English

I just returned from a beach vacation. I needed to rest, and a place and way to spend my time that wouldn’t even make me think about what to eat. I made it, but it was so boring.

I quit my job. I am no longer an employee of the company I manage, but I remain, for the moment and to accompany it during a phase of financial adjustment, the CEO. During this period I have received several job offers, and I chose the probably most complex one. Partly because I like professional challenges, partly to get out of my comfort zone and take a bit of a dirt road, and partly because, evidently, I am a masochist.

Have you ever had to fire someone? I mean, have you ever been forced to tell a colleague that from that day he or she will be able to stay home because it is no longer sustainable? And have you ever put yourself in that colleague’s shoes, slipped into his or her life? Have you ever identified yourself with a bedridden mother, or without a partner and a child to take care of, or with a wife without a job and multiple children to support, or with a mortgage just signed, or with a newborn child, or a wish just wished for?

For so many days I have written nothing. Nothing on the blog, nothing in my journal, nothing but emails and reports and analysis and bullshit to keep alive a professional social media account that I am already thinking of closing. Nothing.

There are daily occasions that suggest parallels to my work and team management. Simple things like, for example, choosing which gadget to give to your son or daughter: is a walkie-talkie or a watch better?

I’ve done something in the last few days that I’m not very proud of. But it was something I had to do, that several people suggested I do, that I didn’t even need that they suggested I do, but so I did. I activated an account on Instagram.

This is a long story. I could write a long post. I don’t assume you’re interested: in that case, feel free to close your browser or skip to the next content proposed by your feed reader. But if you would like to know more about this long story, keep reading.

Lately, a question has been buzzing around in my head, and I decided to indulge it: what if I tried replacing Bear for managing, maintaining, and archiving my notes? So, I tried it.