Check-In Round
“If you had to give an engaging 20 minute presentation with no preparation, what topic would you talk about?”
Either, how to setup your own GTD system or the ins-and-outs of the different power play strategies in hockey. High umbrella. Low umbrella. Overload. I could talk about it all day.
A mundane still life from a weekday afternoon with 👌 light.
This Week’s Experiment: iOS Only(ish)
I’ve been thinking, tweaking, writing, and drawing notes and snippets around the broad idea of systematizing the process of personal growth. As I continue to push this idea forward I thought I’d start using this newsletter as an accountability tool for my own ongoing personal experimentation. The why and the how of personal experimentation as a way of life deserves more space than I can give it here so at the risk of this seeming like a jarring transition, I think I’ll just hop straight into it.
What tension am I exploring with this experiment?
It’s inherently simpler to constrain my computing life to one operating system, if possible. Having that one OS be iOS feels like a “skate to where the puck is going” thing. Also, iOS 13 and iPadOS just came out and I want to make sure I truly understand all the ins and outs of the new software. Lastly, I wonder if an iOS-centric work life will just be more enjoyable, in some non-tangible way, than what I’m currently doing? Worked for Federico, right?
What are the details of the experiment?
For the next week I will try to use my iPhone and iPad to get my work done (instead of my laptop). If I run into something I can’t do on iOS (or can’t do without inconveniencing my client or colleagues) I need to write it down and make a list that I’ll share at the end of the week. I’ll also write up an overall summary of what apps I used, what I did, and any other insights.
What steering metrics will I be looking at?
Subjective enjoyment
Subjective sense of friction
Number/nature of tasks I couldn’t complete
What scaffolding do I have in place to help me successfully complete it?
I have a recurring reminder from Day One, with a pre-made template, that will encourage me to reflect on my steering metrics each night. I’ve been doing a “default apps only” quasi-experiment for awhile, so I’m going to go ahead and end that to ensure I have the full suite of apps available to me.
What Has My Attention
I’m only a couple pages into A Life of One’s Own by Marion Milner and I’m already kind of transfixed by it. This book is the result of a 7 year self-reflection/self-experimentation project where Marion was exploring what brings her happiness. I’m very excited to dive deeper into this very soon.
Not only do distractions make it difficult to get into flow and the deep levels of concentration that difficult and worthwhile work demand (see Deep Work for a deep, ahem, dive into that idea) but it looks like new research shows that they may even distort and misconstrue how we view reality. If you needed more evidence that distractions are something worth eradicating, add this to your list. (Distraction’s Cognitive Risks are Worse Than the Time It Wastes)
I disagree with almost every single word in this essay but it was so well-written I feel like I need to come back to it regularly just to remind myself what good writing looks and feels like: “Seasons are taught to us like a foursquare, a perfect schematic in which every part pulls equal weight to form a harmonious whole. This is a lie. The repetition of a cycle does not imply peace. The placement of seasons matters greatly; each must be weighed in conjunction with its neighbors. Like conversations, seasons tend to devolve, but they begin beautifully. Fall comes as temperate relief after summer, which comes as bright release after spring, which comes as capricious but blossoming happiness after so long in the cold. What I mean is that seasons always get better, with one exception: Fall is the only season after which the next is definitely worse.”(Fall is the Worst Season)
Good talk that seemed like maybe it was written directly for me? Especially the part about being a huge geek who somehow missed the boat on learning how to code and feeling like that is a thing you’ll just have to live with for the rest of your life (or not). (Justin Jackson’s talk at Laracon VII)
I’m a sucker for people talking about their tech setups and practices in extreme detail. Shahid Kamal Ahmad has always struck me as particularly thoughtful and I enjoyed this deep dive into his phone and how he uses it. And if you want to crank the geekery up to 11, here’s Paul Ford talking about nearly every aspect of his tech life.
Time seems to accelerate as we get older, but there’s a tested way to tap the brakes (video)
Closing Round
Watching: In a matter of days It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Good Place, and Bob’s Burgers all started up again. It must be fall after all. Also, the TV Time app is good and helpful.
Playing: Apple Arcade is a hell of a deal. Have put a few hours into What the Golf and can’t remember a time a game made me laugh out loud as frequently as this one. Have put a couple minutes into Sayonara Wild Hearts and was pretty impressed. I can’t wait to dig into this catalog a whole bunch more.
Reading: Nemesis Games, done (and Babylon’s Ashes immediately started). As mentioned above, only moments into A Life of One’s Own. Picking through The Non-Designer’s Design Book. Experimenting with Blinkist for management/“work” books so I can have more time for fiction and literature.
Eating: Went to Compass Rose in DC for the first time last week. Amazing world tour of street food inspired dishes. Truly a remarkable experience.
Until next time!
Your friend,
Sam