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Cortex

Cortex 2: Redundant Office

 

00:00:00   I have some follow-up the weirdest jumping into this ok well do you want it [TS]

00:00:04   so I don't know how to do this [TS]

00:00:06   never to lie I figure we just do it see what happens [TS]

00:00:10   go for it follow up after last week's traumatizing experience I've taken some [TS]

00:00:17   steps in my life to try and change my habits it was not dramatizing it was [TS]

00:00:22   chosen for me I was thinking about what I'd done okay so in our show nerds you [TS]

00:00:31   will find two images and if you click those images you will see how my iphone [TS]

00:00:36   currently looks still rockin that background wallpaper yeah that's the [TS]

00:00:43   next step is baby steps baby steps I was hoping for a bit more congratulations [TS]

00:00:50   over what I've done to my home screen saying that the first thing that catches [TS]

00:00:54   my eye wallpaper for for the listeners mike has gone from three iPhone screens [TS]

00:01:00   down to two if you show me everything looks like you just have to and your [TS]

00:01:06   home screen now is a nice row of four by four instead of four by seven or [TS]

00:01:13   whatever the heck it was last time and you have any folders or any other [TS]

00:01:16   nonsense no periscope on your homepage I would say this this looks much improved [TS]

00:01:23   this till there's still room for improvement [TS]

00:01:25   the wallpaper obviously the four icons in the dock the very fact that Twitter [TS]

00:01:29   is on your phone but much much improved [TS]

00:01:33   I will congratulate you on your baby step said my my main problem right now [TS]

00:01:38   is I want to have one more row of icons I don't want to have to gaps like a [TS]

00:01:44   double space that's not really what I want but I can't think of for apps to go [TS]

00:01:49   there you know I have a solution for this problem of yours if you put for [TS]

00:01:52   folders as the very top row on your phone then you won't have the double gap [TS]

00:01:58   so that's something I want to do but I cannot bring myself [TS]

00:02:04   everything else on my second screen 24 photos I tried and this was at the [TS]

00:02:08   moment as far as I could go and I'm tryin I'm tryin select the EC on the [TS]

00:02:15   second green have those for apps I a right [TS]

00:02:17   scratch in Boston spark day like testing out some trying those which is why [TS]

00:02:23   they're there but putting all those folders in like a try to put clock and [TS]

00:02:28   settings into folders and couldn't do that because they're too like muscle [TS]

00:02:32   memory to then I only really have space for 20 sits in horrible basically after [TS]

00:02:37   we recorded last week I was going to meet a friend and I had like a 90 minute [TS]

00:02:41   train journey for 90 minutes i SAT and did this to any like disgusted at myself [TS]

00:02:47   i'd satin moved out surrounding my screen iPhone felt like it was on fire [TS]

00:02:52   if there's if there's one thing we know it's that rearranging icons on iOS is a [TS]

00:02:58   pleasurable experience not frustrating in the slightest to try and move icons [TS]

00:03:03   around on iOS they make that they make that really great lovely lovely the way [TS]

00:03:08   Apple handles that and I'm starting to get used to it a little bit more but I'm [TS]

00:03:13   still sometimes like I don't even know where anything is anymore and then I [TS]

00:03:16   kind of have a tiny tiny break down and I get over it you search I'm glad this [TS]

00:03:22   podcast is improving your life seems well it's better now than it was a week [TS]

00:03:29   ago I think so [TS]

00:03:31   so great last week we spoke about the devices that use this week I want to [TS]

00:03:37   talk about where you use them working environments as well because I know that [TS]

00:03:43   you have a selection of places that you like to do your work in so I want to [TS]

00:03:47   kind of talk about them and understand why you have so many in kind of what the [TS]

00:03:52   different uses are free to them I also want to talk about this [TS]

00:03:57   redundant bag thing that you have ok where you want to start so I think I [TS]

00:04:02   assume you probably have [TS]

00:04:04   have a no matter where you are a set of things that you like to have around you [TS]

00:04:10   at all times right there is i imagine that there is a even though the location [TS]

00:04:15   changes in some of the component change that there is a kind of a template of [TS]

00:04:19   things you like to have I have a minimal functional working environment I guess [TS]

00:04:25   is sounds like what you're kind of asking about which is what what is the [TS]

00:04:29   smallest number of things that I required to effectively get work done [TS]

00:04:33   and there would be an iPad and external keyboard for that iPad and iPad stand [TS]

00:04:41   and a pair of headphones [TS]

00:04:43   that's without those things I'm probably not going to get very much done and that [TS]

00:04:49   is the minimum number of things that I would require to have effective little [TS]

00:04:54   office environment from traveling for example so that tends to always be a [TS]

00:04:58   computer devices subscription Werribee your iPad or MacBook Air right now all [TS]

00:05:04   your Mac yes yes there's a computing device of some kind and there is a [TS]

00:05:10   keyboard to type is that what you're asking about I am put things into [TS]

00:05:13   computers that is how I is how I work I work with computers [TS]

00:05:17   yeah I wondered if maybe cause I know the huge you write scripts on paper [TS]

00:05:21   sometimes the things that you do when you do that you like to shoot computers [TS]

00:05:27   do you go somewhere and just with enough or you know you still in that kind of [TS]

00:05:31   scenario does a computer and still I am capable of getting work done with out [TS]

00:05:37   any computers under certain circumstances because the main thing [TS]

00:05:41   that takes up most of my working time is raiding and largely rewriting and so [TS]

00:05:49   sometimes that writing can take three different forms I either need to talk [TS]

00:05:57   through a script that I'm working on out loud I need to write that script or edit [TS]

00:06:04   that script on a computer [TS]

00:06:06   or sometimes I do print out the scripts and then I edit them by hand it's that [TS]

00:06:13   last mode which is an interesting one for me sometimes because the writing [TS]

00:06:20   process is is weird I'm aware that sometimes my brain just feels a great [TS]

00:06:26   resistance to writing ago don't wanna write today and sometimes rating with [TS]

00:06:32   paper and pen is a way to kind of force my brain to get started on this project [TS]

00:06:39   so on some mornings if I can just feel that there is some resistance to [TS]

00:06:44   actually wanting to get work done today one of the tricks that I can do is [TS]

00:06:48   basically just grabbed some printouts of the project that I am currently working [TS]

00:06:52   on and a pen and then just go off and go to a cafe nearby and just only have [TS]

00:07:00   those items with me and this is a way to kind of force myself to work out of just [TS]

00:07:05   sheer lack of options there's nothing else to do you don't have your computer [TS]

00:07:09   with you you just have some paper and you just have a pen and there's there's [TS]

00:07:14   nothing else there's only this so I guess we're going to sit down bringing [TS]

00:07:17   you and me and we're going to edit this group together so that really is the [TS]

00:07:22   minimum minimum working environment but that's not that's not a very frequent [TS]

00:07:28   thing that happens that's more like a little a little brain trick for myself [TS]

00:07:31   to try to get things started that on a day when they might not otherwise get [TS]

00:07:35   started when you're in that kind of isolation mode do you have your phone [TS]

00:07:39   yeah that's that's the tricky thing is I try not to bring the phone with me and [TS]

00:07:46   obviously it is way more effective if I don't bring the phone with me cause then [TS]

00:07:50   you'd literally have nothing in 1995 have gone to a place I have I have [TS]

00:07:58   nothing with me and that is there's one place where I have done a little bit of [TS]

00:08:03   very limited experimentation now with the Apple watch because having [TS]

00:08:08   headphones in music is really helpful that's kind of the the breaking point [TS]

00:08:12   here as I always think well I do want to bring just my phone so I can listen to [TS]

00:08:15   some music [TS]

00:08:16   to block out all of the other people in the cafe but then you know your trixie [TS]

00:08:20   trixie brain is like hey on the phone there's things that are not work maybe [TS]

00:08:24   we could do those instead [TS]

00:08:25   and so the watch has actually been helped by a couple times now with the [TS]

00:08:29   watch just pairing Bluetooth headphones to the watch and going out with just [TS]

00:08:33   some papers and a pen and then sitting down a writing because then there really [TS]

00:08:37   aren't there really are no other options that's really interesting as an idea and [TS]

00:08:42   i dont have looted have done so I'd never even considered it but I haven't [TS]

00:08:46   put any music on my watch talk as I have no way of playing it but that's that's [TS]

00:08:50   really smart that's one of those things we like this device does make a [TS]

00:08:55   difference [TS]

00:08:56   the other thing is just as a general working philosophy I feel like you have [TS]

00:09:01   to be really open to tricking your own brain it's a mistake to think of your [TS]

00:09:08   brain as a kind of adversary in some ways that I love that that's really I [TS]

00:09:13   like that a lot but it's true that they give your brain is you know it's like [TS]

00:09:20   80% monkey and 20% human is is how the brain is an and you just have to hope [TS]

00:09:25   that the human is able to to be in control but you know there are plenty of [TS]

00:09:31   times when the human brain is not going to be in control and you have to like a [TS]

00:09:34   plan for those contingencies about what kind of structure can we set up so that [TS]

00:09:38   the monkey doesn't have any options except to do to do what I want and that [TS]

00:09:42   is very hardly get billions really easy to say is very very hard to do and so a [TS]

00:09:49   lot of a lot of things in my working environment are about trying to minimize [TS]

00:09:54   any kind of friction like trying to do have really clear guidelines for [TS]

00:09:59   overlooking the work it's over here and it's easy to do and but the other the [TS]

00:10:05   the writing with no other options is like a bit like a last resort of trying [TS]

00:10:11   to trying to get this process started when you work what can con you listen to [TS]

00:10:16   and does this change depending on the type of work that you doing I have a [TS]

00:10:20   bunch of different playlists for different kinds of work that I'm doing [TS]

00:10:24   and and they're trying to actually kind of set up different associations with [TS]

00:10:29   diff [TS]

00:10:29   kinds of music for different sorts of work let's say for example I'm doing [TS]

00:10:33   work that I absolutely loathe which is generally administrative work of some [TS]

00:10:38   sort or another [TS]

00:10:39   emails paperwork stuff that requires my attention but doesn't necessarily like [TS]

00:10:45   drive the business forward in a really valuable way but that still has to get [TS]

00:10:49   done that I I have a kind of electronica sort of play list that I listen to have [TS]

00:10:57   high energy music but that also has no lyrics in it because I feel like I need [TS]

00:11:04   something to try to help keep me going on [TS]

00:11:07   boring work but it can't have words in its because it has words in it then it [TS]

00:11:12   crashes in my brain trying to write an email to someone who just won't work at [TS]

00:11:16   all if I'm just trying to fill out boring tax paperwork I can't have a [TS]

00:11:21   voice in my ear that is also talking so that's that's one kind of playlist that [TS]

00:11:26   I listened to and then I have a variety of other different kind of melodic [TS]

00:11:29   playlist so I listened to either if I'm writing or if I'm reading but one of the [TS]

00:11:35   things that is interesting to me is that there is an album that I have listened [TS]

00:11:39   to more than any other which is girl talks all day I don't know if you're [TS]

00:11:44   familiar with us and it's one of the greatest albums the concentration on the [TS]

00:11:48   entire planet I am familiar with it interesting that you say that because I [TS]

00:11:55   can't remember how I first I first found this but it is for those who have never [TS]

00:11:59   heard it it's a remix album is is the way to describe it but that doesn't give [TS]

00:12:05   it credit for the genius that it is this guy basically took like the catchy parts [TS]

00:12:09   of a whole bunch of songs and put them together in very interesting ways in me [TS]

00:12:13   this whole new album and more importantly it's a single album is not [TS]

00:12:18   really broken up into individual songs like one hour long track that changes [TS]

00:12:24   tone as it goes on and as they would you say that is that a fair way to describe [TS]

00:12:28   it always have a hard time trying to describe it [TS]

00:12:30   yeah it's mashups basically yeah but it's done in such a way that it's just [TS]

00:12:35   like a snapshot of music [TS]

00:12:38   it all ties back into each other and Girl Talk is an artist albums I actually [TS]

00:12:44   I prefer feed the animals [TS]

00:12:46   she's just another one heard I really really love but they're all just [TS]

00:12:51   soldiers fantastic effort for me I've tried a few of the other albums I've [TS]

00:12:58   never quite gotten into any of the others but but I knew the reason for [TS]

00:13:01   that and the reason is I have listened to girl talk all day on repeat I don't [TS]

00:13:08   know how many times hundreds of times is very easy to say and that is the only [TS]

00:13:15   exception to the no words that I can listen to that album when I am writing [TS]

00:13:23   and I find it very helpful to listen to that album on repeat when I'm writing [TS]

00:13:29   and its I try to build that this little association with my brain of a various [TS]

00:13:35   things like ok we're you know we're sitting down in this environment and [TS]

00:13:38   this album is playing now you know what you're supposed to do [TS]

00:13:41   monkey brain you know you're supposed to right now and it is it is very helpful [TS]

00:13:46   and it's because I have listened to that one so much it's like the words are in [TS]

00:13:51   even registering in my brain as words anymore they don't so they don't have [TS]

00:13:55   this kind of collisions with very strange but if not at the very beginning [TS]

00:13:58   part of writing a script but when a script has gone through a couple of [TS]

00:14:02   drafts are there some kind of structure to it then I can very easily put on girl [TS]

00:14:07   talk all day and just right while listening to that that's that's [TS]

00:14:11   something else is kind of in my working environment I guess the way to describe [TS]

00:14:16   it I have another album the others into for the same kind of purpose and it's [TS]

00:14:22   called retroactive part 1 and its by its by there's a there's a record label [TS]

00:14:29   called brave wave and they tend to do [TS]

00:14:34   composition for video games they've actually they did the music for [TS]

00:14:38   inquisitive on real FM and they also do the theme song for virtual relay event [TS]

00:14:42   we have a [TS]

00:14:43   we use these guys to help us resolve our music because it's just fantastic stuff [TS]

00:14:48   now and the guy the composer of this album its name is cagey ago she has done [TS]

00:14:54   some incredible music in the past I just a bunch of different games this album is [TS]

00:14:59   just incredible and it's like you know chiptune type staff and its video game [TS]

00:15:04   sounding music but I put this on and it's like ok I'm in full concentration [TS]

00:15:09   mode now and I use this alot when when when I ever do script writing and stuff [TS]

00:15:14   like that I used this album because it really it's the same idea when I when I [TS]

00:15:19   hear it's like oh ok its concentration time in its locks Mian and I kind of can [TS]

00:15:26   just do what they need to do the music is helpful both because of its [TS]

00:15:31   association factor [TS]

00:15:33   many routines are just about trying to associate particular activities with [TS]

00:15:36   particular actions but the music i think is helpful because it's like it it [TS]

00:15:42   engages the part of your brain that wants to get distracted you know it's [TS]

00:15:47   it's kind of like you've given the monkey a Rubik's Cube to play with and [TS]

00:15:50   and it's really focused on that and so it can kind of let the human part of [TS]

00:15:55   your brain get to work and be focused instead of constantly looking over your [TS]

00:15:59   shoulder and going like hey what about the other thing hey why don't we go over [TS]

00:16:02   there why don't we do this other thing over over this place I feel like that's [TS]

00:16:06   what the music is doing is it's like occupying the distractible part of your [TS]

00:16:10   mind it's not so much even that is helping you focus its just keeping [TS]

00:16:14   something else in your brain [TS]

00:16:17   busy and spinning away from you so that you can you can actually get something [TS]

00:16:21   done do you have a bag that you can't carry around because you know you have [TS]

00:16:26   these different setups it seems like you kind of have stuff where you needed to [TS]

00:16:30   be do you carry stuff around with you in a rucksack or briefcase or even if we [TS]

00:16:35   talk about my working life for the past few years [TS]

00:16:42   a big part of that is actually working in London I live in central London I [TS]

00:16:48   really love the city and one of the reasons that I love it is because I mean [TS]

00:16:53   I've been here [TS]

00:16:55   12 years now and and for the for that entire time I have always loved to just [TS]

00:17:00   take a backpack and go out into the city and walk around and then find a place to [TS]

00:17:07   sit down to work for maybe an hour and a half or two hours and then get up again [TS]

00:17:12   and take another little walk and find some other place to sit down and do [TS]

00:17:15   another burst of work and then get up like that little cycle I find is [TS]

00:17:20   extremely conducive to working and to getting things done is location movement [TS]

00:17:28   location movement I don't know why I just find it very helpful but of course [TS]

00:17:33   that then requires a backpack and you need to have a little mobile working [TS]

00:17:39   station in there and that's why most of the days when I go out I have in my [TS]

00:17:43   backpack at the bare minimum have my iPad the iPad stand a keyboard and a [TS]

00:17:48   pair of headphones and that's that's what I will take is my mobile working [TS]

00:17:54   environments ninety percent of the time it's every once in a while I'll take a [TS]

00:17:58   laptop but that's pretty rare and I i usually have some specific laptop [TS]

00:18:02   required task that needs to get done but 90% of the time it's the iPad [TS]

00:18:08   your bag to bag the you do take with you is that something that you pack or is it [TS]

00:18:13   something that is always packed like it has stuff in it but stays in the bag and [TS]

00:18:17   never leaves the back I have two backpacks that I tried to keep in a [TS]

00:18:22   constant state of readiness go thanks exactly I have passports in the currency [TS]

00:18:30   for different countries that's right there's $100,000 and fake IDs whole life [TS]

00:18:37   just waiting for me [TS]

00:18:38   Russia but yes I have two bags and I do my best to try to keep them packed all [TS]

00:18:45   the time because this this goes back to the idea of eliminating resistance and I [TS]

00:18:51   do a lot of things that people think are kind of weird but if you they're all [TS]

00:18:57   unified under this idea of I wants to make it as easy for myself to get some [TS]

00:19:02   work done as possible [TS]

00:19:04   and even a little thing like oh I want to go out for the day and do some work [TS]

00:19:09   my backpack isn't packed it it's remarkable how I can find that kind of [TS]

00:19:15   stuff will actually interfere with how quickly will I get ready in the morning [TS]

00:19:19   and then how long does it take me to get out the door and then there's like this [TS]

00:19:22   knock-on effect for the whole rest of the day so at night time as part of my [TS]

00:19:29   kind of shut down routine I have a little little note to myself to just [TS]

00:19:33   double check that the two backpacks that I have are kind of set and ready for the [TS]

00:19:38   next day with everything in them that needs to needs to go and this is where [TS]

00:19:43   we talked about last and I have multiple iPads and so I have like one iPad is in [TS]

00:19:48   each and I have a little station in my office where i can put the two backpacks [TS]

00:19:52   and have both iPods charging one in each of them at the same time they always [TS]

00:19:57   live over there and they're just set and ready to go at a moment's notice that [TS]

00:20:01   it's just so beautiful like you know there is the place with the two iPads [TS]

00:20:07   and above charging and they're ready to go that way of working give this is it [TS]

00:20:11   records I suffer from the same thing that you do if I plan to do something [TS]

00:20:16   and just the tiniest thing gets in the way of that will days over cut cargo [TS]

00:20:21   work now because chuletas snapple something magical over so having that [TS]

00:20:28   removing the resistance from allowing you to do something is so important and [TS]

00:20:34   if you are personal works that way finding ways to get around that stuff is [TS]

00:20:38   incredibly useful in remain in productive and I feel like we could we [TS]

00:20:43   could do a whole show kind of talking about routines but there's when you work [TS]

00:20:48   yourself into a situation where you are self-employed person and you you don't [TS]

00:20:52   have anyone to report to and then this is extra to the somewhat true for you [TS]

00:20:57   but it is extra 24 me that you don't necessarily have anywhere in particular [TS]

00:21:01   to be at a particular time just like the whole day is free in front of you [TS]

00:21:08   it turns out it is remarkably hard sometimes to to keep on track when you [TS]

00:21:15   don't have external pressures [TS]

00:21:17   external external deadlines and yes I have discovered the same to bring to [TS]

00:21:22   that the the way my day goes in the morning [TS]

00:21:26   determines how the whole rest of the day goes which kind of sounds crazy because [TS]

00:21:30   I used to work as a teacher at like hey guess what you have a bad time getting [TS]

00:21:34   ready in the morning like you still need to be at a particular class at that time [TS]

00:21:38   and you need to be doing this thing and there's like this whole this whole train [TS]

00:21:42   that you just step on that takes you through your whole day when you are [TS]

00:21:46   employed and somebody else is telling you what to do or if you have meetings [TS]

00:21:50   throughout the whole rest of the day when you don't have that external [TS]

00:21:53   structure you it is much more important that certain things go smoothly to kind [TS]

00:22:00   of help you along with here's how the day is going to go here's how how work [TS]

00:22:06   is going to play out and yes oh my my bags are are one of the many things that [TS]

00:22:12   I I have set up to try to make it as easy as possible for me to work you [TS]

00:22:17   wanna hear and I know if you wanna hear the store near my bag checklist yes [TS]

00:22:21   where is the check us live this lives in new focus just about every other weekend [TS]

00:22:28   do this kind of big review and one of the things on that review is to [TS]

00:22:33   completely empty the two backpacks and then go through all of the items and [TS]

00:22:38   make sure everything is everything is there or to remove any extraneous items [TS]

00:22:43   that have somehow gotten into the bag that's very easy just to they have [TS]

00:22:47   receipts related stuff you just throw into the bag without thinking or do I [TS]

00:22:52   need this thing over here and to take something out and then forget that you [TS]

00:22:56   know it's like i just want to make sure that at least every two weeks I have [TS]

00:22:59   re-established that these two bags are in there they're kind of perfect state [TS]

00:23:04   so here is the list and I've arranged a list of that when I am going through it [TS]

00:23:09   it's easier for me to have they both backpacks next to me and just check off [TS]

00:23:12   these items ok so this template is an army focus and then I can invoke it and [TS]

00:23:18   go through all of the items so I need to check each bag has its appropriate iPad [TS]

00:23:23   now the one bag is for a regular day and the second bag the blue bag is for him [TS]

00:23:32   going to the gym and this is why there are two of them because the gym bag [TS]

00:23:36   needs to be a little bit different than the regular day bag but I want both of [TS]

00:23:40   them just set at a moment's notice [TS]

00:23:42   ok so i pad in each then the gym bag additionally gets gym clothes flip-flops [TS]

00:23:50   don't have to walk with bare feet in the area in the back of the gym and then hit [TS]

00:23:55   the gym membership card in the gym bag as well then each bag requires a twelve [TS]

00:24:01   what charger each bag requires a two metre lightning cable each bag requires [TS]

00:24:08   a micro USB cable each bag requires a Logitech keyboard and then again each [TS]

00:24:15   other each bag at each of these things is also an iPad stand a small packable [TS]

00:24:21   umbrella a pack of caffeine pills a pack of aspirin like come on a small screen [TS]

00:24:28   cleaner dunno with stopping we got back like Pro Plus yep that'll come up on [TS]

00:24:37   another show don't you worry about the case of the caffeine pills the aspirin a [TS]

00:24:43   small screen cleaner like one of those little wipes clean off-screen a 50 pound [TS]

00:24:48   note a protein bar the small pack a 50 pound note a small pack of our men's [TS]

00:24:56   spare pack of triple A batteries the batteries for and then and then each bag [TS]

00:25:06   gets a noise-canceling headphone plus the case for the noise cancelling [TS]

00:25:11   headphones are those of the items that each bag is required to have an edge in [TS]

00:25:15   bag also has just gym stuff in it so I run through that checklist once every [TS]

00:25:20   two weeks to make sure all of these items I need to the banks and there are [TS]

00:25:23   no follow-up questions which is very nice I think it's all pretty straight [TS]

00:25:26   forward no fifty-pound [TS]

00:25:30   why do you think there's a fifty-pound oh ok so this is this is like a pro tip [TS]

00:25:38   for everybody this is like a life tip I have found it useful to have on hand [TS]

00:25:46   just some backup cash for minor emergencies or problems now these things [TS]

00:25:55   rarely happen but every once in awhile it really helps to just have some [TS]

00:26:01   additional cash on hand for like I guess the thing that has happen most often in [TS]

00:26:07   london is if for some reason I've forgotten my keys for example and then [TS]

00:26:13   ok well now I'm kind of stuck out in the world and I just want to make sure that [TS]

00:26:19   I have a little bit of additional cash because things like when one thing in [TS]

00:26:24   life goes wrong [TS]

00:26:25   suddenly a bunch of things in life can go wrong and it always happens that if [TS]

00:26:29   you forget your keys this is also the time that the wallet is in your pocket [TS]

00:26:33   because you were just going outside you know briefly for a moment you weren't [TS]

00:26:37   intending to to like do a whole bunch of things so if one thing goes wrong a [TS]

00:26:42   bunch of things go wrong and I want to have little like capacitors almost [TS]

00:26:45   little little bits of backup system to make sure that life can get on back on [TS]

00:26:50   track or kind of goes smoothly and so just having a little bit of cash [TS]

00:26:53   available after some kind of problem is is helpful [TS]

00:26:59   feel like I need a better example to try to try to convince you of this dunno I [TS]

00:27:04   just interested by because I assume that you are probably not a cash person that [TS]

00:27:09   thing with a 50 pound note is that this is something that has become less and [TS]

00:27:14   less of a problem over time I'm aware that this is kind of an old habit now as [TS]

00:27:20   opposed to an actual necessity because I mean even like with my iPhone I can pay [TS]

00:27:26   for some limited stock for you can get help with an iPhone uses and this isn't [TS]

00:27:31   like a big deal [TS]

00:27:32   a long time ago when I was traveling in America I used to have a key ring [TS]

00:27:38   that had a special little fob on the end that you could stick some money into and [TS]

00:27:44   you could put like it you could cram in like just barely like $100 bill into [TS]

00:27:49   this so you don't we just have on hand like an emergency hundred dollars that [TS]

00:27:52   thing was very useful in the kind of pre iPhone worlds and there was one time [TS]

00:27:57   when my wife and i got into into a car accident and I we needed we need to call [TS]

00:28:03   a taxi cab company to drive us in our stuff to the nearest hotel but they [TS]

00:28:07   wouldn't take credit cards and so like knowing that you just have some cash on [TS]

00:28:11   hand to try to solve this little bit of a problem is is a security that you [TS]

00:28:17   don't need it almost all the time but every once in awhile it turns out to be [TS]

00:28:21   very useful that's why there it's just like if I find myself out of the house I [TS]

00:28:27   have this little bit of backup money even if other things go wrong like all [TS]

00:28:30   my credit cards were declined and I'm locked out of the house well I don't [TS]

00:28:34   have to just be stuck in the city with no money I can I can just get a sandwich [TS]

00:28:38   and some water or whatever that's why it's there I guess that was kind of rude [TS]

00:28:42   I thought it was gonna go but it was just interesting to me that it's there [TS]

00:28:46   you know I just can't imagine you being a cash persons but it totally makes [TS]

00:28:51   sense I get that the caches and for me I have no cash it's to give other people [TS]

00:28:56   in exchange for goods or services to alleviate problems that's like the [TS]

00:29:00   gashes in for me [TS]

00:29:01   other people feel like a life lesson in money that's that's how the money works [TS]

00:29:10   right now it is not like looking at the list like the protein bar that I keep in [TS]

00:29:17   my backpack that's for me that's not for other people other people can't have my [TS]

00:29:21   protein bar that's the difference between these items I'm very happy to [TS]

00:29:26   say that this episode of cortex is brought to you by the good people of [TS]

00:29:31   OmniFocus OmniFocus is the task manager that I used to run my whole life is one [TS]

00:29:38   of the most important apps that is available to me everywhere I needed it [TS]

00:29:43   on my phone its on my Mac on my iPad's it all sink together so that I always [TS]

00:29:49   know that I have a complete list of [TS]

00:29:51   everything that I need to get done the great thing about OmniFocus is that it [TS]

00:29:56   scales for what you needed to be if you just want to get started with all-new [TS]

00:30:00   focus to just to keep a few simple lists it can do that but if you find that over [TS]

00:30:06   time your needs are growing OmniFocus can do that as well one of the things I [TS]

00:30:11   like about it is how OmniFocus allows me to slice and dice the various actions [TS]

00:30:17   that I have in my system so any moment I can pull up all of the actions that are [TS]

00:30:22   say do today or I can see all of the things that I need to do that are [TS]

00:30:26   related to cortex that's what's on my screen right now as I'm recording this [TS]

00:30:30   ad actually I can just press a button and see all of my cortex related tasks [TS]

00:30:35   because that's what I'm sitting down to work on now and when I'm done with this [TS]

00:30:39   ad I'm going to go out and run a few errands and there's just a button that I [TS]

00:30:43   press on OmniFocus that shows me all of the areas that have to do that ability [TS]

00:30:47   to see the tasks that you need to see right now and to ignore everything else [TS]

00:30:53   in your system is the reason that I use OmniFocus because it is built into the [TS]

00:30:59   program from the ground up we're going to put the link in the show notes at [TS]

00:31:03   Army Group dot com where you can go check out on me focus and you should [TS]

00:31:07   definitely give that a little click and take a look at it now if you have never [TS]

00:31:11   tried OmniFocus one of the things that i think is quite amazing about the company [TS]

00:31:15   that makes it is they offer a 30 day return policy on their apps which is [TS]

00:31:21   almost unheard of on the App Store if you want to give OmniFocus a try and it [TS]

00:31:26   turns out that it's just not a good match for your brain you can return it [TS]

00:31:30   and they will give you your money back [TS]

00:31:32   only focus really has become the dashboard for my entire life where I [TS]

00:31:38   need to go to take a look at what other projects I'm committed to how far they [TS]

00:31:43   along and what do I need to do now I have tried every other task manager that [TS]

00:31:49   is out there [TS]

00:31:50   and I'm all-in on OmniFocus it is an amazing program and you should [TS]

00:31:55   definitely try it out today so go click the link in the show notes that way on [TS]

00:32:00   me knows that you came from here and try out on the focus today just get back to [TS]

00:32:05   talking about working environment so I assume you have a home office is that a [TS]

00:32:09   dedicated room in your house [TS]

00:32:11   yes I'm talking to you right now from my home office and do you have a standing [TS]

00:32:15   desk Oct desk you have a big desk desk I had originally intended to set up my [TS]

00:32:20   office and a whole bunch of ways we moved into this apartment which is still [TS]

00:32:22   in my mind new apartment other we've been living here for like a year and a [TS]

00:32:26   half now and I intended to get a standing desk but this is just one of [TS]

00:32:30   those things that has fallen through the cracks so I just kind of have a normal [TS]

00:32:33   black sitting desk that I'm in front of right now and this is the one that my [TS]

00:32:38   iMac is on but yet the dedicated room in my house I have a door that I can close [TS]

00:32:42   which is very exciting because I used to live in a technically it was a more than [TS]

00:32:48   one room apartment with my wife but I always describe it to people as [TS]

00:32:52   functionally estudio because the the place that we lived was so small that [TS]

00:32:58   while yes there is a door between the living room and the bathroom it didn't [TS]

00:33:03   make any practical difference in all the ways that you might want to imagine that [TS]

00:33:07   a door would make a practical difference with a bathroom situation so in our [TS]

00:33:12   current living environment it's still I still walk around some time and think [TS]

00:33:16   how we have doors in rooms like this is amazing what's in here is another route [TS]

00:33:25   it is it is a novelty that I mean again we've been here a year and a half but my [TS]

00:33:31   wife and I will still remark on the fact that it is possible for one of us to not [TS]

00:33:36   know exactly where the other person is because if I married life we lived in a [TS]

00:33:43   space where you could either always see where the other person was or they'd be [TS]

00:33:47   behind the door behind the door [TS]

00:33:52   there was never any mystery about where the person he's behind the door so [TS]

00:34:02   that's why they having having an apartment now that has doors and an [TS]

00:34:05   apartment where I can have a dedicated office this feels like amazing amazing [TS]

00:34:11   luxury to me it's it's it's quite the upgrade what you like about working on [TS]

00:34:17   but is it more relaxed do you like the thing is you're starting from a false [TS]

00:34:27   premise it is convenient to work at home but I'm not exactly sure that I really [TS]

00:34:31   like working from home which is one of the reasons why I very often go out into [TS]

00:34:36   the city to just work from random places boring or I go to the coworking space [TS]

00:34:42   that I pay money to rent so I i very much liked the ability to work from home [TS]

00:34:48   and there are certain things that are are just easier to do when you're [TS]

00:34:51   working from home because I now have a dedicated place where I can have [TS]

00:34:55   paperwork that I need to deal with her I have all the equipment that I'm familiar [TS]

00:34:59   with around me but I think I like working from places that are not my home [TS]

00:35:04   much much better even though working from home is is very convenient whether [TS]

00:35:08   you're working from home right you call me from your bedroom or something aren't [TS]

00:35:11   you [TS]

00:35:12   yeah I don't have an office like my office is one corner of my bedroom and [TS]

00:35:18   that's you know I have to change that [TS]

00:35:20   still living in the moment me and my girlfriend is saving to buy a place [TS]

00:35:24   where are you looking for two bedroom places because I will turn into a proper [TS]

00:35:29   office yet you need an office at this point I need like a real office I just [TS]

00:35:34   don't have one in the current house then you know and I have a big city desk it's [TS]

00:35:39   a big glass desk and I'm in the same kind of thing as you like and like every [TS]

00:35:43   couple of days in like i really wanna just set the desk up the way I want it [TS]

00:35:46   to be and it isn't [TS]

00:35:47   I like the idea of it cleared some stuff off at the desk so it's more space on it [TS]

00:35:52   but like I have in my mind this like amazing set up that will make me a [TS]

00:35:57   thousand times more productive it won't it will grow and Bella talent got around [TS]

00:36:04   to doing it and I pay for a co-working space but don't go there enough and that [TS]

00:36:12   is something that is always in my mind I need to do that but I feel change to my [TS]

00:36:18   home because it's where my equipment is to record so it's all about me trying to [TS]

00:36:23   manage my time better Saturday's run not recording so I can actually go and do it [TS]

00:36:28   because as well my coworking space is an hour from my home [TS]

00:36:32   know you'll never go there I do sometimes I don't go there enough I'm [TS]

00:36:36   trying to go the more like basic where I live there is nothing there is no no [TS]

00:36:40   nothing like you know I live in a house probably more of a suburb I guess but [TS]

00:36:45   its way out of London don't even know where you are I just know you're East [TS]

00:36:49   you know hundreds of miles east is the thing that I imagine that technically [TS]

00:36:54   London but not actually London because I think the eastern border of London goes [TS]

00:36:58   all the way to the ocean as far as I can tell something like that yeah you can [TS]

00:37:04   see it from the top of the chart right is everything that we can see from here [TS]

00:37:08   gives is London that's that works but it's the way to think about it if you [TS]

00:37:13   know London is I live two stops away from the end of the tube line so that's [TS]

00:37:19   far enough lol so there's nothing here so I'm always traveling that kinda [TS]

00:37:24   dismissed its yes just my house you get off that he just get healthy underground [TS]

00:37:31   and there's tumble use around so you know i i dont do that enough and I want [TS]

00:37:38   to do it more because if I have something to work on [TS]

00:37:43   I do way more work [TS]

00:37:44   coworking space tomorrow do a home so you have 1234 coworking space how many [TS]

00:37:52   cookies basis do you actually goes I have I have one coworking space that I [TS]

00:37:58   pay money to have a bunch of places around London that our little coffee [TS]

00:38:04   shops are other corners that I've found that I like to go to work in but they're [TS]

00:38:08   not official office places but there is there is an office block that is pretty [TS]

00:38:14   near me that he has a floor basically that they rent out as coworking space to [TS]

00:38:19   a whole bunch of people and so I pay them monthly membership for you to be [TS]

00:38:23   able to have access to that space and I have to have to travel an entire 10 [TS]

00:38:30   minutes from my house to get to that [TS]

00:38:32   coworking space AC I know that if I was that close more cuz I could just go [TS]

00:38:37   there for a couple of hours violent go to my coworking space on there for the [TS]

00:38:40   whole day because it takes me you know I'm not traveling for two hours there [TS]

00:38:45   and back an hour to a so I know if I'm gonna go to the color space that is my [TS]

00:38:49   day is collecting space right that's what makes it a bit bigger hurdle for me [TS]

00:38:54   to take me going there isn't even any coffee shops anything I could work in [TS]

00:38:58   where I live by because we've established there's nothing where you [TS]

00:39:01   live [TS]

00:39:01   place down ways barren wasteland however I do have a bit of a joke sometimes [TS]

00:39:06   which is kinda terrible but we talked about how when you get out to those [TS]

00:39:10   those those stopped at the end of the underground lines that it reminds us of [TS]

00:39:15   Firefly and the outer rim planets is always just the way that it feels like [TS]

00:39:20   oh where have we got it somehow feels way and deer which of course is [TS]

00:39:25   ludicrous because the whole country is so dense compared to many other places [TS]

00:39:32   but when when you live in the center and then you go out to the edge can feel [TS]

00:39:36   weirdly empty even though it isn't by any kind of objective standard but our [TS]

00:39:41   our slang reference to basically anything beyond like zone to like it was [TS]

00:39:47   all just the outer rim planets the whole rest of [TS]

00:39:51   of suburban london is the outer rim and many anybody who lives in any kind of [TS]

00:39:56   suburban environment just walking two places is very much not an option I'm [TS]

00:40:02   just aware that as you get further out from the center of the city if you want [TS]

00:40:07   to go anywhere you really need a car and I used to teach in a school that was [TS]

00:40:11   pretty outer rim and I was always aware of how endlessly long those suburban [TS]

00:40:17   streets are and and they just feel like oh there's nothing there's nothing here [TS]

00:40:21   except endless endless rows of houses there's nowhere to go so you you have to [TS]

00:40:26   have a car or you have to be near a transportation point to be able to get [TS]

00:40:31   anywhere else and they the advantage of that is you get to live in a huge place [TS]

00:40:35   you don't get to live in as I did for many years a place with a door right [TS]

00:40:40   like that's that's the tradeoff the further out you go we have like eight or [TS]

00:40:44   nine goals in this house is doors everywhere like I'd sometimes open doors [TS]

00:40:47   is more to come true for those you know we don't have we don't have any nested [TS]

00:40:53   doors there's no door that you can open in our place now which leads to other [TS]

00:40:56   doors that system does not exist but that that's the tradeoff I have always [TS]

00:41:01   really liked being able to walk around in the center of the city but there are [TS]

00:41:06   like everything in life there are big tradeoffs and cost for that and and one [TS]

00:41:09   of those is that I have to accept that I end up living in a much much smaller [TS]

00:41:14   place then I could otherwise I could have had a home office for years if we [TS]

00:41:20   were living further out but we've made the decision that no we want to live [TS]

00:41:23   more centrally and so then you have to live in a smaller place but it didn't [TS]

00:41:27   matter to me like I said because I like to go around and work in a bunch of [TS]

00:41:30   different places I find that a very enjoyable experience is your coworking [TS]

00:41:35   space very businesses still in mind my coworking space there are no hipsters [TS]

00:41:42   there my coworking space is full of businesspeople and I kind of wonder what [TS]

00:41:50   they're up to but it's it's a strange environment because you do well [TS]

00:41:55   yes describe the so basically there's this floor which is sort of open plan [TS]

00:42:04   that I have access to and above and below us our regular office floors in in [TS]

00:42:12   the sense like some some company has bought a floor of the building right so [TS]

00:42:16   they have all their employees on that floor but the coworking space is also [TS]

00:42:22   like a shared area for all of the other office people in the building and so [TS]

00:42:29   it's very often like I'm just sitting down in in the coworking space and like [TS]

00:42:34   these herds of people with ties and briefcases come in and you know they're [TS]

00:42:38   talking about all of their business stuff and it's it's strange because [TS]

00:42:42   there's a very clear divide between the people who are the coworking people like [TS]

00:42:46   me and the business people and the way that these tribes are usually [TS]

00:42:52   distinguished from each other is whether or not people are wearing ties so [TS]

00:42:56   everybody who's wearing a tie it's like ok you're not one of the free-range [TS]

00:43:03   monkeys like me right you are like a caged creature your battery monkey yeah [TS]

00:43:08   you are you are they were kids monkey you have to go back into a particular [TS]

00:43:13   spot upstairs and the way we mark this is that you have a tie and I know it's [TS]

00:43:19   just a strange overlap sometimes between these these different groups of people [TS]

00:43:23   but I like the coworking space it's very convenient for me but I often feel like [TS]

00:43:29   over here these these businesses conversations and often think I don't [TS]

00:43:32   have any idea what the heck these people are talking about they're always talking [TS]

00:43:35   about it like it is very abstract waves about quarterly reports and and just [TS]

00:43:41   like except that anyone know what you're saying none of the sound like concrete [TS]

00:43:45   you know where we're shipping a product to a certain number of people it's all [TS]

00:43:50   just like spreadsheets and things so I don't actually hoping go to the [TS]

00:43:55   coworking space when there are other people around I used to and it was less [TS]

00:44:01   busy go during the day but for the most part now actually [TS]

00:44:05   pretty much exclusively go to my coworking space on the weekends and at [TS]

00:44:11   night because then there's nobody else around and I like that much better [TS]

00:44:15   there's much preferred for me to not have other people around I went to my [TS]

00:44:20   coworking space today two days before Christmas and it was the best however [TS]

00:44:26   spent all of these other people they do nothing but kind of get in the way or [TS]

00:44:30   they just make it harder to work if they're around it's much it's much nicer [TS]

00:44:34   when you have an entire floor of a building all to yourself that's the way [TS]

00:44:38   I prefer to work in your coworking space is where lives the redundant bag system [TS]

00:44:45   as well I call it and I'm sure you have a better name for it would you this is [TS]

00:44:49   where you have a bunch of staff that is they're constantly like one of your plea [TS]

00:44:55   of iPads I think lives there a computer lives there what do you have a name for [TS]

00:45:00   the stuff that you have like everything you like a recording equipment to hold [TS]

00:45:04   back the redundant bags live in my home office because I was grabbed them in the [TS]

00:45:08   morning but I do have like a little redundant office that is in the [TS]

00:45:12   coworking space so luckily the coworking space has these little cubes that you [TS]

00:45:17   can rent and I i just have accumulated mind that I have a key to be a little [TS]

00:45:23   cubby and Cubase it sound luxurious like having a cubicle but that's not the case [TS]

00:45:29   now it's a little company and in there yes I have everything that I would need [TS]

00:45:34   to theoretically get just about everything done so that's where I keep [TS]

00:45:38   my MacBook Pro I keep one of my older iPads I do have some older recording [TS]

00:45:45   equipment in there so that if I need to record something I can do it from the [TS]

00:45:48   coworking space I like to have that mirrored set up because this again goes [TS]

00:45:55   back to the idea of eliminating friction and sometimes I will go out into the [TS]

00:46:02   city just to run some errands or maybe I'm just taking a walk or something [TS]

00:46:05   because kind of everything that I need in my daily life is in a very small [TS]

00:46:11   radius from where I live [TS]

00:46:13   like the supermarkets nearby I have a bunch of nice parks to walk to that are [TS]

00:46:19   nearby and I have a few regular places I like to go that are nearby the gym is [TS]

00:46:23   nearby and also the coworking spaces nearby so it is not unusual rare find [TS]

00:46:30   out just taking a walk I can suddenly feel like you know what I'm in the mood [TS]

00:46:33   to get a particular kind of thing done and then if the coworking spaces nearby [TS]

00:46:39   I can just walk right to their and have everything ready to go I don't have to [TS]

00:46:45   think oh let me go back home to get my bag to then go out to then work no I [TS]

00:46:51   don't want to do that I want to be able to just walk into the coworking space [TS]

00:46:55   and be able to sit down and just get started on something if I feel like I'm [TS]

00:46:59   in the mood to do that that happens pretty regularly and so that that's why [TS]

00:47:02   I like to keep all of the redundant equipment there is just to have that as [TS]

00:47:06   as an additional space that I'm not having to bring equipment to I had to [TS]

00:47:12   physically bring equipment there it would reduce the number of times that I [TS]

00:47:17   would ever really want to go so I'm just trying to make things easier for myself [TS]

00:47:20   because it allows you to just walk in [TS]

00:47:24   that's exactly what I want to be able to walk in just off the street and get to [TS]

00:47:29   work I forgot to bring my laptop charger right that that kind of thing I hate I [TS]

00:47:34   hate missing some small piece of a vital equipment that then just throws off the [TS]

00:47:38   rest of your day that I gotta go back home to get the laptop charger and then [TS]

00:47:41   I have to come back to this place and by that time you feel like the thing that I [TS]

00:47:45   wanted to do the moment has passed its gonna happen I feel like this highlights [TS]

00:47:50   and in i think is going to be a central theme that we're gonna see running for a [TS]

00:47:54   lot of these is that you value your time and convenient way more money and Anna [TS]

00:48:01   mean that to be a joke cuz I do too I will spend more money than people think [TS]

00:48:06   should be spent on something if I feel like it's going to give me more time or [TS]

00:48:11   reduce aggravation in my life [TS]

00:48:14   broadly how to phrase this would like to have to two bags they get all the things [TS]

00:48:20   you mentioned you have to have another two sets [TS]

00:48:23   funds right right where you could just have the one you just pick up and put [TS]

00:48:26   the bag but if you forget as annoying so let's buy another 200 and 250 pound [TS]

00:48:31   notes right now you could just keep it up and your wallet but instead you put [TS]

00:48:35   it in the bags it's like it's not that you're like you have a ticker-tape [TS]

00:48:39   parade wear your friend money out for a convertible car down the streets of [TS]

00:48:43   London yes but it's that you make purchases that are purely for reduction [TS]

00:48:49   of aggravation yeah I think that that's fair to say because I generally don't [TS]

00:48:57   like things I don't spend a lot of money on things in my apartment I like I just [TS]

00:49:06   don't have very much stuff but the things that I find useful I am I'm very [TS]

00:49:14   willing to spend more money on a smaller number of things like I want a smaller [TS]

00:49:20   number of things but those smaller number of things to be of higher quality [TS]

00:49:24   and in some sense the redundancy is a kind of quality that from my perspective [TS]

00:49:32   it's almost like iPad is a service and wherever I need iPad iPad just is and [TS]

00:49:40   that kind of mental release of not having to think where is my iPad today [TS]

00:49:45   did I leave it on my desk let me go find it and put it in my bag or oh did I [TS]

00:49:50   leave my iPad at the office no I never want to think that I just when I'm ready [TS]

00:49:54   to work I want something at hand immediately to be available this week's [TS]

00:50:00   episode of cortex is brought to you exclusively by OmniFocus and then later [TS]

00:50:05   in the show you heard great tell you about why only focus is so important to [TS]

00:50:09   his life and I want you to first just echo that because I like curry use only [TS]

00:50:13   focus for everything I don't use it as extensively as him I cannot a super [TS]

00:50:17   super power user but I use it to keep track of all of the tasks that happen in [TS]

00:50:22   my life about on the focus I would be totally lost all of my tasks all of my [TS]

00:50:26   lists all goes in there I have [TS]

00:50:28   little time so I put in some things I need to do and it helps me prepare my [TS]

00:50:33   life when I'm getting my work done without me focus I would be lost by [TS]

00:50:36   wanted to tell you a little bit about on the focus for the Apple watch is a new [TS]

00:50:41   addition to the only focus family on the focus is on the Mac and the iPhone and [TS]

00:50:45   iPad and on the universal app includes the iPhone and the iPad you can now get [TS]

00:50:50   yourself on the focus for the watch it helps them these apps live together even [TS]

00:50:55   better than ever before and it just keeps getting better all of the time [TS]

00:50:59   when we focus for the Apple watch if you already have only focus installed on [TS]

00:51:02   your phone is just waiting for you they're ready for you to become more [TS]

00:51:05   productive on the go [TS]

00:51:07   the app itself is a great way to get a quick view of what you have to be today [TS]

00:51:10   and for what [TS]

00:51:11   upcoming you can very quickly and easily get a glance at what you need to take [TS]

00:51:14   care of and you can check things off right from within the white jacket open [TS]

00:51:18   it up and check them off you can even enter tasks into your inbox and only [TS]

00:51:22   focus by the power series you can just talkin to me like a super secret agent [TS]

00:51:26   or something we'll give him the street and planning world domination and [TS]

00:51:31   continuity you can pick up your lost respect of context of project you were [TS]

00:51:34   looking at on your phone [TS]

00:51:35   basically on the focus of the Apple what keeps you in control and make sure that [TS]

00:51:39   your way you want to be when you need to be at there's also a glance as well [TS]

00:51:43   watch glass with only focuses you can see what the next thing is on your day [TS]

00:51:47   and just get a real quick overview as to how much stuff you've got going on so go [TS]

00:51:52   ahead over to a new group Telecom only focus we are able to also check out a [TS]

00:51:56   full functioning demo of the only focus at the building on their websites you [TS]

00:52:01   can get a feel for how it looks and works before you install it for yourself [TS]

00:52:05   so go check out on the focus you can go to only group conversation the focus [TS]

00:52:09   believe you click the link in a show not really don't FM / cortex / to keep you [TS]

00:52:14   click that link then they will know that you come from us and it will help [TS]

00:52:17   support the show thank you so much the only group and on the focus for their [TS]

00:52:21   help today so you workin coffee shops which we've mentioned in like little [TS]

00:52:27   places of public spaces and stuff that you work and I think I heard you [TS]

00:52:30   mentioned once that you work in the British Library sometimes [TS]

00:52:35   I used to work in the British Library when it was a bit more convenient but [TS]

00:52:40   there but there are a bunch of locations that are like that around London that [TS]

00:52:43   I've that I frequently work so why did you choose to work in those places [TS]

00:52:47   rather than you can say is i mean they have a lot of the same problems as [TS]

00:52:51   people around being distracting and you're also paying for the coworking [TS]

00:52:56   space so why do you go to places in thats what scenarios that sounds like [TS]

00:53:01   your kind of wasting money [TS]

00:53:03   well okay so the two scenarios are hard during the day if I am NOT staying at [TS]

00:53:11   home to do work i will go out to a bunch of different locations 22 rights on to [TS]

00:53:17   write scripts basically and the reason why the people that say a cafe don't [TS]

00:53:24   bother me as much as david the people at a co at the coworking space is I find [TS]

00:53:28   the people at a cafe are kind of easier to ignore there's no unity of purpose at [TS]

00:53:36   a cafe and also you're not going to run into the same people over and over by [TS]

00:53:43   going to the same cafes to work out for the for the same other locations around [TS]

00:53:48   the city to work at it like a random crowd of essentially faceless anonymous [TS]

00:53:54   people who are who are around you [TS]

00:53:56   where's the problem that I have with the coworking space is like I'm here too [TS]

00:54:00   frequently during the day I start to recognize some of you and this is just [TS]

00:54:04   this is not something that I really want to deal with it that's part of the [TS]

00:54:07   reason why I like working out and around in the city is the anonymity of it is [TS]

00:54:14   almost a kind of privacy it's it's own nobody here cares about what I'm doing [TS]

00:54:20   and I don't really care about what do these people are doing so we can all [TS]

00:54:23   happily ignore each other while we're sitting at our our various tables that [TS]

00:54:28   that's one thing that is very beneficial and then there's the second thing is [TS]

00:54:32   what I mentioned before is I don't know why but I am very aware that there's [TS]

00:54:37   like a little clock counts down in my head from about an hour and a half to [TS]

00:54:41   two hours of a burst of work so if I'm sitting down and I get like a good hour [TS]

00:54:48   and a [TS]

00:54:48   half worth of work done even if I'm using like music to try to distract part [TS]

00:54:54   of my brain at that point in time I start to get a little bit fidgety and it [TS]

00:55:00   starts to become harder to kind of focus on whatever I'm doing and I've learned [TS]

00:55:05   that the best way to get over that is usually to take like a 20 minute walk [TS]

00:55:09   and so that's why I tend to kind of hop from place to place in the city is done [TS]

00:55:17   somewhere I work for an hour and a half I can't feel my brain getting fidgety [TS]

00:55:20   I'm having a little bit of a hard time focusing on whatever I'm doing some [TS]

00:55:24   going to get up I'm going to go to a different location and then after that [TS]

00:55:28   20 minute walk I find it much more easy to sit down and once again kind of [TS]

00:55:34   concentrate on what it is that I that I want to do so that's another reason why [TS]

00:55:39   I like going out to different places to work is is the motion and the change of [TS]

00:55:44   environment i find facilitates certain kinds of of getting things done what's [TS]

00:55:49   your favorite place to work [TS]

00:55:51   you have one to get down to give me all occasions people camping there that it's [TS]

00:55:56   about two-to-one Baker Street I've been a bit vague because they are definitely [TS]

00:56:02   places that I would not want to say out loud because I feel like now I found [TS]

00:56:06   these little places over years and years in the city I'm not I'm not giving up [TS]

00:56:09   various good locations that I like to work with you tell me them like I [TS]

00:56:15   pretend to ignore you know I won't tell you that I guess what would I could more [TS]

00:56:21   say is that I have little roots that I quite like whether there are enough [TS]

00:56:25   places that I'm going to stop along the way and one of the routes which is easy [TS]

00:56:31   enough to talk about is the south bank of london is I found enough places along [TS]

00:56:38   that stretch on the river where I can stop that are into crowded normally and [TS]

00:56:44   I can kind of have a nice little walk down the river and know that there are [TS]

00:56:48   locations that are evenly spaced that I can stop when I want to do that that's [TS]

00:56:52   like that like a little roots that I use fairly frequently what a great Poland [TS]

00:56:58   like just one of the very best as the best views has the best bridges like to [TS]

00:57:04   some of the most fantastic buildings and culture and place to eat and drink it's [TS]

00:57:08   the south bank is fantastic of course that's one of the reasons why I was [TS]

00:57:13   originally was walking around there because I liked it and eventually kind [TS]

00:57:17   of figured out a few places to stop that were convenient and so now it's you know [TS]

00:57:22   it's hard to say how often I do it but that's that is a fairly regular go to [TS]

00:57:29   place for all I want to get some work done and let me let me just go walking [TS]

00:57:33   along here for the afternoon for example feel like this is kind of been employed [TS]

00:57:39   today but I wanted to ask it do you think that the you personally being in [TS]

00:57:44   different places [TS]

00:57:45   effectual productivity in different ways yeah it does it does I think one of the [TS]

00:57:50   two turn it around for a moment one of the reasons that I would say that I [TS]

00:57:56   don't like working at home as I'm aware that this is probably one of the places [TS]

00:58:00   where I am least effective and actually working because the home is an [TS]

00:58:05   environment where you do all kinds of stuff and it's very easy to get a bit [TS]

00:58:10   derailed if you're just staying in the same location all day and that location [TS]

00:58:16   is also where you live and so it's the same it's the same place where you relax [TS]

00:58:20   and I like oh the main room of the house that I walk through to get lunch or [TS]

00:58:24   whatever this is where in the evening I will sit on the couch and watch [TS]

00:58:27   television is a it's a wrong kind of mental environment sometimes for getting [TS]

00:58:32   work done it it feels less serious to my brain somehow as opposed to like oh I'm [TS]

00:58:39   out and about or i've gone to the coworking space in our brain we need to [TS]

00:58:43   get serious about this [TS]

00:58:44   whereas when I'm home all day it's like well I'll be home all day on a weekend [TS]

00:58:50   not necessarily working so it doesn't I feel like it's very beneficial to have [TS]

00:58:56   sharp dividing lines between things particularly when you're self-employed [TS]

00:59:02   particularly when you don't naturally have those self dividing lines [TS]

00:59:06   and that's why the working at home it is while it is extremely useful to me to [TS]

00:59:11   have a home office I'm aware that that in terms of like productive output per [TS]

00:59:17   hour it's probably one of the less effective places for me to work but it [TS]

00:59:23   is always available so there's there's tradeoffs these tradeoffs all the time [TS]

00:59:27   with these things I'll tell you later version yes I'll tell you something [TS]

00:59:34   about how when I first started making the YouTube videos I was extremely lucky [TS]

00:59:39   with place so in that first apartment which had a door it was not really [TS]

00:59:47   practical for me to be working a lot in the main area of our house because it [TS]

00:59:56   was everything it was the kitchen it was the bedroom it was the main area and I [TS]

01:00:00   did have a little desk that was set up that I could work out but this is that [TS]

01:00:04   when I was still working as a teacher and then my wife would be home in the [TS]

01:00:07   evenings like it just it was not a great space to be trying to work and this is [TS]

01:00:14   this is where a lot of my first habit of wandering around the city probably [TS]

01:00:18   really really took hold [TS]

01:00:20   was like I have to go out somewhere from trying to work but I eventually [TS]

01:00:24   discovered that I had access in that building to this kind of terrifying [TS]

01:00:32   basement space that was below the building but yet still kind of exposed [TS]

01:00:39   to the elements through broken windows and had a boiler in there that was loud [TS]

01:00:44   and the room was filled with dust and spiders and all kinds of disgusting [TS]

01:00:50   stuff but it was an additional space that I can get access to that absolutely [TS]

01:00:56   nobody else would want to go to not buy that description anyway all the spider [TS]

01:01:03   room yes let me look in ya [TS]

01:01:06   during the winter it would be freezing cold and turning the summer it would be [TS]

01:01:10   terribly terribly terribly hot but in the in the year and a half when I was [TS]

01:01:16   really trying when I was putting all in [TS]

01:01:19   on trying to make YouTube work as a business having access to that little [TS]

01:01:25   space made a huge difference to me because I would take at that point my [TS]

01:01:32   very first iPad retina iPad down there with a little keyboard and I could do [TS]

01:01:39   this thing which I i do all the time which is talk the scripts out loud and [TS]

01:01:44   work on them that the one of the most effective things I can do when I'm [TS]

01:01:47   actually working is to talk out loud what I'm going to say in the video and [TS]

01:01:52   make changes in the keep going back and back and forth in keep saying the script [TS]

01:01:56   out loud over and over again and making a little changes yeah it's obviously not [TS]

01:02:00   something I could do in a cafe is not something I can do when people are [TS]

01:02:03   around but having that little basement space was a spot that I could go to and [TS]

01:02:09   very very regularly in the evenings after dinner which happens to be a very [TS]

01:02:14   useful time for me work wise I would go down to the spider basement and work and [TS]

01:02:21   that space ended up I I would say probably is one of the most productive [TS]

01:02:27   spaces that I've ever worked in even though was horrible and who isn't hot [TS]

01:02:33   set up to be a place to work [TS]

01:02:36   that actually kind of work in its favor because I never want to be there any any [TS]

01:02:40   longer than was absolutely necessary and so I think that this also really [TS]

01:02:46   contributed to the association in my brain of you know where we're downstairs [TS]

01:02:52   in the basement and now it is time to work because we're not going back [TS]

01:02:56   upstairs to our company house until you get enough of you know you until you get [TS]

01:03:00   through enough drafts of this video that you feel satisfied with it and so I [TS]

01:03:06   think there are there are ways in which working environments can actually be too [TS]

01:03:12   comfortable like having an office that is too nice can actually be a [TS]

01:03:18   disincentive to work you don't want to have stuff that is is extremely 100% [TS]

01:03:25   comfortable all the time I think the cafes in a way replicate this a little [TS]

01:03:31   bit [TS]

01:03:31   it because you can never quite get a cafe to be set up just the way you want [TS]

01:03:36   right of the chair is always a little bit off the table isn't quite right or [TS]

01:03:40   are you sitting in a spot that you don't necessarily like perfectly and when you [TS]

01:03:44   go there like you don't even know if you're gonna be able to have a place to [TS]

01:03:48   sit [TS]

01:03:48   yeah yeah yeah they're all of these little little things that make the [TS]

01:03:52   environment to slightly uncomfortable but I feel like that can actually be [TS]

01:03:57   conducive in a way to working with them aware that that my house while I do love [TS]

01:04:02   it it's almost too comfortable everything is is just the way I like and [TS]

01:04:08   that's one of the reasons why I often work somewhere else now for things like [TS]

01:04:12   the podcasting like doing the podcasting from home this is a kind of convenience [TS]

01:04:16   that I wouldn't have been able to do without having a home office so there's [TS]

01:04:21   some kinds of things that obviously it's way better to have a home office but I I [TS]

01:04:25   still do a large part of my writing elsewhere not at home when the reasons [TS]

01:04:31   why I go to the coworking space on weekends and during the evenings is [TS]

01:04:36   precisely because there's nobody around and so this is a perfect time to be able [TS]

01:04:40   to do that thing where I talk the scripts out loud where I can I can walk [TS]

01:04:45   around in this kind of big open area and talk out loud like a crazy person and [TS]

01:04:50   there's nobody there to bother me and again that is a very very productive [TS]

01:04:56   time for me even even though to answer your question like it seems a bit [TS]

01:05:00   redundant to both work around the city and to also have the coworking space I [TS]

01:05:06   used the coworking space in a very different way than I do [TS]

01:05:10   cafes or or my home office even so having access to that space to be able [TS]

01:05:16   to kind of like it's much nicer than the basement but be able to replicate this [TS]

01:05:21   ok it is in the evening and I want to go somewhere and just be able to talk out [TS]

01:05:25   loud for awhile effect that's one of the reasons why I keep the coworking space [TS]

01:05:30   around and that's that's one reason why use it [TS]

01:05:32   do you work in an office oh you mean like a grownup office like an office [TS]

01:05:38   with like desks of people I see these officers [TS]

01:05:42   I see these big open-plan offices and some of my walks and some of the places [TS]

01:05:48   that i go and they don't look very nice I have never worked in one of these [TS]

01:05:54   offices and when we talked last time about why I want to be a teacher I [TS]

01:06:02   always knew that an office environment was was not the environment for me I've [TS]

01:06:09   never had any kind of job even my student jobs or anything that were [TS]

01:06:13   stereotypical office jobs I have tried very hard to avoid that and I have I [TS]

01:06:19   have done so successfully so far in my life you know I am I'm pretty sure I [TS]

01:06:26   would it's funny I was thinking about you know the movie office space I first [TS]

01:06:33   saw office space in college at some point and the movie is ostensibly a [TS]

01:06:41   comedy and I remember thinking oh this is a very funny movie but it also had [TS]

01:06:45   this little bit of it teens of like a warning from the adult world of you know [TS]

01:06:51   you don't really want to probably work in an environment like this and every [TS]

01:06:56   every few years i watched office space again and every time I watch it as I [TS]

01:07:01   have gotten older that movie has become less of a of a comedy and more of a [TS]

01:07:07   horse just I don't laugh I kind of like kind of watch it just just filled with [TS]

01:07:13   horror and one of the things I'm really aware of is that if you look at the [TS]

01:07:21   working environment and office space it's presented as this this terrible [TS]

01:07:26   terrible working environment because they're all stuck in these horrible [TS]

01:07:29   cubes but in all of the officers that I can see into in London those cubes would [TS]

01:07:36   seem like a massive luxury most of the officers I see a range people in these [TS]

01:07:42   endless open rooms with just computers on their desk sitting directly opposite [TS]

01:07:48   someone else on a computer with someone on a computer on either side of them [TS]

01:07:53   with half size little walls if they're lucky but very often they're just long [TS]

01:07:58   tables that are you know sixteen people are sitting out that they that they [TS]

01:08:02   would they would beg beg four cubes and that's why I like the office space thing [TS]

01:08:08   that's the one thing I'm really aware of watching that movie was like ok this [TS]

01:08:11   movie is is horrifying as an adult to watch but even since then it looks to me [TS]

01:08:17   like things have really changed in the office world did you have a cuba but you [TS]

01:08:21   didn't know and I wish I did one and one of the things that happened to us who [TS]

01:08:27   dis is one of the worst things we like the marketing department right so we [TS]

01:08:30   were kind of a bit more relaxed about the way that we worked [TS]

01:08:33   music we have a laugh and joke around and stuff at that time there were banks [TS]

01:08:39   of desks that kind of set 12 people six on each side we had a decent amount of [TS]

01:08:44   room [TS]

01:08:45   ok they were ok it wasn't great there was barely any meeting rooms and then [TS]

01:08:51   one day we were told of their people moving down from another floor so we [TS]

01:08:55   have to move everybody around and you know how to tackle your stuff this [TS]

01:08:59   weekend cause when you come in on Monday and is going to be a completely new [TS]

01:09:02   seating set up to came in on Monday and dad moved us around to another part of [TS]

01:09:09   the floor and they had increased our tables to two banks are sixteen eight [TS]

01:09:15   people each side but that but the table wasn't any bigger if the little bigger a [TS]

01:09:21   little bit bigger ok they added like 10 percent more table in 50% more people [TS]

01:09:25   the people that SAT behind us to come down came down from the floor above they [TS]

01:09:29   were the same size tables and they said 10 aside and you know computers anymore [TS]

01:09:35   hot desking so you wouldn't even be guaranteed you don't have enough each [TS]

01:09:40   team didn't have enough desks to fit the team so sometimes you were five minutes [TS]

01:09:44   late would come in and have been walking around the floor trying to find [TS]

01:09:49   somewhere to see but you have all your stuff in a locker that was on the desk [TS]

01:09:53   we usually see him back on full day picking it up and be the worst thing [TS]

01:09:59   about it was like the people that came down they were very stuffy department [TS]

01:10:05   and hear warlike really smart suits and they were much older and more official [TS]

01:10:10   like three levels of bit like measure so they had they can make changes about the [TS]

01:10:15   way that we had to work and we were allowed to have a music on anymore and [TS]

01:10:19   we had to be more quiet we weren't allowed to swear as much as we did and [TS]

01:10:24   it took all of our meeting rooms away and it's like i don't ever again wanna [TS]

01:10:29   be in an environment where my my working environment can be changed by external [TS]

01:10:36   factors like that right [TS]

01:10:37   like someone to make a decision and all of a sudden we're all crammed up in an [TS]

01:10:41   evidence came this is always liked the thing but with working for a company [TS]

01:10:45   versus working for yourself and there are there are tradeoffs in both of these [TS]

01:10:49   but that is one of the biggest trade offices that other people can can make [TS]

01:10:55   decisions that radically change your daily experience when you're working for [TS]

01:11:00   another company and and that kind of thing over we're going to change your [TS]

01:11:06   physical environment in a way to make it much less pleasant is extremely [TS]

01:11:12   extremely frustrating to to deal with and i just i just can't imagine how that [TS]

01:11:18   has been for lots of of workers seeing as I do inside these offices the shape [TS]

01:11:25   of them change in like more people getting crammed into space is just I [TS]

01:11:32   don't know it's it's [TS]

01:11:34   I tried very hard to avoid that and I have been I have been lucky enough to [TS]

01:11:39   avoid that in my life so far [TS]

01:11:43   surely you would think you're less productive under the new circumstances [TS]

01:11:46   I'll definitely be you know then they try and back that up with your gonna [TS]

01:11:50   meet your objectives you know you have to meet your objectives to meet your [TS]

01:11:55   objectives you might be less productive but you have your objectives to me who [TS]

01:11:58   says your objectives interests for great industries you set my objective we [TS]

01:12:06   should have a quarterly review I can give you a good quarterly review we [TS]

01:12:10   could establish performance rating what do you think about that I would resist [TS]

01:12:16   I would resist that we can we can talk about we can talk about deadlines and [TS]

01:12:21   and objectives at another point maybe but there's nobody else setting high [TS]

01:12:26   deadlines are objectives do not have any more meetings where we can talk about [TS]

01:12:29   how good of an employee I have been like I did when I was teaching those those [TS]

01:12:34   are always fun having someone come in and evaluate you guide to mr Gray I [TS]

01:12:43   think we have come to the end of my questions that today should we tell [TS]

01:12:48   people how they can send us in their feedback and questions and you know if [TS]

01:12:52   he will find out why you have caffeine pills or you know if they want if they [TS]

01:12:57   want to try and find out your favorite homes in the Southbank Centre there's a [TS]

01:13:02   couple of places to take against us the best ones Twitter read it so you can go [TS]

01:13:09   to the credit paid pls help you weather is again the read a page from me is the [TS]

01:13:13   number one source for feedback because not only can you leave long comments [TS]

01:13:18   which are sometimes very nice but other people can can decide how useful your [TS]

01:13:22   comment actually are by voting them up and down so the red it is by far and [TS]

01:13:26   away from either number one place for people to leave feedback and so you can [TS]

01:13:29   go to Reddit [TS]

01:13:31   EDT I T dot com slash are / CGP grey and there will be a discussion link for this [TS]

01:13:39   episode of cortex and you can also on Twitter you can you can find us both [TS]

01:13:45   grays and I am and I might I am waking and don't forget I hashtag that we have [TS]

01:13:52   asked where you can ask questions and sending feedback on follow-up and stuff [TS]

01:13:56   for a future episode I expect there to be lots of follow-up next week's episode [TS]

01:14:03   for these current to that we have recorded so far looking forward to dig [TS]

01:14:06   into some of that yes because we are we are recording this one actually what [TS]

01:14:11   like 35 minutes before here about to put the the first one up live yet only talk [TS]

01:14:16   about [TS]

01:14:17   I'm in a state of nausea right now and I'm worried if we talk about it too much [TS]

01:14:24   over a microphone but as this episode will actually not be going up for a week [TS]

01:14:30   or so so these two have been done in advance and then the third one is when [TS]

01:14:35   will finally be able to go over some some feedback and things but yes we need [TS]

01:14:40   to end the conversation now you need to put the first show live [TS]