It’s a new month.

Let’s start this month fresh like this new Moleskine notebook.

As an avid GTD practitioner, I wanted an excellent capture tool. Stumbled on Capture Wallet few months back. I was debating whether to go for it or not. Finally, purchased it on 2nd February 2022 and got it delivered today. I’m really excited to use this Capture tool because nothing beats pen & paper.

This year I’m challenging myself to read 25 books. I had an idea to read one book together with Safana. I wanted to be a better spouse I can and I purchased The Muslim Marriage Guide by Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood last year but never got around to reading it. The idea is for us to read the same book together, reflect and leave marginalia in the book for discussion as and when needed. This may help us in better understanding each other and make our marriage stronger.

Another book-related idea I got from the What Should I Read Next? podcast Episode 313, pick a tough book, like a thick or a dense book on a particular topic of your interest and read a set number of pages every day. I like this idea because this will help me to read classic novels that people including myself say they want to read but never get to read them.

I purchased iA Writer.

Today I decided to purchase iA Writer for iOS. I got excited when I saw that I can publish to Micro.blog directly from the app.

The main reason for this purchase is distraction-free writing. And, I think the iA Writer app has done it.

One big feature I enjoy right now is the Style Check. It is impressive. I hope it doesn’t interrupt from writing.

I’m exploring the app and would love tips and tricks from the app users.

Don’t Look Up was a watchable film.

I keep forgetting how awesome Leo is as an actor.

As of today, if a comet did head on a collision path to Planet Earth; I kind of see how social media and lunatic politicians would use this catastrophic event to their advantage. It is scary to see how powerful social media can become in causing mass delusion.

The alt-right would try to blame it on the Muslims and the “immigrants” crossing the border.

The woke crowd would blame it on the big corporations for taking advantage of the collision to make big bucks.

The good people of planet Earth would be caught between these two idiotic groups and decay into chaos.

I pray to God Almighty that we wouldn’t be tested with this kind of event in our lifetime.

On 22nd December, I got my booster jab for COVID-19. It was a Pfizer booster vaccine. My first two jabs were Pfizer so I wasn’t expecting any major negative reactions.

The booster jab knocked me out with a headache. I spent the next day sleeping and lying on the sofa. Paracetamol tablets helped me relieve the pain. I started getting better in the evening such that I was able to have a proper shower, clean the toilet & shower cubicle and go to the gym for an hour-long walk.

I’m truly grateful to receive the booster jab in a matter of days after 90 days period since the second vaccine jab. I’m thankful to the NHS staff, doctors, scientists and many others who are fighting tirelessly to save us from this pandemic. And, the least we can do is be grateful and take the vaccine to save ourselves and our families.

I have upgraded to Micro.blog Premium subscription.

After a year of using this nice little service and hoping around different blogging platforms, I have chosen to call Micro.blog my digital home.

I’m excited to share my (un)formed thoughts, musings & quips via text, photos, videos & audio.

I thank Manton, Jean & the community for making this platform an amazing one!

As a regular listener to Jean & James’s Weekly Review podcast, I was elated when I heard the duo discussing a blog post I have written as the Ultimate Productivity Lesson. It really made my day! Thank you very much!

On the latest [@theweeklyreview](https://micro.blog/theweeklyreview), You Can’t Take It With You, [@jamesdempsey](https://micro.blog/jamesdempsey) and I were inspired by a post by [@ridwan](https://micro.blog/ridwan) to talk about The Final Checkmark on everyone’s to-do list…

PS: Watch out for the Intro hook! It’s so catchy!

I am slowly learning the GTD Methodology. It is one of the best stress-free productivity systems out there.

I was listening to an episode from the GTD Connect library on the power of writing things down and an idea for using the Tickler file.

Two things really stuck with me that I will be implementing in my life straightway:

• Spend one minute at various points in your day to perform a Mind Sweep. Highly recommended times to perform one is:
  • Early in the morning
  • Before starting your workday
  • Before closing your workday
  • Before going to sleep
    
• Add a note in the Tickler folder to spend a fiver on yourself. You can buy yourself a cup of coffee or a cupcake or whatever you want. Try to keep this practice as a recurring reminder. The surprise element will bring joy and put a smile on your face. I love this idea so much! I’m using the GTD Intentional Journal that comes as part of my GTD Connect membership. You can use your calendar for this recurring note. Hope you will try it out.

I will never get to say, இனிய பிறந்தநாள் வாழ்த்துகள் வாப்பா (Happy Birthday, Father) again.

The very first thing I do on my father’s birthday is, wish him. My father was not really keen on birthday wishes. This year onward, I will never get to say it.

Growing up in a Kilakarai-Tamil-Muslim household, it may be a cultural thing that we were not exposed to saying “I Love You” explicitly. It’s always known. We never doubted the love and affection from our parents. However, after my late teen years, my father hugs me and say “I love you, my son or I’m proud of you, my son”. I have felt awkward when I hear him say that. Not because I didn’t like it. It was because I did not know how to receive it.

I love my father very much. I see him as my hero. During his last days, it never donned on me to say “I Love You Vappa”. When his soul departed right next to us, I stood there helpless and forsaken. I will never get to say “I Love You, My Father”.

He taught us good manners and values. We can vouch that he has embodied the words of the Holy Messenger of God Almighty (SAW), as quoted in the Book of Tirmidhi:

There is no gift that a father gives his children more virtuous than good manners.

By God’s will, my siblings and I will strive to be true to the Holy Messenger’s words like our father.

We Miss You, My Beloved Father. I Love You, My Dearest Vappa!

I’m really having a tough time generating ideas for daily blogging. I’m no stranger to daily writing or journaling. Blank page or blinking cursor never scared me. But, coming up with ideas and expanding on that nugget seems to be a bit hard for me.

I really admire writers who are really good at generating and curating ideas for their writings.

One way to generate more ideas, I have started to read consistently. I do read but inconsistently. However, consistent reading did make me more mindful of my thoughts and emotions. I shall be using James Clear’s advice on reading 20 pages a day.

To summarise, reading leads to idea generation, which eventually leads to better writing.

A few months back I read a book titled Ten Arguments For Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now by Jaron Lanier. It is an incredible book on how much social media influences our psyche and behaviour.

I remember using Twitter & Facebook back in 2007 and Instagram when they debuted in 2010. Little did I know how much these apps would go on to influence our mindset and behaviour.

Recently, there has been a lot of buzz around social media and its influencer-driven marketing drive. I do not exactly remember when I started to see Facebook Ads and Instagram Sponsored Posts. But, I vividly remember telling myself how big this is going to influence users.

Over the past few months, I catch myself spending a lot of time on Instagram. I have deleted and re-installed this addictive app plenty of times. But, I keep going back to it. I suppose this is the power of an addictive algorithm Jason Lanier & Tristan Harris keep banging on.

In short, I understand that I have a problem with Instagram and battle to keep my usage down. One step I have taken is to open the NetNewsWire app whenever I have the urge to open Instagram. Making this switch means, I can read or scan some of my favourite blogs. This has enabled me to read more and build an idea bank for my daily posts.

A few years back I came to know about a concept called Commonplace Notebook from Ryan Holiday.

We read plenty of books, articles, blogs etc and watch a ton of videos. There are plenty of informative nuggets we come across that could potentially be useful for our lives. All these nuggets of wisdom are lost in the ether of time. And, the idea of a commonplace notebook fascinated me. I wanted to keep one but I was never consistent with it.

Lately, I have been thinking about how could I use the information gathered from various sources into potentially meaningful content. Something that will be useful for me and the wider world.

Currently, I am using a notebook to capture my thoughts, quotes, paragraphs, etc. I shall be publishing a polished version on the blog never now and then.

I guess, one by one, each note will become part of a beautifully crafted digital notes garden.

To serve our families, our individual health and well-being, and our recreational and creative needs optimally, many business like behaviors are required. - David Allen

I was reading David Allen’s book, Making It All Work where he talks about how we can incorporate the best practices from our work life into our personal lives.

This made me pause and think about what best practices I can incorporate to handle the business of life?