forty-weight and early mornings...

I remember when you had to slug oil into your car—or at least my old Volvo—to keep things humming along. Coincidentally, the weight or viscosity of oil is also a term for coffee, forty-weight. On cold winter mornings I need a few sips to encourage me to venture out in the cold for a few hours of running. Frequently, as the running miles accumulate, I think of the coffee habit as providing quality lubrication for the mind, boosting consistent performance and encouraging excellent-wear protection. Not unlike an old diesel engine.

I listen to the Crazy Ones podcast from time to time on early morning runs. Vanishing Gradients is more my speed but occasionally I too succumb to catchy headlines, unexplained acronyms, and the youthful exuberance of chasing profit. Today was perfect for the latest listen.

The pre-dawn had a little bite in the air—just the way I like it. There is a lot to sort out and beginning my days in nature is a bit of a salve.

For example, here is what they don’t tell you about writing books— at least technical books. When they are translated, new broken links and mistakes are unearthed—and they need to be addressed. Quickly.

I also changed my mind about a section in an already accepted chapter in book number 2 so I am rewriting several paragraphs all while copyediting and reviewing copy from the publisher.

Did I mention the 3rd book that I am really excited about but I need to create an outline that not only shows my vision but will hold me accountable regarding content, datasets, and visual display.

More exciting opportunities are coming including a few keynotes but the newest is really exciting. All I can say is it will involve live streaming with some colleagues that many of you know quite well—stay tuned about that…

The point of this quick note (and yes I do have one) originated from a comment on the Crazy Ones. One of the hosts, Sophia Amoruso, has a flight planner for sale. A way to plan for your business, your life, whatever you caffeinate for…I am not dutiful about those sort of things. I wish I was but like anything else, we tend to gravitate to what works for us as individuals. I am not a wistful stargazer wanting more and more. I like what I have right here. There comes a point when financial reward is seen as a nice perk but not necessarily the goal.

I can think of 5 people off the top of my head that will likely buy the planner and if you do, please let us know how you make it work for you. But in my experience, that would be like me telling you that the secret sauce is to wake up at 4 a.m., run for a few hours, and then sit at your computer until your ass is numb and when you stand up your dead leg almost causes you to take a nose dive into your printer—”allegedly”.

Nobody has the secret ticket to the short cut. But I do like the premise of the financial planner although, dear reader, I have never seen it.

According to the copy, you will create conversations around these little nuggets of gold.

Write down the following:

• What do you want to quit — xxx

• learn—xxx

• have—xxx

• start—xxx

• stop—xxx

• be—xxx

Let’s follow up on these—I am intrigued.

Meanwhile…