It’s quite interesting how a so-called secondary goal has become THE main focus, and that’s exactly what has happened with the efforts to switch from being a night-owl to an “early bird”. It is widely accepted that to evaluate and/or establish any new habit, a period of 30 days should be allowed, even so I can already see some significant changes including being able to attend an interesting “networking brekkie” that started at 7:15am, and typically waking between 5am and 6am without the use of an alarm clock. This in turn has translated to being more productive (in some ways), and generally the “feelgood factor” that comes with achieving something.
There have been negatives, and perhaps the biggest one is the jetlag-like feeling that seems to be permanently in the background, and also a sense of not really knowing what I am supposed to be doing at a particular time (especially at times when I would previously have still been in bed!) That’s probably where the real value lies in this change; I am forced to think about what I am going to do with my time, which ought to translate to a more well-defined and effective use of the time.
However, the first really big challenge occurs tonight. I’ve been up since 6 this morning, and really want to continue with the same pattern tomorrow. The fly in the ointment is the fact that it is FA Cup quarter finals weekend, Manchester United are playing Arsenal and it’s an evening kick-off (1:15am Perth time). So my strategy is to unwind/nap for the next few hours, watch the game and then hope that the habit has already established enough that I might stir between 6am and 7am. I think the body and mind can cope with a one-off variation to the new norm – we shall see.
If THIS goes well, then it will bode well for next Saturday when we hit Perth for a night of making merry in Northbridge…
I am often struck by the fact that I am the least business-y person I know, and yet somehow I persist with this idea of having my own business. You see, not only do I believe that it is possible to build a business on the notion of offering low-cost solutions to work-at-home parents, I am also “allergic” to marketing-speak, sales jargon, business analysis, planning, goal-setting and just about everything else you might conventionally associate with “success” or “business”.
I believe, rightly or wrongly, that the passion I have for what I do, the clarity of the vision that accompanies it, and the necessary technical knowledge to realise that vision are, pretty much, all that are required to make this thing fly. Some bright spark may come along one day and organise a “proper” business around the chaos I create, however I remain convinced that the usual “business BS” is not actually necessary – certainly not for someone building web-based services.
I’m sure there are many conventional thinkers who will shake their heads in disgust, each to their own 
I recently attended a speed-networking event, which was a lot of fun, and also forced me to a) come up with a concise summary of what it is I do and b) get some practice in telling people what I do.
Those two things sound simple enough yet, somehow, it’s something that doesn’t necessarily come naturally. Anyway, following on from this event I received an invite to attend a “networking brekkie”, which I went to this morning.
I have to say, it was brilliant. Once more I was pushed out of my comfort zone, and had to speak publicly to a group of about a dozen or so people about what I do. I didn’t know what to expect to be honest, and I am happy to report that the “audience” was a very supportive group who even laughed at my jokes. The post-meeting mingling was very positive as well – people actually made the effort to introduce themselves, which doesn’t always happen at these things, it has to be said!
Overall it was very enjoyable spending time with some proper business people, and educational too!
It struck me today that this is what faith is. Faith in yourself, your own abilities and your own ideas. When you hit a slump, hit a wall, get writer’s block, lose your mojo or go walkabout temporarily it is the degree of faith you have in yourself that will determine how soon you can get back on track, if at all.
In the words of 80s pop icon, George Michael, you’ve got to have faith. Let’s face it, if you don’t then no-one else will!
It’s been a weird few days, and I still have a stack of things on my hypothetical “todo list” that should have been cleared, or at least started, in the past few days. At one stage I was worried it was a side-effect of my efforts to change sleeping patterns; the reality, I think, is that I simply needed the break and the long weekend was an ideal opportunity to take one!
It’s not like I’ve sat around doing nothing – we’ve been to a couple of kids’ birthday parties, I’ve fixed up some fencing in the back yard, and I’ve also got to grips with some Facebook integration in ExpressWAHPz (giving subscribers an easy way to publish content on their business pages, now that Static FBML is being phased out). I also had a super-fantastic phone conversation with a lady in Sydney to chat about mutually beneficial business opportunities.
Essentially, the past few days have been filled with a bit of R&R, and what can best be described as pottering about and tinkering with interesting bits and pieces here and there!
Back to the day job tomorrow, and hopefully the motiviation mojo will make a welcome return!
The sleep pattern changes have gone on for almost a week now, and writing this will be the last thing I do before heading to bed (it’s currently 10:40pm).
I remain convinced that the habit of being a night-owl can be changed, and I’ve been really pleased with the results so far. There is a feeling of being jet-lagged to some degree, and that’s probably not helping me to get on with some of the work that I need to do rather than want to do.
I AM waking up about 2am, though it seems to be relatively easy to get back to sleep (fortunately) using meditation-style breathing techniques. Even over the weekend I have been awake before 7am, and I have definitely benefited from that in some ways. The jet-lag type stuff has probably made me less productive in other ways – my hope is that this is a short-term thing, and things will click into place after a couple of weeks of the new regime.
Looking forward to the day when getting up as soon as I wake is an automatic response – and for the early part of the day to become a far more productive one!
Assuming that this blog will, one day, reflect the journey taken to create a successful web service, days like today will surely go down as the ones that provided the tests of will and determination.
At various points today I’ve felt disillusioned, frustrated and at one stage I sat watching my 22 month old son and 14 week old puppy, playing in the sunshine, wondering why I make things harder for myself. I’d fixed up a bit of fencing, was cooling off with a cool drink and it seemed that these simple pleasures were all that was needed, and so the pressure of taking on extra work and developing a low cost web service were unnecessary.
The real source of the frustration is my continued inability to crack on with some contract development work; it’s simply not inspiring or exciting me and in all honesty that side of things is starting to feel more and more like another job.
Despite all this, I’ve updated an ExpressWAHPz user’s header graphic, created a Facebook application that reads content from ExpressWAHPz accounts (a replacement for Static FBML for EWZ users) and also created the admin section where this content can be managed.
So this reminds me of a couple of important things; the traditional model of web development does not inspire or motivate me, and ExpressWAHPz is truly something I am passionate about and proud of. When I write code for the service, it feels like I am slacking off because it does not feel like work at all.
Yes, this is definitely the path I need to continue pursuing – and the sooner the financials stack up so I can focus on it full time, the better!
One of the principles that guides development of the ExpressWAHPz service is to keep things as simple as possible. One of the examples of this is in the product manager; while it was tempting to develop a complex system with stock levels, integrated cart, product options etc., the reality is that for most users this is not needed, and where it IS needed there are robust, proven solutions already available.
So the strategy was to focus on the content management aspect, allowing products to be listed easily, include support for the PayPal mini-cart system, and also make it easy for users to connect their products to third party cart systems, like this one.
This approach offers the best of both worlds, with users benefiting from two solution providers focusing on specific functionality. The e-junkie system linked to above provides some great functionality for a low cost. It’s something that advanced users might consider – e.g. if they want to offer promo codes, or make their products available for affiliate reselling.
At the same time, those with simple pricing can continue to use the mini-cart integration without having lots of options getting in their way when they set up a product item!
On a general note, it’s fair to say that ExpressWAHPz will continue to take this approach with any functionality that sits outside of the core functionality of the system. There is no point in making the system too complex for the majority of users, when an elegant solution already exists for the power users!
One of the motivations for ending a night-owl lifestyle is the fact that I end up working late on a Friday (for example), and then sleep in on Saturday morning. During the summer this means it’s already hot by the time I wake up, and outside chores get skipped (e.g. cleaning the pool).
So I’m pleased to report that I forced myself to switch off before midnight for the 3rd night in a row, and this morning I had the pool clean by 7:30.
It’s a small victory, and there’s still a long way to go, however it’s still a win so I’m going to celebrate it!
As stated before, the main focus in terms of personal habits needs to be a more structured use of time. As part of this there is a secondary “mini project” – changing my sleep patterns.
Anyone who knows me also knows that I am a night owl, often taking that to extremes. Such nocturnal habits are great for a football fan who needs to watch English Premiership matches from the GMT+8 timezone, and also great for writing code with few distractions. At the same time it’s becoming a bit of a drag to be honest – I spend more time feeling tired, and even when working at night I often hit a wall.
I’m also becoming increasingly keen on the idea of rising early, getting to the day job early (or starting work early on the days I work from home) – and even building in some regular exercise (e.g. a morning cycle ride or walking the dog we hope to get soon). It also suits the local environment; WA doesn’t have daylight saving, so in the warmer months we tend to have lighter mornings rather than evenings.
Besides any other benefits, the challenge of breaking what is literally the habit of a lifetime will be fun in itself. If I can make that change, then being more structured in my use of time will be easy in comparison!
