This week, I’d like to pay homage to the people of Buffalo.
On Monday, the Bills played the Steelers in true Buffalo fashion — covered in snow.
As a native New Yorker, there are a lot of Bills people in my life. This video started circulating around my socials so I thought I’d share.
I love it when people take time to have a little fun. Especially the people of Buffalo who, year after year, survive the snowiest of winters.
I’ve spent $29.77 on groceries, $12.56 on takeout/restaurants, and $86.27 on coffee and beer since last week.
My biggest expense last week was two cocktails on my cheat day. Seeing these numbers in a new context really puts things into perspective. Especially how socializing with other people leads me to spend money I don’t necessarily want or need to spend. Some interesting food for thought to consider.
My current Bitcoin holdings: are 0.07325774BTC.
In Audio Note #60 this week, I talked about prioritizing what really matters in life.
I acknowledge there are limits to time and I simply can’t have it all. I’m now in a season of life where I need to make deliberate decisions and be accountable for the decisions I make. One decision isn’t more right than another, it’s simply a choice.
I published one essay on Medium this week: You’re Scared of Women? Me Too.
I’ve been talking to my guy friends to get their perspectives about dating and women. I was shocked to hear that the #MeToo movement changed how they approach relationships. This is an essay that will definitely ruffle some feather but I think it’s important to have this conversation. Women are human too and we are far from perfect.
I also had a HUGE win to share from Medium this week. I make my living through writing, which can be very stressful at times. That’s because my rates are all over the place. I’ve written articles ranging anywhere from $75 - $800. This week, one of my essays crossed the $1,000 mark. This was after it had only been live on Medium for one week. That feels like a pretty big vote of confidence that I should continue doing what I’m doing.
I’ve been on several coffee dates over the past couple of weeks and am so encouraged by the scene here in Austin. There are lots of well-meaning people that are doing awesome things and it just lights me up!
P.S. Happy birthday Reid! I hope it was as magical as you.
Track your small wins to motivate big accomplishments.
-Teresa Amabile, Professor at Harvard Business School
T-minus 30 days.
I’m officially one month out from marathon #9.
I’m starting to feel a mix of nervousness and excitement.
In the middle of my last race, I realized I can’t force a BQ to happen. I can only keep putting in the work, expecting it to eventually happen.
One of the most important things I do as part of my training protocol is keeping track of my runs on a whiteboard. I like to track everything in a public space where everyone can see what I’m working on.
It’s an easy way to hold myself accountable. Not just to other people who might see it but to myself. Not making progress would feel like a scarlet letter on my character.
As you can see on the whiteboard, this current round of training started on December 10. I was supposed to run six miles but only finished two that day. I was still experiencing hip pain and didn’t want to push myself too hard.
Since then, however, I’ve been off to the races.
Keeping track of my progress this way is important to me because it allows me to see improvement over time. This is what keeps me motivated to keep going. Running is just a means to that end, not an end in and of itself.
For my timed runs, you’ll notice that I keep close tabs on my pace. On December 16, I ran five miles at a 7:49 pace. Earlier this week, I did a 5x800 workout at a 7:36 pace. In just a few weeks, I dropped my pace by 13 seconds!
To get a BQ time, I need to finish with an average pace of 8:00 or less. My goal is 7:45, which means I need to be able to run the first half of the race in the 7:30s.
I’m finally back to where I was before, which feels like a big accomplishment. I spent a good portion of October and November injured, completing modified runs on the elliptical instead of actually running. I’ve been worried about this round of training, anxious I might reinjure myself. So far, things are looking good.
This is another reason why tracking performance is so important: it’s a way to acknowledge the little wins. This is especially important when you face inevitable setbacks.
And it’s in those little wins where progress can truly be savored.
I’d be curious to know how you track your progress. Do you have a process for capturing little wins too?
What I’m Currently Reading
The Plant-Based Athlete: A Game-Changing Approach to Peak Performance
P.S. Check out my recommended reading list here
My running gear:
Whatever clothes I can find at the thrift store
My crypto gear:
My productivity tools:
Task management:
TodoistScrapping this because Google launched a new to do list feature built into Google Calendar. It’s AMAZING.
Time management: Clockify
Email management: Unroll.me
Everything management: Notion
P.S. some of these are affiliate links including links from Amazon’s affiliate program. I may receive a commission from them. This is one way to support my writing and help me build sustainable income streams in 2024.