For weeks I've been trying to write this newsletter
For weeks I don't manage anything but boring drafts
Is the vibe of the Antler accelerator killing my motivation to write?
Or is my writing muscle just poorly trained?
I'll go back to my early writing philosophy: "Write on Mondays"
Mondays are the days of inspiration, of energy, of new beginnings
The day in which I believe I have unlimited time.
And hence I've noticed Monday is the better day to write.
Contrast this with a Friday which is typically the day in which I feel I have zero time, and way too much still to do. Serenely writing a newsletter doesn't quite work then.
For many years I've wondered how I can keep the freshness of a Monday on a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday.
Unfortunately this is not one of those clickbait emails where I hook you with a question and tell you the answer. Because I don't know the answer.
I do have a couple of hypothesis:
(1) No setbacks in the weekend: weekends don't have targets to achieve or tasks to do. Weekends are free. In contrast, by Wednesday, I typically have a couple of tasks I have to postpone, cannot execute, or which are blocked by either myself or circumstances. Stacking frustration might work against feeling fresh
(2) Too few smiles: workdays are often solitary. Even if there is conversation, it's mostly matter of fact talk. Not funny, energizing talk. Casual talk helps improve mood. The weekend is mostly casual talk.
(3) Lack of motion: sitting behind the computer the whole day rather than walking around, behind outside, seeing some sun.
(4) Lack of new, exciting stuff: The same building, the same people, the same commute. My brain triggers on new stuff. Consistency leads to dullness.
By the way, there is a similar problem in the afternoon, when my brain feels fried, and I can catch myself staring at the computer screen for minutes at end without anything actually happening
I can ponder as much as I want, I maybe can improve here and there a little based on the above reasoning,
But in the end I have to get things done,
So two ways:
(1) I have to schedule the tasks at the best possible moment, like writing on Mondays, or deep work in the mornings or evenings.
(2) I have to push through and just get things done!
Projects
Here's a quick project update:
I joined Antler in the beginning of October (Antler is a startup accelerator at a very very early stage), exploring doing a startup. Nothing interesting to share yet. Mostly drinking coffee and brainstorming ideas with people.
"Trust the process" the Antler partners say. That's what I'm doing for now. The program runs until mid-December, so 6 or 7 weeks left.
Other than that, coding a little bit here and there:
- Trying to buy a second hand ticket for the 2025 Copenhagen marathon, and building some bots to grab them before anyone else does (not succesful yet)
- Building a tool to track birthdays and important dates. It's way more work than i thought and i'm losing motivation
- Google Travel offers my flights for flaneurs functionality, though with a different experience. That probably means it shouldn't be my priority anymore
- a plugin to let chatgpt summarise links before clicking them
- working on an agency website to sell backend automation and data collection projects
Enough in the "work in progress" column, I need to move the needle towards the "shipping" column
Timeleft = Dating?
Someone recommended Timeleft app, which is a platform which matches you with random strangers for a 6 person diner on a Wednesday evening.
I thought it sounded like fun, meeting some new people in Amsterdam, maybe discuss some freelance opportunities or fun things to do.
Instead I was matched with 3 single 35-year old ladies!
From what I understand in hindsight, the platform seems to be mostly used by people trying to find a partner...
I had a very entertaining evening discussing the ins and outs of dating life in Amsterdam, but not sure if the 3 ladies considered it a successful night, given that besides the married guy (being myself), the only other man at the table was a 22 year old, and the third guy never showed up...
Highly recommended for the single males out there though!
That's it, my braindump for Monday
Have a great week ahead!
