Weeknotes

Weeknote 777: decided

This week I have learned: if you pull your ears it helps to reduce pre-performance nerves. I learned this from a wonderful colleague, Letty, who has done much drama in her career. having the framing that I learned from Kae Tempest's interview last week about the trilogy of writer, reader and content helped hugely in … Continue reading Weeknote 777: decided

General

What do you actually do?

A friend of mine is a copywriter. We recently messaged about AI and what it means for her work, and I suggested that her job wasn’t really about writing words. She was, understandably, a little prickly about this. Her response, once the initial reaction passed, was this: “I suppose my initial reaction is to feel … Continue reading What do you actually do?

Weeknotes

Weeknote 776: a trinity

This week I have learned: the book is now not only on a boat, but we also have an ETA for mid-May. We can now start planning in earnest for the launch. This is a huge relief. You can keep an eye on where the OOCL Piraeus is on the oceans here: experiments.randomthebook.com/whereisrandom I'm fascinated … Continue reading Weeknote 776: a trinity

Weeknotes

Weeknote 775 – biography

This week I have learned: the power of using Claude to explore my grandfather's biography. I spent some time with my dad at the weekend, and he gave me a few more details about what grandad did over his long career in electronics. As a result I stumbled across a document outlining research papers published … Continue reading Weeknote 775 – biography

Weeknotes

Weeknote 774: 2×2

This week I have learned: the power that lies within Mark Earls' deceptively simple 2x2 matrix to triage problems. how nice it can be to have a last-minute invite to something (and diaries permit that to happen). There's not enough spontaneity in modern life. it appears that getting up at 5am on both days is … Continue reading Weeknote 774: 2×2

Weeknotes

Weeknote 773: a throw of the dice

This week I have learned: I'm getting better at understanding what gives me energy and what drains me. It's been a week where I'm probably energy neutral overall. The bigger the organisation, the harder things get. I'm convinced of this. Public or private sector, it's the scale that drives inefficiency. Unilateral activities in one place … Continue reading Weeknote 773: a throw of the dice

Weeknotes

Weeknote 772: connecting

This week I have learned: The joy to be had from conversations to explore ideas and plot paths. Today should have been the day that Random was launched. Events conspired. But it was a joy to hear that the production processes have now concluded and there is a shipment of 750kg of randomness is now … Continue reading Weeknote 772: connecting

Weeknotes

Weeknote 771 – bookish

This week I have learned: in the PlayCards that I built a few years ago, one of the suggested actions was to attend a conference in a field that you know nothing about. I sort of did that this week with a trip to The London Book Fair and I found it, for the most … Continue reading Weeknote 771 – bookish

Weeknotes

Weeknote 770: backtoback

This week I have learned: I'm going to be upping my short-form video content as I get ready for the book to launch. Here was my first, slightly half-arsed attempt. They will improve. Talking of the book, it has at last gone into production this week. A series of random delays - just the Suez … Continue reading Weeknote 770: backtoback

Weeknotes

Weeknote 769: back to it

Things I have learned this week: I'm incredibly privileged to have the group of friends that I do. Still no news on the publication date I'm ready for London Book Fair the week after next, though! Doing lots of one-to-one meetings with a big team is proving hugely fruitful, but also very draining. Trying to … Continue reading Weeknote 769: back to it