<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/"><channel><title><![CDATA[Productive Programming Tips, Life Hacks and Philosophy]]></title><description><![CDATA[Javascript, React, rhymes and reasoning by Crates (Michael McDade)]]></description><link>https://blog.cr8s.net/</link><image><url>https://blog.cr8s.net/favicon.png</url><title>Productive Programming Tips, Life Hacks and Philosophy</title><link>https://blog.cr8s.net/</link></image><generator>Ghost 2.9</generator><lastBuildDate>Mon, 24 Aug 2020 15:42:48 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://blog.cr8s.net/rss/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><ttl>60</ttl><item><title><![CDATA[Better than React, Angular, Svelte or Vue? The Front-end Framework of Tomorrow]]></title><description><![CDATA[Instant page reloads, faster isomorphic rendering, completely immutable data structures and functional programming concepts set this framework apart.]]></description><link>https://blog.cr8s.net/better-than-react-angular-svelte-vue/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__5f43d9b5dfa5c5001ee9263e</guid><category><![CDATA[App Development]]></category><category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category><category><![CDATA[Ideas]]></category><category><![CDATA[JavaScript]]></category><category><![CDATA[Front-end]]></category><category><![CDATA[React]]></category><category><![CDATA[Vue]]></category><category><![CDATA[Angular]]></category><category><![CDATA[Svelte]]></category><category><![CDATA[Cypress]]></category><category><![CDATA[NPM]]></category><category><![CDATA[Immutability]]></category><category><![CDATA[Functional Programming]]></category><category><![CDATA[Programming]]></category><category><![CDATA[Technical Architecture]]></category><category><![CDATA[FOSS (Open Source)]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Crates]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 24 Aug 2020 15:40:25 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/vue-react-angular-svelte.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/vue-react-angular-svelte.jpg" alt="Better than React, Angular, Svelte or Vue? The Front-end Framework of Tomorrow"/><p>I can't believe how little I've updated this blog during the COVID quarantine this year! I've had nothing but time on my hands, but it has all gone to other projects and productive output. I'm excited to start sharing more about those things soon. Until then, here are some recent musings about how to build a better front-end framework than the big contenders out there today like Angular, Vue, React and Svelte.</p><p>I wrote an email to <a href="https://glebbahmutov.com/">Gleb Bahmutov</a> about one of his NPM packages, and he wrote me back pretty quickly. I honestly didn't expect that! Gleb is a world-class JavaScript genius and the VP of Engineering at <a href="https://Cypress.io">Cypress.io</a>: hands-down, my favorite framework for testing everything on the front-end. He's also one of my all-time top JS heroes, especially for his insightful blog posts and the <strong><em>hundreds</em></strong> of NPM packages he's contributed to the FOSS community!</p><p>I asked Gleb if anyone ever tried wiring up <a href="https://www.npmjs.com/package/bottle-service">bottle-service</a> to perform instant reloads on immutable React apps. In theory, if you had a way to cleanly resurrect the state of every component (ie. using local storage with a custom hook), you could make it possible to refresh any React web page or app and have it immediately be right where it was previously. Gleb replied that he's always wondered about it, but hasn't figured out a way to make that work yet.</p><p>This concept is really useful and powerful - not only on the web, but especially when it comes to <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Progressive_web_apps">Progressive Web Apps (aka PWAs)</a> or apps wrapped with <a href="https://cordova.apache.org/">Cordova</a> or <a href="https://ionicframework.com/">Ionic</a>. Frequently, Android and iOS will terminate an app that's already running to save on memory. Using the instant reload method outlined by Gleb and supported by his <code>bottle-service</code> NPM package, when the app reloads, it would appear like it never crashed/closed in the first place.</p><p>Combine those two things with <a href="https://auth0.com/learn/refresh-tokens/">SSO mobile refresh tokens</a> and proper <a href="https://serverless-stack.com/chapters/redirect-on-login-and-logout.html">auto-redirect after login</a> (in case the token lapses), and now you've got a proper app approach that always works right and is super resilient. </p><p><em>(Note that the example I referenced for auto-redirect above is pushing users to the home page... In<strong> my</strong> approach, I would store the last-visited URL in localStorage, and redirect the user back there after login instead.) </em></p><p>Now, you can even <em>intentionally</em> pause or kill the app whenever the user isn't looking at it, for better performance on your device in terms of battery, CPU and memory consumption.</p><p>It's most intriguing to me because as far as I know, nobody is doing this effectively yet. It's sort of like discovering <a href="https://redux.js.org/">Redux</a> or <a href="https://reactjs.org/docs/hooks-intro.html">React Hooks</a> for the first time. It could achieve a similar level of popularity as these, and get just as much use as they do, if someone built these things into an NPM package specifically designed for making React apps more resilient and performant.</p><p>In true hacker fashion, I'm testing this out on my own project as I prove the concept out. I've already got sticky state resurrection working on my <a href="https://vieday.com/">VieDay productivity and mindfulness app</a>, so now I just need to find a way to force all component changes to refill the "bottle" every time each component updates without being too taxing on performance. Once I've conquered that, all of the hardest parts are done.</p><p>The one area in which my approach might suffer is around the minification of the data set stored in state, as I'm using <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/Web/API/Window/localStorage">localStorage</a>, which has a finite (and fairly low) cap per domain. I can either move that to <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/Web/API/IndexedDB_API">IndexedDB</a>, or minify the data to save space, or both.</p><p>I want to get this working with React for sure, simply because of how popular that framework is. Based on some of Gleb's other blog posts and sample projects, I'm also very curious about the prospect of building an even lighter-weight front end framework that uses some smaller virtual DOM tools to achieve the same thing that React does.</p><p>My goals would be speed, efficiency, ease of coding, legibility of the code that's written, testability, and compatibility with concepts that are emergent in the field today (like <a href="https://web.dev/progressive-web-apps/">PWAs</a>). When you take a look at <a href="https://github.com/bahmutov/instant-vdom-todo/blob/master/src/render/render-todo.js">Gleb's example code for an instantly-refreshed app</a>, it becomes pretty clear that a fully-declarative syntax for HTML markup, stored entirely in JSON format, makes a TON of sense and has a lot of potential.</p><p>I've been talking a lot lately with friends and peers of mine about the power of immutability, and specifically of functional programming with tools like <a href="https://github.com/ramda/ramda">Ramda</a>, or <a href="https://github.com/sanctuary-js/sanctuary">Sanctuary</a> or <a href="https://folktale.origamitower.com/">Folktale</a>. When we take those concepts and combine them with the ones put forward by Gleb in his <a href="https://github.com/bahmutov/instant-vdom-todo/blob/master/src/">instant web app (source linked here)</a>, we end up with something truly brand new in the field of front-end development today.</p><p>With these principles, we could have much heavier operations and data manipulation on the client-side, while taking advantage of memoization and composed functions to ensure that those operations happen very quickly and efficiently. React and Angular have solved a lot of problems and come a long way, but they are also started to feel a little bloated and dated to me. I think there's a better way, and it would need to be built around these concepts to work effectively.</p><p>Perhaps that will be one of the things my team will be focusing on after we've got some apps out there that people really enjoy and some funding to help keep everything moving. If I were working for myself full-time, I would be taking a very critical look at developing a framework like that. Even if it didn't reach React levels of adoption, it's great resume fodder!</p><p>The code in that repo produces <a href="https://instant-todo.herokuapp.com/">this beautiful demo</a>, which loads in under 500ms, and reloads pretty much instantly without any <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_of_unstyled_content">flash of unstyled content</a> or things bouncing around on the page. Even Google has the problem of side-loading content that causes the markup to "dance" around the page. This frequently causes me to accidentally click the wrong thing because Google is playing around with markup when the page loads.</p><p>Using a framework built around these concepts, the page would always be there, and wouldn't do the same kind of dance when new content is loaded (in theory). You can further combine this with server-side rendering for an isomorphic app that builds the first page load from the server, and subsequently hydrates the app dynamically, in a way that is far more performant than any of the currently-popular frameworks out there.</p><p>If you're excited about functional programming and its potential, check out this <a href="https://github.com/stoeffel/awesome-fp-js">awesome list of curated functional programming references</a> to dive deeper and learn more! Don't forget to leave some comments on this post and tell me what you think of these ideas... and thanks for reading!</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[BRISK: Software Development Management that's Better than Jira]]></title><description><![CDATA[Imagine an app that seamlessly allows users to communicate with all the features of Slack, but also includes all of the time management features of Google Calendar, and all of the project management tools of Jira.]]></description><link>https://blog.cr8s.net/brisk-software-development-management-thats-better-than-jira/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__5eab3cad49f033001e6bb655</guid><category><![CDATA[Ideas]]></category><category><![CDATA[Start-up]]></category><category><![CDATA[App Development]]></category><category><![CDATA[Programming]]></category><category><![CDATA[Technical Architecture]]></category><category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Crates]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 30 Apr 2020 21:12:14 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/gerry-the-giraffe.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<!--kg-card-begin: markdown--><blockquote>
<img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/gerry-the-giraffe.jpg" alt="BRISK: Software Development Management that's Better than Jira"/><p>This is part of an ongoing series where I present some of my ideas for a start-up company or app. Some of these are really short and need further consideration. Others are more thought-out already and have extensive notes.</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>These ideas are copyright 2020 Crates Media Inc. Please don't steal them.<br>
We welcome feedback and collaborators! Contact collab {a} cr8s &gt;dot&lt; net<br>
Click here the rest of the series on <a href="https://blog.cr8s.net/tag/ideas/">new start-up company and app ideas</a>!</br></br></p>
</blockquote>
<!--kg-card-end: markdown--><p>Imagine ONE app with better communication than Slack, better time management than Google Calendar, and better project management than Jira. It has all of the templating and editing features of Confluence, but even better document search and ease of correlation when building out your stories, meeting agendas and relevant documents or designs.<br><br>Rather than working totally free-form, it has some conventions that restrict the way you can work, recommendations around when to schedule meetings (beginning and end of the work day, or before and after lunch), how long (ideally no more than 30 minutes, regardless of what it's about), how many people are allowed to participate (max of 8 in any meeting), what subject matter should be covered, etc.<br><br>Included with this application would be a series of videos explaining the decisions behind everything, to help people recognize what constitutes best practices for optimal efficiency at work.<br><br>It would include features to readily spin up meeting minutes or conduct sprint ceremonies, including story estimation with the story details linked to mock-ups on Balsamiq or Invision, or uploaded as attachments.<br><br>When creating stories, rather than leaving a free-form description, this system prescribes an opinionated way to structure your story details. It gives explicit details on how to structure your stories and epics, and even includes templates for very common cases like building out user management capabilities, role or attribute based access control, or other common use cases. Users might even be able to submit their own epic templates for review by the community.<br><br>We should seek to use machine learning to determine the footprint and process of common stories in software development, and train a model to understand what work is necessary for the most common types of solutions. It would also be valuable to be able to correlate stories with the code -- if we build a code hosting and code analysis repository alongside the solution -- because this would eventually facilitate our ability to train models how to build code footprints matching common use cases.<br><br>This tool should integrate with Git and allow the user to quickly spin up a monorepo for software development with support for certain frameworks, by leveraging `nx`. It would include scripts to facilitate rapid application scaffolding, including tests. It would enforce the same linting guidelines by default, thereby guiding developers toward using the same standards when starting up an app. </br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p><p>The app stores shared templates for commonly-sought views in one place, and a library of components as well, making it possible to dynamically render components and just create rich, complex applications on the fly, with limited technical expertise required, including tests and following popular conventions like standard-version or semistandard JS, Typescript, etc. Users build fully-functioning interfaces using a drag-and-drop WYSIWYG that renders single individual views at a time. When creating buttons from a WYSIWYG, we automatically generate the test coverage that goes with it.<br><br>Whereas Jira has attempted to solve every problem in every software development model, this tool would aim to give a more rigorous course for linking everything together, and eliminates the unnecessary items or configuration while putting a spotlight on the most critical elements of focus.</br></br></p><p>The goal here is to guide software development to follow common conventions under the hood, so that students of this discipline can very readily jump into a project using this framework and hit the ground running. They already know where everything is, and how everything works. We can sell certification and training around our approach, to make it even easier for teams to adopt the philosophy and realize its gains.</p><p>From the start of a project, we can guide users through building applications in an opinionated way, and we'll even generate the Git repo and npm packages for them, and give them scripts to quickly build out their own npm submodules (and even query the package repository before they create one, to help them avoid duplicating something for which there's already a good use case).</p><p>For users of React, we can take this a step further by instrumenting the React Admin library, which would allow us to make it very easy to drag and drop entire view templates or use cases like user management into the application, with minimal effort. For the first iteration of this tool, we'd probably only support React with TypeScript, with semi-standard JS linting, and React rules of hooks, etc. Later on down the line, we can roll in common use cases and code inspection for Angular, Vue, Svelte and other libraries (or at least allow other contributors to extend our application with these libraries).</p><p>Further extending the value of the tool, we can include automated licensing assessment (ie. BlackDuck) and software component analysis (ie. Veracode / yarn audit) as part of the base offering. This would make it easier for large institutions to instrument the tool with full confidence that they have the rights to resell their code.</p><p>We would probably need to partner with an external party for the full source code inspection, and maybe another party for application hosting, and another for application performance monitoring... but we can prescribe solutions for all of these, and roll them into the tool to make it easy for users to access features of things like SonarQube, code coverage reports, videos of end-to-end test successes or failures, etc.</p><p>It would be most ideal if a user could also, via a drag and drop interface, walk through a shallow-rendered application and easily specify the intended way users are expected to navigate through the app and perform common tasks. Even better would be letting the user drive through the app and perform a sequence of events, and then, to let the user name that sequence. For any input the user provided manually in a text field or dropdown, you can let the user specify whether to use the exact input the user provided when setting the test up, or a random string / number / decimal / dollar amount instead. This would aid in "fuzzing" when looking at the UI for accidental text falling out of frame, or common UI issues that could be detected with Jest snapshots and/or React Storybook.</p><p>When building out features from within the app's UI, unit test coverage should be generated automatically for most common cases, like selecting something and seeing if the event handlers are functioning. When a user makes external commits to the branch, warnings should be thrown if conventional commit protocol isn't followed, or tests are deleted, or test coverage has dropped.</p><p>Anyways, that's the general idea. Simplify everything and get it all in one place. Management of the entire operation, even extending to putting together a website to market the product and manage its sales to end users.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Don't Go to Bed Until You Answer These 9 Mindfulness Questions!]]></title><description><![CDATA[Asking these nine mindfulness questions each night will accelerate your productivity and help you achieve and succeed more over time!]]></description><link>https://blog.cr8s.net/answer-9-mindfulness-questions-nightly/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__5e569b6d3e0490001e020980</guid><category><![CDATA[Achievement]]></category><category><![CDATA[Daily]]></category><category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category><category><![CDATA[BuJo]]></category><category><![CDATA[Bullet Journal]]></category><category><![CDATA[Exercises]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mindfulness]]></category><category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category><category><![CDATA[Self-Improvement]]></category><category><![CDATA[VieDay]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Crates]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 26 Feb 2020 17:25:29 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Mindfulness-Big-Questions.png" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Mindfulness-Big-Questions.png" alt="Don't Go to Bed Until You Answer These 9 Mindfulness Questions!"/><p>I've written earlier about how I <a href="https://blog.cr8s.net/9-daily-mindfulness-questions-start-your-day/">start every day with nine mindfulness questions</a> to set the pace for my day, help me think about what problems are most important to solve, and hit the ground with a running start as I begin that day's activities. However, it's equally important to ask some mindfulness questions each night before you hit the sack, so you can measure your performance, realign your actions with your goals, and prepare for what's coming tomorrow!</p><hr><h2 id="use-daily-mindfulness-questions-to-accelerate-your-life">Use Daily Mindfulness Questions to Accelerate Your Life</h2><p>By asking yourself the right questions at the start and end of each day, you're giving yourself an opportunity to <em>really think through</em> what you're working on, and how each action you take contributes to those long-term goals. I use my evening mindfulness questions to treat myself as if I were my own life-coaching client, and to evaluate my performance for that day. By recording the answers to these questions, I'm not only <strong>journaling the story of my life...</strong> I'm also making a <em>daily commitment</em> to keep my actions squared and aligned with my long-term life goals!</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Questions-on-Pavement.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="Don't Go to Bed Until You Answer These 9 Mindfulness Questions!"><figcaption>Asking nightly mindfulness questions will help you align your short-term actions with your long-term goals.</figcaption></img></figure><h3 id="nine-mindfulness-questions-to-journal-every-single-night">Nine Mindfulness Questions to Journal EVERY Single Night</h3><h4 id="1-what-life-coach-advice-can-i-give-myself-today-acknowledging-positive-and-negative-points"><em>1. What life coach advice can I give myself today, acknowledging positive and negative points?</em></h4><p>Asking this question helps me treat myself like a coaching client. By assuming the role of becoming my own life coach, I try to step into the shoes of that persona and review my day's contributions with a critical eye. I've made it a point to ask myself for the positive and negative points so that my responses are a little less biased: it forces me to consider not only which things worked really well, but also, where I still have room for improvement in the future.</p><h4 id="2-what-am-i-most-grateful-for-today-who-should-i-show-appreciation-to-for-this"><em>2. What am I most grateful for today? Who should I show appreciation to for this?</em></h4><p>Several books and resources that I've learned from over the years recommend keeping a daily <strong>gratitude journal</strong> to highlight those experiences, events and people in your life for which you are the most grateful. In my nightly mindfulness survey, I ask myself not only what I should be appreciative of, but also, <strong>who I should show that appreciation to.</strong> This helps me stay connected with those relationships that are bringing good things into my life, and recognize the source of those positive contributions. It helps me nurture my personal relationships with others. There are mountains of research on how <strong>writing down what you are grateful for each day helps with depression, anxiety and a sense of self-worth!</strong></p><h4 id="3-what-did-i-handle-especially-well-today-and-why-did-it-work-out-so-well"><em>3. What did I handle especially well today, and why did it work out so well?</em></h4><p>It's especially important, when assessing the results of your day, to highlight what you've done <em>really well</em> that day. Even more important, however, is recording specifically <em>why</em> it worked so well. Try this out: by writing down the reasons <em>why</em> something succeeded, you will compound the positive effects in your life and cause them to happen with greater frequency and impact!</p><h4 id="4-what-s-something-new-i-learned-today-and-how-will-this-serve-me-better-in-the-future"><em>4. What's something new I learned today, and how will this serve me better in the future?</em></h4><p>One of my daily goals is to self-educate for at least half an hour each day. You might be noticing a trend here: many of these daily habits are designed to generate compounding returns in their positive effects on my life. It's not enough to set a goal each day to learn something new: <strong>the real magic happens when you take the time to reiterate what you've learned</strong> at the end of each day. Studies show that you remember things much better after you've attempted to recall the information a few times. I highly recommend the <a href="http://lsc.cornell.edu/study-skills/cornell-note-taking-system/">Cornell note taking method</a> and the <a href="https://mattyford.com/blog/2014/1/23/the-feynman-technique-model">Feynman technique for learning</a>, both of which are designed to push you toward recalling the information you're trying to learn before moving onto something else.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/mindfulness-brain-tag-cloud.png" class="kg-image" alt="Don't Go to Bed Until You Answer These 9 Mindfulness Questions!"><figcaption>Make sure you are educating yourself every day, and also, that you're recording what you learned for posterity!</figcaption></img></figure><h4 id="5-what-s-something-i-created-of-value-today-for-the-world-or-my-family-or-for-myself"><em>5. What's something I created of value today, for the world, or my family, or for myself?</em></h4><p>This question is a variation on the ONE question Ben Franklin would ask himself every evening: "What good did I do for the world today?" I've adapted this slightly, because I believe that the first concern should be what good you're doing for humanity at large... but also, it's important to do right by your family, and to continue improving yourself as well. By working on being a better individual, and working on contributing to your family, you're preparing yourself to better contribute to the world around you. I believe all of these things are crucial ingredients to success and leading a meaningful life.</p><h4 id="6-did-i-work-on-my-big-frog-and-one-thing-to-feel-great-about-today"><em>6. Did I work on my "Big Frog" and "ONE thing" to feel great about today?</em></h4><p>These questions call back to a couple of the <a href="https://blog.cr8s.net/9-daily-mindfulness-questions-start-your-day/">mindfulness questions I ask myself each morning</a>. The "Big Frog" is something I've been putting off, designed to help thwart procrastination. The "One Thing" is something I'd feel great if I accomplished, designed to keep me motivated to tackle the tasks that make me feel like I'm making strides and covering a lot of ground with every day's contributions. These two items are my "one-two punch" for making every day <em>really <strong>count </strong></em>for something!</p><h4 id="7-what-could-i-have-done-better-today-how-could-i-have-prepared-better-to-succeed-at-this"><em>7. What could I have done better today? How could I have prepared better to succeed at this?</em></h4><p>Similar to the earlier question where I asked myself what went <em>well,</em> it's just as important to highlight at least one item where there's room for improvement. <strong>Nobody is perfect, and so you probably have room for improvement every day! </strong>Some days it's easier to answer this question than others, for sure. I still try to evaluate, every day, how I might've better prepared or done something differently that might have caused a better outcome. This helps me to perform better each day than I did the day before. That constant cycle of iterative improvement to my processes and behaviors is part of how I've become hyper-efficient in my actions.</p><h4 id="8-what-will-be-most-important-for-me-to-focus-on-tomorrow-and-how-can-i-prepare-for-it"><em>8. What will be most important for me to focus on tomorrow, and how can I prepare for it?</em></h4><p>This question is all about planning ahead and clearing obstacles. The more energy you invest in assessing what those hurdles are ahead of time, the more likely you'll be able to navigate them easily and swiftly. It only takes a minute to do this right: just ask yourself, what's <em>really </em>important tomorrow? What's the most important thing I need to focus on, and what should I be doing <em>right now</em> (or early in the morning) to think ahead of any problems that might come up and smooth out my path? The time you invest here is immensely valuable in accelerating your performance. You'll thank yourself tomorrow by thinking about these things today!</p><h4 id="9-what-s-something-i-am-working-to-achieve-in-the-next-6-months-and-how-am-i-getting-closer-to-it"><em>9. What's something I am working to achieve in the next 6 months, and how am I getting closer to it?</em></h4><p>I added this question after I had already been journaling for a month or two, and it's been one of my favorite ones to answer each night. I have a <strong><em>lot</em></strong> of goals that I take on and try to accomplish, and so this question is frequently different on a nightly basis. I just go with whatever comes to mind first. This helps to remind myself each day of the projects and goals that need my attention the most, and also, it allows me to plan out the next steps to advance my initiatives a little bit each day. Each of the questions above are designed to facilitate <em>incremental improvements: </em>by moving the needle <strong>just a little bit each day</strong>, you create compound returns that result in <strong><em>huge performance gains </em></strong>over the long haul. Ask yourself every night to define one of your top goals are, and how you'll help to achieve that goal tomorrow. Once you've been doing this for a little while, you'll notice <strong>tremendous growth</strong> in your output!</p><hr><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/daily-mindfulness-sketch-notes.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="Don't Go to Bed Until You Answer These 9 Mindfulness Questions!"><figcaption>Mindfulness is about being aware of what you're doing. Take time each day to review what you're doing and make sure you're acting consciously.</figcaption></img></figure><h2 id="ready-to-start-asking-daily-mindfulness-questions">Ready to start asking daily mindfulness questions?</h2><p>You don't necessarily have to use the exact same questions as I do – I'd love to hear in the comments of this post which mindfulness questions <strong>you</strong> use personally to continue moving the needle forward just a little bit with each day. </p><p>When it comes to improving your personal productivity, <em>don't just be an armchair theorist!</em> You need to actually <strong>implement these tools and journal on a daily basis </strong>if you want to see the best possible results. Start adding these to your daily practices at the beginning and end of each day, and <strong>let me know in the comments below </strong>how it's working out!</p><p>As always, <strong>thanks for reading</strong> – and <strong>don't forget to like and share this post</strong> with others! That's the best way for all of us to continue to learn and grow in our personal development and improve our productivity. See you in the comments!</p></hr></hr>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Start Every Day Sprinting with 9 Mindfulness Questions]]></title><description><![CDATA[Are you ready to start each day off with Rocket Fuel? That's what it's like to ask yourself these 9 daily mindfulness questions each morning!]]></description><link>https://blog.cr8s.net/9-daily-mindfulness-questions-start-your-day/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__5e49eed9dc7dbc001e35752f</guid><category><![CDATA[Achievement]]></category><category><![CDATA[Daily]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mindfulness]]></category><category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category><category><![CDATA[Self-Improvement]]></category><category><![CDATA[Exercises]]></category><category><![CDATA[VieDay]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Crates]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 17 Feb 2020 02:28:53 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Prosthetic-Sprinter.png" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Prosthetic-Sprinter.png" alt="Start Every Day Sprinting with 9 Mindfulness Questions"/><p>For the last few months, I've been trying some new "keystone habits" on for size, like logging and categorizing all of my time use every day, <a href="https://cr8s.herokuapp.com/daily-bullet-journal-organization-productivity/">managing my to-dos, tasks and calendars with a bullet journal</a>, meditating every day, going through a <a href="https://cr8s.herokuapp.com/my-10-daily-affirmations/">list of daily affirmations each morning</a>, and beginning and ending my day with 9 daily mindfulness questions to focus and validate my goals and path ahead.</p><h3 id="the-power-of-asking-the-right-questions">The Power of Asking the Right Questions</h3><p>What happens to your brain when you're asking questions about your day? It turns out that focusing your thoughts for just a little bit in the morning – scarcely ten minutes of your time – is a great way to get your brain working in advance on the things you're planning for later in the day, week, month and year. By asking the right questions, you're setting a <strong>plan</strong> into motion, and at the same time, <strong>training your subconscious mind</strong> to think ahead and start putting its immense capabilities to work figuring out the next steps between you and your goals.</p><h4 id="what-do-some-great-mindfulness-questions-look-like">What do some great mindfulness questions look like?</h4><p>I've broken my daily mindfulness questions into two sets: one that I ask in the morning to set goals and pace for the day, and another set I ask myself each night to make sure I'm staying on track that day. This is all part of a much larger system I've been working on that has really had an awesome impact on my life... but more on that later.</p><p>Here are some of the mindfulness questions I'm asking each morning to set the course of that day's events into motion:</p><hr><h1 id="9-morning-mindfulness-questions">9 Morning Mindfulness Questions</h1><h3 id="1-what-can-you-get-excited-about-today"><em>1. What can you get excited about today?</em></h3><p>This is my way of getting fired up about my day! There is <strong>always</strong> something you can get jazzed up about each day. Some days it takes a little more creativity than others, but there will always be something you can get excited about. This is a great way to get your energy and motivation up at the start of the day.</p><h3 id="2-what-obstacles-need-to-get-cleared-today-to-help-things-go-easier-tomorrow-and-beyond"><em>2. What obstacles need to get cleared today, to help things go easier tomorrow and beyond?</em></h3><p>In the software development world, we call these things <em>"Blockers"</em>: something that is standing in the way of another task or goal you're working on. By identifying these early on, you can proactively clear those obstacles to make room for your next big play.</p><h3 id="3-how-can-i-show-someone-special-appreciation-or-attention-today"><em>3. How can I show someone special appreciation or attention today?</em></h3><p>This is an important cornerstone of personal happiness and a sense of satisfaction in your life. You absolutely <strong><em>must</em></strong> include in your daily activities time to show some gratitude, support, respect and attention to those who you owe it. By asking this question every day, you're inviting opportunities to cultivate better relationships with literally <em>everyone</em> in your life.</p><h3 id="4-what-bold-action-can-i-take-today-that-stretches-my-comfort-zone"><em>4. What bold action can I take today that stretches my comfort zone?</em></h3><p>Those who accomplish the most in life are able to do so by pushing past the boundaries of what is most <em>comfortable </em>to them. If you aren't stretching that comfort zone and pushing the envelope <em>every <strong>single</strong> day</em>, you are denying yourself some serious compound returns and exponential growth in the trajectory of your life. You absolutely MUST ask yourself, every day, how you can push yourself a little further than before.</p><h3 id="5-who-needs-me-to-be-my-best-today-or-who-needs-my-help-the-most-today"><em>5. Who needs me to be my best today, or who needs my help the most today?</em></h3><p>In order to function as the best boss, spouse, parent, student, coworker, artist, athlete, musician or literally <em>anything you want to be</em>, you must also be attuned to those in your circle that need your help, or need you to be operating at top efficiency. Figure out who needs the attention <em>most </em>today so you can always ensure support where it can't afford to be denied. This is the secret to running a well-oiled operation.</p><h3 id="6-what-interesting-content-can-i-create-today-to-share-with-the-world"><em>6. What interesting content can I create today to share with the world?</em></h3><p>This content could come in one of many forms: perhaps you're working on a song, or painting a mural. Maybe today your content is a blog post in a niche that fascinates you, or perhaps you're doing unboxing videos on a YouTube channel. Perhaps you're taking a really interesting photo and taking a few moments to edit it so it's great, and then sharing it on Instagram. What's crucial is that you're creating and sharing interesting content on a daily basis. By asking yourself what that content will be ahead of time, you're giving your brain time to think about what that content might look like. When you decide to write the post or paint that picture later, the creativity will come spilling out freely.</p><h3 id="7-big-frog-what-is-one-thing-i-can-work-on-today-that-i-ve-been-putting-off-for-too-long"><em>7. BIG FROG: What is one thing I can work on today that I've been putting off for too long?</em></h3><p>It's entirely human to procrastinate... as universal a trait as can be found for our species. Every morning, kick off your day asking yourself what the most frustrating, obnoxious, insurmountable or objectionable task is on your entire to-do list. Then, see if you can conquer that task completely – or even just start to make a dent in it – <strong>by<em> no later</em> than <em>11am</em>. </strong>There is some powerful psychology at work when you tackle one of these <a href="https://blog.noisli.com/what-it-means-to-eat-the-frog/">terrifying tasks (or "big frog")</a>: it builds up <strong>inertia</strong>. Suddenly you are taking on one big task after another, and <em>it feels amazing!</em> </p><p>There will, of course, be days where your whole afternoon goes off the rails because of some unexpected scenario, but <strong>that's where this tactic really shines:</strong> by eating the big frog <em>first, </em>even if nothing else productive comes out of your day after 11am, you've got some serious productive output to show for that day.</p><h3 id="8-if-i-only-got-one-thing-finished-today-what-would-that-be-to-feel-great-at-the-end-of-the-day"><em>8. If I only got ONE thing finished today, what would that be, to feel great at the end of the day?</em></h3><p>This question is a little different than the last one, as the previous question is asking you to identify what you've been procrastinating on (identifying avoidance). This question is focused instead on maximizing that which you would most <em>like</em> to see done today. What single activity could you accomplish that would make you feel <em>gratified</em> and appreciative for your time invested? This helps you feel like you're doing productive things that also make you feel good, and not exclusively focusing on those actions that are difficult chores.</p><p>By taking on the activity you accomplish in the previous question (your "Big Frog") along with the one thing you'd love to see accomplished (your "Big Win"), you will end up with a series of amazing victories in your life. Even on those days where you only get to one of these or the other, you will feel like you are super-human.</p><h3 id="9-what-good-can-i-do-for-the-world-for-my-family-and-for-myself-today"><em>9. What good can I do for the world, for my family and for myself today?</em></h3><p>This question is one that I borrowed from Benjamin Franklin, and adapted slightly. It asks you to focus on what <strong>good you can do with your life</strong>: first, for the world at large, and next, for your family... and always, <em>always</em> last of all, for yourself. It asks you to figure out how you can make your days bear fruit and reap value, most especially for those whom your life's efforts <em>serve</em>.</p><hr><h2 id="are-you-ready-to-start-each-day-off-with-rocket-fuel">Are you ready to start each day off with <em>Rocket Fuel?</em></h2><p>That's what it's like to ask yourself these questions every morning. I've been doing this practice <em>every <strong>single</strong></em><strong> </strong><em>day</em> for a few months now, and it's been an immensely gratifying and productive experience for me. It's been <em>so</em> transformative for me that I'm working on building this life-changing system into a new app, <strong>VieDay</strong>, to help people with the process of reaffirming their daily direction, asking these questions each day and recording the answers, and another set of questions I ask myself each night before I go to bed... along with visualizations of how your time is spent, how you are aligning your daily actions more closely with your life's ultimate goals, and little quotes and inspirational motivators to keep you heading in the right direction.</p><p>That's all still in the works, so I'm afraid I don't have much more to share just yet... but drop by again soon, and I'll have more details. I'll be adding my 9 mindfulness questions to ask yourself each evening soon as well! Thanks for reading, and let me know how your own experiences went in the comments below.</p></hr></hr>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[JetBrains Sucks at Giving Surveys]]></title><description><![CDATA[Are you a programmer? You could win a free MacBook Pro by filling out the new JetBrains survey! That is, if you can make it through the thing without killing yourself.]]></description><link>https://blog.cr8s.net/jetbrains-sucks-at-programming-surveys/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__5e348f194e4748001ee89388</guid><category><![CDATA[Programming]]></category><category><![CDATA[JavaScript]]></category><category><![CDATA[IDEs]]></category><category><![CDATA[Survey]]></category><category><![CDATA[Despair]]></category><category><![CDATA[Struggle]]></category><category><![CDATA[Technical Architecture]]></category><category><![CDATA[IntelliJ]]></category><category><![CDATA[C#]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Crates]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 31 Jan 2020 21:16:11 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/JetBrains-IntelliJ-Survey---Almost-Done.png" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/JetBrains-IntelliJ-Survey---Almost-Done.png" alt="JetBrains Sucks at Giving Surveys"/><p>Have you ever used JetBrains IntelliJ or WebStorm as your daily IDE?</p><p>I really resisted switching IDEs after falling in love with Sublime Text during my days working for McKinsey, and later, Gartner. I lovingly crafted my toolchain and set up a portable version of my IDE on a flash drive, complete with all my code projects, themes, settings and plugins, so that I could sit down at ANY computer and just code.</p><p>Then, after a while, I had to start using IntelliJ when I was working at Morgan Stanley. I didn't have any choice; that's what they were using as their daily driver. So, I learned the tool inside and out, and I've never looked back. IntelliJ is THE best IDE for programming JavaScript and related frameworks... I'm convinced. I've used it at every company since then.</p><p><em>(For what it's worth, I've also used HomeSite, DreamWeaver, Notepad++, Atom, Eclipse, Titanium, and a number of other IDEs over the years. I'm also perfectly content to do my coding in Vim. My first IDE was called Hippie 95, and it was literally from 1995... so I've got some tenure on the subject of IDEs.)</em></p><p>Anyways, back to the matter at hand, since this really isn't about how great JetBrains is at building their IDE software. It's about the <a href="https://surveys.jetbrains.com/s3/developer-ecosystem-survey-2020-sh?pcode=68752018269151448">recent JetBrains coding survey</a> a coworker sent me, where you can win a free MacBook Pro, or $300, or some other crap, if you fill out this survey.</p><p>The title card graphic from this post is actually from their survey. After I'd been filling it out for <strong><em>over 30 minutes</em></strong>, it said that I was at 30% and that I'm "Almost done! Keep going!" I nearly quit right then, but the same coworker who referred it to me encouraged me to finish it, as it apparently ends at 39% (with another 2 hours of optional questions for the truly sadistic types).</p><p>The questions included are mind-numbingly repetitive, as they figure out ways to ask you the same question over and over again in about a trillion different ways:</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Repetitive-JetBrains-Survey-Questions.png" class="kg-image" alt="JetBrains Sucks at Giving Surveys"><figcaption>What calendar software do you use? How about for managing appointments? What software do you use to remember an important date? What app suite do you use to set up a meeting with someone? How about for booking a conference room? What software do you use to find out what a coworker's schedule looks like? <em>GOOGLE CALENDAR DAMMIT SHUT UP</em></figcaption></img></figure><p>I finally managed to get through this awful, terrible survey designed by Satan himself, only to find out that <a href="https://www.jetbrains.com/lp/devecosystem-2019/">the <strong><em>results </em></strong>are <em>at least as bad</em></a><em> as the survey:</em></p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/JetBrains-IntelliJ-Survey---Which-Languages.png" class="kg-image" alt="JetBrains Sucks at Giving Surveys"><figcaption>OK, 69% of people are using JavaScript. That actually makes perfect sense.</figcaption></img></figure><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/JetBrains-IntelliJ-Survey---Primary-Programming-Languages.png" class="kg-image" alt="JetBrains Sucks at Giving Surveys"><figcaption>Similarly, most people surveyed say they're using JavaScript. I buy that for sure, no problem.</figcaption></img></figure><p>From the two graphics above, you can see that most people are using JavaScript. That's because <strong><em>most people these days are coding in JavaScript</em>. </strong><br><strong>And they <em>enjoy it.</em></strong></br></p><p>Fine, that's just the raw data. But let's take a look at what<em> conclusions</em> they've drawn from the data:</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/JetBrains-IntelliJ-Survey---Most-Loved-Languages.png" class="kg-image" alt="JetBrains Sucks at Giving Surveys"><figcaption><strong><em>LOLWUT?!</em></strong> How much is Microsoft paying you to say that?</figcaption></img></figure><p>I'm not a statistics major, so I'm not entirely certain what "normalized by sample size" means, but I'm pretty sure it's synonymous with either "normalized by how much Microsoft is paying us to tell people that C# isn't the work of the devil as a way for Bill Gates to get revenge on humanity for the suffering he endured in middle school"... or possibly, "normalized by Norman, the ill-tempered SharePoint evangelist we relegated to working in the basement because of his lousy interpersonal skills, who edited the survey analysis before it got sent to the public at large".</p><p>Just to do some fact-checking on this, I had to see if anyone really believed that C# was anything other than pure evil, manufactured exclusively for the purpose of bringing dismay and suffering into this world...</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/JetBrains-IntelliJ-Survey---I-Love-C-Sharp.png" class="kg-image" alt="JetBrains Sucks at Giving Surveys"><figcaption>Spoiler alert: all 85 of these results are from people who helped make C# a thing, and all of those people are actually demons who work for Satan on evil projects like 9/11, and C# and XCode.</figcaption></img></figure><p>I'm just going to assume that statistically speaking, 85 out of 7 billion people on this planet are mentally ill enough, or enjoy brutalizing themselves enough, to actually <em>love C#. </em>But let's look at the other side of that coin as well:</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/JetBrains-IntelliJ-Survey---I-Hate-C-Sharp.png" class="kg-image" alt="JetBrains Sucks at Giving Surveys"><figcaption>Hmm... only about 1240% more people hate C# than love it. <em>That's what I thought.</em></figcaption></img></figure><p>Surely that isn't a full perspective on how awful C# actually is? Let's see...</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/JetBrains-IntelliJ-Survey---C-Sharp-Sucks.png" class="kg-image" alt="JetBrains Sucks at Giving Surveys"><figcaption>There would be more people talking about how bad this language sucks, except everyone's avoiding it entirely, and trying <em>never to think about it again for the rest of their lives.</em></figcaption></img></figure><p>As you can see from the above graphic, roughly the population of a large town or small city is weighing in on how goddamn awful C# is of a programming language, so it's impossible to truly understand why JetBrains thinks anyone likes it.</p><p>I could go on and on about how lousy this survey is, or you're welcome to <a href="https://surveys.jetbrains.com/s3/developer-ecosystem-survey-2020-sh?pcode=68752018269151448">take it yourself if you are looking to ruin your day</a>. Or if you want to jump straight to the punchline, <a href="https://www.jetbrains.com/lp/devecosystem-2019/">take a look at the results</a> and tell me what you think in the comments below.</p><p>So, what gives? I would very much like to know what these guys are smoking.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Achieve your Goals with Dedication, Inspiration and Meditation]]></title><description><![CDATA[Every day, you need a dedicated schedule designed to nurture and develop your abilities. Then, you must follow bursts of inspiration when they strike!]]></description><link>https://blog.cr8s.net/achieve-goals-dedication-inspiration-meditation/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__5e2746c1e69491001e9fcd70</guid><category><![CDATA[Achievement]]></category><category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category><category><![CDATA[Daily]]></category><category><![CDATA[Greatness]]></category><category><![CDATA[Habits]]></category><category><![CDATA[Journal]]></category><category><![CDATA[Meditation]]></category><category><![CDATA[VieDay]]></category><category><![CDATA[Self-Improvement]]></category><category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Crates]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 21 Jan 2020 19:14:55 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Meditation-Dedication-Inspiration.png" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2 id="taking-a-breather-one-moment-to-stop-and-meditate">Taking a breather: one moment to stop and meditate</h2><img src="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Meditation-Dedication-Inspiration.png" alt="Achieve your Goals with Dedication, Inspiration and Meditation"/><p>I took some time out of my day today, when feeling especially stressed and as if I was not productive enough, to meditate. The tape was Day 22 of Sam Harris's "Waking Up" course, and I found myself lost in all kinds of thoughts for most of the session.</p><p>Somewhere towards the end, I seemed to be attaining just micro-seconds of stillness and calm, but my thoughts still fired all around me. In all of that noise, and the slowly-quieting mind trying very hard to be still, a realization came forth: this focused effort requires periods of release.</p><p>To be so tightly-wound with a specific goal in mind all the time is like trying to grow or use a muscle by<em> clenching it non-stop.</em> To clench the muscle all the time is like being in a muscle spasm that tightens your muscle to its maximum abilities: it produces <em>tremendous pain.</em></p><h3 id="to-wind-yourself-too-tightly-with-desire-is-to-cripple-your-capacity-">To wind yourself too tightly with desire is to cripple your capacity!</h3><p>When in the throes of such pain, a muscle that is clenched so tightly in spasms cannot be made useful toward any purpose, and can further cripple the use of<em> your whole body</em>... you are too focused on this intense pain that you cannot manage to do anything else. This can be the same effect that any <em>deep, driving desire</em> has on the body and mind: it becomes a source of resistance to high attainment in life.</p><p>To wish <em>desperately</em> for <strong>fame, fortune, happiness</strong> or anything at all, with one's whole being, is a scarcity mindset, not of abundance. To create true abundance in life, one must live, breathe and believe in their own abundance: that <strong>you already have</strong> all of the <strong>most necessary ingredients for success</strong>, and <strong>you are already in the process of <em>creating it!</em></strong></p><p>Rather than thinking of the final destination of our dreams, instead we must ask, "How can I best flex and grow my abilities today?"</p><h2 id="daily-growth-meditation-dedication-and-inspiration">Daily Growth: Meditation, Dedication, and Inspiration</h2><p>The three channels that one must engage with daily, listen to, and follow closely, are <strong>meditation, dedication, and inspiration.</strong></p><p>It is through a <strong>regular, daily meditation practice</strong> that I am beginning to find peace, wisdom, insight and direction in my life. Some may find that prayer is also of value here. In search of a still heart and mind, <strong>many new doors and ideas will open to you.</strong></p><p><strong>Dedication means <em>rigor of practice and direction.</em> </strong>You must have a daily commitment, and re-commitment, to drive further than the previous day, to produce new value with a clear perspective of where you're headed, and move the needle in the direction you want it to go.</p><p><strong>Inspiration fills you spiritually, driving you to <em>create</em></strong> by striking you with an idea of such magnitude, so compelling, that it moves you to produce something of great worth by using all the very best of your abilities.</p><h3 id="you-must-create-and-follow-a-daily-routine-to-achieve-greatness-">You <em>must</em> create and follow a <em>daily routine</em> to achieve greatness:</h3><p>In those moments when you are <em>not</em> divinely inspired, you must endeavor to make maximum, pragmatic use of your time and prepare yourself. This means adopting dedication in a schedule and your habits. </p><p><strong>Musicians</strong> must practice their instrument and do vocal exercises daily.<br><strong>Aspiring athletes</strong> need to adopt a rigorous diet, get up at the same time every day and start with a workout that pushes their limits.<br><strong>Visual artists</strong> should be aiming to draw or paint or sculpt something, or several somethings, every single day to grow their talents.</br></br></p><h4 id="learning-and-practicing-your-skill-every-day-is-critical-for-growth-">Learning and practicing your skill every day is critical for growth.</h4><p>In point of fact, every aspiration requires daily service from the aspirant, in two forms: self-education, and disciplined practice. Self-education must entail instruction, usually by a person of greater skill and in a specific niche element, in a progressive format.</p><p>When learning maths, one must begin with basic addition and subtraction, progress to division and multiplication, and so on. It is not until you have mastered the concepts of geometry, then trigonometry, and algebra, before you attempt to learn calculus. Moreover, you had to be taught each of these concepts by a person and/or book that contained the knowledge of someone better at this.</p><p>It doesn't matter if you learn best with in-person instruction, or through books, or if you really like audio books or podcasts. You must be following a focused curriculum of study that teaches new, specific techniques on a regular and progressive basis.</p><p>These studies must involve you consuming media to learn the technique. Then, you MUST demonstrate, repeat and practice the technique. You have learned nothing until you can teach the technique in its entirety to others, that which you are attempting to study.<br/></p><h5 id="whether-learning-a-martial-arts-kata-how-to-make-a-wedding-cake-how-to-solder-you-must-be-able-to-teach-the-lesson-before-you-truly-know-it-">Whether learning a martial arts kata, how to make a wedding cake, how to solder... you must be able to teach the lesson before you truly know it.</h5><p>In this way, one continues to follow a schedule with rigor and consistency, improving one's skills regularly until inspiration comes. When inspiration strikes, then, the conduit is best prepared to make use of the accumulated skills and produce true beauty.</p><h2 id="do-not-wish-for-fame-fortune-or-anything-at-all-">Do not wish for fame, fortune, or anything at all.</h2><p>You must be willing to detach from the outcome, and live in service to your art. It is most virtuous for one to aim to make the most of their craft, and not be too concerned with where one will arrive in greatness. Simply make daily use of the craft, training and honing it, and following inspiration whenever it should strike, abandoning all else.</p><p>One must not wish desperately for anything at all, or become too attached to its attainment. One may set realistic and ambitious goals. If your aim is to play Madison Square Garden, you should be concerned only with creating amazing content, improving its quality, and finding larger and larger forums to share your music.</p><h3 id="showcase-your-journey-and-your-dedication-to-the-world-">Showcase your journey and <em>your dedication</em> to the world!</h3><p>In the course of producing great content, share your journey with the world. Publish content in the form of videos of your progress. Make your entire life a shrine to determination, and then collect and share that immense effort with the world, and encourage their success.</p><p>In the course of committing to self-improvement and true service to your craft, it is impossible not to accrue a following in time. Your daily dedication to self-improvement and unflagging devotion to your art will produce true masterpieces deserving of attention.</p><h4 id="keep-creating-content-every-day-and-refine-your-process-each-time-">Keep creating content every day, and refine your process each time.</h4><p>Think only of how, in this very moment, you can be producing best for your legacy.<br><em>Always</em> be creating something special. <strong><em>Never stop. </em></strong></br></p><p>There are so many options available for producing something of value. You can produce <strong>music,</strong> or <strong>visual art,</strong> or <strong>delicious food and drink</strong>. You can build a business that creates jobs, or author <strong>self-help books and courses</strong> that improve the quality of people's lives.</p><p>You can <strong>learn to program apps,</strong> and enjoy the unique pleasure of taking a concept from your mind and building it <em>from nothing into <strong>something</strong>. </em>You can <strong>create videos and <em>inspire others</em> </strong>to take control of their<em> own</em> lives, limiting distractions and focusing on <em>real development. </em>You can even do <em>several of these things at once!</em></p><h2 id="logging-your-time-a-keystone-habit">Logging your Time: a Keystone Habit</h2><p>For the last 10+ weeks, <strong>I've been logging 100% of my time! </strong>This has been instrumental in knowing how I'm using my time each day. This is an act of daily mindfulness. It's been helping me to acknowledge those areas where my actions are not fully-aligned with my goals in life, for my family and myself.</p><p>This has been a<strong> keystone habit</strong> for me, unlocking many other improvements and developments in my life that are opening new doors for me. My next keystone habit is to be attentive to those moments when I realize I am not making the most focused and best-quality use of my time.</p><p>In the moments when I am aware of this happening, I want to take that moment to meditate for another 10-15 minutes, and take stock. I'll continue to report back here with my impressions of what comes from those moments of meditation, and whether my course improves.</p><p>Thanks for taking this journey with me! <br>Please leave a like and a comment on the post.</br></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Building a DIY Retro Arcade Cabinet Emulator (MAME) - Part 1]]></title><description><![CDATA[When I was a kid, I was in LOVE with arcade games. I still am! Modern games just aren't the same as the old arcade cabinets! So Dad and I are building one. ]]></description><link>https://blog.cr8s.net/building-retro-arcade-mame-emulator/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__5e1cffb637c34a001e5d7167</guid><category><![CDATA[Biographical]]></category><category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category><category><![CDATA[Journal]]></category><category><![CDATA[Video Games]]></category><category><![CDATA[Woodworking]]></category><category><![CDATA[Crafts]]></category><category><![CDATA[DIY]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Crates]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 14 Jan 2020 00:28:59 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Screen-Shot-2020-01-13-at-7.23.20-PM.png" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Screen-Shot-2020-01-13-at-7.23.20-PM.png" alt="Building a DIY Retro Arcade Cabinet Emulator (MAME) - Part 1"/><p>By show of hands... how many of you have heard of a MAME?</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/crickets-are-the-worst.png" class="kg-image" alt="Building a DIY Retro Arcade Cabinet Emulator (MAME) - Part 1"><figcaption>Pretend this terrifying giant cricket is making cricket sounds right now.</figcaption></img></figure><p>Oh, dear... that's not too many hands. Let's start by explaining what that is!</p><hr><h2 id="multiple-arcade-machine-emulators">Multiple Arcade Machine Emulators</h2><p>For those of you who aren't getting <em>really</em> old by now, you might not remember what a video arcade was like. But for the older millennials and all generations older than them, it was an iconic experience: putting a quarter on the screen to indicate that you get the next turn. Shoveling another 400 quarters into the machine just so you could make it to that level in Battletoads that isn't possible to beat unless you're a cyborg.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/mame-arcade-cabinet.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="Building a DIY Retro Arcade Cabinet Emulator (MAME) - Part 1"><figcaption>Units like these not only ate my entire allowance, but also, most of my childhood.</figcaption></img></figure><p>One of my youngest memories was as a child, going to the doctor in my beautiful hometown of Southington, Connecticut. He had an arcade machine just like the one pictured above, except <em>it didn't even cost quarters to play, and <strong>you could choose from a dozen different games.</strong></em> It's probably safe to say that those moments were the "peak" experience in my life, and every moment since then has just been a failed attempt to recreate those blessed halcyon days.</p><p>Some time late in 2019, my father asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I hardly ever know what I want in life, and usually, I waste all of my money on whatever it is long before my friends and family have a chance to. For this reason, I'm impossible to shop for any kind of gifts for. But what I really want more than anything else these days (and this is true) is to get to spend more quality, one-on-one time with my dad while I still have the opportunity. More and more, I'm realizing that time is the most valuable commodity we have in life, and also, that life is fragile, precious and short.</p><p>When Pops asked me what I wanted, for some reason – even though I've been trying to cut back on my "screen time" and have basically given up playing video games for the past few months – I told him I wanted to build an arcade cabinet together. It seems like a really neat project, and my father has some excellent woodworking experience and a damn decent shop of his own in his basement. I figured this would be a great opportunity to learn a little bit about how to build something from scratch, and we could use our collective skills – Dad with the hardware, and me on the software – to make something truly special that I'd cherish for a lifetime.</p><p>This past weekend, we got to work and started making it happen!</p><hr><h2 id="what-does-it-take-to-build-your-own-arcade-cabinet">What does it take to build your own arcade cabinet?</h2><p>We used a few different things to get started:</p><!--kg-card-begin: markdown--><ul>
<li>One 6' x 6' foot sheet of baltic birch plywood</li>
<li>2 <a href="https://amzn.to/35MwgMV">MayFlash F300 arcade sticks</a></li>
<li>2 <a href="https://amzn.to/30kxWMp">Sanwa Denshi joystick and button upgrades</a></li>
<li>2-pack of <a href="https://amzn.to/387KLwx">octagonal gates for joysticks</a></li>
<li>Some <a href="https://amzn.to/2QPqPsd">cables to wire up the replacement joystick</a></li>
<li>A <a href="https://amzn.to/30jCmTZ">Raspberry Pi 4B Starter Kit</a></li>
<li>A <a href="https://amzn.to/2RkmjRU">retro arcade controllers 5-pack</a></li>
<li>A <a href="https://amzn.to/36Tx4kG">Sabrent 4-Port USB 3.0 Hub</a> to plug in controllers in the front</li>
<li><a href="https://amzn.to/2sq3x2Y">Power cord</a> and 2 <a href="https://amzn.to/37VDxeW">power splitter cords</a></li>
<li>Nice, big, fast <a href="https://amzn.to/2uLUVoa">256GB micro SD card</a> to store the games and operating system</li>
<li>A basic <a href="https://amzn.to/2teDRGT">MP3/Aux cable</a> to connect the audio</li>
<li>Some super-nifty <a href="https://amzn.to/30kz4j7">retro arcade stickers</a> and <a href="https://amzn.to/2uLWPVP">PacMan decals</a> to make it look TOIGHT!</li>
</ul>
<!--kg-card-end: markdown--><p>I already had an old 19" Acer LCD display kicking around from a million years ago, and it has an integrated speaker on it, so we're using that to wire up the sound on it.</p><hr><h2 id="ok-i-ve-got-the-parts-now-what-do-i-do">OK, I've got the parts... now what do I do?</h2><p>Everything we needed arrived pretty quickly, so we were pretty much good to go. The first thing we needed to do is to build the frame of this arcade cabinet. That meant measuring the display and the controller components, and determining what the size of the whole beast was going to be. We decided to go with a bar-top style cabinet, so it would actually be something that could be moved around by one person without a hernia, and possibly get taken to some of the music festivals where I perform as <a href="https://facebook.com/SmaB0i">SmaBoi</a> and with my band, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SonicSrc">Sonic Source</a>.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Screen-Shot-2020-01-13-at-7.08.10-PM.png" class="kg-image" alt="Building a DIY Retro Arcade Cabinet Emulator (MAME) - Part 1"><figcaption>Dad told me to let you know to never use a circular saw to cut the middle of a board, like above.</figcaption></img></figure><p>We started by cutting out the sides, as you can see above, with a circular saw, and finishing the cuts with a handheld jig saw.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Screen-Shot-2020-01-13-at-7.13.00-PM.png" class="kg-image" alt="Building a DIY Retro Arcade Cabinet Emulator (MAME) - Part 1"><figcaption>Dad's inspecting our cuts. Everything looks pretty good! For now...</figcaption></img></figure><p>After that, we cut up some more wood for the arcade cabinet's top, base, back, and face frame. Dad had some ideas about how to join the wood so that none of the edges of the plywood show through... more on that later.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Screen-Shot-2020-01-13-at-7.14.53-PM.png" class="kg-image" alt="Building a DIY Retro Arcade Cabinet Emulator (MAME) - Part 1"><figcaption>I'm definitely neither certified nor qualified to operate this level of heavy machinery.</figcaption></img></figure><hr><h2 id="it-s-starting-to-look-like-a-bar-top-arcade-cabinet-woot-">It's starting to look like a bar-top arcade cabinet! Woot!</h2><p>Surprisingly enough, we managed to get this far without too much cursing, and nobody lost a thumb! (Yet.) We are pretty proud of the progress so far:</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Screen-Shot-2020-01-13-at-7.19.47-PM.png" class="kg-image" alt="Building a DIY Retro Arcade Cabinet Emulator (MAME) - Part 1"><figcaption>Not too shabby! We're going to cut some angles in later to make it more ergonomic.</figcaption></img></figure><p>Next step is going to be building a drawer that sits inside the cabinet, and cutting out holes in the control surface, into which we're going to integrate the circuitry and components from our <a href="https://amzn.to/35MwgMV">MayFlash F300 arcade sticks</a>! But that's coming in the next post... so please stay tuned for the rest of this series, as we continue to build our own home-made arcade cabinet!</p><p>Thanks for reading. Please leave some comments letting us know how we're doing so far, and if you have any tips, be sure to share them!</p></hr></hr></hr></hr>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Caveat Emptor: Every Purchase is a Promise]]></title><description><![CDATA[Think critically about what you bring into your life. Home ownership might seem like fun, but do you really want to clean the gutters and repair the roof?]]></description><link>https://blog.cr8s.net/caveat-emptor-every-purchase-is-a-promise/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__5e18aa59267d52001e87dff5</guid><category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category><category><![CDATA[Finances]]></category><category><![CDATA[Minimalism]]></category><category><![CDATA[VieDay]]></category><category><![CDATA[Self-Improvement]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sacrifice]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Crates]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 10 Jan 2020 16:58:48 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Tyler-Durden_Fight-Club_Things-You-Own.png" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Tyler-Durden_Fight-Club_Things-You-Own.png" alt="Caveat Emptor: Every Purchase is a Promise"/><p>Everything you take on comes with a weight to it. This applies equally to both time commitments and tangible things you acquire. When you sign up for the swim team or the local Masonic chapter, you are agreeing to an uncertain amount of time promised to this.</p><p>That's pretty easy for most people to wrap their head around, and usually, there are some rails around how much time will be used. However, most people don't acknowledge the weight associated with purchases that they make and the commitment entailed.</p><p>When you purchase a car or a home, for instance, this comes with the time and financial commitments associated with maintenance. This is equally true (albeit in smaller magnitude) for every toy or gadget you pick up, and even the clothes you acquire.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/home-maintenance-roof-repair-cleaning-gutters.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="Caveat Emptor: Every Purchase is a Promise"><figcaption>Home ownership might seem glamorous, but do you really want to clean gutters and repair the roof?</figcaption></img></figure><p>With every purchase you make, you're taking on the responsibility of maintaining that purchase and having somewhere to store the item you bought where it's accessible and easy to locate. If you take on too much stuff, you're going to suffer the penalties of disorganized life and a cluttered home and mind.</p><p>This is one of the reasons that a minimalist lifestyle can be so liberating and impactful: it minimizes your daily burdens. Consider this premise the next time you're thinking about buying a new shiny toy, a coat you might not need, or a new club to join!</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Use a Bullet Journal to Take Control of your Life]]></title><description><![CDATA[Are you struggling to keep up with all the meetings, tasks and notes in your life? A bullet journal will help you master the endless flow of details!]]></description><link>https://blog.cr8s.net/daily-bullet-journal-organization-productivity/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__5e13650dc5953c001e519cdf</guid><category><![CDATA[BuJo]]></category><category><![CDATA[Bullet Journal]]></category><category><![CDATA[Achievement]]></category><category><![CDATA[Daily]]></category><category><![CDATA[Greatness]]></category><category><![CDATA[Habits]]></category><category><![CDATA[Journal]]></category><category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category><category><![CDATA[Self-Improvement]]></category><category><![CDATA[VieDay]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Crates]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 06 Jan 2020 17:42:07 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Bullet-Journal-BuJo.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Bullet-Journal-BuJo.jpg" alt="Use a Bullet Journal to Take Control of your Life"/><p>This morning, my mother reached out to me with this text message:</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Screen-Shot-2020-01-06-at-11.49.50-AM.png" class="kg-image" alt="Use a Bullet Journal to Take Control of your Life"><figcaption>Hmm... do I have any strategies for organizing action items? You bet!</figcaption></img></figure><p>Immediately, I thought of bullet journaling! This is a method I've used for years to keep my life in order. Lately I've been doing my journaling in a text editor (but I'm still following all the practices outlined in this post). However, I shared a bunch of pictures of my old paper-based bullet journal from a couple of years back, and I'd like to share that with you now: <strong>it's an outstanding way to capture everything you're working on succinctly, </strong>and stay focused on your tasks each day, week, month and quarter!</p><h3 id="what-makes-bullet-journaling-so-special">What makes Bullet Journaling so special?</h3><p>You get to make it entirely your own, and that makes it more effective. It's done on tangible pen and paper, which means that it works a lot better than electronic systems for most people. There's something about the tactile planning method that makes it work REALLY well.</p><p>I like to combine my bullet journal method with David Allen's "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143126563/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0143126563&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=cr8s-20&amp;linkId=96ec1e82b396298c7f3ba954ad0104e0">Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity</a>", which follows a handful of practices... </p><h2 id="organizing-your-bullet-journal-effectively">Organizing your Bullet Journal Effectively</h2><p>You want to organize everything you're looking to accomplish into chunked-down tasks that each do not require more than 1 day worth of work. Anything more than that needs to get chunked down. </p><p>Then, you need to prioritize things based on urgency and what's most important RIGHT NOW. Make a separate list of things that take less than 15 minutes to accomplish -- you will want to set aside time EVERY day to chip away at the quick tasks until that pile is empty, and in the future, you will do any "15 minutes or less" tasks as immediately as possible, <strong>so they don't even end up on a list at all.</strong></p><p>Finally, you should have 3 primary lists of tasks that take more than 15 minutes but less than a day, organized into "Urgent", "Medium" and "Low" priority lists. (Sometimes I use 5 priority levels, but I find that most items should fit on 3 levels nicely.)</p><p>You're going to look at these lists EVERY day, at the outset of your day, to determine which items you want to work on first and which items need the most attention. You need to revise the list every day for it to be effective. I usually have one VERY short list that's my focus for that specific day, and then, a master list that gets revised every month or quarter.</p><p>As I mentioned before, I'm doing a lot of these things with software at this point, but I used to do it all on pen and paper (the way that most people do when they're bullet journaling). Let's take a look at some examples of what this looks like!</p><hr><h3 id="planning-out-action-items-by-priority-level">Planning Out Action Items by Priority Level</h3><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/bullet-journal-action-items.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="Use a Bullet Journal to Take Control of your Life"><figcaption>Refresh your action item lists and start them anew at least once per quarter.</figcaption></img></figure><p>Here's an example from about 2 years back, from Q4 of 2017, when I did a lot of my bullet journaling on paper while on the train commuting in and out of NYC.</p><p>Items that got crossed out with a line through them are items I cancelled for whatever reason. When you start working on something, the box next to it gets a single diagonal line, indicating that it's in progress. When you finish that item, it gets another line (making an X), indicating that it's completed. </p><p>Once every quarter (or month, if you prefer), you'll start with a brand new set of lists... in those cases, anything that gets "pushed" to the next set of lists gets a "greater than" symbol (&gt;) indicating that it didn't get finished in that time window.</p><hr><h2 id="daily-logs-track-tasks-ideas-meetings-etc-">Daily Logs: Track Tasks, Ideas, Meetings, etc.</h2><p>Your daily lists will look similar to this, except everything should be in a single list for the day, and the priority order is the order they appear in the list (with highest priority items at the top). Anything you didn't finish by the end of the day gets a &gt; to indicate that it moves to the next day.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/bullet-journal-daily-log.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="Use a Bullet Journal to Take Control of your Life"><figcaption>This is what my daily log looked like on my last day working at Morgan Stanley, back in 2017.</figcaption></img></figure><p>The example I provided in the image above of my daily log really shows how versatile this journaling method is: you can include urgent priorities, journaling of what happened that day, journaling about your mood... any kind of notes that are relevant to your day. <strong>Bullet journaling is <em>whatever you want it to be!</em></strong></p><p>When you're defining your priority list for the next day, pick a couple of new items off your master lists (for the month or quarter, like my image above) and add a single slash to the master list (indicating that you're working on this now), and add it to your daily list, along with anything that didn't get finished yesterday.</p><p>Put the<strong> most time-sensitive and urgent</strong> items at the top of your daily list, along with anything that is REALLY easy to do or REALLY hard to do. The really easy stuff you'll finish first, to build up inertia and initiative. I try to get at least half a dozen small things done before 10am every day. </p><p>Next up is the cantankerous, obnoxious, <a href="https://blog.noisli.com/what-it-means-to-eat-the-frog/">BIG FROG tasks</a>: anything you'd normally procrastinate on or avoid. I usually try to get at least one "Big Frog" done before noon, which also helps to build up steam for the day... but most especially, it means that if something comes up that derails the rest of my day, I can rest easy knowing that I crossed off one of the most difficult or unpleasant tasks that day, even if my entire day goes to hell after 12pm!</p><hr><h2 id="bujos-are-versatile-so-use-them-for-everything-">BuJos are versatile... so use them for <em>everything!</em></h2><p>Bullet Journals are potent because they are whatever you want them to be. You can use them for a LOT more than just tracking activities... they're a great place to capture your gratitude for the day, ideas for the future, or anything at all. </p><p>I recommend getting a journal that has dotted paper (that's why they call it a "bullet journal"!) and a little pocket in the back to keep your sundries (little post-its and coupons, business cards, or whatever fluff you collect). For this, you can't do much better than the <a href="https://amzn.to/36uvWUb">Moleskine dotted pocket journal</a>. <br>(<strong>Please use that link to buy yours... I get a tiny commission when you do!)</strong></br></p><p>It's really important (in my opinion) to include a <strong>color-coded index or table of contents</strong> in your journal. This makes it possible for you to quickly get back to whatever item you like, without having to worry about rearranging your pages. Check out how that looks in one of my older bullet journals:</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/bujo-table-of-contents.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="Use a Bullet Journal to Take Control of your Life"><figcaption>Having your table of contents color-coded is a MASSIVE time-saver.</figcaption></img></figure><p>By color-coding your table of contents, you don't need to be concerned about what order you put things into your bullet journal. They can go in any order at all, and you will still be able to quickly find what you're looking for. </p><hr><h3 id="quarterly-planning-track-pressing-time-sensitive-items">Quarterly Planning: Track Pressing, Time-Sensitive Items</h3><p>You'll see that I use mine for action items, calendars that I used to draw up every couple of months, automotive repairs I need to get on, tattoo ideas, lyrics, etc. <strong><em>Anything</em> is possible with your Bullet Journal!</strong></p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/bullet-journal-q4-planning.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="Use a Bullet Journal to Take Control of your Life"><figcaption>This view shows the top priorities and action items for each week in Q4 of 2017.</figcaption></img></figure><p>The view shown in the image above, for instance, lists all of the TOP priorities for each week that needed attention, so that I knew which items were most time-sensitive or urgent on a per-week basis, and also, so I could continue to make incremental progress on things like music tracks I was working on at that time.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/bujo-key-dates-engagements.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="Use a Bullet Journal to Take Control of your Life"><figcaption>Make your own calendars to track special dates and important engagements!</figcaption></img></figure><p>In this image just above, you'll see a calendar view that indicates what activities are taking place on a given day of the quarter, so I know what's a top priority for a given day. Can you use software for this? Absolutely... but there's something about the tactile sensation and time invested in doing it with a pen and paper that helps to solidify the schedule in your mind and keeps you from forgetting anything.</p><h3 id="last-but-not-least-let-s-get-glamorous-">Last but not least... let's get <em>glamorous!</em></h3><p>Stickers are a fun way to spice up your bullet journal (or BuJo, as I call it)! </p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/bullet-journal-motivational-stickers.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="Use a Bullet Journal to Take Control of your Life"><figcaption>The cover of the Bullet Journal I've been showing you excerpts from.</figcaption></img></figure><p>I got my <a href="https://amzn.to/2s0QapN">bullet journal stickers</a> on Amazon. (Use that link to buy yours!)</p><h2 id="are-you-excited-to-bullet-journal-yet">Are you excited to Bullet Journal yet?</h2><p>I hope all of this is as useful to you as it has been for me. Give bullet journaling a shot for a couple of weeks, and let me know what you think on <a href="https://twitter.com/cr8s">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://facebook.com/CR4TES">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://instagram.com/cr8s">Instagram</a>. Thanks for reading, have an outstanding day, week, month, year and life!</p></hr></hr></hr></hr>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[My Secrets to Productivity and Success in 2020 (Part 2 of 2)]]></title><description><![CDATA[Learn about practicing daily affirmations, logging your time use, keeping a daily score card of your habits, setting time-boxed and SMART goals, starting and ending your day with journaling, and following a daily routine.]]></description><link>https://blog.cr8s.net/my-secrets-for-productivity-and-success/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__5e0f36f7070606001e954ff8</guid><category><![CDATA[Achievement]]></category><category><![CDATA[Daily]]></category><category><![CDATA[Greatness]]></category><category><![CDATA[Habits]]></category><category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category><category><![CDATA[Self-Improvement]]></category><category><![CDATA[Stoicism]]></category><category><![CDATA[VieDay]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Crates]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 03 Jan 2020 13:31:41 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Keys-to-Success.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Keys-to-Success.jpg" alt="My Secrets to Productivity and Success in 2020 (Part 2 of 2)"/><p>Howdy folks! Thanks for coming back to read part 2 of my secrets to success<strong> </strong>series! </p><p>In case you didn't read it yet, make sure you check out Part 1 of The <strong><a href="https://blog.cr8s.net/12-keys-increase-productivity-achieve-success/">12 Keys to Increasing Productivity and Achieving Great Success</a> in 2020. </strong>We're going to jump right in and assume you're already up to speed on the previous half. By now, you're already practicing daily affirmations, logging your time use, keeping a daily score card of your habits, setting time-boxed and SMART goals, starting and ending your day with journaling, and following a daily routine. You're off to a great start!</p><hr><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/success-key-puzzle.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="My Secrets to Productivity and Success in 2020 (Part 2 of 2)"><figcaption>Great job unlocking the first six keys to success. Here are the final six keys!</figcaption></img></figure><h2 id="key-7-stay-extremely-organized-with-objectives">Key #7: Stay <em>extremely</em> organized with objectives</h2><p>Have you ever heard of bullet journaling? I mentioned it briefly in part 1 of the series. It's just one of many different ways you can stay on top of your objectives and goals for each day, week, month and quarter of the year. What's <em>really</em> important, no matter how you go about it, is that you're making some kind of list of the most important things that need to get done, so you don't have to track this information inside your head. This helps to relieve tension and stress, and makes it easier to track <strong>lots of different things </strong>all at once without getting overwhelmed.</p><p>One excellent resource I can recommend on this subject is the book <em>Getting Things Done<strong> </strong></em>by David Allen. It teaches you things like finishing any task that takes less than 15 minutes right away so it falls off your radar, and organizing your tasks and your life so that you have less clutter, both physically and mentally. One of the key premises of David's system is that you should keep track of all your goals and tasks in a single list, and revise your master list daily so that everything that isn't totally crucial falls off the map.</p><p>I manage this by keeping 4 lists in 2 text files. One text file has 3 lists, organized by priority, into high, medium and low priority. These are the items I'm trying to get done on a regular basis, and it's where I log things quickly (until I've had time to put them in a ticketing system... and yes, I do use Jira to manage my personal life!) The second text file only has a single list in it: the very most important things I need to focus on TODAY. I revise the lists in both text files daily to keep them fresh and up to date.</p><hr><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/share-your-progress.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="My Secrets to Productivity and Success in 2020 (Part 2 of 2)"><figcaption>Bring others into your journey by sharing your progress with them!</figcaption></img></figure><h2 id="key-8-share-your-process-and-progress">Key #8: Share your process and progress</h2><p>I'm certainly not the first person to write about how <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/3047432/why-sharing-your-progress-makes-you-more-likely-to-accomplish-your-goals">sharing your progress with others keeps you motivated</a> and honest with yourself. There's powerful psychology at work when you include others in your process. But perhaps most important of all, by sharing your process and progress with others, you can also leverage your own successes to the benefit of other people who can learn and grow from it!</p><hr><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/break-bad-habits.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="My Secrets to Productivity and Success in 2020 (Part 2 of 2)"><figcaption>You need to break your bad habits if you want to establish better ones!</figcaption></img></figure><h2 id="key-9-break-your-old-bad-habits">Key #9: Break your old, bad habits</h2><p>Are you still spending 2 or more hours each day in front of a television screen, binge-watching Netflix or playing video games? Perhaps instead, you're spending a couple of hours each day scrolling through your social media feed. If so, you're probably making rationalizations like, "I've worked hard all day and deserve a little break." Truth be told, however, these activities dull your senses, waste your time, and can even be the root cause of depression and anxiety.</p><p>Before you can establish great habits that will propel you forward, you need to break the old ones. It can take up to <strong><em>three weeks</em></strong> to break a bad habit, so it's important to start right now, to track your progress with your habits each day, and to replace these useless habits with better ones.</p><p>How will you reclaim this time? You can spend your leisure time reading books, practicing a musical instrument, authoring unique content to share with the world, or studying a new language or skill. All of these things can be great fun and will <em>stimulate</em> your brain and senses instead of hypnotizing you like the television does. Best of all, after you've done these more fruitful activities, <strong>you'll feel amazing at the end of each day</strong> because <em>you actually have something to show for your time.</em></p><hr><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/compassion-includes-yourself.png" class="kg-image" alt="My Secrets to Productivity and Success in 2020 (Part 2 of 2)"><figcaption>One important key ingredient to happiness is having compassion for yourself.</figcaption></img></figure><h2 id="key-10-be-honest-and-compassionate-with-yourself">Key #10: Be honest and compassionate with yourself</h2><p>This one is incredibly important, because it's something that even the <em>most productive </em>people can neglect to do. In order to get any value out of better time logging and habits each day, you need to be totally <em>honest</em> with yourself about how you're spending your time, and whether that time was invested in something that can actually generate returns and value in your life.</p><p>It's not enough to just be honest, though. It's also incredibly important to have <em>compassion</em> for yourself, and not beat yourself up about making mistakes or spending time in ways that isn't optimal. When you've done something that isn't the best you could've done, simply <strong>observe the behavior, and let it go.</strong> Don't berate or chastise yourself for not being perfect. </p><p>Simply acknowledge the behavior you're trying to course-correct on, and say, <br><em>"I can do better at this. I'm improving every day. I'll try harder next time!"</em></br></p><hr><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/best-project-is-you.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="My Secrets to Productivity and Success in 2020 (Part 2 of 2)"><figcaption>Your body and mind need to be maintained diligently to perform at your best.</figcaption></img></figure><h2 id="key-11-diet-exercise-meditation-and-good-sleep">Key #11: Diet, exercise, meditation and good sleep</h2><p>Let's say you're lucky enough to be driving a Ferrari. Would you fill up your tank with regular gasoline? Not if you're smart! <em>A high-test, high-performance vehicle needs high-octane fuel!</em> This simple concept makes sense to almost anyone... yet, why do so many of us not follow the same rules with our body and mind?</p><p>You'll never get maximum output from your days if you don't first take care of the machine that powers your entire existence: your physical vessel. If you want to be ultra-productive and ace whatever your chosen goals are every day, you need to set yourself up for success by taking immaculate care of yourself!</p><p>Get better sleep by <em>avoiding all screens within 2 hours of bedtime</em>. Make sure you block out all sources of light in your bedroom at night, and don't let yourself hit that snooze button! Getting to bed at the same time each night, and waking up at the same time each morning, is <em>incredibly crucial</em> to getting healthy sleep each night. Make sure you don't drink too many liquids late in the day, so you don't have to wake up at night to use the bathroom. If you're doing all of this, you should be able to function at a high level with only 6-7 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night.</p><p>As for diet, make sure to choose a healthy diet that works well for you. Everyone's different. For me, a ketogenic diet (mainly meat, cheese and low-carb veggies) works <em>really </em>well. I also practice intermittent fasting, where I only eat food between 2pm and 8pm each day. With both of these daily practices, I find that I have more energy and it's easier for me to stay fit as I grow older.</p><p>Daily meditation is one of the best ways to get outside of your own head, improve your focus, and have a better mood and a clear head all day long. For the last couple of months, I've been using a course for this: <a href="https://wakingup.com/">Waking Up by Sam Harris</a>. It doesn't matter how you do it, but make meditation part of your daily practice if you want to maximize your effectiveness each day.</p><p>Last but not least, get some exercise! At least 10,000 steps per day is a great metric for getting some cardio in each day. I also like the DDP Yoga course for flexibility and low-intensity strength training. I'm also a fan of the <a href="https://hundredpushups.com/">100 Pushups</a> course for increasing your core strength. By committing to daily exercise, you're making your body more capable to tackle whatever comes at you each day.</p><hr><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/good-job.png" class="kg-image" alt="My Secrets to Productivity and Success in 2020 (Part 2 of 2)"><figcaption>Remember to congratulate yourself for a job well done! You've earned it!</figcaption></img></figure><h2 id="key-12-positive-reinforcement-and-encouragement">Key #12: Positive reinforcement and encouragement</h2><p>This is the final key to success in productivity and life, and it's a fairly simple one: <strong>keep feeding yourself constant positive reinforcement and encouragement </strong>as you progress. Your body and mind will grow weary over time, as you try to adopt new habits and behaviors. You need to keep reminding yourself that you are doing great, and the extra effort is worth it, because you're molding yourself into a better person each day, and achieving more than you ever thought possible!</p><p>Remember to give yourself credit when it's due. You're awesome!</p><hr><h3 id="made-it-this-far-congratulations-you-re-doing-great-">Made it this far? Congratulations: you're doing great!</h3><p>Thanks so much for staying with me on this 2-part series to improving your productivity and output. I want to know how things worked out for you, so make sure to hit me up on <a href="https://facebook.com/CR4TES">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/cr8s">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://instagram.com/cr8s/">Instagram</a> and let me know how you liked this article. Tell me all about your own productivity strategies and techniques. Let's work together to make 2020 the best year of our lives (so far)!</p></hr></hr></hr></hr></hr></hr></hr>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[12 Keys to Increasing Productivity and Achieving Success in 2020: Part 1 of 2]]></title><description><![CDATA[By doing these 12 things, you're removing barriers to achieving your ultimate dreams and reaching levels of success you never thought possible before!]]></description><link>https://blog.cr8s.net/12-keys-increase-productivity-achieve-success/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__5e0e4fdb621a49001edfc41b</guid><category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category><category><![CDATA[Daily]]></category><category><![CDATA[Daily Affirmations]]></category><category><![CDATA[Greatness]]></category><category><![CDATA[Habits]]></category><category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category><category><![CDATA[Self-Improvement]]></category><category><![CDATA[VieDay]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Crates]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 02 Jan 2020 21:17:06 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/key-to-success.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/key-to-success.jpg" alt="12 Keys to Increasing Productivity and Achieving Success in 2020: Part 1 of 2"/><p>I've been giving a lot of thought lately to the secret to success with daily productivity, and I'm building a framework that <strong>anyone</strong> can use to be more successful. No, I'm not <em>selling</em> anything. This is a collection of concepts I'm using to better myself personally, which you can use as well, to help drive your results forward.</p><p><strong>Hindsight is 2020, and 2020 is the year to learn from our mistakes!</strong><br>Take this opportunity to tune your behaviors and model what generates success.</br></p><p>Here are the 12 things I've been doing lately that <strong>you can do too</strong> with just a little bit of daily effort. By doing these 12 things, you're <strong>removing barriers to achieving your ultimate dreams</strong> and reaching <strong>levels of success you <em>never thought possible</em></strong> before!</p><p>Since this is a lot of content to share, I'm going to do this in 2 separate posts. This post will cover the first 6 keys to <strong>increasing your personal productivity </strong>in 2020. When you're ready for the next 6 keys, check out the second half of <a href="https://blog.cr8s.net/my-secrets-for-productivity-and-success/">My Secrets to Productivity and Success in 2020</a>.</p><hr><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/puzzle-key.png" class="kg-image" alt="12 Keys to Increasing Productivity and Achieving Success in 2020: Part 1 of 2"><figcaption>Use these keys to unlock greater success than ever before in 2020, the year of HINDSIGHT!</figcaption></img></figure><h2 id="key-1-write-and-rehearse-affirmations-daily">Key #1: Write and rehearse affirmations daily</h2><p>I've written before on the <a href="https://blog.cr8s.net/my-10-daily-affirmations/">10 daily affirmations I use each day</a> to keep myself focused and motivated. This should be the <em>first thing you do when you wake up,</em> because that's when your brain is in <strong>Theta State</strong> and can be easily programmed. Right now, write down a few affirmations that you can use each day to guide yourself in the right direction. Each day, rehearse and expand upon those affirmations, adding things like the all-important <strong><em>Why:</em></strong> why am I doing this and what will it mean for me in the future? These daily affirmations will keep you grounded and train your brain to recognize opportunities every day that can help you going in the right direction!</p><hr><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/time-use.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="12 Keys to Increasing Productivity and Achieving Success in 2020: Part 1 of 2"><figcaption>Every day, we get pulled in a thousand directions. Are you even logging how you spend your time?</figcaption></img></figure><h2 id="key-2-diligently-log-how-you-spend-your-time">Key #2: Diligently log how you spend your time</h2><p>If you aren't logging your time, how can you possibly budget it properly? This is a <strong>keystone habit</strong> I've taken from brilliant minds like Benjamin Franklin, Seneca the Younger, Tim Ferriss, Peter Drucker and other luminaries that are just plain smarter than I am. Many productive, successful people are smart at budgeting their money... and yet, they still don't track their time, and <strong>time is the most valuable and irreplaceable resource <em>in the universe!</em></strong></p><p>To get the most value out of this coming year, make sure you are logging and categorizing how and where you spend your time. I have been doing this very diligently since November 1st of 2019, and I can tell you, this has been the <strong><em>number one</em></strong><em> </em>most important thing I've done to increase my personal productivity! So much so, in fact, that I'm building a productivity app around this concept... more to come on that subject soon.</p><hr><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/score-card.png" class="kg-image" alt="12 Keys to Increasing Productivity and Achieving Success in 2020: Part 1 of 2"><figcaption>Keep a daily scorecard of the habits you want to be following!</figcaption></img></figure><h2 id="key-3-keep-a-daily-score-card-for-your-habits">Key #3: Keep a daily score card for your habits</h2><p>Did you spend time meditating today? Did you reach your goal of 10,000 steps? Did you avoid drinking more than 32 ounces of soda, while making sure to drink at least 64 ounces of water? These are just a handful of things that are on my daily scorecard. (I'll blog about this one more soon too!)</p><p>To make this objective easier, consider using an app like <a href="https://github.com/iSoron/uhabits">Loop Habit Tracker</a>, which is free, open-source, and available for iOS or Android. Pretty soon I'll have another app of my own design to show you (VieDay) which will combine this concept with several others to give you a wide array of options for personal improvement!</p><hr><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Dream-Big--Set-Goals--Take-Action.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="12 Keys to Increasing Productivity and Achieving Success in 2020: Part 1 of 2"><figcaption>Setting SMART goals is a great way to track your ongoing improvement.</figcaption></img></figure><h2 id="key-4-set-goals-for-each-day-week-and-month">Key #4: Set goals for each day, week, and month</h2><p>How do you know when you're doing better than ever before? Do you have S.M.A.R.T. goals? This acronym means that each of your goals are:</p><!--kg-card-begin: markdown--><ul>
<li><strong>Specific:</strong> Put enough information in your goal so you know how to tackle it.</li>
<li><strong>Measurable:</strong> Make sure that there's some kind of milestone or yardstick you can use to measure when you've attained your goal.</li>
<li><strong>Actionable:</strong> Your goal should be something you can start working on right away. For instance, &quot;Become President of the United States&quot; isn't something you can easily action. A better goal would be, &quot;Get involved in local politics by volunteering some time each month.&quot;</li>
<li><strong>Relevant:</strong> Is this goal really important for your life's progression towards success, and does it need to happen <em>right now?</em></li>
<li><strong>Time-boxed:</strong> Make sure your goals are something that can be accomplished in a finite amount of time. Rather than saying, &quot;I'm going to become the world's best painter,&quot; you might try setting the goal of, &quot;I'll paint something new every month, while following a different instructional video each time.&quot;</li>
</ul>
<!--kg-card-end: markdown--><p>My own personal goals include things like spending at least 30 minutes a day on average on my personal fitness each week, getting my body fat percentage below 20% by July first of 2020, and generating at least $10,000 in totally passive income in 2020.</p><hr><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/bullet-journal.png" class="kg-image" alt="12 Keys to Increasing Productivity and Achieving Success in 2020: Part 1 of 2"><figcaption><a href="https://blog.cr8s.net/daily-bullet-journal-organization-productivity/">Bullet journals</a> are one of the most effective ways to manage your time and energy!</figcaption></img></figure><h2 id="key-5-journal-at-the-start-and-end-of-each-day">Key #5: Journal at the start and end of each day</h2><p>The only way you can really track all of your objectives, and visualize your progress over time, is if you are regularly taking time to <strong>write down your goals, your thoughts, and your results.</strong> Without this crucial element, it's impossible to keep a unified vision and make small, iterative improvements to your lifestyle.</p><p>Every day, I start my day by <strong>asking myself 9 questions.</strong> I'm not going to give you the whole list right now – those will come in a later post – but here are some examples of those questions:</p><!--kg-card-begin: markdown--><ul>
<li>What am I most excited about today?</li>
<li>What obstacles need to get cleared today?</li>
<li>What interesting content can I create today?</li>
</ul>
<!--kg-card-end: markdown--><p>Similarly, I end my day by <strong>answering 9 questions.</strong> Here are some examples of the questions I ask myself each night:</p><!--kg-card-begin: markdown--><ul>
<li>What am I most <strong>grateful</strong> for today?</li>
<li>What's something new I learned today?</li>
<li>What's most important to focus on tomorrow?</li>
</ul>
<!--kg-card-end: markdown--><p><strong>I simply cannot express enough how valuable it is to <em>write down what you are most appreciative of each day</em>. </strong>Especially if you have suffered from anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, etc... just writing down what you're thankful for, each and every day, has immense mood-improving powers. <strong><em>Write this down!</em></strong></p><hr><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/successful-daily-routine.png" class="kg-image" alt="12 Keys to Increasing Productivity and Achieving Success in 2020: Part 1 of 2"><figcaption>Follow the same routine every single day if you want to get the best results!</figcaption></img></figure><h2 id="key-6-creating-and-following-a-daily-routine">Key #6: Creating and following a daily routine</h2><p>Let me just say this: you can get results <em>without</em> following a routine, but even if you don't <em>think</em> you're following a routine, you probably <em>are!</em> For instance: do you usually watch a TV show (or several shows) on Netflix every night? Do you eat any of your meals at the same time? These things that you continue to do every day will ultimately become who you are, as a person!</p><p>Instead of following your routines mindlessly, consider actually <em>authoring</em> the routine you want. <strong>Don't fall into the trap of trying to plan out every single minute of your day!</strong> I find that the best results when planning out a daily routine come from deciding <em>what</em> you want to happen, roughly, in the morning, during the day, and at night.</p><p>For instance, in the morning, the very first thing I do is rehearse <a href="https://blog.cr8s.net/my-10-daily-affirmations/">my daily affirmations</a>. That sets the pace for my whole day and keeps me energized! Before I start my work day, I want to make sure that I've set aside time to meditate, to exercise, and to get organized. I also set aside a little time to ask myself the aforementioned daily questions so I know what the focus of my day will be.</p><p>Throughout the day, in addition to my regular work responsibilities, I try to find some time for authoring new content like this blog post, for piano practice, and for self-education each day.</p><p>Then, every evening, I make sure that I review my daily checklist to score myself on how I did with my habits that day. I answer my 9 evening questions and do a little journaling to evaluate my efforts and introspect. Last but certainly not least, I fill out a spreadsheet with the time I've logged from how I invested my efforts during the day, so I know – with great clarity and accuracy – where my time goes each day.</p><p>Note that I didn't say, "at 6am every day, I'm going to exercise". Those kinds of schedules almost never work for most of the people I've ever talked with! It takes an obsessive, almost sociopathic mentality to schedule every second of your day down to the minute, and I would never wish that upon anyone. Instead, simply have a list of things you'd like to do in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Try that and let me know how it works for you!</p><hr><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/key-to-success-with-lock.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="12 Keys to Increasing Productivity and Achieving Success in 2020: Part 1 of 2"><figcaption>Follow these behaviors and unlock your strategies for success!</figcaption></img></figure><h3 id="wrapping-up-part-one-of-this-two-part-series-">Wrapping up part one of this two part series...</h3><p>Are you still with me so far? I hope so! This is just the first half of my 12 keys to personal productivity and success. Unlike some authors, <em>I'm not just writing this stuff without actually <strong>living this process every day!</strong></em> These keys are literally my exact blueprint, which I've been following religiously over the last few months, to <strong>radically transform my life into something with far greater output.</strong></p><p>If you've been enjoying this post so far, please let me know! Reach out to me on <a href="https://twitter.com/cr8s/">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CR4TES/">Facebook</a> or <a href="https://instagram.com/cr8s/">Instagram</a>, and tell me what you think. Give me some more ideas for the behaviors that are working really well for you. I'll be adding a comments section to my blog soon so that you can also communicate right here about your results.</p><p>Next up, be sure to read <strong><a href="https://blog.cr8s.net/my-secrets-for-productivity-and-success/">Part 2 of my 12 Keys to Productivity, Personal Achievement and Success</a>!</strong></p><p>Thanks for coming along with me on this journey.</p></hr></hr></hr></hr></hr></hr></hr>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[What's preventing you from achieving your 10 year goals inside of 6 months?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Every day in December 2019, I've been asking myself Peter Thiel's question: "What's preventing you from achieving your 10 year goals inside of 6 months?"]]></description><link>https://blog.cr8s.net/peter-thiel-achieve-10-year-goals</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__5e08e747017249001eecd978</guid><category><![CDATA[Achievement]]></category><category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category><category><![CDATA[Essays]]></category><category><![CDATA[Greatness]]></category><category><![CDATA[Habits]]></category><category><![CDATA[Journal]]></category><category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category><category><![CDATA[Self-Improvement]]></category><category><![CDATA[Stoicism]]></category><category><![CDATA[VieDay]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Crates]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 29 Dec 2019 18:32:43 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Peter-Thiel_Silicon-Valley_Venture-Capitalist.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Peter-Thiel_Silicon-Valley_Venture-Capitalist.jpg" alt="What's preventing you from achieving your 10 year goals inside of 6 months?"/><p>Peter Thiel is, without question, one of my biggest role models and heroes. He started his career as a judicial clerk and speech writer, and went on to co-found PayPal at only 32 years old. By the time he was my age (35 years old), he had been CEO of PayPal for 3 years and sold it to eBay for $1.5 billion. Since then, he's help to fund and found a tremendous number of world-changing businesses.</p><p>So, for all of December of 2019, I've been asking myself Peter's famous question:</p><!--kg-card-begin: markdown--><blockquote>
<h3 id="whatspreventingyoufromachievingyourtenyeargoalsinsideofsixmonths"><em>“What's preventing you from achieving your ten-year goals inside of six months?”</em></h3>
<p>-- Peter Thiel</p>
</blockquote>
<!--kg-card-end: markdown--><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/think-graffiti.png" class="kg-image" alt="What's preventing you from achieving your 10 year goals inside of 6 months?"/></figure><p>Thought exercises like this are phenomenal, and I suggest you put something like this at the top of your <a href="https://blog.cr8s.net/daily-bullet-journal-organization-productivity/">daily bullet journal</a> or somewhere you can look at it each day, and rotate the message you're reading daily on a regular basis, so it remains fresh and continues to help you flourish in new ways.</p><p>By analyzing this question every day for the past month, I realized that there are several behaviors and qualities where I have fallen short, at times. I wanted to come up with a mnemonic to help me remember what ingredients are most valuable for solving problems faster and generating more results in less time. </p><p>In December of last year, I came up with a simple mnemonic that served me well throughout 2019: DEAR. That stands for: <em>Diligence Equals Accelerated Results</em>. </p><p>That phrase has definitely stood out in my mind this year, but I've come up with a more detailed mnemonic I want to share with you, as a daily reminder we can use to be more productive, and produce value even sometimes with less effort! These keys are super important to getting maximum value out of every day.</p><p>This year, as my mantra in 2020 – the year of <strong><em>hindsight</em></strong> – I'm staying <strong>FOCUSED</strong>:</p><!--kg-card-begin: markdown--><h2 id="1focus"><strong>1: Focus</strong></h2>
<p>When I pull myself in too many directions, nothing gets done well. I need to stay focused on a couple of primary goals in order to achieve excellence in any of my goals. I'm going to put at the top of my list the projects and goals that, by virtue of getting completed, can accelerate my other projects and goals later. The order of operations is at LEAST as important as the work itself!</p>
<hr>
<h2 id="2organization"><strong>2: Organization</strong></h2>
<p>Without a solid plan for each goal (e.g. a well-designed curriculum for education, or a well thought-out exercise plan I can use daily), even the best efforts are ill-applied.</p>
<p>If you're trying to learn to play the piano, it doesn't matter that you're spending an hour each day on it, if you don't have a plan in place. Conversely, the person who invests 30 minutes of piano practice daily, with an organized plan in mind to learn specific things they didn't know yesterday, will far outpace the person who's spending an hour a day with no organization.</p>
<p>The same holds true for projects! In order to do the right things in the right order, you need to spend enough time to adequately plan your objectives, and afterwards, determine how well you are meeting your milestones as the project moves forward. If a project ISN'T making any progress, you need to either cut bait (you can always come back to it later!) or invest some <em><strong>serious</strong></em> time into better organizing its efforts.</p>
<hr>
<h2 id="3consistency"><strong>3: Consistency</strong></h2>
<p>You can't become great at something unless you are following the right habits for that goal EVERY SINGLE DAY. Whether your goal is to get better at playing an instrument, or singing, or acting, or if your New Year's Resolution is to get more physically fit, or if you have the world's BEST start-up business or app idea, <strong>it doesn't matter...</strong> your success (or failure) hinges on whether or not you are consistent in your habits!</p>
<p>When you've started to master a new skill, and you're getting really good at it, but then you fail to continue to keep up your daily practice, you are sabotaging your success. Later on, when it comes time to return to that habit, you'll have to re-learn or familiarize yourself with where you were when you last left off.</p>
<h3 id="evenworseneglectishowhabitsdie"><em><strong>Even WORSE: neglect is how habits DIE!</strong></em></h3>
<p>It takes <strong>three <em>weeks</em></strong> of nurturing a habit <em>every single day</em> for it to  take root and begin to flourish. By comparison, you can accidentally (and sometimes <strong>permanently</strong>) <em>KILL</em> a habit by neglecting it for ONLY <em>three days!</em> Almost everyone alive can relate to this: you set a New Year's Resolution to get fit, and you start dieting and exercising for a while. If you get past the first 3 weeks, you can probably keep it up for 3 months! But sooner or later, you miss a day at the gym... and then, another day... and by day three, your habit is <strong>DEAD.</strong></p>
<p>The moral of the story is: <em>It only takes <strong>3 days</strong> of neglect to kill a habit you've been nurturing for months!</em> <strong>Consistency is KING!</strong></p>
<hr>
<p><img src="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/extra-fries.jpg" alt="What's preventing you from achieving your 10 year goals inside of 6 months?"/></p>
<h2 id="4urgency"><strong>4: Urgency</strong></h2>
<p>Just about everyone knows that procrastination is the number one thing that cripples output. That means that you shouldn't put off to tomorrow anything you can finish today. I've been watching some videos lately of older folks, towards the end of their lives, giving advice to those who are younger.</p>
<p>What's crazy is: <strong>they all seem to be saying the same things!</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><em>Don't waste any time following your dreams.</em></li>
<li><em>Make the most of <strong>every single day</strong>, because soon there won't be many left.</em></li>
<li><em>Your life will go by in the blink of an eye, and you don't want to have any regrets.</em></li>
<li><em>You are the sum of your daily habits. Make good choices all day, every day, and you will lead a good life.</em></li>
</ul>
<p>It's only because we all live in this moment, right here, right now, that we fail to appreciate how short and precious our lives (and by extension, our time) really is. Time is the only truly <em>100% non-renewable resource in the entire universe!</em></p>
<p>As a thought exercise, pretend you just got the news that you only have six months left to live. There's no cure for your disease: <strong>You are going to die someday.</strong> In this thought exercise, that day is coming SOON. In six months, to be exact. <em>Everything you ever wanted to accomplish has to happen inside of the next 6 months.</em></p>
<p>How does that change how you live out each day? Would you spend less time playing silly video games and watching Netflix? Would you tell your mom that you're “not feeling too hot” and miss an opportunity to see her in person, because you just didn't feel like leaving the house? Would you continue to put off everything until “tomorrow”, when in your heart you know that day will never come?</p>
<p>Master the art of understanding the <strong>urgency</strong> of your life's brevity, and you will master your day and take control of your life!</p>
<hr>
<h2 id="5stoicism"><strong>5: Stoicism</strong></h2>
<p>In the last 2 months, I've begun reading a lot more on the subject of stoicism, and started habits like meditating every day. I must continue to meditate and study stoicism, so that I may subdue my passions and minimize negative emotions and urges. These habits are improving my ability to stay focused, to not get anxious or depressed, and to take on more work with joy in my heart as I do it. It's making me a better leader, father and friend.</p>
<p>If you're interested in learning more about this subject, one great place to start is The Daily Stoic:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://dailystoic.com/">https://dailystoic.com/</a></li>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/dailystoic">https://twitter.com/dailystoic</a></li>
</ul>
<hr>
<h2 id="6education"><strong>6: Education</strong></h2>
<p>In order to achieve my goals in 2020, there are a few subjects I must endeavor to study aggressively. I want to follow a specific curriculum of study to get better at subjects like machine learning. I'm going to kick off the new year with a well-designed curriculum in mind, and continue investing at least 30 minutes every single day to continue that self-enrichment.</p>
<hr>
<h2 id="7discipline"><strong>7: Discipline</strong></h2>
<p>This is a huge one! Without mastering discipline, all of the other habits may fall by the wayside and fail to stick. To help myself succeed, there are a handful of habits I'm employing in 2020:</p>
<ul>
<li>I must remove obstacles and make it easy to make the right choice. This includes things like laying out workout clothes for the morning, and removing foods I don't want to eat from the house, so it's easier to make good choices, and more cumbersome to make bad ones.</li>
<li>I need to continue starting each and every day by journaling and asking myself some High Performance questions (I'll do a blog post on this later, I promise!) Waking up early and answering these questions has had a tremendously positive impact on my life over the last 2 months.</li>
<li>I'm going to continue to try to finish the hardest or most obnoxious thing on my plate each day – what I refer to as my “Big Frog” of the day – <em>before 11am, if possible!</em> This serves several purposes: it builds inertia, to get my day really rolling. It helps me to tackle the things I am procrastinating on (usually for no good reason!) Perhaps most important of all, even if the rest of my day somehow gets eaten up by meetings and unexpected fluff, I have something very meaningful to show for my day when it's through.</li>
</ul>
<hr>
<!--kg-card-end: markdown--><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/critical-thinking.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="What's preventing you from achieving your 10 year goals inside of 6 months?"/></figure><p>This is my game plan for making 2020 the best year of my entire life (so far)!<br>I would LOVE if you tried something similar for this coming year, and let me know how it goes! Send me a message on Twitter or Facebook to tell me how your daily plans and habits are helping you succeed at the biggest goals imaginable!</br></p><!--kg-card-begin: markdown--><p><sub><em>(<strong>Sidebar:</strong> If you have a bunch of reasons I shouldn't look up to Peter Thiel as a role model, I honestly don't care to hear them... I choose to focus on the behaviors and traits in a person that I want to model. A lot of celebrities seem to have demons in their closets. When it comes to my heroes, I prefer to focus on their best qualities; that doesn't mean I have to be a carbon-copy of someone or model their worst behaviors.)</em></sub></p>
<!--kg-card-end: markdown--></hr></hr></hr></hr></hr></hr></hr>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Hearken Yon, O Child (Short Story, Chapter 1)]]></title><description><![CDATA[Eric was falling, with great speed, towards a park in the middle of a large metropolitan area. People walked around trees and ponds like small insects, but that was soon to change, as he rocketed towards the ground.]]></description><link>https://blog.cr8s.net/hearken-yon-o-child-short-story-chapter-1/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__5e013abd5c6d43001eb06fae</guid><category><![CDATA[Fiction]]></category><category><![CDATA[Short Story]]></category><category><![CDATA[Long, Long Ago]]></category><category><![CDATA[Ubersite]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Crates]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 23 Dec 2019 22:42:41 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/impact.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/impact.jpg" alt="Hearken Yon, O Child (Short Story, Chapter 1)"/><p><em>This is another bit of fiction I originally <a href="https://ubersite.com/m/43146">posted on Ubersite over a decade ago</a>. This one was first posted on August 27, 2004. I worked on it here and there for a year or two, and then abandoned it, long, long ago. I suppose if there were any interest, I might consider resurrecting this story some day.</em></p><p>Eric was exhausted. His eyelids closed tightly, and he started to go over the events of the day but got only as far as a few words in his mind before the darkness of a deep slumber enveloped him.<br><br>The wind whistled all around him as he opened his eyes to see a deep blue sky in every direction. Every direction, that is, but down- which happened to be the last place he looked. As he gazed between his feet below him, the figures rapidly approaching took shape. He was falling, with great speed, towards a park in the middle of a large metropolitan area. People walked around trees and ponds like small insects, but that was soon to change as Eric rocketed towards the ground.<br><br>Eric knew he had been here before. Find the place, he told himself... find the state. He let go of all he was perceiving, and grasped hold of something inside himself- a state of serenity that was almost impossible to attain in such a dire situation. Opening his eyes again, a change had occurred within him... for behind his irises no longer lay an empty stare, but instead burned the fire of the Divine.</br></br></br></br></p><hr><p>The citizens of New York who had the fate of witnessing the coming events would not forget them for as long as they lived. Those who happened to be in Central Park at that fateful moment could not help but crane their necks upward when they heard the shrill piercing note ring across the wind, coming directly from a bright dot against the cloudless sky that appeared to be growing rapidly in size. Within the space of scarcely a second, it flew with startling velocity into an uninhabited section of the earth, rippling and cracking the ground in all directions as it struck. The wave of sediment knocked several people over as it cascaded in a twenty feet radius from the point of origin.<br><br>A businessman gathered his senses and his hat from the ground where he had fallen, soon enough to recognize the figure crouched in the dust. A hand upon the ground and another stretched before him, he remained stationary for several moments at the epicenter of the explosion as an unearthly light cascaded about his raiment. It was a young man, clad in the whitest cloth- and strangely enough, his garb appeared unblemished by the cloud of dust that had yet to settle over the massive crater.</br></br></p><hr><p>Eric arose from the place where he had landed, and surveyed the massive destruction around him. A few lay injured and bleeding from pieces of concrete that had fragmented and taken flight from a former sidewalk, but Eric knew instinctively that none were mortally wounded.<br><br>He was also cognizant of what he had to do. Every thought fell into place like the gears of a well-oiled clock; clear, precise and immutable.</br></br></p><hr><p>"Boy? Boy, get up, you can't sleep here!"<br><br>Eric's eyes fluttered open to the sight of a bus station attendant, wearing the traditional dark blue uniform and cap. He pulled himself off of the bench into a sitting position, rubbed the sand from his eyes, apologized to the man, and left. He did not wonder about the dream. He had been having dreams quite like it, every night for the past three years.<br><br><br/></br></br></br></br></p></hr></hr></hr>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Curling Wisps of Starlit Smoke (poem)]]></title><description><![CDATA[The midnight streets are mine alone traversed on soft soled shoe, to step on gritty pavement and breathe in sweet life anew.]]></description><link>https://blog.cr8s.net/curling-wisps-of-starlit-smoke-poem/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__5dfccada844ce1001eb328fb</guid><category><![CDATA[Ubersite]]></category><category><![CDATA[Poem]]></category><category><![CDATA[Long, Long Ago]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Crates]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 20 Dec 2019 13:31:43 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Wisps-of-Smoke.png" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Wisps-of-Smoke.png" alt="Curling Wisps of Starlit Smoke (poem)"/><p>This is a poem I wrote over a decade ago, <a href="https://ubersite.com/m/67479">originally published on Ubersite</a> on June 1, 2005. I really like how it came out... I hope you do too.</p><p><em>The midnight streets are mine alone traversed on soft soled shoe,<br>To step on gritty pavement and breathe in sweet life anew.<br>As chipper cries of crickets and the rare-heard song of bird<br>Caress one's observations of the many souls unstirred,<br>This occurrence of reflection is a moment oft embraced<br>So in the mind's soliloquy, just order is replaced.<br><br>Perhaps a thought of torment has deprived one of his peace;<br>From equanimous complacence one's quintessence is released.<br>Yet apart from rhyme or reason, the experience is certain<br>The encumbrance of humanity oft weighs upon a person.<br>Though to fathom it is nature and through nature it is fathomed<br>Every man's repressed solicitude just serves to forge his chasm.<br><br>It is innate independence which all creatures now adopt<br>For in trusting other creatures, one entreats the other's lot.<br>But to think that comprehension of enlightenment is found<br>Through deprivation of affection is a principle unsound!<br>Still, reliance on the foreign and all precepts learned apart<br>From man's own monologue familiar can be vexing to impart.<br><br>So forever on traverse I through each lonely midnight street<br>In hopes that on a blesséd day a kindred soul I meet.<br>I consider it not folly that perhaps amongst the years<br>I should think and smoke while walking and find she who soothes my fears.<br>This I ask you, sweet Athena, who would muse a song in me<br>Simply look for burning ember in the night: it burns with me.</br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></em></p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/prophet_logo.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="Curling Wisps of Starlit Smoke (poem)"><figcaption>Avatar I would place under my Ubersite posts, 15+ years ago.</figcaption></img></figure>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Deadly Communication Sins to Avoid]]></title><description><![CDATA[Check out this list of all the Deadly Communication Sins to avoid that can RUIN any interaction you have with others!]]></description><link>https://blog.cr8s.net/deadly-communication-sins-to-avoid/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__5dfbf4e2ac149c001e384d51</guid><category><![CDATA[Communication]]></category><category><![CDATA[Charisma]]></category><category><![CDATA[Stoicism]]></category><category><![CDATA[Self-Improvement]]></category><category><![CDATA[Lists]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Crates]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 19 Dec 2019 22:35:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Deadly-Communication-Sins.png" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Deadly-Communication-Sins.png" alt="Deadly Communication Sins to Avoid"/><p>This is a list of all of the things you <strong>don't</strong> want to be doing when communicating with others. If you want to come off with charisma, grace, equipoise and equanimity, stay away from these many deadly sins in your conversations!</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/leadership-communication.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="Deadly Communication Sins to Avoid"/></figure><!--kg-card-begin: markdown--><hr>
<h2 id="insincerity">Insincerity</h2>
<p>This includes flattery for its own sake.</p>
<hr style="clear: both;"/>
<h2 id="judgment">Judgment</h2>
<p>Don't cast judgment on others, or offer unsolicited advice.</p>
<hr style="clear: both;"/>
<h2 id="callousness">Callousness</h2>
<p>Show empathy, and try actively not to be abrasive.</p>
<hr style="clear: both;"/>
<img style="float: right; width: 400px; margin: 20px;" src="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/grapevine.gif" alt="Deadly Communication Sins to Avoid">
<h2 id="gossip">Gossip</h2>
<p>Don't be a blabbermouth or a chatty Kathy.</p>
<hr style="clear: both;"/>
<h2 id="punchingdown">Punching Down</h2>
<p>If you make fun of someone, make sure they're of equal or greater status.</p>
<hr style="clear: both;"/>
<h2 id="contrarian">Contrarian</h2>
<p>Don't play Devil's Advocate just because you can. Use the Socratic method.</p>
<hr style="clear: both;"/>
<h2 id="excuses">Excuses</h2>
<p>Avoid finding reasons why you can't, and find reasons you can. Quit the self-pity party.</p>
<hr style="clear: both;"/>
<h2 id="knowitall">Know-It-All</h2>
<p>Assume you don't know many things, and be ready to learn from everyone else.</p>
<hr style="clear: both;"/>
<h2 id="beingmushy">Being Mushy</h2>
<p>Don't patronize people or talk to them like you would to an infant.</p>
<hr style="clear: both;"/>
<img style="float: right; width: 400px; margin: 20px;" src="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/communication-skills.jpg" alt="Deadly Communication Sins to Avoid">
<h2 id="grandiosity">Grandiosity</h2>
<p>Rather than using flowery language, aim to speak simply, precisely and directly.</p>
<hr style="clear: both;"/>
<h2 id="braggadocio">Braggadocio</h2>
<p>Nobody likes self-aggrandizement. Let your actions and friends speak to your character.</p>
<hr style="clear: both;"/>
<h2 id="hyperbole">Hyperbole</h2>
<p>Don't exaggerate, unless for humor's sake. Be honest and candid. Never lie.</p>
<hr style="clear: both;"/><!--kg-card-end: markdown--><!--kg-card-begin: markdown--><h2 id="negativity">Negativity</h2>
<p>People will only want to be around you if you make them feel good.</p>
<hr style="clear: both;"/>
<h2 id="pedantry">Pedantry</h2>
<p>Never focus on unnecessary details to the detriment of the underlying message.</p>
<hr style="clear: both;"/>
<h2 id="limpingin">Limping In</h2>
<p>Speak with conviction. Don't make statements sound like questions.</p>
<hr style="clear: both;"/>
<img style="float: right; width: 400px; margin: 20px;" src="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/auctioneer.gif" alt="Deadly Communication Sins to Avoid">
<h2 id="overintensity">Overintensity</h2>
<p>Remember to smile and lean back. Don't &quot;lock in&quot; too soon. Use push/pull to give people a sense that you aren't over-interested. Don't speak too rapid-fire... low in speed and low in pitch is usually best.</p>
<hr style="clear: both;"/>
<h2 id="gaucheness">Gaucheness</h2>
<p>Don't be tacky or inconsiderate, especially with humor.</p>
<hr style="clear: both;"/>
<h2 id="evasiveness">Evasiveness</h2>
<p>Don't hide behind weasel words or dance around the subject with &quot;FedSpeak&quot;.</p>
<hr style="clear: both;"/>
<h2 id="oversharing">Oversharing</h2>
<p>Avoid &quot;TMI&quot; moments, and respect the boundaries of each relationship.</p>
<hr style="clear: both;"/>
<img style="float: right; width: 400px; margin: 20px;" src="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/bunch-of-children.gif" alt="Deadly Communication Sins to Avoid">
<h2 id="condescension">Condescension</h2>
<p>Don't take a tone with people that makes it seem like you're better than them.</p>
<hr style="clear: both;"/>
<h2 id="toomuchtext">Too Much Text</h2>
<p>Many people do poorly with a &quot;wall of text&quot;. Meet face-to-face, or via phone calls.<br>
<sub><em>Yes, I recognize the irony of putting this rule in the middle of a wall of text.</em></sub></br></p>
<hr style="clear: both;"/>
<h2 id="aloofness">Aloofness</h2>
<p>Not engaging in communication early and often, or not using kinesthetics for connection.</p>
<hr style="clear: both;"/>
<h2 id="hypocrisy">Hypocrisy</h2>
<p>Your actions should be congruent with your words.</p>
<hr style="clear: both;"/><!--kg-card-end: markdown--><p>That's MY list... what other communication sins can you think of?</p><p>Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/bad-communicator.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="Deadly Communication Sins to Avoid"><figcaption>Lorraine is a TERRIBLE communicator. Don't be like Lorraine.</figcaption></img></figure><p>Since this is such a popular post, I'll be starting a video series about these soon!</p></img></img></img></img></hr>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Hour of Despair (a very short story)]]></title><description><![CDATA[Beads of sweat rolled down her face, stinging her eyes as she reached a dried, cracked and bleeding hand high above her to feel for a safe point to grasp.]]></description><link>https://blog.cr8s.net/hour-of-despair-short-story/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__5df83f99723cde001e3bce52</guid><category><![CDATA[Short Story]]></category><category><![CDATA[Despair]]></category><category><![CDATA[Fiction]]></category><category><![CDATA[Ubersite]]></category><category><![CDATA[Struggle]]></category><category><![CDATA[Long, Long Ago]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Crates]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 17 Dec 2019 02:46:13 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Atop-a-Cliff-on-Meriden-Mountain.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-1.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Atop-a-Cliff-on-Meriden-Mountain.jpg" alt="Hour of Despair (a very short story)"/><p>This is a very short story I wrote a long time ago, <a href="https://ubersite.com/m/42869">originally published on Ubersite</a> on August 25, 2004. I was going through a lot of stuff back then, not the least of which a whole lot of drinking and failing. I think a lot of that is captured in this bit of fiction.</p><hr><p>Beads of sweat rolled down her face, stinging her eyes as she reached a dried, cracked and bleeding hand high above her to feel for a safe point to grasp. Though her athletic build had won her second place at the state swim championships, her ability was strained to its limit in this grueling climb. Wrapping the fingers of her hand around a jagged piece of shale, she continued to struggle against gravity with all of her might as she moved another foot up the cliff face.</p><p>Just as she found a foothold for her left foot, the shale broke in her hand, leaving an uneven gash across her palm as she tumbled wildly to one side. The sheer vertigo hit her as she watched the broken piece of rock fall the hundred feet to the ground below, where it exploded into indiscernable millions of fragments. Dizzy, and with her heart pounding like a jackhammer, she gathered her courage and threw her weight against the cliff face, grasping on for dear life.</p><p>She had not done this before. There were no ropes or safety nets to prevent a painful death upon the sharp rocks below.</p><p>Yet she had not made her way nearly forty yards up the cliff face just to climb back down. That was the farthest thing from her intention. She was going to make it to the top, or die trying.</p><p>She continued undeterred by her wound up the precipice, moving hand over hand and foot over foot with the dogged determination of one who has no option but success. She would surmount the obstacle. In her mind there was no question to it as she braced the torn denim on her knee against another section of rock. She was bleeding now from several places up and down her arms and legs, but moreso on her short-sleeved arms without the protection that her jeans afforded her.</p><p>This mattered not.</p><p>Hand over hand, foot over foot she climbed. She trembled inside with the trepidation of one who is tasting the thin veneer of their own mortality, but still she climbed undeterred. "Fear is not my master," she reminded herself time and again until it had become a mantra, recited with every exhalation from her lips. "I am better than fear. I will not succumb to it. I will achieve what I set out to do."</p><p>She thrust a hand onto the corner of a plateau. Her handhold crumbled and she cried out in pain as a fingernail caught on the rock and was torn off by the weight of her displaced body. She quickly righted herself again and moved the same hand back upon the plateau surface, ignoring the blinding pain shooting up her arm. Pushing off from a sturdy foothold, she threw her other arm over the top. She struggled to pull her body over the corner and onto the surface, but finally succeeded.</p><p>Standing up, she realized she had made it. All the way to the top. Victoriously she surveyed the vast countryside around her- the rolling hills, the suburban homes that appeared surreal from her height, the highways that cut jagged shadowed paths through the foliage.</p><p>The sun beat down upon her back and oozing wounds as the new scent of autumn around the corner wafted up to her perch and gently caressed her nostrils.</p><p>"It's perfect," she declared as she surveyed the magnificence of the natural beauty that surrounded her.</p><p>And so she gracefully dove down.</p></hr>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[My 10 Daily Affirmations]]></title><description><![CDATA[I use these ten daily affirmations to direct my focus in life, to train my brain to recognize opportunities and to achieve my utmost potential!]]></description><link>https://blog.cr8s.net/my-10-daily-affirmations/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__5df6aee637aef7001e1dc2ab</guid><category><![CDATA[Daily Affirmations]]></category><category><![CDATA[Greatness]]></category><category><![CDATA[Self-Improvement]]></category><category><![CDATA[Daily]]></category><category><![CDATA[Habits]]></category><category><![CDATA[VieDay]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Crates]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 15 Dec 2019 22:07:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/my-daily-affirmations.png" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/my-daily-affirmations.png" alt="My 10 Daily Affirmations"/><p>Ever since September 8th, 2019, I've started doing daily affirmations.</p><p>At some point in November, I added to each one a reason WHY it's important to me, and put them in a different order, so the later ones build on top of the earlier ones. </p><p>I believe strongly that we create the universe we live in, literally. Our intention is the foundation upon which our reality is built. What you believe most in your heart composes the most necessary ingredients for the life you will experience.</p><p>For that reason, every morning when I wake up and my mind is still a little foggy, when my brain is still enjoying some theta brainwaves and is most readily able to be reprogrammed, this is when I hypnotize myself with the following daily affirmations:</p><!--kg-card-begin: markdown--><h2 id="writeandrepeattheseeverydaytotrainyourbraintomakethemcometrue">Write and repeat these EVERY DAY to <em>train your brain</em> to make them come true:</h2>
<h3 id="1imtakingcompletecontrolofmylifemytimeandmydestiny">1. I'm taking complete control of my life, my time and my destiny...</h3>
<h4 id="becausethatshowdreamsaremademanifestintoreality">... because that's how dreams are made manifest into reality.</h4>
<h3 id="2imexercisingdailypositivehabitsforhealthwealthandhappiness">2. I'm exercising daily, positive habits for health, wealth and happiness...</h3>
<h4 id="becausethatstheexampleiwanttosetformyfamily">... because that's the example I want to set for my family.</h4>
<h3 id="3imlearningeverythingnecessarytotrainmyselfforgreatness">3. I'm learning everything necessary to train myself for greatness...</h3>
<h4 id="becausethatknowledgefacilitateseverythingido">... because that knowledge facilitates everything I do.</h4>
<h3 id="4imattractingalltherightpeopleandopportunitiestosucceed">4. I'm attracting all the right people and opportunities to succeed...</h3>
<h4 id="becausenoonepersoncanachieveultimategreatnessalone">... because no one person can achieve ultimate greatness alone.</h4>
<h3 id="5imfinishingtheprojectsistartbyprioritizingthingsperfectly">5. I'm finishing the projects I start by prioritizing things perfectly...</h3>
<h4 id="becausetheorderofoperationsisasimportantastheexecution">... because the order of operations is as important as the execution.</h4>
<h3 id="6imengagingeveryoneimeetwithpassioncharismaandempathy">6. I'm engaging everyone I meet with passion, charisma and empathy...</h3>
<h4 id="becausethatshowidprefertobetreatedbyothers">... because that's how I'd prefer to be treated by others.</h4>
<h3 id="7imgivingbacktomyteamwithappreciationrespectandsupport">7. I'm giving back to my team with appreciation, respect and support...</h3>
<h4 id="becausetheircommitmenttooursharedvisionmeritsit">... because their commitment to our shared vision merits it.</h4>
<h3 id="8imastellarcoderproducerlyricistvocalistandpianist">8. I'm a stellar coder, producer, lyricist, vocalist and pianist...</h3>
<h4 id="becauseiendeavortoimprovethoseskillseverysingleday">... because I endeavor to improve those skills EVERY single day.</h4>
<h3 id="9imheadliningasoldoutshowplayingmadisonsquaregarden">9. I'm headlining a sold-out show playing Madison Square Garden...</h3>
<h4 id="bybuildingaplatformoffansbigenoughtomakethathappen">... by building a platform of fans big enough to make that happen.</h4>
<h3 id="10imbuildingabilliondollarbusinesstobenefittheworld">10. I'm building a billion-dollar business to benefit the world...</h3>
<h4 id="bymaximizingthepotentialofeverysingledayibreathe">... by maximizing the potential of every single day I breathe.</h4>
<h2 id="dontbreakthechain">DON'T BREAK THE CHAIN!</h2>
<!--kg-card-end: markdown-->]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[I wrote this 3 months before getting sober.]]></title><description><![CDATA[I wrote this poem about 3 months before I got sober, almost nine years ago. It's a window into the darkest moments of my life.]]></description><link>https://blog.cr8s.net/poem-before-getting-sober/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__5df6a7fb37aef7001e1dc247</guid><category><![CDATA[Poem]]></category><category><![CDATA[Ubersite]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sobriety]]></category><category><![CDATA[Addiction]]></category><category><![CDATA[Struggle]]></category><category><![CDATA[Alcoholism]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Crates]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 15 Dec 2019 21:46:50 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/rose-in-vase.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/rose-in-vase.jpg" alt="I wrote this 3 months before getting sober."/><p>I've been sober now for almost 9 years, and every year of my life since those fateful moments has been the best year of my life. This is a poem I <a href="https://ubersite.com/m/126804">originally posted on UberSite</a>, on December 27, 2010 at 5:45am, just about 3 months and one week before I quit drinking.</p><!--kg-card-begin: markdown--><blockquote>
<p>I feel myself compelled to fill a glass when it is done.<br>
In doing so, refill it twice, with twice as much as most deem fun.<br>
Once having done so, soon I'll sleep; in sleep, perchance to dream...<br>
Until I only wake to sleep, and wake and sleep and scream.<br>
Once living, wont for dying, now I'm dying, want for living,<br>
And apparently no therapy non-chemically can soothe...<br>
No panacea medication will absolve the lifelong ruse.<br>
To live and die; to die and live. They're natural but obsessive,<br>
In the sense that people find themselves obsessing over them.<br>
But if impressed by life's illusions, upon you I shall impress:<br>
I've never seen a rose I liked that hadn't cut its stem.</br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></br></p>
</blockquote>
<!--kg-card-end: markdown--><p>If you or anyone you love is struggling with addiction, please seek help!</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/rose-in-vase.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="I wrote this 3 months before getting sober."><figcaption>For those struggling with addiction, please call 1-800-662-HELP (4357).</figcaption></img></figure>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sacrifice Begets Greatness]]></title><description><![CDATA[Everything that's truly beautiful and of value is born out of sacrifice. It separates the legendary heroes of the ages from the mediocre.]]></description><link>https://blog.cr8s.net/sacrifice-begets-greatness/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__5df6a35637aef7001e1dc203</guid><category><![CDATA[Sacrifice]]></category><category><![CDATA[Greatness]]></category><category><![CDATA[Struggle]]></category><category><![CDATA[Essays]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Crates]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 08 Dec 2019 21:20:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/human-sacrifice.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/human-sacrifice.jpg" alt="Sacrifice Begets Greatness"/><p>Everything that's truly beautiful or of real, intrinsic value is born out of sacrifice.</p><p>Consider the beautiful miracle of child birth, by which all of us are made manifest from small bits of DNA into people.<br><br>For this to be possible, you have a multitude of sacrifices that are made, both big and small, to enable that miracle.<br><br>Every month, a woman goes through the menstrual cycle, requiring additional attention and with its own personal impact.<br><br>Every time a child is conceived, there must be a period of strenuous gestation, while the child is carried inside.</br></br></br></br></br></br></p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-5.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/human-pregnancy-stages-of-development.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="Sacrifice Begets Greatness"><figcaption>It takes 280 days of gestation to bring a human embryo to the point where it's ready to enter the world.</figcaption></img></figure><p>Every time a child is born, there is a great deal of pain and effort required for the baby to enter this world.<br><br>Every time a child is raised, it takes tremendous attention, diligence, effort and love from the parents to do this right.</br></br></p><p>The same is true of great ideals, great projects, and great people who live truly prolific lives.</p><p>In order to attain timelessness in the creative arts, one dedicates their entire life to the service of that craft.</p><p>When examining the works of, for instance, Salvador Dali, it's clear how his tremendous abilities grew out of diligent work over the course of decades.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-4.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/The-Burning-Giraffe-Salvador-Dali.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="Sacrifice Begets Greatness"><figcaption>Works of genius are frequently born out of struggle and despair.</figcaption></img></figure><p>Every time a play is performed or a movie or TV show is shot, it is born from the labors of dozens of authors, cast and crew.</p><p>When you appreciate the beauty and immersion of a truly epic video game such as Red Dead Redemption 2, it's because hundreds of people dedicated (and sacrificed) years of their lives in tireless service to the goal of bringing you that experience.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://res-2.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Red-Dead-Redemption-2.png" class="kg-image" alt="Sacrifice Begets Greatness"><figcaption>This beautiful shot came from hundreds of people sacrificing five or more years of their lives!</figcaption></img></figure><p>Most people alive have dreams that extend beyond the lives they live today. You probably have such dreams, or did before.</p><p>The real question is: what are you willing to <em>SACRIFICE</em> to manifest those dreams into reality?</p><p>Will you be willing to give up working the job you hate, but that provides you with financial and emotional security?</p><p>Would you be willing to sacrifice every spare evening of every month of every year for a decade or more to achieve it?</p><p>This, more than anything else, is what separates the truly great, legendary, timeless heroes of the ages from the mediocre.</p><p>Imagine, for a moment, if you had the secret to achieving the discipline and daily mindfulness to truly live for your dreams.</p><p>If such a thing existed -- to give you the strength to be better, or even to become your best self... would you pursue this?</p><p>If you could have everything you every truly wanted in life -- your highest dreams and desires -- what would that be worth?</p><p>If there were a clear roadmap to get there, and you had a plan that was <em>guaranteed</em> to work... would you follow that plan?</p><p>And perhaps most important of all: what would you be willing to <em>sacrifice</em> to make that possible?</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Journal Entry: Wed, Nov 13, 2019]]></title><description><![CDATA[For the first time in a while, I'm doing better at taking command of my time and forging new habits for a lasting positive impact in my life.]]></description><link>https://blog.cr8s.net/journal-entry-wed-nov-13-2019/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">Ghost__Post__5df6aa6c37aef7001e1dc28d</guid><category><![CDATA[Biographical]]></category><category><![CDATA[Greatness]]></category><category><![CDATA[VieDay]]></category><category><![CDATA[Journal]]></category><category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category><category><![CDATA[Self-Improvement]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Crates]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 14 Nov 2019 02:21:00 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Bullet-Journaling.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<!--kg-card-begin: markdown--><img src="https://res-3.cloudinary.com/hdykxmahy/image/upload/q_auto/v1/ghost-blog-images/Bullet-Journaling.jpg" alt="Journal Entry: Wed, Nov 13, 2019"/><p>Definitely feeling sore after yesterday's push-ups! I don't want to push TOO hard, because I'm recovering from a cold, and don't want to prolong it. I will probably just focus on doing a couple of pull-ups today after I install the bar in the attic.</p>
<p>I'm getting better at squeezing any non-productive time out of my days, especially in the last 2 weeks when I made it a priority to record how I spend literally every second of my day. It's been revealing and inspiring, and I've decided to build an app that streamlines the process I've been doing using Google Keep and Sheets. So, now I'm just figuring out how best to maximize the amount of value I get from the 60-70 hours of discretionary time I get each week.</p>
<p>I want to get REALLY good at this over the course of this winter, because when it's summer time and we're doing shows every other weekend, I need to be even more of a ninja at guarding and managing my time during the rest of the week. Ultimately, I have about 2 dozen independent business plans that all should be able to self-sustain and generate decent income individually, but also, that tightly dove-tail with each other to provide services at huge wholesale discounts that my other businesses require, so that every one of these operations can run more lean than their competitors.</p>
<p>In order to turn all of that into a reality, I have to make sure every iron I have in the fire is getting some amount of focus, and also, to make sure I don't have too many irons in the fire at once. I'm really excited for this next chapter in my life. For the first time in a little while, I think I'm doing a good job of taking command of my time investments and forging new habits that will have a lasting positive impact in my life.</p>
<p>I bring all of that up because I think I will be actioning a lot of the things that were previously just great ideas that I hadn't finished executing on, including reaching out to mastering engineers to get my music into a Billboard-worthy state. I'm going to start better-leveraging my awesome contacts lists, especially on social networks. I'm connected with some Fortune 500 C-Level execs, big VC execs, and national news anchors on LinkedIn, so I'm going to start leveraging that network better.</p>
<p>My drop-ship business has been in a transition phase for a few years now and not really doing any business, and I don't want to keep losing fans on Facebook (it's gone down from 39K to 37.5K in the last couple of years since the site went defunct and I stopped doing posts)... so I'm correcting this. I've got a lot of great resources that aren't getting exploited to their fullest.</p>
<p>Since I've always made it a point of personal pride to give 110% to my employers and be a star asset to the teams I serve, I'm using that to my advantage in how I frame this next adventure. I'm treating myself like an employee of my own business, and I'm managing how my employee functions throughout the day, so the business starts to really take off. I'm watching over myself like I were my own parental guardian, and not letting my lessor &quot;id&quot; make choices that will spoil the brilliance of the fruit of my previous and future labors.</p>
<p>It's not enough to daydream about the life and the future that you want. If you want to visualize these things, that's a powerful and valuable way to focus your energies and keep you motivated. By all means, make a vision board! I love that kind of daily reminder.</p>
<p>The key, however, is to harness that creative imagination into visualizing the STEPS you take to achieving that goal. Don't just visualize your amazing new beach body, make sure you are picturing yourself going to the gym every day of the week, doing cardio and lifting weights consistently. Don't just think of becoming the next big hiphop sensation; conceive specifically of how you'll be building an email newsletter at all the shows you play, which you book by calling venues in the area with persistence, and how you'll engage in extensive outreach to other decent emcees to collaborate on a track or cipher, etc.</p>
<p>Talk is cheap. Actions are everything. Executing the RIGHT actions in the RIGHT order is crucial.</p>
<p>You can have absolutely anything you want in the world, but you have to build it yourself.</p>
<p>Clarify your intentions every day. You can't steer the ship unless you can see clearly, know where you are, and know where you're going. Make sure you are documenting what your goals are, from the macroscopic on down.</p>
<p>Ask yourself:</p>
<ul>
<li>How will I know I've achieved this goal?</li>
<li>What is required to make this happen?</li>
<li>What resources might I be able to tap to facilitate this?</li>
</ul>
<p>This will help you identify what each tier of smaller tasks will be.</p>
<p><em>For instance...</em></p>
<p>I want to be a Billboard chart-topping hiphop artist.</p>
<p><em>How will I know I've achieved this goal?</em><br>
I will play a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden. (goal uncovered)</br></p>
<p><em>What is required to make this happen?</em><br>
I need to have a platform of enough fans that I can sell that quantity of tickets.</br></p>
<p><em>What resources can I tap to get to that level of fandom?</em><br>
I need to build my email newsletter from my website and while at shows.</br></p>
<p><em>What is required to make this happen?</em><br>
I need to have a decent EP demo I can give away at music festivals in exchange for emails, to get things started.</br></p>
<h3 id="otherthoughts">Other thoughts</h3>
<p>I'm proud of myself for putting more time into journaling lately, and looking forward to getting this content shared online.</p>
<p>That's something I've been historically very bad at, and it means there's no real record of what my life entailed.</p>
<p>I want to turn that around, starting in 2020... the year of my sign, the Rat, and the year of hindsight.</p>
<p>In a lot of ways, this process began a little earlier in the fall, when I started and finished reading &quot;Mind Hacking&quot; by Sir John Hargrave. I'm really thankful for that awesome book... I don't recall who recommended it, but I'm very grateful to be employing some of the concepts found in it!</p>
<h3 id="lastnoteoftheday">Last note of the day</h3>
<p>How on earth did I <em>still</em> manage to put in 4 hours of time wasted on TV today?</p>
<p>I am a little anxious about being able to manage my time better during Week 3, and avoid screens entirely.</p>
<p>It's also plainly evident that I desperately MUST make this essential change, in order to take back control of my life.</p>
<p>Time to shine, baby!</p>
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