Introduction Stretching is often seen as the unnecessary thing we should be doing before the gym or exercise, but never seem to have the time to do. This is the wrong automatic or starting position, I want to highlight the significant benefits that stretching regularly can have and share the 10 best stretches you should be doing 3 times a week to realise these benefits. I really got into the science and benefits of stretching after a lower back injury,…
Introduction There appears to be more recognition than ever of the difficulties first time buyers – the majority of whom are millennials – are having trying to get onto the property ladder. On first glance the Lifetime ISA (LISA), along with the Help to Buy ISA, is just another tool the UK government is using to add at least a little more balance to the system. But in reality, the LISA is more than that. The LISA is also…
Introduction Incrementalism is truly awesome and despite the relatively significant press coverage it has received in recent years, too few people really understand it or know how to harness the power of it. What is Incrementalism? Wikipedia defines it as: ‘a method of working by adding to a project using many small incremental changes instead of a few (extensively planned) large jumps’ My renewed interest in incrementalism was sparked by listening to an excellent Freakonomics podcast episode; ‘In Praise of Incrementalism’. It reminded me…
My Overview: Peter Thiel needs no introduction, he is the co-founder of PayPal and was Facebook’s first professional investor, very impressive credentials. His book ‘Zero to One’ has been a hit since its publication in September 2014 and is seen as an absolute must-read in start-up circles. In the preface Thiel highlights that the book is all about ‘how to build companies that create new things’, but doesn’t try to hide the fact that he doesn’t have a success formulae,…
Introduction: There is a slight change of direction with this piece, I want to challenge the traditional view point that everyone should focus on improving and addressing their weaknesses not their strengths. I aim to show why this is actually the wrong way to be looking at things. Traditionally we are told to create two lists when summing up our current performance, a strengths list and a weaknesses list. The weaknesses list can sometimes be called a ‘development’ list if…
Introduction: I’m always looking at ways to enhance my routine, improve my good habits and eliminate the bad. One I’d been struggling to keep over the last year or so was going to the gym 3 times a week, I was very good at going at the weekend but with a busy job and wanting to see friends I struggled to go during the week. In this piece I want to explain how I managed to hack my morning routine and…
Introduction Social media has significantly increased the number of individuals and organisation who can influence your opinions, style and aspirations. There is a strong argument to say that there are now too many inputs and options in our lives making it more and more difficult to find what we really enjoy and relate to. It is with this in the forefront of my mind that I write this post. In this piece I want to highlight my favourite men’s lifestyle websites…
Introduction: On a holiday to Cote D’Azur in 2016, a post on which you can find here, I finally had the time to read Nassim Nicholas Talebs thought provoking book ‘Antifragile’, available to buy here. His book is part philosophical thesis, part whinging and complaining, however reviewing it in detail is not the scope of this piece. The focus of this piece is on the role of optionality and the importance of having optionality to be antifragile, leading to a…
Introduction: This book was gifted to me by a family member around 5 years ago, and although I read it around 3 years ago, I only recently stumbled across my notes. Having this gap between reading the book and reviewing my notes was really interesting, as it provided me with the opportunity to understand what content from the book I’d naturally kept and what I’d forgotten, fortunately more was remembered than I expected! Whilst I am not currently investing in…
Introduction Skiing is not only incredibly fun, it’s also very physically demanding and can help you (even force you!) to focus on muscles and exercises you often neglect when engaged in other sports, for example flexibility and joint support. When you hit the slopes in Europe the chances are you have spent the Christmas period over-indulging and you’re not in your usual physically optimum condition. This is a position I’ve found myself in more than a few times, so I decided…