky comment. I want to read the words behind your thoughts. I want to read your why.
— Share by Carl T. Holscher
A Quick Guide to the Other Football Sport
Love American Football? Love writing code?
Here's a quick run down of American Football related terms in the context of software development.
Got a Book in You?
Here's a good place to start.
Faster, Easier Writing
I've been following the tips from this post in the last week and I'm already starting to see the benefits.
Many of you will notice that my daily posts have tailed off somewhat in the last few weeks. Despite recent attempts to scale back on the frequency of posts, I'm still not finding that sweet spot that lets me write and publish. I had it last year, but this year it seems to have vanished.
I've got a holiday starting next week for two weeks. It's a clean break and a chance to kickstart the writing process again. I'm hoping to come back with a list of ideas, drafts in progress and hopefully by then I'll have published a few more posts to get me back on track again.
Let's see where it goes. See you on the other side.
Matt Gemmell is ...
... thinking slowly.
Balance isn't something that comes up a lot when people are writing about productivity. Once you are aware of it though, it's a fundamental lesson to learn if you want keep focused and make progress.
I'm like a kid in a candy shop when I have a new idea. I tend to drop just about everything I'm working on new idea for a night or two and then get back to what I was doing before. Not a good practice to follow. When you stop working on something else and spend some time with an idea, it can take over. The idea snowballs and then before you know it, you've grand plans for it and it overtakes everything else you are doing. Inevitably my workload becomes so much that I need to try and prioritise and sort my work into a schedule that can't feasibly accommodate this new idea. What to do?
Well the answer is simple. From now on for every project I take on I need to drop something else. Realistically I can only manage one side project at a time on top of freelancing and family life. When I take on too much everything else suffers. It's a balancing act.
The monthly themes I am doing just now are good for balancing work as it means that in one month I can focus on a single idea or product for that time. Since the start of the year I've used broad themes to cover everything but this month I'll be focusing on a specific project. It's the first of four projects that I'll be working on this year. The goal is to clear the backlog of tasks for that project so that it can be left alone for another few months while I bring another few projects along.
This also means that I can schedule these ideas into the year so that I know what work lies ahead in my schedule. Not only is this good for scheduling purposes but the idea also gets a chance to incubate for a few weeks or months before I start on it. By then I might have discounted the idea will then pick something else to work on.
Solutions with Code
As a freelance developer working for a client, I don't have the luxury of daily stand ups to get the outline for a new feature I have to work on. I also don't have the benefit of having another programmer sitting beside me or even in a remote location to talk about the feature further in a pair programming session. When you're on your own, you need to find other ways to kickstart the development process of envisioning a feature of a system.
I generally have a rough idea of the feature, but sometimes even getting a rough idea can be difficult. It pays to talk to the customer or even the product owner to get all the details you need, but sometimes even after that you might still be unsure. Where I usually falter is that I understand the feature but seeing it in code or as a set of objects can be difficult.
One technique I've been using is writing the sample code of how I would eventually interact with the feature once it is shipped. This isn't production code or code that's even going to be run. It's just me hammering out sample code on text file. The benefit of this technique is that I can identify simple objects such as classes and properties without too much code. It also lets me see if I'm starting to build dependencies on other objects. It might not be viewed as TDD friendly, but when you're working on your own, anything that helps should be considered.
The code itself consists of creating a couple of instance objects and setting the attributes needed for each one until I've satisfied the need to have a set of objects that could be read from a database. There's no fancy Rails code here, it's just plain old Ruby. I don't even bother to refactor it at all as I'm just looking to get an initial design from the code. Then I can start TDD'ing the feature with the my new found understanding.
I've no idea if this technique has a name or not, but it works well for me when I have problems envisioning the design for a feature.
Budgeting Your Apps & Subscriptions
As part of my smarter budgeting theme for the year, one area I'll be looking to budget better for is the amount of money I spend on apps and services on the Internet.
It's no secret that I like to pay for the services I use. It just makes sense to support the products that you love to use. That's what keeps them in business. We all have preferences for the tools we use and how we work, but I thought I would share some of my thoughts on keeping your apps and subscriptions in check.
Keep A Budget
Common sense really, but things can get out of hand if you keep on subscribing to multiple services or subscriptions on the Internet. Set yourself a monthly budget and make sure you keep within that budget.
App stores and easier ways of paying online make instant purchases too easy to do now. You can quickly spend $20 or more in a few minutes on apps and services. Review your budget each month and be ruthless with making cuts to your monthly subscriptions.
Ensure you're leave yourself a little room in your budget for experimenting with apps. You can't trial an app before buying it, so leaving yourself a little room for trialling a couple of apps a month.
Find Value
I pay for things that give me value. The same goes for apps and subscriptions as well. I subscribe to a number of email newsletters, but they all offer some form of value. It's easy to subscribe to a newsletter thinking that it's $5 per month, but are you getting value from spending that money each month?
I think it's hard to quantify value, but the way I see it is that if I use that app or service on a daily basis then I'm getting value from it.
Don't Double Up On One Device
Having multiple apps on one device that do the same thing is a waste of money and time. At one point I had three apps on my iPhone for writing. Each was used for a different form of writing, but I've learned now that I can use one app more effectively for all my writing on my iPhone.
Doubling up on apps means that you also need to spend more time learning how to use those apps. Why spend the time learning about two apps when you can really master the one app.
Apps Can Vary Across Different Devices
So I mentioned there that I had three apps on one device, but what if you have a phone and tablet? Well in this case, you can use the same app for both devices if you can. If the app can work for you well enough on both devices then use it.
However, with devices having different form factors, it makes sense to use different apps that play to the strengths of each device. Yes you'll end up with multiple apps that do the same thing, but the money spent is justified in getting a tool that makes the interaction you need easier.
These are just some of my thoughts on the budgeting of apps and subscriptions. They're basically the guidelines I use to keep myself from throwing away money each month and drowning myself in unnecessary apps and subscriptions. I hope they can help you too.
Palmerston...
... a great place to write. No fast food, no traffic, no slog of a commute, no rat race, no corridor warriors, no boss and no 24 hour internet.
Time to regroup
The last few weeks have seen my writing tail off from the schedule I would have preferred to keep. It's meant that I've resorted to writing posts on the day they are supposed to be published. Hardly ideal, but those are the breaks in life.
Right now seems like a good time to take a break for a few weeks over the holidays and regroup. I'll still be posting links to here and maybe the odd written post once a week, but I'll be relaxing my writing schedule until the start of next year.
See you all on the other side!
Mark your calendars for next year, Patrick Rhone is proposing a new holiday for journal fans everywhere, Journal Day (December the 9th).
There are many ways to celebrate or traditions one could keep to mark the day. For instance, this might be the day to take out previous journals and reflect on where you were then versus where you are today. Another tradition may be to let someone you trust read one you have kept and get to know the “real” you.
— Journal Day by Patrick Rhone
No Tests Please, I'm Having Fun
I want to be a good developer and develop applications that are thoroughly tested but when was the last time you just hacked on a bit of code to try something out?
There's definitely a time and place for testing your code, whether you're part of a team or building a revenue generating product or service on your own, testing frameworks can give us the confidence we need to ship code on a frequent basis.
If I know enough of the framework and language to get by then I don't bother writing tests. I would rather roll my sleeves up and get into the parts of the code I know or even try new things with a part of the language or framework I haven't used. Just fiddling away with a simple script until I can get it working to validate an idea or a thought can be so rewarding. It might take me an hour to come up with something or half a day, but if that's all it takes then why bother getting all the correct bits in place to test it?
Exploring problems with just the code, trying things out, making it work as I go along. Yes it might take a few attempts to get there, but I always get there in the end. And that's the fun part of programming, getting it to work. I'm all for tested code but every now and again I like to just throw away the tests and just code and have some fun.
The Future of Writing is Here
And it's called Markdown.
Honestly, it's a simple markup that anyone can use.
I read Matt's post without even giving a thought to applying it to writing code like Curtis has. I confess to also reading too much as well.
Time for me to prioritize creating over consuming.
Just Write About It
Every time I write a post for my blog, I ask myself this question:
What if the majority of my readers already know what I'm writing about in this post?
I've purposely held back on a number of ideas for blog posts in the past due to this. I get myself into the mindset that the idea for the blog post will be invaluable to the majority of my readers and therefore I dismiss the idea.
However loooking over my analytics for previous posts I have written that I have questioned but went ahead with, I have been surprised by the number of times the posts I thought would quickly disappear into the archives are still being read by more than a hanful of people every day. Even though I had the belief that the post would only be relevant for a limited time and to a limited number of people, these posts are still drawing in new readers every week.
So my advice to you is this. Even if you think your readers won't find any value in your idea for a blog post, write that blog post anyway. Chances are that someone will find value in your blog post rather than no-one.
Thanks Curtis ...
Create something ...
... every day.
A must read.
Exploring the freemium product
So Journalong has been tried and tested as a fully paid product, but I’m just not getting people using Journalong, so I’m moving the product towards a freemium product. The paid side of the service is still going to be $10 a year with all the trimmings, but the free service will be restricted in the settings that you can adjust. The free account will allow you to journal multiple times a day.
This isn’t the only change I’ll be making for Journalong in the next few weeks. It’s become apparent that writing with Journalong is somewhat restrictive due to the constraints of the textbox that you write in. It’s not focused and it’s only takes up so much of the page. What I really want is a full screen, no distractions, text entry. Just me and my journal entry.
The freemium changes will come in the next couple of weeks with the new journal entry screen to follow. It will be interesting to see if these changes can generate more interest in Journalong.
Making time for product building
It's been a busy couple of weeks freelancing. However there is one thing that I didn't factor into working this way and that was making time for building my own products.
Working on your own is demanding. You're aiming to deliver the best work you can within a set allotted time for your client as well as keeping an eye out for more opportunities in the future. I've only just seen the tip of the iceberg with freelancing. I'm sure there's a lot more things I need to be doing.
By the time I've put in a days work I'm mentally exhausted. The prospect of sitting at the computer for another hour at night now doesn't seem so appealing.
Now that I'm more flexible though in the hours that I can do, I need to start thinking about etching out some time during the week to build and market my own products. Cutting back to four days a week would allow me that chance. As well as working on products it would give me a chance to do some writing as well.
I like the flexibility that freelancing offers but I need to make sure that I am giving myself enough time to work on projects if my own.
The other problem is that I'm still stuck in the typical work week mode. I still feel like I have a job. Granted I'm way more happier working this way, but I should be working out how many days I should be doing a month to earn enough for living and putting some aside for when there are droughts in the work load.
This doesn't necessarily mean doing five days a week, but the balance should be in the favour of paid work until my products can earn enough to swing the balance in their favour.
In the meantime it's back to work.
Lifehacker asks ...
How to Edit Your Own Writing
Great advice for people like myself that edit their work wrongly! I don't how many times I have re-read back to myself my writing from the screen and failed to see all my mistakes.
Print Out Your Work
Always do this. Always. It's a pain, but when you're talking performance reviews, that 20-yard hassle of a walk to the printer could mean the difference between a 4% or a 5% raise.
Here's why: As any writer or editor will tell you, critiquing someone else's work is much easier than deconstructing your own, because outside eyes bring a fresh perspective. To approach your own work critically, you need to simulate this "outsider" perspective by viewing it in a form other than the one you wrote it in.
— How To Edit Your Own Writing by Lifehacker
Writing with pen and paper
Writing, real writing, makes you smarter.
I need to do this more often. Much more often.
Patrick Rhone's Writing Steps
It's easier than you think. Just read step one.
Two sentences is all it takes to keep a journal
Seriously, who can't write two sentences every day? That's all it takes to keep a journal for yourself going. Just two sentences. What's stopping you from keeping a journal?
As I analyze, reflect, and write, I found myself scratching out my own list; my own criterion for what I want from this finicky thing I’ve been given, this life. Wandering around the world, writing, running, thinking, touching, laughing, dancing: what’s most important? What is not important? What should we be doing? Or rather, what are we doing? And if given the choice, how will I live? Are there any criteria that resonate across all that I do?
— How To Live by It Starts With
A deep and thoughtful analysis of life through writing.
What is Markdown?
Lifehacker has all the resources you'll need for using Markdown.
There's hundreds of apps out there that are prepared to lock in your data. But why sacrifice access to your data? Look at moving away from these apps that lock in your data and start using plain old text files for your to do lists, logging, writing and blogging.
Plain text and Markdown is much more flexible and you can use a wider range of tools to manage all your Markdown documents. Add a cloud storage service like Dropbox and you can have your files with you everywhere you go!
Steal like a writer
via Explore
500 Words before 8am
This is a great habit to get into, even if you're job or career doesn't demand much writing.
Starting your day as a producer means that your information consumption has
meaning: the rest of the day means consuming information that is relevant to what it is that you're producing. Waking up as a producer frames the rest of your habits.— 500 words before 8am by Information Diet