J.D. Moyer

science fiction author, beatmaker, against fascism

Author: J.D. Moyer Page 68 of 104

J.D. Moyer is a science fiction author and electronic music producer from Oakland, California.

One Goal To Rule Them All

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On August 29

In Creative Work/Career, Life Purpose & Goals, Metaprogramming, Writing

Apologies to Tolkien.

Apologies to Tolkien.

For the last fourteen months I’ve been practicing a new form of goal setting:

  1. Have only one goal at a time, that closely aligns with life purpose.
  2. Set an “evaluation date” for the goal (a deadline, more or less).
  3. Set up a reward for completing the goal, and a “kick-in-the-butt” motivator if needed.

My most recent goal was to finish the first draft of my sci-fi novel. I didn’t finish by my evaluation date (June 30th) which led to a kick-in-butt motivator of no alcohol until the draft was complete. (I did finally finish. Kia read it in two days; at least for one person the book is a page turner.)

I’ve refined the one-goal system considerably since I’ve started, so I thought it might be a good time to share my mistakes, missteps, and adjustments along the way (including how my goal-setting led to a mid-life crisis).

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40 Days Without Booze

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On August 14

In Fat Loss, Health/Body-hacking, Lifestyle Experiments, Mental Health

Make mine a virgin.

Make mine a virgin.

Recently, as a “kick-in-the-butt” motivator, I promised myself that I would abstain from alcoholic beverages until I finished the first draft of a novel I’ve been working on. I had set a target date for completing the project (June 30th), with the idea that if I didn’t finish by that date, I’d stop drinking booze until I was done. I didn’t think of it as “punishment” so much; rather a modest motivational booster to propel me towards my goal. I enjoy drinking — especially wine — and I knew that going without would help me stay focused.

Well, June 30th came and went with no completed first draft in sight. No problem — it would only take a few more days to finish — soon I would be popping a cork and savoring my first glass.

I did finally finish the first draft of my sci-fi novel … on August 10th. Forty days with no booze. Here’s what it felt like:

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New House Music Release With Kevin Knapp, and a Personal Update

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On July 31

In Electronic Music, Personal Updates

Yellowcake and Kevin Knapp - Waterfall

Yellowcake and Kevin Knapp – Waterfall

My buddy Kevin Knapp just moved to Berlin to pursue his music career. We have a new release out today on Beatport that we put together a few months back. Give it a listen (and purchase) here.

I have some longer posts planned that I’m eager to write (one on gut bacteria, and also a follow-up to picking and pursuing a single life goal). I’ve also been under a large amount of family and work stress lately, so I have some insights to share in relation to stress management and anxiety reduction (and in particular to how that relates to genotypes the control the degradation rates of various neurotransmitters — 23andMe users will love this one). The work stuff is mostly resolved (after a two-hour call with Microsoft support yesterday re: SSL certificates) and the extended family stuff is ongoing (nothing to do with Kia or my daughter — they’re both doing well).

So stay with me if you’ve been enjoying this blog — there is much more to come. I’ll hopefully finish the first draft of a major writing project I’ve been working on within a couple weeks, and that will free up some time for blogging.

If you’ve been reading, commenting, following, buying my music, supporting in any way — thank you! I appreciate it. I’ve had less time to respond to comments lately, but I do read all of them.

Adventurecation! (6 principles)

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On July 21

In Travel

The Norumbega Inn, in Camden, Maine (photo by Terry Bowker)

The Norumbega Inn, Camden, Maine (photo by Terry Bowker)

Just got back from two weeks on the East Coast, where we visited friends and family in Maine and Massachusetts. We tried a new style of traveling, borrowed from our friends The Wests, from Bonny Doon, who have three kids. Basically, you get on the road and see where it takes you. They’ve dubbed this style “adventurecation.” Why not?

For the first week, we stayed with Kia’s extended family in Martha’s Vineyard. We had dinner on a schooner. BBQ’s and beach parties. Ate lobster. Ran into Jake Gyllenhaal at the deli. Good times!

But week 2 of our vacation, we had no plan at all. We had talked about visiting some friends who had recently moved to Maine, and had some really vague ideas about what else we might do (like maybe visit Acadia National Park). For a planner like me, the prospect was nerve-wracking. No plan, no itinerary? I had visions of driving around dark towns late at night, and settling for a crappy, overpriced hotel room.

The actual experience was the opposite of my fears. We discovered and explored  some great places, and (when we weren’t guests of friends or family) stayed in fantastic hotels, inns, and resorts, at prices that were extremely reasonable.

Here’s how we did it:

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Coffee Infographic

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On July 10

In Health/Body-hacking

I saw this “pros and cons of drinking coffee” infographic from Jason Tham last year, and saved it, meaning to repost it because it’s so excellent. Better late than never — here it is! Click for larger image.

pros-and-cons-of-coffee-consumption-infographic

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