I have read lots of productivity tips from Lifehacker and many good blogs. I think a lot of the self-management tools and processes are great if you have a clear-cut work, and then clear-cut distraction that you want to minimize. But what if your work is those distractions?

If you are a marketing or biz dev person, or otherwise in charge of communications and channels, a lot of the crap that gets in the way of your productive work is actually a part of your work. I have to follow Twitter, I open Facebook to check ads or pages and groups. I follow HackerNews, TechCrunch, multiple blogs and news sources. Even if you are a coder with a brilliant Kanban underway, you still may need to foray into the sludge once in a while.

The key problem with staying on top of things is that you don’t know what you don’t know. Is there something else that could be important? Another connection to make, another contact to make? This is one reason why this kind of work can easily overflow.

The other key reason is of course that navigating the information flow presents lots of appealing detours, tangents and sidelines. Ever read half a dozen interesting pages on Wikipedia in addition to the one you originally looked up? Even if it perfectly answered the simple question you had? You know what I mean, and it is even easier to get lost in the cross-linked blogs and the echo chamber that is Twitter.

How do you navigate this flow and still get your things done? Here are my collected tips. Please read and add to them if you can think of something else. (more…)

I am in the process of moving my blog. Let’s see how much I can break in along the way.

This weekend in London the annual Affordable Art Fair takes place in Battersea Park. The affordable bit in the name simply means that all pieces are under £3,000. I had a thorough browse through today, picked up a beautiful etching by Jo Riddell, and was quite enlightened. Especially the recent graduates area of the exhibition was extremely engaging. Great art, great new forms of expression. I highly recommend it. The photo above is from the entrance to the exhibition.

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• Skylark at the 10th Affordable Art Fair, London (skylarkgallery.blogspot.com)
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• Art Fairs Arrive in London, Paris (online.wsj.com)

A long side project has finally seen the light of day – the Prize Pony store is open and churning orders (hopefully at some point ) at www.prizepony.com. The long story of how things happened is on the Prize Pony blog.

Any and all feedback massively appreciated!

 

The kitewing is probably the most fun toy I’ve had in a long time. I got a Rage 55 – wingspan 5,5 meters – earlier this year and have had a few good runs both on the Espoo/Helsinki coast and Lake Saimaa in Lappeenranta at my dad’s house. The below video from my second time out on ice doesn’t feature any big jumps or other antics (as the wind had already dissipated in the afternoon by the time I got the videographer up from bed), but it goes to show how it’s just a matter of picking the wing up up and riding it (well, it took a sec to get started again…). While it isn’t quite as versatile and is more dependent on a steady wind than a kite, it’s a breeze to put together and to disassemble. You’ll be out on the ice (or sand) long before the kite-fellows have untangled and powered up their fliers. You can get one from the UK here of in Finland here (note again, the pound’s cheap, even if you’re not in the UK…).

I'm on some pretty groovy painkillers right now and this comes from
the tender care of Maria Hospital in Helsinki. Having come back from
skiing, I went to the gym even though my back wasn't cooperating and
got totalled in the early sets of my squat (only 80 kg on the bar, the
day's heaviest was to be 115 kg). I have a pretty solid technique and
in the past the deep squats I do have actually alliviated my chronic
back pains. But this was acute. I can't walk quite yet, so they've
doubled the dosage here. Talk about treating the symptom. But I'm
grateful. If this is what my taxes get me, I love paying my taxes.

I was planning to start blogging actively about weightlifting. Now, I
may need to change the sport.

Cheers,
Mikko
(Sent from my iPhone)

An email this morning on a pending job:

We know how important your data is to you but Unfortunetely, and on this occassion, your data is Unrecoverable.
This is due to the Severe head crash of the drive.
This means all data has been destroyed due to platter damage, caused by the heads coming into contact with the disks.
litterally the data is wiped off the drive.

This is Unfortunate, Im sorry to have to tell you this.

Do you want us to dispose of the drive,? (destroy)

There is no charge for the evaluation however all we ask is for you to pay for the return if needed .
The cost for this is £13.80

Whatever I meant to do is now undone. Time for new plans, then.

 

How would you look like if you just lost $700 million (of someone else’s money)?

Pack slowly
over several days
but always as an afterthought
         and if not sure
         when you’ll depart
         if at all
have a 30-litre backpack
always packed, next to the door
ready to go
         then, when departing
remove one third of everything you’ve packed
leave a note
and close the door softly
At this moment of departure
renounce an addiction:
Anything you may think you have
this will pave your dedication for the road

Your small backpack will be on you
ceaselessly
be quick to love it
stuff the rest of your minimal possessions
in a seaman’s sack
         they are rarely stolen
         and if so
         difficult to run away with
Accept that two pairs of shoes
is the absolute maximum
(and that includes the ones you’re wearing now)
         and unless you deliberately pit yourself
         against the elements
nothing
in your luggage
is essential

Always carry a book with you
and choose it diligently
if you finish it in isolation
you just may read it again
A quotable classic should thus serve you well

But eschew guidebooks
instead carry highly detailed, recent maps
of everywhere you go
         and a small pocket atlas
         to maintain perspective
the maps from info booths and reception desks
you’ll only use to find out
         where they end
         and yours continue
being keenly aware
of the authenticity lying without

Ask for directions:
keep asking for directions
even if not going anywhere
this will help you understand connections

Talk with the locals:
keep talking with the locals
even if you speak no language
pull out your maps to share their territory

Listen to all advice
even if you take none
ask for alternatives
and always write the first and the last one down
Especially seek out the advice
of people who are
not intimate with the area
you are covering
but who can read your maps
they understand the big picture
thank them, but do not linger

Take all opportunities
to approach the local population
as your equals
         even if you’ve had
         the luxury of a shower
When travelling in areas of misery
wear dirty, ill-fitting clothes
Shave at night, if you do at all

Learning to recognise warnings and signs of danger
will lead to a more relaxed journey
These include (but are not limited to):
         groups of idle young men
         seagulls gathering in a static formation to face
           the wind
         the arbitrary uniqueness of a natural feature
           turned tourist trap
         a smiling cabbie staring right through you as
           you give directions

Avoid other travellers who seek out other travellers:
otherwise, appreciate the crossing of paths
and the mixture of knowledge, but
Don’t expect an experience
based on another’s journey
Your mileage will vary
         
Make all your small choices
based on whim alone
         continue increasing
         the importance of these choices
         as your intuition develops
but remain aware of any rising desire:
         This is of past things
         yet your path now lies ahead
         Don’t stare at your feet
         when taking a corner

Don’t be perturbed by boredom
or second-guess a turn already taken
Sit it out
Do nothing
         and see what happens
         to the boredom
Embrace randomness
be aware of coincidence
         and be wary of pattern
         breaking any before it breaks you

You may feel fear as you lose
         a path in the darkening jungle
         with the congregating insects
         above singing like a motorway
You may find yourself edged out
         between the lines of a
         tight metropolitan grid
You may succumb to a silent panic
         as the desert continues
         to all horizons and the air freezes up
Yet in the face of all this
every choice and sensation
the solution most likely
is to do less
         To stop, breathe, and do the right thing
         You know what it is.

 

I quite like the way Wordle sees my blog. Nothing much more to say, will keep the bliss and quiet. Happy July!