Writing
Essays & notes
Ideas from building companies, reading widely and trying to understand what makes people and communities work.
Health
Why strength matters more than looking smaller
Weight loss can make a body lighter without making it stronger. That is not the result I want us to celebrate.Building
What LeanShield is trying to fix
Weight loss apps tell you whether the number went down. LeanShield is being built to ask a harder question: what are you losing?Mindset
The scale does not get to decide your day
Use the number. Do not hand it control of your mood, your actions or the rest of the day.Notes
One day at a time, without the woo-woo
You do not need to solve your whole life this morning. You need a day you can live properly and repeat.Book notes
The easy life is not always the good life
A note on the Choice of Hercules, useful difficulty and why pleasure is a poor compass.Essay
Annual Review 2022
A candid review of 2022 covering business, family, health, mistakes, progress and the priorities I carried into the next year.Wales
What the Welsh indy movement could learn from the most revolutionary Welshman you’ve never heard of
The story of Welsh philosopher Richard Price and what his international influence can teach modern Wales about ideas, liberty and ambition.Book notes
The Art of World Wisdom
Detailed notes on Baltasar Gracian's The Art of Worldly Wisdom, covering judgment, timing, character, restraint and dealing with people.Essay
Freedom and Wealth for Wales: The Future 70% of Welsh People Want
An argument that the future of Wales depends on economic ambition as well as politics, with ideas for building a wealthier, more confident country.Book notes
The Four Agreements
Notes on The Four Agreements and its practical lessons about language, assumptions, criticism and taking responsibility for your own response.Essay
Annual Review 2020
A candid review of 2020: building Turtle Method, family, health, lessons learned and the questions shaping the year ahead.Book notes
Man's Search For Meaning
Notes and reflections on Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, suffering, responsibility, purpose and choosing how to respond.Book notes
How To Think Like A Roman Emperor
Detailed notes on Donald Robertson's How to Think Like a Roman Emperor and the practical Stoic lessons I took from Marcus Aurelius.Book notes
The War of Art
Detailed notes on Steven Pressfield's The War of Art, resistance, procrastination and the discipline required to do meaningful work.Book notes
How To Live on 24 Hours A Day
Notes on Arnold Bennett's How to Live on 24 Hours a Day, with practical ideas for using ordinary time more deliberately.Essay
38 Life Lessons from Cobra Kai
Thirty-eight lessons from Cobra Kai about discipline, identity, courage, friendship, leadership and choosing what kind of person to become.Essay
34 Life Lessons From Napoleon Bonaparte
Thirty-four lessons from Napoleon Bonaparte on preparation, speed, leadership, ambition, communication and the cost of overreach.Essay
Simplicity & Timing Are The Superpowers You Need
Why simplicity and timing beat needless complexity, with lessons from military history, business, products and everyday decision-making.Essay