What I'm Doing Now - May 2024

🗓️ Updated: 31st May 2024, Singapore

Here’s what I’m doing right now, inspired by Derek Siver’s /now page.

🧠 Data Science

I’ve wrapped up my freelance consulting work for a UK startup. I’m excited to see their progress, and I wish them the best as they aim for lofty goals in the sustainability space.

Now, I’m back on a career break and job hunting in Singapore. Now is the make or break time, whether we stay or go back to the UK. I’m waiting to hear back on a few promising applications.

Online Writing 🚢

I recently signed up for Dickie Bush & Nicolas Cole’s cohort-based course, Ship 30 for 30.

I explained here why I am starting an online writing habit.

I’ll write about my learnings and experiences in Generative AI, freelance data science, and my experience moving to a Singapore. I’m experimenting writing on different platforms, X, TypeShare, Medium, and LinkedIn.

I’m not sure where writing will take me, but I’m excited to be on this journey.

🏃‍♂️ Health

I was flip-flopping on what my secondary health focus would be after climbing. I was tempted to follow the popular “hybrid athlete” route, popularised by Nick Bare, and focus on strength training and running.

However, I’ve decided to focus on flexibility first. I’ve signed up for Matt Smith’s pancake flexibility module. I like the assessments where you film and measure the angles of your joints, so you can personalize a plan tailored to your individual needs. I chose the pancake as it seems to be the best back for your buck in terms improving athletic performance.

My usual issue is sticking with a stretching routine long enough to see the benefits. But I’m confident that paying for a plan and knowing it is scientifically backed and successful for others will help me stick to it and see improvements.

📖 Reading

Since last month’s update, I’ve read:

Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel - The go-to book on startups, venture capital, and what separates the winners from the crowd. Notes: be a contrarian, power law is everywhere, have secrets, build cult-like organisations, believe in yourself and your mission, have a product that is 10x better than the next competitor, need only one amazing distribution channel, best founders are technical and salespeople, co-founders should be people you know already - it’s like a marriage, and aim to monopolise a small market and then expand.
Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life by Nir Eyal - A solid read on how to live a life according to your values, with many actionable tips for yourself, loved ones, work, and children. Has a simple 4-part framework: traction, distraction, internal and external triggers. It’s not about being completely indistractable but questioning and understanding why you were distracted in the first place.
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It by Chris Voss - Fantastic book on negotiation and persuasion that’s relevant to all aspects of life.
MAKE: Bootstrapper’s Handbook by Pieter Levels - Quick read filled with tips on how to ship digital products as an indie bootstrapped developer.

Currently, I’m reading books on business, entrepreneurship, and relationships:

The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman
The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber
Daring Greatly by Brené Brown