Matthew Lang

I've tried to start a number of new habits over the last few months, some of them have stuck, some of them haven't. Here's the ones that didn't stick.

1. Reading 2 books a month - Not really an unrealistic habit but perhaps should have been changed to 'read at least two books a month'. I've scrapped this in favour of just having a list of books that I can work through when I can. Some books take longer than others, so why timeframe it? It detracts from the enjoyment that a book brings. Try this instead - Just make sure you have a couple of fiction books beside your bed and keep reading them. When you finish one, replace it.
2. Logging something I learned everyday - I did keep a separate Journalong file for this but some days you just haven't learned anything significantly new. Instead I just log these as they happen. No sense in making a daily habit of it.
3. Mind mapping - I really wanted to start mind mapping again but the truth is I see little benefit in it now. I think mind mapping has its uses but it's just not on my radar now of things I want to keep doing. Yes I realise that as a past mind mapping blogger this is probably considered blasphemy but opinions change.

The thing is when you set out to start a new habit, it doesn't always work. If you really want it to work, you'll set aside the time to do it and keep on doing it. It will eventually stick.

If it doesn't, then just let it go. When a habit doesn't stick, it's not defeat. It's just your way of saying, I don't need this.

Plain text files. I love them. They're portable, easy to manipulate and work with hundreds of different tools. The only thing about them I don't like is they are a nightmare to organise.

Unless you've got an indexing and search tool that does all the hard work of collating them together, you're screwed. Now add to the mix that not all my files are in plain text. I've got an increasing number of documents that are PDFs, spreadsheets and even a few Word documents. It's getting out of control.

In the past I used Evernote, but at the time I felt I didn't have a need for such a tool. I didn't have clients, invoices, projects, ideas, side-products, documents and other stuff all vying for my attention. This stuff needs to go somewhere. Somewhere that I can find it again.

So I'm considering Evernote again. I had no issues with it in the past other than I wasn't using it to its full potential. There's definitely a place for it in my list of everyday tools. I've got so much going on just now and the last thing I need is to be wasting time looking for documents or notes. I need this stuff and I need it fast. Let's hope that Evernote can fit my needs.

A brilliant idea. A bit like a manifesto, but I would say I was more likely to follow a law than a manifesto.

... the executive's summary.

A while back I talked about looking to get back to mind mapping again but in the last few months I've found it quite a struggle to get back into it. I just don't feel comfortable with it anymore. It just doesn't flow as much as I thought it would. In fact I've found it quite cumbersome.

The ideal mind map radiates from a central topic and breaks out into branches that represent related topics. These branches break down further and further until you've got to the topic you need. The problem is that mind maps only radiate from the center. By the time I've added a number of top level topics I've already ran out of space on my paper and no, mind mapping software is not the answer. I'm strictly a pen and paper person when it comes to that initial capture.

So I've decided to jump back to scketchnoting again. I looked at this a while back, but I didn't give it enough of a chance. Now that I'm armed with the Mike Rhode's book on sketchnoting, blank notebooks, blank index cards and a pen, I'm ready to give sketchnoting a fair try again.

The thing that I like about sketchnoting is that it's more freeform than mind mapping. While mind mapping is restricted to a radial layout, sketchnoting can take many different forms of layouts. You fill your page in a way that makes it easy to read. I'll be sketchnoting various things like book notes, quotes and other things just to get the practice in.

A beautifully put together bike. Frames like this deserve only the best components.

via FGGT

I decided to lump these together in one post rather than drag them out into seperate posts. I'll also try and keep the reviews short and light. Watch out for more as I get more books read.

HMS Surprise & The Mauritius Command by Patrick O'Brian

These are books three and four in the Aubrey/Maturin series. I couldn't possibly summarise the plots of these two books in a few short sentences, but they were both terrific reads. Like the first two books in the series there is great attention to detail in not only the characters and the plot, but also on the naval aspect of the stories. If you like your books short and fast paced these might not be for you, but I do love the way Patrick O'Brian has written these. They do require a fair amount of time to get through, but they're definitely worth the time.

Don't be an idiot: Learn how to run a viable freelancing business by Curtis McHale

I am fairly new to freelancing as are many others I would imagine. Most of us might have taken the plunge to freelancing without a thought to planning your finances. I did this a few years ago and the result was a disaster. I was completely burnt out and I didn't even make that much money from it. Fast forward to now and despite a rocky start, I'm getting there and that's thanks to this book.

In the book Curtis explains what's needed to make that initial jump, setting the right payment terms, project goals and reviews and more. This book won't tell you everything you need to know, I've yet to read a book that does, but this is a great starting point for those either looking to freelance or are currently freelancing but want to take it to a more professional level.

I hope that Curtis writes more books on freelancing in the future. He definitely has the right experience to draw from and he's proof that setting the groundwork can make your freelancing career really prosper.

The Freelancer’s Guide to Long-Term Contracts by Eric Davis

When I decided to freelance at the start of the year, I was unsure about how many clients I should have and how often I should be advertising myself as being available. What I didn't know was that there are in fact long term opportunities out there for freelancers. It's sort of the happy balance between working for yourself and full time job security. This was a form of freelancing I hadn't read about before but was really interested in.

Eric's book however has been a great guide through the possibilities of long term contracts. Thanks to this book, I now see them as being the premium service in my freelancing career. If you're looking to start freelancing and want the security of long term contract work then I would recommend that you get this book. It's a different way of working than short term contracts and thankfully Eric has all the advice you'll need.

Next on the list are War of the Roses: Stormbird, Frictionless Freelancing, You Only Better and Crafting Rails 4 Applications. I'll be hoping to report on these at the start of next year.