Morning pages, my read of the week & engineering mentorship
Morning pages, my read of the week & engineering mentorship
#05—the weekly roundup
🚢 One thing I’m shipping this week
I simplified my main coaching page and added a new offering: engineering career coach & mentor. Since I started coaching, I’ve had people who work in Engineering (software, not real engineering) asking for something that not’s quite coaching, but more along the lines of mentoring and career planning. I’ve worked in Tech for a long time now, in roles spanning from junior engineer up to technical cofounder, and I love sharing experiences with people and hearing how they’re navigating this intense but rewarding field. Whether you have a clear goal in mind (promotion, new roles) or just want some ongoing mentorship, let’s talk.
📖 One article I enjoyed
examines the extent to which our online lives are unhinging us from our embodied lives and how this relates to the recently published Cass review.With the advent of generative AI and increasing political polarisation, we have little choice but to learn how to withstand waves of intense emotion without losing our sovereignty.
✍️ One practice I’m reintroducing: Morning pages
As part of ramping up the writing muscle, I’ve returned to the practice of morning pages. The goal is essentially to write 2 pages (~750 words), no matter what. No one else sees them, there is no goal and there is no editing. Just write. I have returned to this practice 6 or 7 times, and each time I’m amazed at the therapeutic value and how good it feels to free-write without editing.
Morning pages are, as author Julia Cameron puts it, “spiritual windshield wipers.” It’s the most cost-effective therapy I’ve ever found. To quote her further, from page viii
“Once we get those muddy, maddening, confusing thoughts [nebulous worries, jitters, and preoccupations] on the page, we face our day with clearer eyes.”
(Source)
👨🏼💻 One product that looks after me
After going through burnout, I could barely look at a screen without feeling nauseous and dissociated. As my energy improved, I would get overexcited, use my laptop for too long and feel wiped out again. The only way I got through this was using an app to remind me to take regular breaks. I use a free Mac app called Time Out. Every 20 minutes it will fade into view and stop me doing anything for 20 seconds. I usually stand, blink and stare at the birds. This small interruption makes a world of difference over a day.
I’ve added Time Out to my recommended page.
