Walter and Francis, talking about returns, talking about books

Wally and finally recorded an episode together. We talk about…

  • Returns — Wally mentions the Super Bowl halftime show. I mention The Rock returning in 20111 (Here’s WWE’s 20 best returns of the 2010s
  • Goals — We do a quick review of 2019 goals and talk about some of the things we want to do in 2020. For me, the main thing is really getting consistent with the podcast, videos and blog. I want to aim for the schedule that Thomas Frank kept up with College Info Geek. I wish I could find a post where it’s referenced, but I think he mentioned on the College Info Geek podcast that the schedule was one blog post, one video, and one podcast episode each week for years. (James Clear wrote a post on Monday and Thursday every week for three years to build a massive audience.) Captain Sinbad does two videos each week (one comedy, one self-development). Most podcasts are weekly and some are daily. I’m trying to get Active Recall to have a same Bat time, same Bat place consistency.
  • Books – We talked about the books we’ve ben reading recently. Wally mentions my 2019 reading list. I need to clean it up a bit and start the 2020 reading list.

Here’s a screenshot from Ulysses of my writing from a weekend that I mentioned in the podcast. Planes really can be great for focusing. Same with hotel rooms and days without any plans.

Nearly 10,000 words in a weekend

Mid-January I flew to San Diego and wrote a lot on the plane and a lot at the hotel. I tried to have a mini think-week. A couple days instead of a full week. But then the rest of the weekend happened, I got back to New York, and just never finished. A common pattern that I want to get out of this year.

And some podcasting about podcasting notes:

  • We started recording on Zoom — The goal was to simplify the process and get rid of having multiple local recordings. The quality definitely took a hit. It’s noticeable to me but it also seemed pretty listenable.
  • I recorded with the MacBook Pro microphone — The 16” is supposed to be pretty solid. Again, I think it’s listenable but it clearly took a hit compared to the Blue Snowball. It might be worth trying Zoom but using a better mic. I’m trying to be more creative ready.

“Creative ready” is a concept from Chase Jarvis’s Creative Calling: Establish a Daily Practice, Infuse Your World with Meaning, and Succeed in Work + Life

Think about modifications or purchases you might make to become “creative ready” in as many environments as possible. This might mean carrying a sketch pad in your bag at all times, investing in a mobile audio rig or a digital tablet, or renting a spot at the local work-sharing space. Instead of wishing for a twenty-fifth hour in the day, ask how a relatively small investment of money might make it easier to get work done when you actually have the time to work.

I saw something recently that talked about flexibility over fidelity and that’s something I want to aim for. It’s pretty much the same philosophy as “the best camera is the one you have with you”. The best anything is the one you can have with you. I’d love to be able to just bring my laptop and be able to record an episode with Wally from anywhere with an internet connection.

Anyway, that’s another episode.

  1. And now, looking these videos up after recording, I messed up the outfits. I mentioned that he was wearing some Tyson gear. That was from his 2014 return. I definitely meant the 2011 return but mixed up the outfits. Even during recording, I mentioned that I was probably mis-remembering where I was when I watched the video of his return the first time. As time goes on, I wonder what percent of anything I actually remember correctly. And how that maps to each year. How does my memory of something one year ago compare to five or ten? What things do I remember correctly and what things are basically completely made up by this point?