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My OF setup.

Knock knock. Race condition. Who's there?

I built an indie social network and it has been running every day without issue for about 5 years now. However, today is not one of those days. Still, coding from rural Scotland is a vibe, so it’s all good. See you on the other side! 👊

I've been back in the UK for 1 month. And people keep asking me something... Almost two years ago, my gf and I decided to sell our stuff, squeeze our lives into a backpack, and move to Southeast Asia. Building a new life, routines and friends in Thailand and Vietnam has been rewarding in a really deep way. But while we're back in the UK, people want to know: ❝ What's it like being back!? The question is always asked expecting a complaint (or 10) to follow. And the funny thing is, while it's true that: ⇢ Yes, costs here are insane. ⇢ Yes, our trains and weather still suck. ⇢ And yes, British cynicism is still alive and well, and must be actively avoided when you're doing your own thing. I'm loving being back in the UK. And there's one big reason for it. The people. When you spend a lot of time in a place, you build a network of people. I haven't seen a lot of mine (the Western one, as I now call it) for way too long. So for the past month I've been having endless conversations about business, engineering, life, travel and new ideas with some of the smartest people I know. How can I possibly complain about that? It has been a perfect reminder that we need to be around good people; people who challenge us, support us and give us energy and motivation. So, in answer to the question: It's wonderful being back! It's awesome being around people that make me feel like I just got started again, and that there is so much opportunity, and so many ways to enjoy life with purpose. And if you're missing people like this in your life... I'm building something that may help, and applications are open for 3 more days only! Link to Build Mode in profile.

At my therapist’s office.

POV: Heading to Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Been showing up here for 15 years. That's the only secret.

Trains are just moving offices if you apply yourself.

Your reminder to go live on a small Thai island for a bit.

It’s a grey one today in Manchester, but grey is productive. Lots to do! 👊

I launched a new business last week. Here's how it's going. I'm talking about Build Mode, of course, the new builder community I've been working on. After months of planning, and a long application process, we have 10 very cool people and the start of a really strong community. Here's how the first week went: Monday We ran an event called Show & Tell – a casual way for everyone to share what they're working on. It was incredible! Lots of audible "wow" moments, lots of questions, and a huge amount of respect all around for the sheer amount of stuff we’re all doing. Tuesday We ran a remote co-working session. I expected this event to be minor and that not many people would come. What actually happened was the opposite. Despite it being scheduled for only 1 day, everyone remotely co-worked every day of the week! Incredible energy and camaraderie the whole way. Wednesday Accountability. A bunch of us sat down to set some goals and group accountability. Again, there was way more interest than I expected, and it’s great that we all know what each other is focused on for the rest of the month. Due to so much co-working, I've already seen a few of these goals hit already! Thursday We ran the Business Hot Seat. EVERYONE took the seat, brought their challenges and dilemmas to the table, and tons of ideas came out of it. I feel like this event will be a popular way for everyone to truly help each other. Super useful! Friday We had a quiet day planned, but everyone ruined it with yet more co-working :) — I couldn't be happier at how strongly this community has started. The only thing I care about is that everyone is bonding, making new awesome friends, and getting plenty of encouragement, help and support from each other. I'm excited to see how week 2 goes!

The setup. 🔥

Moving to Thailand? Listen up. Visas. I've spoken to quite a few people about Thailand recently, so I'm sharing publicly too, for those who want to know about visa options. In the past, many nomads entered Thailand for the max tourist period of 30-60 days (depending on your passport), with the option to extend another 30. You then had to leave and come back, but that got way more strict in recent years, and >2 entries in the same year can be problematic now. Avoid that. If you're considering Thailand for longer term, they actually launched an amazing digital nomad visa last summer. It's called the DTV, and I encourage everyone to consider it. It's valid for 5 years and let's you reside for 6 months before needing to renew it. It can be renewed using the regular domestic renewal at immigration (1 day job, but means you don't need leave the country and return), or you can simply leave and return, with no limit on number of times. The requirements are pretty reasonable. You need proof that you have the right to work remotely, you need 500k THB in a bank account to show proof you can support yourself, and that's about it. It's a remarkably generous visa option and I hope the rest of SEA catches up with it soon. Hope that helps!

This is what gas stations look like on the island I’m currently living on.

Mindset is an important part of success. And there's one thing that improves my mindset the most... I've not been posting much here lately. I've been hiding away in a remote village in Indonesia with 170 speakers of the international language Esperanto. 𝘕𝘰, 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘳𝘥! Every single day has been amazing. Talking to people from over 36 different countries in a language where we're complete equals is something else entirely. I'm having conversations that last hours and give me completely different perspectives, or sometimes just 15 minutes and blow my mind. And this is exactly my point. Mindset is a product of the people we're around and the ideas we're exposed to. Being around the right people makes all the difference. Talking to new people about new things, gaining entirely new perspectives, and finding new ways to share my own experiences is incredible. My laptop thinks I'm dead. But my soul knows otherwise. I'm looking forward to bringing all of this revived energy and focus back to my work. But first, I'm taking full advantage of this rare opportunity to be very offline and stock up on amazing connections, conversations and wonder about the world in general.

I'm launching something new today... But Benjamin Franklin beat me to it 298 years ago. He created The Junto... a club for mutual improvement. The Junto was a place for people to talk about morals, philosophy, and to help each other with business affairs. It was for people with a spirit of inquiry and a desire to improve themselves. 298 years may have passed, but a good idea is a good idea. Build Mode is my take on The Junto. It's a new, private community for ambitious, high-agency people to: → Connect with exceptional people and build real relationships with peers who inspire and challenge each other → Share and learn through meaningful discussions, curated events, and genuine community → Turn a solo journey into a shared experience with people who get it, because they're doing it too We're being very selective with members to ensure Build Mode is a high-quality, cohesive place to be. We'll start small, grow intentionally and never be impersonal. If this sounds like something you've been searching for, all the details + application process are live. Link in bio. Applications are now open for the next 2 weeks... and we're already 50% full! PS: A massive thank you to those who secured their spots over the past few weeks. I couldn't have cherry picked a better group to start this with. I'm excited to see where this goes!