Last year was the first time I wrote a “Year in Review” post. This year, I decided to use a different format to share more highlights from the past 12 months.
Books
Of all the books I read this year, I thought Matthew McConaughey’s Green Lights was the most entertaining. The fact is, I didn’t actually read this book. Instead, I listened to it on Audible (which was recommended). McConaughey is the narrator, and I can’t imagine that reading the book could be any better than listening to the author read his own words aloud.
Here’s a more complete list of books I read in 2021.
I’d like to mention two quick, enjoyable, and thought provoking reads:
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino
These are the books I read in 2019 and 2020.
Newsletter
My goal is to publish a newsletter each month. I’m not always successful, and this year I was 11 for 12. Past Monthly Memo issues are archived on my website.
Best Presentation
I realized about half-way through this presentation that I’d seen it before. And it was just as good the second time around:
The Success Equation: Untangling Skill and Luck by Michael Mauboussin (Talks at Google)*
*As a side note, there’s some good info in this talk about the Mona Lisa’s history. This dovetailed nicely with an interesting documentary I watched recently called The Lost Leonardo.
Movies and Shows
I must not have watched many movies in 2021. The only ones I could think to recommend were:
Greyhound with Tom Hanks
and
Ford vs Ferrari (which I actually watched in late 2020)
Ted Lasso provided some much needed laughs this past year.
And after a few false starts, I finally got hooked on Long Way Up, with Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman. I’m a big fan of their previous two series, Long Way Round (2004) and Long Way Down (2007).
These are the best geography courses I didn’t even know I was taking.
Best Buys
Last year I wrote about Blinkist, and I continue to read book summaries with this service and use it as a way to vet books I’m thinking about reading. Here are a few more things I purchased and am enjoying using:
Lock Laces – Add these to an old pair of running shoes and they become great slip on, all purpose footwear.
Little Giant Ladder – This two step ladder is just tall enough to allow me to reach the tops of cabinets and change light bulbs. It’s more like a small flight of stairs than a ladder and it feels very stable.
And, if I had to repurchase any one item that I use on a regular basis it would be my Apple Airpods. I never thought I would like them as much as I do. I use these frequently when I walk or run to listen to podcasts.
Favorite Software
Since my job primarily revolves around the use of software, I appreciate well designed programs that help me be more productive.
Last year I wrote about Trello, and how it was useful in managing a project I was working on.
In 2021, I really leaned into Evernote. I’ve been using this service since August 2010 and I think at one time I had close to 10,000 notes. I’ve been reviewing my old notes and discarding the ones that are no longer relevant. I’m down to just over 6,000 and I plan to distill it even further. It’s been fun to see how my interests have changed over time (Fly Fishing > Woodworking > Boat Building > Photography > Web Development > Long Distance Running, etc). This is primarily a repository for articles that I clip from the web, but also I use Evernote to write. This post was written in Evernote, then pasted into MailChimp.
Podcasts
Not much change here from last year…these are my go-to Podcasts:
The Prof G Show with Scott Galloway
Revisionist History
Gladwell is one of the best storytellers of our time and he has mastered this medium. It’s worth going back and checking out “Food Fight“, “My Little Hundred Million” and “Generous Orthodoxy” from 2016.