Now № 1

I’m in full lockdown mode due to COVID-19. Remote work has been an adjustment (more positive than negative), and I’m happy to have a stable and secure job. I definitely don’t have the issue of too much time on my hands.

That means I’ll be in Kyiv for the foreseeable future with no travel plans.

Pet Projects

• Doing a complete redesign of my site (details).
• Switching from a Mac to an iPad for my main computing device. It’s doable, but it requires thinking in a different paradigm.
• Getting back into bodyweight fitness and jumping rope for obvious reasons.

Reading

I’m making sure I don’t get sucked into the black hole of news and social media about coronavirus. I’m staying informed, but not going overboard.

I’m reading the book Make Time. So far it’s the best productivity / time management book I’ve ever read — and I’ve read far too many.

Instead of being pie in the sky productivity porn, this has a realistic system and actionable tips for people working in typical big companies (aka Busy Bandwagon). This is definitely getting a full blog post once I’m done and have used the system for a few months.

Listening

It’s cheesy, but I just downloaded Sandstorm by Dana Al Fardan. She composed the boarding music for Qatar Airways, so I associate her with travel. Given the quarantine, it’s nice to think of somewhere a bit further from home.

I really like the sound of her music. It has an exotic flair while still being very listenable to a Western ear. It’s lovely both to listen to by itself in the evening or as background music for work.