Monthly report: February 2018

I'm feeling a bit stir-crazy as my blessed knee is still cramping my style more than somewhat. More than two months now since whatever it was, and during that time I've discovered that anti-inflamatories (diclofenac) help with the pain, but also encourage me to get out and walk, which doesn't help with healing. For the past two weeks I have been off them, and though the pain is bad, and I've been cutting down on walking despite my growing podcast queue, there doesn't seem to be any reward. A specialist may be needed on the case.

Other things this month:

• A week in London, house-sitting, dog-sitting and researching a new paper.
• In connection with, visits to Sir John Soane's house, the Royal Academy for a stunning show on the collection of Charles I, and a nice long time in the National Gallery for the permanent collection.
• Got my tessera sanitaria, a bureaucratic triumph of sorts.
• Cracked PESOS of reading.am to my Known website, although it needs a bit more tidying up before I let it loose.
• Slightly worrying decline in podcast downloads; no obvious reason, trying to be stoic about this. Still don't know how best to do marketing.
• Excellent visits with my friend Sarah and her friend Leanne
• Bread Diary started, for my own information, not public consumption. Yet?
• Saw The Post.

Exist.io

No shattering new insights here. I'm somewhat stunned by the news that I actually exceeded my step goal on 16 days of the past month. I feel sluggish as all get out.

Tracked reading (half an hour minimum, in one stretch) on 13 of the past 30-= days; with the week in London, that's OK.

Work

Did a little, did it well, did it on time. And the pipeline is a little bit fuller.

Pomodori 5.75 (69 in 12 days on which I recorded any)

This is quite a bit higher, per day, than it was in January (4.86) but I'm not really convinced of the value of it as a general metric. When I'm in a task that lends itself to flow (editing audio, writing something I want to write) the pomodoro timer is actually a distraction, so I often don't bother. It is more useful when I am in a task that cries out for distraction, but I'm not really seeing the point of recording my score.

Toggl 38% admin, 27% ETP, 35% everything else

Toggl has changed its iOS app quite radically, and I'm not sure I can get on with it. They are promising an update; we'll see. Meanwhile, I still think that this kind of time tracking offers greater insights than pomodoro. I'm just not sure how best to do it. Still looking for an alternative that works in all places on all devices.

Goals

My goal for this site is to write one new post and bring in five old posts a week. I managed five new posts and eight old ones; good, and not good enough. I failed to write a book review.

The old posts (just to give them a bit of a boost)

• Scenes from Roman Life 22
• Scenes from Roman Life 5
• Scenes from Roman Life 4
• Scenes from Roman Life: 3
• Scenes from Roman Life: 2
• Scenes from Roman Life: I
• Fishing with science
• What I would like Europe to do about agricultural biodiversity

Activities

Not very illuminating.

Steps 65th percentile

Still way down. I mean, 9th on the 60k weekly challenge, when I used occasionally to win the 75K? It's ridiculous. Also, I cannot seem to find half the reports I swear I could locate before. Better activity-recording might be called for.

Sleep 8 hours 45 minutes and 60th percentile

No problems in this department, aside from occasional knee pain that takes some squirming and rearranging of limbs to deal with.

Itches

• More better scripting.

Final remarks

Very disgruntled with the knee, and yet I don't seem to be able to bring myself to go and see the doctor. That is stupid. I am stupid.