Nicholas Bate

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 61-65

61. The best smoothies start with fruit with their skin on. Er...except the bananas.

62. A test of true love is that it doesn't diminish. Even with time, distance and challenge.

63. 'You are not a drop in the ocean. You are an entire ocean in a drop.' Rumi.

64.  Be Bold 101, The Movie.

65. School is not the best laboratory of what you are really good at. Try more stuff.

TBC

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 1-10, including Stand more than you sit; walk more than you stand.

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 11-20, including Start. End. The brackets of excellence. 

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 21-30, including Being paid by time encourages longer hours. Being paid by value encourages excellence.  Switch to the latter ASAP.

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 31-40, including Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime; give a man a phone as well and he'll be 'too busy' to cook simple nutritious food such as fish and far too inattentive to learn the skill of fishing. 

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 41-50, including Show the kids you love reading. And give them a book budget, a library card and their own set of shelves.

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 51-60, including Become a great photographer with the camera on your phone. Then reward yourself with the expensive SLR.

Bonus: How To Be Brilliant

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 51-60

51. Become a great photographer with the camera on your phone. Then reward yourself with the expensive SLR.

52. Marketeers of food are sneaky. As sugar gets a bad rap it is replaced by 'coconut nectar' and the ilk. Don't be fooled; protect your amazing metabolism for peak performance.

53. 'The present is the only thing that has no end' Erwin Schrodinger.

54. With your personal budget, waste is associated with inaccurate measurement of expenditure. With the corporate budget, waste is caused by inaccurate initial setting of budget.

55. Life Tips 101

56. A day with young children reminds you how to live in the moment.

57. One of the greatest breakthroughs is to unravel the mental code which programmes us to accept a given view of 'success', whatever the cause or origin of that code.

58. No new logo will 'refresh' a damaged brand. Authenticity, integrity and excellence will do that.

59. Rituals help you build peak performance.

60. One word, one sentence, one paragraph can give you the motivation you need. Always be reading.

TBC

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 1-10, including Stand more than you sit; walk more than you stand.

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 11-20, including Start. End. The brackets of excellence. 

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 21-30, including Being paid by time encourages longer hours. Being paid by value encourages excellence.  Switch to the latter ASAP.

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 31-40, including Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime; give a man a phone as well and he'll be 'too busy' to cook simple nutritious food such as fish and far too inattentive to learn the skill of fishing. 

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 41-50, including Show the kids you love reading. And give them a book budget, a library card and their own set of shelves.

Bonus: How To Be Brilliant

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 21-30

21. More music. Better moods. Kurt is your man.

22. Being paid by time encourages longer hours. Being paid by value encourages excellence.  Switch to the latter ASAP.

23. Write & publish your business book.

24. 'Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art'. Andy Warhol.

25. Plan your day. Despite disturbances and crises you'll still get more done.

26. Review your day. Your next plan will be even better.

27. You don't have to read all of a business book. You don't have to start at chapter 1.  But take notes of actions to improve your career/business.

28. Try your local farmers market. (1) there are some excellent stalls with amazing food (2) there are some hard-working entrepreneurs to support.

29. When you start running, spend money on the right shoes. But the rest of your kit is fine from a charity shop. The money you save, spend on nutrition. 

30. You need a notebook to capture your ideas. The more you capture them, the more then generate. Crazy.

TBC

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 1-10

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 11-20

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 11-20

11. Put the work in; get the results out. But sometimes there is lag.

12. Find a sport you love. Play it often.

13. Be consistently professional. 

14. Notice what works and do more of it.

15. Notice what people you admire actually do, not just what they say they do.

16. Start. End. The brackets of excellence. 

17. Buy the best. If it's expensive, buy less of the best. 

18. Go to art galleries.

19. A CV is like everybody else. Build your portfolio showing your work to date and pull ahead from the crowd.

20. 'Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it'.  Steve Jobs.

TBC

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 1-10

It Isn't Rocket Science 101, 1-10

1. Turn up; get noticed.
2. Stand more than you sit; walk more than you stand.
3. Creativity needs practice; daily is perfect.
4. Someone has been there before. Read more. Lots more.
5. Ensure there are slices of empty, bits of silence and pieces of real fruit in your day. 
6. Meetings are for actions. Not doughnuts.
7. Don't let anyone spoil your day.
8. "We must let go of the life we planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us" Joseph Campbell.
9. Be Bolder every day.
10. A list helps focus. Multiple lists dilute precious attention. 

TBC

The Simplest of Pleasures 101, The List Completed

91. Ride of The Valkyrie, Wagner

92. A pack of the coloured sharpies....in different nib widths...

93. Upstairs on a London double-decker bus.

94. The birthday cake looking good....

95. The spontaneous snow-ball fight.

96. An empty (of visitors) art gallery. And your kind of art.

97. Like a Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan

98. Staring deep into the night-sky with borrowed military-grade binoculars.

99. A quiet country pub,  a game of darts and feeling welcomed.

100. Real, home-made custard.

101. Knowing there is an unlimited supply of The Simplest of Pleasures.

Simplest of Pleasures 101:

1-10, including: Books. Stack of wood for the burner. French-press coffee.

11-20,  including: Kisses blown to you from across the crowded departure gate.

21-30, including: A well-engineered fountain pen.

31-40, including: The French market and the glory of fresh, local vegetables. And simple French practised.

41-50, including: Conversation and not a phone in sight.

51-60, including: A small Italian town. An ordinary cafe. A spring morning. Fresh bread, unsalted local butter, perfect coffee.

61-70, including: Well-crafted prose.

71-80, including: the ferry from Oban to the Isle of Mull

81-90, including: double maths cancelled.

 

More 101s

Are here

You, Only Better

is here

The Simplest of Pleasures 101: 51-60

51. A small Italian town. An ordinary cafe. A spring morning. Fresh bread, unsalted local butter, perfect coffee.

52. Let's Go Surfing, The Drums.

53. A whiteboard filling with ideas of the start-up to freedom.

54. A man's shoes: seriously polished. 

55. The empty page. A head full of plans.

56. Kicking autumn leaves with toddlers.

57. A parking spot, just there, just perfect.

58. Running.

59. A note of love to you from him for no reason at all. Except he loves you.

60. Discovering a new cheese.

 

Simplest of Pleasures 101:

1-10, including: Books. Stack of wood for the burner. French-press coffee.

11-20,  including: Kisses blown to you from across the crowded departure gate.

21-30, including: A well-engineered fountain pen.

31-40, including: The French market and the glory of fresh, local vegetables. And simple French practised.

41-50, including: Conversation and not a phone in sight.

The Simplest of Pleasures 101, 31-40

(31) The French market and the glory of fresh, local vegetables. And simple French practised.

(32) New PB/personal best at the gym.

(33) The movie Casablanca: "we'll always have Paris".

(34) The longest, tightest hug.

(35) The Beatles: 'Here, There and Everywhere'

(36) Home made chicken soup.

(37) Courtesy and helpfulness from a total stranger.

(38) Reading aloud to an appreciative audience.

(39) First in the pool for the early morning swim.

(40) Making home-made jams and chutneys from autumn/fall produce.

 

Simplest of Pleasures 101:

1-10, including: Books. Stack of wood for the burner. French-press coffee.

11-20,  including: Kisses blown to you from across the crowded departure gate.

21-30, including: A well-engineered fountain pen.

The Simplest of Pleasures 101: 21-30

(21) A paragraph of your novel, well-written.

(22) Woke Up This Morning: Alabama 3.

(23) Shirts, freshly ironed.

(24) Candles, dusk and quiet conversation.

(25) Moments of breakthrough.

(26) Heading home after a long trip.

(27) Fresh snowfall and no place to have to go.

(28) A well-engineered fountain pen.

(29) Walking the Cornish Coastal Path.

(30) Old photos re-discovered. 

 Simplest of Pleasures 101:

1-10, including: A stack of books. A stack of wood for the burner. French-press coffee.

11-20,  including: Kisses blown to you from across the crowded departure gate.

Simplest of Pleasures 101: 1-10

1. A clear, free, autumnal/fall day.
2. In-box zero. 
3. The collapse of a tall, tall lego tower built with your young son/daughter.
4. Holding hands with the one you love. An empty beach. Mille baci.
5. Scrambled eggs made to perfection. 
6. A stack of books. A stack of wood for the burner. French-press coffee.
7. A plan realised.
8. A long and deep sleep.
9. Mussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition.
10. Potential.