Year of Execution

An inviting pathway meanders through a lush forest at sunrise, with the early morning light casting a warm, golden glow over the verdant surroundings. The path symbolizes a journey of personal growth and the pursuit of goals, enveloped in the tranquility and beauty of nature, embodying optimism and inspiration for a new beginning.

Coincidentally, right at the start of the pandemic lockdowns in my area, I declared 2020 the Year of Healthy Habits. While there were plenty of health-related events going on at the time, not a ton of them were being generated by me.

I mostly spent the time trying not to freak myself out, supporting my wife, who was basically working 24/7 at our local hospital, and being (essentially) the sole caregiver to a kindergartener. So, the Year of Healthy Habits didn’t quite have the impact I had hoped.

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FoodNoms

This is a digital graphic featuring an app icon set against a wavy brown and white abstract background. The app icon is bright orange with the image of a bar chart that transitions into a fork on the right side, symbolizing a focus on food, nutrition, or dining metrics.

Growing up, I was a jock who was secretly a nerd. I played sports year-round and even conned my way into having an independent study gym class my senior year.

That level of physical activity plus a teenage metabolism meant that there would be no consequences for having a three-course cheesecake meal at The Cheesecake Factory with my friends.

Unfortunately, after my athletic career ended and my metabolism changed, my eating habits didn’t, and I gained approximately 50 pounds over the next 15-ish years.

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Dark Noise

This image shows a digital icon which is a stylized representation of a sound wave pattern within a circle, centered on a purple square with rounded corners. The icon is set against a background featuring abstract purple and black shapes with dynamic, flowing lines. The color scheme is predominantly purple with black accents, conveying a sense of modernity and digital technology.

Putting on some headphones is a pretty universal sign to others that you’re working, or at least that you don’t want to be disturbed. But what do you play in said headphones when you’re trying to focus?

If I am doing chores around the house or running errands, I am probably listening to a podcast. If I am working out, probably some combination of 80’s power ballads and shitty pop music. But if I am working, recently I have been listening to noise, not music.

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Why I Mind Map

I do some of my best thinking on walks while listening to some combination of silly pop music and songs from my son’s favorite movies and tv shows. Something about that scenario gives me the mental space to think clearly and deeply about creative projects.

Sometimes on these walks, I can write a whole script for a video in my head; other times, I generate a few unstructured fragments that need to be worked into something better. My favorite tool for building out those fragments is a mind map.

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I Deactivated My Twitter Account

A screenshot displaying a social media profile error message. The profile header shows a placeholder for a profile picture and the username "@hearmikeburke." Below the username, a bold message states "This account doesn’t exist" followed by a suggestion to "Try searching for another." The background gradient transitions from red to blue, indicating a possible error or inactive status on the social media platform.

I was hoping there were enough checks and balances, systems, and/or public pressure for Twitter to weather the storm of a megalomaniac. I was wrong.

I “deactivated” my account a few days ago, and while I appreciate the 30-day cool-down period where I can recover my account, I don’t see that happening.

While I know many are moving to Mastodon; I am not currently planning on joining the herd. Instead, I’ll be here, on my YouTube channel, and on my newly created Tumblr.

I look forward to continuing the relationships I have built on Twitter. I am experimenting with Reeder and RSS, so if you have a blog or other RSS feed for me to keep up with you, please post it in a comment below.