I just got back (as in landed about 90 minutes ago) from a 2-night trip to Boston. This was a lot of fun for a quick trip, so I’m glad I made the effort.
It did not start well. I ran the Best of Both Worlds Patreon meet-up (on time tracking) until about 1 pm Wednesday, then hightailed it to the airport, where I got on my Jet Blue flight. All was going well as we pushed back from the gate and taxied to the runway…and then some maintenance light went on. After a bunch of conferrals we eventually went back to the gate, where we proceeded to sit for about 3 hours. They opened the door so people could get off if they wanted but most of us just sat. Alas for productivity, it was a lot of uncertain sitting, as they kept telling us they thought it would just be another 10-15 minutes, so I didn’t get my laptop out to work. Anyway, eventually they gave us a clean bill of health and we flew to Boston uneventfully but very very late – I didn’t get off the plane until 7:15 p.m.
I was meeting my writer friends KJ Dell’Antonia and Sarina Bowen for dinner at 7:30, but they very graciously moved it to 8:30 so I checked into my hotel (the Fairmont Copley Place, which has amazing ceilings) and then we all headed over together to Merai for fascinating cocktails and small plates. Then it was back to the Fairmont’s bar where I had a “bees knees” cocktail involving gin and honey.
The next morning we walked over to Beacon Hill Books’ cafe – this was a very cute spot for breakfast, and then book perusal, where we found a Sarina Bowen book in the romance section (she writes both thrillers and romances, including hockey romances, which are definitely having a moment now!). We then walked around shopping and also getting coffee and sitting outside. Yep, the sun was out and it actually felt nice! Spring is coming!
I split off around 1 p.m. and went back to the hotel to work for about 2 hours, at which point my son (a freshman at Northeastern) let me know he had finished his orgo exam and was ready to see me. So he and I met for coffee, then took an uber over to Cambridge to wander around there, including more book store perusal and coffees. A favorite activity! We came back to Back Bay and then walked to dinner at an Italian place on Newbury. It was good to see him. He is doing so well in school and is participating in a lot of activities he is enjoying. He won’t be coming home for spring break so I wanted to make sure we didn’t go from January to April without seeing each other!
Then it was back to my hotel to work for another 2 hours and then I got on a flight this morning. For this trip I packed for two days in just a backpack. I really liked that — no worries about overhead luggage compartment space when everything fits under the seat in front of you.
Now on to this week’s content…Over at Before Breakfast, I interviewed the fascinating Larz May about digital wellness. She gave examples of several digital resolutions one could set to create a new and better relationship with tech. Please check that out!
In the short episodes I talked about one strategy for doing something after work if you hate the thought of going back out again: “Make it a stop on the way home.” I recently spoke with someone who was doing flute lessons on the way home from work because going back out again at night felt like a huge ask. Stopping by the gym on the way home might also be wise. I also gave this Friday tip: “Start your weekend early.” If you think of Friday as part of the weekend you might treat the day a little differently — having a more leisurely breakfast, perhaps, or arranging for lunch or coffee with a friendly colleague. People often work a little differently on Friday anyway, so starting the weekend vibe early can make life feel a little more fun.
Over at Vanderhacks, my Substack newsletter, I wrote about “The sneaky way to make evenings more fun” and “How to spend time with busy people.” Behind the paywall I wrote about “13 microadventures you can have (even now!)” and “How to add a little habit (so it happens).” At least in theory, small habits shouldn’t be that hard, but making them stick can be tricky.
Please check those out and thank you for supporting me and my work!
