Be Informed

It’s always good to know what you are talking about. For that reason, make use of AI. Of course it makes errors, of course it’s ridiculous at times and certainly it will take jobs. And those are some of the many reasons to use it and be informed.

Use it.

I use ChatGPT and I use Claude. I use them for research ‘tell me a little about Milan nightlife in the year 1952’. I use them for recipe ideas ‘I was thinking chicken and mushrooms….’. I use them for proofing. A few tips:

Insist on accuracy, sources and that the data has been double checked. For proofing insist that you only wish errors of punctuation grammar and syntax to be flagged. Do not (unless you wish it of course!) allow your AI assistant to mess with your tone, vocabulary, style or emphasis. A poorly briefed AI assistant will cause chaos!

I find with careful briefing an AI assistant can boost my productivity many times. Certainly I am learning a lot about the technology.

Go try it.

In The Pipeline…Coming Soon.

Do Less yet Achieve More The simple 80/20 principle that transforms productivity.

Once Upon a Time in a History Lesson

I must have been about 15 when our history teacher began his annual briefing on the forthcoming public exams. Mr Crowther covered familiar ground: three papers with different formats; read all the questions; remember to turn over and distribute your time against the marks awarded.

This was familiar advice, repeated before every exam and no bad thing of course for know-it-all teenagers.

But then he paused and said something that changed how I approached those exams and eventually work and life:

‘Finally, remember that examiners have only six hours to test what you have learned over two years. They cannot test it all and will not try. They examine what is crucial: the main themes, core concepts, and most important ideas.’

Mr Crowther never mentioned the term ‘80/20’; I suspect he was not formally aware of it.

That simple emphasis helped me succeed on those and other exams and shaped my future productivity strategies: focus on what matters most, since you rarely have time for everything. In the end, prioritising what truly matters is the key to meaningful achievement.

Coming soon: Do Less yet Achieve More. Kindle. Worldwide.

The Tools of Excellence

Number 32: The 99 Ice-Cream.

The 99-ice cream is time for a break.

A 99 ice-cream clearly isn’t a Tool of Excellence for nutrition: it’s one for joy. Sometimes excellence means allowing yourself to experience such moments without justification or guilt.

A good ice cream is a sensory delight: cold, sweet, creamy, melting on your tongue. It triggers endorphins, makes hot days bearable, and good days better. The British “99” with its soft-serve vanilla topped with a crumbly Flake is the classic example. Simple, affordable, and universally loved, it’s an iconic symbol of childhood holidays, beachfront promenades, and everyday indulgence.

The ritual matters as much as the ice cream itself. Walking to the local shop on a summer evening, choosing your flavour, and sitting on a bench watching the world while you eat slowly. A deliberate pause, a moment of presence and pleasure. I’m a rare ice-cream eater, and that’s what makes it an occasional, incredible pleasure especially after a hike.

Excellence isn’t relentless optimisation. It’s knowing when to stop and enjoy something delightful. Not every day. Not as a coping mechanism. But regularly enough to remember that life includes pleasure for its own sake.

One scoop. Pure enjoyment. Zero justification.

The other sixty-nine tools of excellence are here.

Uncertain Times

Never go away. Control what you can. Read widely the best literature for wisdom and comfort. Listen to the best music for mood management. Shop locally, enjoy cooking and eat well. Spend time with those who listen, support and create.

And walk daily, the greatest distance you can.

On Writing

I receive a lot of questions about writing: the craft, the source of ideas, getting it into a good state. So….

As with any craft there are many, many books out there which will guide you with the process. If I had to name one I would suggest Stephen King, On Writing. In that he gives you the key: you must practise your craft by writing, by writing regularly and writing a lot.

If you are serious about become a good writer, you must write every day. No excuses. Get up and write.

Ideas come from observation. I write fiction. An idea for my spy story Bram came when I was in a coffee shop and someone near me was spreading their papers and I could see that several were marked confidential. What if? What if he were doing it deliberately? That became a chapter in Bram.

I write non-fiction. Those ideas come from my own challenges on productivity or AI or the expressed concerns of my audience.

In either case, observe and note. Not every idea is a novel or a book. But it might be.

My non-fiction has a precise structure. My fiction has a loose structure as I know that as I write ideas will come .

For both the idea is to generate quantity and then edit to produce quality. My experience is that the process of producing the error free text is very much a long tail. Do not ignore it.

And AI? Do not use it to write for you; you will lose your voice, your soul and your magic. But by all means get it to do some research for you.

I hope that helps. Go write.

The Tools of Excellence

Number 24: The Personal Compass Review

All of us seek direction, and that needs a compass.

My Personal Compass considers six life dimensions: career, health, money, relationships, fun, and contribution to assess whether you are heading in the direction and enjoying the balance you seek.

Each month, rate each dimension on a scale of 1-10. Imbalances become at once obvious. This prevents the common mistake of excelling in one area while neglecting others. Brilliant career but deteriorating health? The compass shows it. Strong relationships but financial chaos? Visible at once. Excellent money and career, but zero fun? Your analysis does not lie.

The six dimensions are comprehensive:

Career: work satisfaction, progress and purpose. Health: physical fitness, nutrition, sleep and mental well-being. Money: income adequacy, savings, debt management and financial security. Relationships: family, friends, romantic partner and community. Fun: hobbies, play, adventure and enjoyment. Contribution: helping others, meaningful impact and legacy.

Rate yourself honestly as any discomfort is the point; it forces acknowledgement of a neglected area before it becomes a crisis. Review monthly and adjust your focus as necessary.

I’ve been running my own personal compass personally now for a couple of decades; you will see the results within a couple of weeks.

Six dimensions. Monthly check. Complete life overview.

The other sixty-nine are right here. Instant. Kindle. Budget. Worldwide.