There is a line often attributed to Debussy: that music is the space between the notes. I can’t find it in anything he wrote, and it gets credited to others too. I have decided not to mind. For most of my life I have believed the notes were the point. The meetings, the decisions, the… Read more

I sit on the bench opposite Sunflowers once a month, give or take. Usually on the way back from something in London. Train into Charing Cross, ten minutes in Room 43, train home. A small private detour. You get blocked, sitting on that bench. People walk up and stand in front of you and you… Read more

She was ahead of me in the coffee shop, phone in one hand, oat flat white in the other. Talking with her friend. “Honestly? I just trust the algorithm. It knows what I’ll like better than Samuel ever did.” Samuel, I assumed, was her local bookseller. Or maybe the friend who used to slip her… Read more

People don’t usually tell you when your writing is good. They just read it and move on. So when someone takes the time to say something, you notice. What I started noticing was this. When people mentioned a post, it was always the same ones. The street sweeper my mother pointed out when I was… Read more

Most good work doesn’t happen in perfect conditions. It happens with just enough pressure to focus the mind. A little adrenaline. A deadline close enough to matter. Not panic. Not chaos. Just the awareness that time is limited and already running. That awareness changes things. Distractions fall away. The unnecessary options quietly disappear. You stop… Read more

If you want a life filled with skill, productivity and creativity, think carefully about what really matters. This leads to genuine engagement. Don’t accept a life that is tough, empty, and short-lived. And the best way to think clearly is to write. Writing sharpens your thoughts. It catches vague ideas before they slip away. It… Read more

It’s easy to be someone’s friend when it costs nothing.A quick Gchat. A shared laugh. A joke liked, a thumbs up sent.Convenient, comfortable, light. But real friendship shows itself when it’s anything but convenient.When it asks for your time when you’re busy.When it interrupts your plans.When it makes you stand up for someone when staying… Read more

Bad days happen. Expect them. It helps. Marcus Aurelius did. He reminded himself every morning that people would be rude, unfair, selfish. He wasn’t surprised when they were. He was ready. You can’t control traffic, gossip, deadlines that slip. You can control your response. That’s the whole game. Epictetus would say: Focus where your hands… Read more