When I started out in my profession, for inspiration, I looked to the actual professionals already working in the field. It made sense at the time, because I had to learn the craft. And it was fun and easy, because the learning curve was predictably steep: the more stupid questions I asked, the more helpful answers I received.

Today, I’m often surprised by other professionals who are still only referring to colleagues working in the same field. Their motivation to learn has given way to envious comments or malicious joy. At a certain point in their career they’ve stopped learning – and started to just manage their skills in order to maximize returns on them.

Under non-changing circumstances this might be a valid strategy, aside the fact that it’s probably the most boring one to choose. In an industry that is changing dramatically, stopping to learn is the most stupid thing one can do.

But lets keep it useful. There are two newsletters I highly recommend and that I enjoy reading every other week. Now from leaders from another professional field (actually from the industry that is fueling the change in all the others). Subscribe here and here.

If you choose to think and keep looking ahead, these reads will bring you further.

It’s this time again: The time of the year where we seem to value time a little bit more. We look back and ask ourselves if we’ve spent it well and we think about how to allocate it more wisely in the year to come. So here are some thoughts on „the most valuable thing“ we can spend.

It’s an old truth: According to Google, credits for the phrase go to Theophrastus. 2.303 years later it feels truer than ever, but also more and more empty. We agree – and then we rush on.

What does it mean anyway? My best answer so far: Today, „spending time“ should be replaced with „paying attention“.

Think about it for a second: Whatever the situation, every time we check our phones, our thoughts are actually elsewhere. The more we do it, the lesser the quality of our time spent. Often, it’s wasted. On the other hand, the more we are in a moment, the more precious it becomes. Given the fact how often we pull-to-refresh, why not just face it: The smartphone has shifted our state of mind to „distracted by default“.

I am non judgemental about this. But from simply noticing and accepting it, it somehow follows the desire and the responsibility to do something about it, to observe it, to reclaim the attention and handle it more consciously – because hey! It’s the most valuable thing we have.

For 2016 I wrote, that I wanted to be more present.
It’s a good fight to pick again for 2017.

Every time I sit down to write something, I do it with a certain thought in mind and the simple intention to create.

These two things get me going – and then it gets exciting. Because the following effect then kicks in:

„Writing doesn’t just communicate ideas; it generates them.“
Paul Graham, Writing, Briefly

Since I am aware of and observe the correlation, the sentence has proven to be true. And it’s by far not limited to writing. Whatever your craft is – it can be adopted. So here’s an iteration that could work:

Creating doesn’t just express ideas; it generates them.

And there is a second important thing to note: It’s not just about the craft itself. It’s also about the routine you craft around it. So whatever idea you want to push further:

Just sit down for it.

If your workday is shaped by creative challenges, you’re probably familiar with these emotional states that come with the process:

1. This is awesome.
2. This is tricky.
3. This is shit.
4. I am shit.
5. This might be ok …
6. This is awesome.*

Running through these stages almost on a daily basis for way over ten years now led me to some conclusions:

There are no shortcuts – especially not from 3 to 5. 1, 2 and 6 are probably the reasons why I enjoy this kind of work so much. 4 is the most interesting stage from a self-reflective point of view. Look at it as a cycle – so if you don’t stop, 1 and 6 will turn up again and again. Being relaxed helps at any stage, the ability comes with experience or it can be trained (still… there are no shortcuts). Never finish your day at 4. If it is home time and you can’t make it to 5. Pivot!

Just leave the particular idea as it is, and devote the last 30 minutes to a new one.

This is awesome.

* Source: Let’s say „the internet“, because the guy who claims it might just have nicked it from him.

Do you have a favorite sweater you never wear? A spice you all too seldom cook with? Friends you want to remember more often? A book you really adore but put down halfway through and never picked up again?

Our last move wasn’t that long ago. Having literally everything we own pass through my hands reminded me of quite a few things I’ve wanted to remember, use, wear and think of more often. Through the rearranging, the reason why I forgot about them was all too obvious: The things were out of sight.

It matters, where we put things.

The observation actually made me buy an extra shelf. I call it The Inspiration Shelf – because that’s its only purpose. Here is a snapshot of my panel, I do revise it once in a while. And there is also something else that can be improved:

I have to hang it up on a wall I pass by more often.

In my previous post I’ve introduced the #CoffeeSwap. Now here is how I’m going about it in the first place. Let’s start with a little bit of math:

I already admitted that usually my coffee of choice is a latte macchiato with soy milk. In Hamburg, Germany this equals approximately 3,50€.

3,50€ times five times four equals 70€ of monthly coffee-to-go spendings.

That’s insane.*

As of today I will keep track of this budget. I am using an app called Habit List to keep track of some other things already, so this will be easy. Now I’ve added „noffee“ to my list and will tick it off (or not) on a daily basis and reallocate a tidy share of the savings to music every month.

I will be transparent about it on my twitter using #CoffeeSwap (and just granted myself an advance buying this and this album).

Thanks guys.

* Not only from Noels perspective. It’s more than the people of Burundi spend on everything (and they are not even the poorest). My head is exploding right now. This will lead to further changes. Promise.

I can’t remember when Google did a better job. Ever. Years ago I saw an interview and one answer has stuck with me ever since, it’s the answer this post is based on. I gave it one try: „noel gallagher interview coffee vs music“ – and there it was. Starting at 1:36 he answers a question about the changes in the music industry as follows:

„It fascinates me and infuriates me that people are more willing to sit in a coffee shop and spend a tenner on two coffees and talk about the weather to their friends – and that coffee will last 45 minutes. Yet they will physically get angry at you for asking to buy an album for a tenner which will last a lifetime. And might even tell you something about yourself. And might even change your life.“

As I said. I never forgot about it. But still … kept drinking my coffee. Then I came across this clip featuring Sir Elton John.

Now I don’t want to get to emotional here, but wow …Time travel, baby! „I’m still standing“ immediately brought me back 30 years – there I was at our home as a kid, dancing like crazy with my mother. Not only was I seeing it – I was experiencing it again.

It reminded me of Noels words. It was an experience I didn’t pay for – yet it was more powerful than caffeine ever was and will be. So I’ve decided to do something about it. Fucking soy latte macchiato. Rocket Man!

Every once in a while these three words pop up in a calendar notification on my phone – alongside a note that reads something like this:

Acknowledge that what is happening is happening. What happens next has to come out of the understanding of this moment. Is it possible that this is actually the best moment of your entire life? If that was so, what would it mean for you?

It’s a little practice from this book by Jon Kabat-Zinn to bring mindfulness into everyday life. I wanted to give it a try so the question in the first place simply was: how?

How to remind myself of the practice from time to time during (busy) days?

I came up with a little calendar hack: I set this and some similar exercises as repeating events at different times into my calendar. Completely randomly. Now the notifications often hit me really effectively – really out of the blue.

Actually the workaround worked in such an interesting way that we don’t think of it as a nice idea anymore – but as a first prototype. So there is more to come on this one. But for now:

This is it.