I got the idea for this page from Derek Siver’s blog post: How and why to make a /now page on your blog.
Imagine we hadn’t spoken for a year. Here’s my update:
Currently reading, watching & listening to
I like to read at least 2 books at the same time – one fiction, one nonfiction.
Fiction: I’m still finishing up from last year’s goal of reading all of David Lodge’s work in chronological order. The final book is the largest: A Man of Parts. It’s a biography of H.G. Wells, so strictly speaking not pure fiction. I had no idea Wells was such proponent of free love.
Nonfiction: 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People by Susan Weinschenk. This one of those books I got after hearing the author talk at a conference, yet I never got around to reading the book. I find this one is best paired with reading up on the replication crisis in psychology.
TV:
After finishing Andor, we’re about to embark on a big Star Wars re-watch.
Music: After 2 years of listening almost exclusively to Kae Tempest, I’m rediscovering some of my old previous bands. Like, Editors. Pet Shop Boys. Even Damien Rice, who I haven’t listened to for almost 10 years.
Currently learning
Finishing the online portion of my Nia Brown Belt.
Looking after my body
Energy management is everything, and Nia Brown Belt is a huge help for me here. Even just checking in with my physical, mental and emotional batteries has helped me avoid those dips, slumps and cliffs that tend to ruin my weekends.
Other things I’m doing for my health:
I sleep in as often as I can, even during the week. Not having to set an alarm makes a huge difference to my wellbeing.
Using AI to help me follow the new Dutch nutritional guidelines. Here’s a tip: Go to schijfvanvijf.nl or the equivalent in your country, pop the nutritional guidelines for each person in your household into AI and ask it to create a weekly shopping list.
Fitting in 5 minutes of exercise every day, often more.
No alcohol since January 2025.
Feldenkrais. It’s wonderful.
Other things I’m doing
Growing out my hair.
Getting ready to finally sell our house.
Rebuilding my life after last year’s burnout.
What I’m doing at work
We’re in the middle of rolling out a positioning pivot with From Scratch– from communications consultancy for inclusive brands to website and culture strategy for expert-led organisations where traditional marketing falls short.
Just before Christmas, we finally completed the publication of our German guide to ethical marketing, Ethisches Marketing Jetzt. Now it’s time to promote it.
Big, complex client projects: rewriting product detail pages for an e-commerce client who’s rebranding; developing and executing the German website strategy for a global climate NGO – plus “business as usual” work for our retainer clients.