A productive day, all in all.

With my eyes firmly on the prize (our departure for Tokyo next week) I got the head down and tore through my task list in work this morning. I actually got so much done that I managed to leave the office early and get to the gym.

I know, I was shocked too. It has been far too long since this body has seen the inside of a gym. But I realised as I pumped away on the elliptical machine, that going to the gym is just a habit. And if I build it up strongly enough, it’ll basically take care of itself.

(I also realised that watching a John Wick movie on my iPad mini while exercising definitely gets my heart rate up!)

I just need to remove and/or minimise any friction that could slow me down or lead me to flop on the sofa with an iPad in my hand. That means gym clothes left out in advance, my trainers by the door, and an iPad mini full of interesting content to keep me amused. Plus an appointment in my calendar, to make it nice and clear when I’m planning.

Seeing as the gym is in our building’s basement, I’ve no excuse not to go most evenings. And with our trip coming up, I’ve all the incentive I need to keep going, and continue while we’re in Japan. The hotels we’re staying in while in Osaka and Tokyo have excellent gyms. And physical exercise is a great way to beat jet lag.

So yes, I’ve added gym gear to my packing list.

I’ve been more productive than usual…

I’m feeling very on top of my workload, pleased with progress and looking forward to launching my new course next month. No distractions, little to no procrastination, and lots of time to think. Maybe I’ve found a productivity recipe that works for me?

👉🏻 Read on

I’ve had a super productive morning

I went into the office as soon as I was showered and dressed this morning. Yes, on a Saturday morning! I wanted to take advantage of an empty building to record some content for my podcast and YouTube channel.

And what do you know, as long as nobody is slamming doors or making loud phone calls in the corridor outside, I can get a lot of recording done. In just a couple of hours, I managed to record a solo podcast episode and three videos for YouTube. And I’m finally happy with the backdrop for the podcast (it’s a video recording too) and the one I’m using for youtube content.

The DJI Osmo Pocket 3* makes recording a breeze and I’ve basically decided to sell the Sony camera I bought for this project a few years back. It’s overly complex, tends to overheat too easily and has the worst user interface of any device I’ve ever bought.

The DJI is light, incredibly portable, turns on instantly and has a wonderful wireless mic. Far less fiddling around with the set-up means more time spent actually recording. Which is a win all round.

I did a quick promo video for a free event I’m running later this month, the latest in my behind the scenes vlog series, and a video all about the importance of a ‘chemistry’ session when working with a coaching psychologist. That’ll keep the channel fuelled for a few weeks!

Now it’s back to life admin: cancelling subscriptions I no longer need, finishing my packing list for Japan, and deciding which bag I’m going to bring as carry-on luggage on the fight.

And then, completing the assignment for my Japanese course. Because the deadline is tomorrow afternoon 😬

(* Affiliate link!)

Yes, this is a day late, but it’s been quite the week so I hope you’ll understand.

Work

• I had a really, really good week at work. I tore through my task list and made great progress on some important podcast and YouTube work. Plus some lovely client projects and interest from potential new clients.
• I’m super excited about an upcoming collaboration with another psychologist. We’re going to co-host a podcast series all about psychological flexibility and how to develop it. Lots of work still to do, but I’m confident we’re going to have a great product at the end of it all. We did our first video podcast together a while back and we both agreed we worked well together.
• I published my second Vlog on my work YouTube channel. It’s very much an experiment, but I can already see ways to improve the next one and keep improving as the weeks go by.

Wellbeing

• As per my previous post, I had some bad news on the wellbeing front. This is almost certainly going to lead to some hospital time, so intrusive tests, and then long term medication. If I’m lucky.
• Despite this, I stuck to my new healthy habits. I’ve maintained Dry January (it’s just too easy!), avoided junk food and snacks, and made it to the gym and went out for a run on Sunday. I could so easily have rationalised a few beers and burgers to ‘cheer me up’ after speaking with the doctor. But I didn’t. Frankly, that’s the kind of crap that my body really doesn’t need right now.
• I’ve veered between doom and gloom and a sense of optimism that I’m finally getting some medical attention. It’s fine to have doubts, it’s fine to feel some anxiety about it all. But it’s what I actually do that matters.

Travel

• To take my mind off my wellbeing worries, I spent some more time planning my upcoming trip to Tokyo. In just over a month, I’ll be flying there with JAL and, for the first time ever, I’ll be experiencing their First Class cabin. I have no doubt it’s going to be amazing. But once I’m there, I want to extract as much fun out of the visit as possible. So my list of venues and experiences is getting longer by the day.
• I just hope I’m able to make some progress on the wellbeing front so that illness doesn’t hamper my enjoyment of this amazing holiday. Or that it conflicts with a hospital stay…

In other news

• I’ve continued to experiment with NotePlan and I think it’s going to stick. You can think of it as a kind of digital bullet journal. Each day as a note, but there are weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual notes too. You can have notes, tasks, reminders, events… pretty much anything you want to help you feel organised and avoid relying on your memory.
• You can easily make links between notes (like in Obsidian and other PKM apps), but unlike Obsidian, the iOS apps actually work and synching is flawless. This is so important for me - I want to be able to access my project notes and plans from my iPhone and iPad when I’m on the move.
• I’ve been using it to make a weekly note that contains my must-do tasks and activities. I fill this every Sunday for the week ahead. Then the following Sunday, I review the week with my reflections on how things have been.
• I’m toying with the idea of starting a new travel blog. I love writing and I have some great trips lined up for this year. I’d like a fresh start and, based on some posts I’ve read about Substack in the last week, I’m looking at Ghost as one option. If you’re a Ghost user, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
• I’m writing this from my study at home, as I’m working here this morning. I’m starting module two of my Japanese language course this afternoon, and it didn’t make sense to go to the office then all the way back into the West End for my lesson.

And that….was the week that was.

My Bellroy Tokyo Folio arrived yesterday afternoon.

It’s everything I’d hoped for. Tough, splash-proof exterior with a well-designed interior. It fits my iPad Mini, an A5 notebook and a pen. There’s also a separate external pocket for my iPhone 15 Pro.

Inside, the remaining pockets are big enough for an external iPhone battery, my AirPods Pro, a charging cable, a wallet and even my house keys.

When traveling, there’s definitely room for my passport. So for me, this is the perfect folio for longer journeys, as well as face to face meetings, and trips to the coffee shop to be creative. Basically, you can take whatever’s adding unsightly bulk to your pockets and put it in here.

I’m looking forward to taking it out and about. ✈️

The second highlight of my day so far:

Figuring our how to use the Dataview plug-in in Obsidian to search for client projects across disparates notes and provide me with a nicely-formatted list.

I then created a ‘client’ template for pages, to bring together lists of client-specific projects and the people involved. So each client organisation gets a note, and each note lists what projects I’ve done for them and who I’ve worked with there.

It’s also like I know what I’m doing. Almost.

Today’s the first time in a while that I’m really jiving with Obsidian.

From my daily note, through to capturing new ideas and writing new content for the business blog.

On reflection, I think it’s because I’m using templates intentionally and with more forethought. As in, what does future me want to do with this information? I’m also using the new properties functionality to include some very useful front matter to notes.

Every day is a learning day when it comes to Obsidian, but today was a day when it felt like I was gliding through the experience. Not stumbling over difficulties and frustrations.

I’ve been tinkering with Drafts, a super-popular app that never quite stuck with me.

And I’m not sure why. But after stumbling across a few enthusiastic YouTube videos and blog posts, I thought I’d give it another go.

Over the last couple of days, something seems to have clicked. I realise I can take anything that pops into my mind and get it into Drafts in seconds - via my Macbook, iPad, iPhone or even Apple Watch.

I can then - if it’s an idea worth keeping or expanding on - share it to Things 3, Obsidian, Day One or a host of other apps.

I’ve been quite frustrated with how Obsidian on iOS is slow to get started and a bit fiddly once you’re in. The very definition of friction. More than enough time for inspiration to evaporate. Drafts is lightning quick and super simple to use. I’m definitely late to the party with this, but I think Drafts is going to be my new starting point for all my notes and ideas.

Watch this space.

One of my many, many terrible habits is jumping from app to app in the hope that there’s a magical combination of software solutions that will somehow double my productivity.

Of course, I realise this is madness and is the kind of think I’d discuss with a coaching client if they brought it up! In particular, I’ve been jumping between notes apps and task management apps, as if I was getting paid to review them. When in fact, all that’s happening is increased confusion and duplication of effort.

But I think, this week, I’ve finally arrived at a combination of tools for work that has the fewest drawbacks. I won’t claim any of these applications is perfect, but taken as a whole, they work for me.

Things 3 is for my tasks and projects and keeps me honest. Every single thing I remember I need to do gets put in Things 3. Everything from taking my meds in the morning, to invoicing clients, to writing blogs posts for work. Everything. And that’s the only place tasks and reminders go. That way, I know where to look and never have the nagging feeling that I’m forgetting something, somewhere.

For project notes, it’s Craft. While ad hoc thoughts and hand-scribbled notes and receipts might end up in Apple Notes, the detail behind all my work projects goes into Craft. I love its structure, its flexibility, its sharing functionality and how it behaves on all my devices. The main thing is a great offline mode, for when I’m on flights, on trains with a bad connection or a client office where I can’t get on the network.

Reflective notes, book notes, ongoing learning and writing - this all takes places in Obsidian. I only ever access it when I’m on a laptop or desktop machine, as its iOS apps are pants.

And that’s it.

This combination of tools helps me keep on top of my commitments, stay organised and reduce levels of self-induced stress. My plan is to stick with these for the next few months - no deviations to other apps - and ensure all the information I need to work effectively is where it’s supposed to be.