Matthew Lang avatar

Matthew Lang

Family guy and web developer

In this roadmap are many questions. In your journal — whether digital or by hand — you can simply write out the question at the top of the page, and answer as if having a conversation. Don’t worry about formality, how it may sound out loud, grammar, etc. Just write your thoughts. It may seem mundane, but there is a magical quality in writing something down that cannot be fully explained. You just have to trust me and try it out.

— Jumpstart Your Journaling: A 31-Day Challenge by The Art of Manliness

What a terrific idea. A roadmap of journal prompts to build up a journaling habit.

Worst movies of 2014

I would have to say that the Jack Ryan reboot was by far my most disappointing movie of 2014.

Chris Pine seems suffocated to be playing the straight-man hero (he is more at home in Stretch and Into the Woods), Kenneth Branagh is really not Russian, and really you just want to weep for Keira Knightley, whom everyone assumed would have a secret role to play in the film but is merely there to have a light bulb shoved in her mouth while she tearfully waits for her man to save her.

— 'Exodus,' 'Maleficent' And The Worst Films Of 2014 by Forbes

My own cinema going experience for 2014 was limited, but I'm glad to see there's a few must-see movies for 2015. Roll on 2015!

Uses for Notebooks

Sadly I failed to completely fill a whole notebook this year. Seems like a trivial goal to have, but having a notebook full of notes, ideas, mind maps and lists gives you more book than a notebook only partially filled with notes and other stuff. Armed with these suggestions though I'll have a better chance at finally filling a notebook.

via The Cramped

I Should Write More

I was on a roll there for a while, but it's been difficult to get that consistentcy back again. I am working on it, it's just the hovering over the publish button that has frequently held me back.

Software engineers should write because it promotes many of the same skills required in programming. A core skill in both disciplines is an ability to think clearly. The best software engineers are great writers because their prose is as logical and elegant as their code.
— Software engineers should write by Shubhro Saha

Resolutions rarely affect only ourselves when we make them. Patrick makes a good point of getting those around you to help support your resolutions.

And even those things you think are just for you — to exercise more, to eat better, to meditate — may not be able to be successful without our partners actively supporting those efforts and allowing us the time, space, and resources to achieve them. Accountability helps here too. If those around you know them you are more likely to be held to the goal.
— Resolutions don't happen in a vacuum... by Patrick Rhone

Boxing Day: a day where you avoid anything too clever and start by reflecting on (1) identifying the boxes in your life and (2) checking what's inside them.

— Jagged Thoughts for Jagged Times 130 by Nicholas Bate

I already have too many boxes. Perfect timing to de-clutter.

Have You Changed?

It turns out, 31-year-old me who’s played a handful of sports in adulthood is substantially more coordinated than 17-year-old me who’d played none and was suddenly five inches taller than before.

— Clear Your Mental Cache by Thoughtbot

Is it time you re-visited those things that you think you know about yourself?