These days it feels like every time I check the news, go on substack, or walk past the front window of a bookstore, there’s a new headline, or article, or bestselling book reminding us of how much more dystopian the world has gotten since I last checked. From the threat of annihilation through nuclear warfare,…
Read moreOn Reality
A few weeks ago I came across the checker shadow illusion and it left me feeling unsettled. In case you’ve not seen it before, it’s an optical illusion that features a checkerboard with light and dark squares, two of which are labelled A and B, with a cylindrical object placed near one corner of the…
Read moreCourse Correcting
Last week my wife and I went on holiday to Amsterdam to celebrate our anniversary and my birthday. On arrival, we planned to take a train from the airport in Schiphol to the central station in Amsterdam, and then walk from the central station to our hotel. The walk would take about 45 minutes according…
Read moreNavigating The Unknown
A few days ago I read the transcripts of an interview with the renowned author of the Jack Reacher books, Lee Child. When asked about his approach to writing the Reacher books, Child said he doesn’t create a plan before writing. Rather, he creates a scenario and asks: What would Jack Reacher do? And he…
Read moreTo Do or Not To Do?
Let’s assume you’re going on a week-long holiday with your family and on the third day, you’re going on a day trip that’ll take you out of the coastal resort you’re staying in, to the nation’s capital. Your family have worked together to create an itinerary for the day trip, featuring all their interests. It’s…
Read moreOn Luck
A few weeks ago, I had a thought while listening to a No Stupid Questions podcast episode. For the uninitiated, No Stupid Questions is a podcast where the hosts – currently Angela Duckworth and Mike Maughn – pick a question (either submitted by a listener or drawn from the hosts’ lives or experiences), and attempt…
Read moreReflections on a Creative Journey
A few weeks ago, I was invited to play a gig in a bookstore. The setting was intimate, the atmosphere was pregnant with creativity, and the space was lovely as I was surrounded by books and book lovers, writers and avid readers alike. There were a few readings – poetry, spoken word, short stories and…
Read moreThe Paradox of Productivity (Part 3)
The last two posts on this blog have centred on the paradox of productivity. This post carries on the same theme as it relates to technological innovations and AI. I know I’ve written a few posts about AI over the last few months, but this is a topic that deserves more of our attention due…
Read moreThe Paradox of Productivity (Part 2)
A few years ago I read a book that upended everything I thought I knew about time management and productivity. The book is Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman. The gist of the book is in the title. The human life expectancy sits somewhere around 80 years, and if you do make it to that…
Read moreThe Paradox of Productivity
Here’s a question for you: How would you like to be more productive? This is a rhetorical question, but I feel like I can hear your answer through my screen, and it goes something like “Duh, who wouldn’t want to be more productive?” The thing about the productivity though, is that it’s an endless pursuit,…
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