It’s more than just a visual refresh. It’s a rethinking of how I want this place to feel, work, and grow.

What changed?

• A proper split between essays and notes:
  Essays are the longform, polished stuff — researched, written over several days, probably rewritten more than once. Notes are everything else: thoughts, fragments, observations, links, the raw stuff. You’ll see both in the same feed, but they now look and feel different. There’s a custom RSS feed for posts-only, notes-only, and everything combined.

• A cleaner homepage:
  The homepage is now a straight feed of content, so you know what a post is about as you scroll. Pagination at the bottom, archive in the nav, and a dedicated archive for one of the four topics I write about.

• A little color:
  A new light theme, new typography (Literata and Satoshi), and some changes to how different content looks now.

• And some more changes:
  I’m launching a newsletter called Thinking Out Loud, a companion to this website. Manuel also updated the Reading page — every book now has its own sub-page, where you’ll find my highlights and notes (going forward, I admit I’m a bit too lazy to go through all the old stuff).

Some notes by Manu on what changed in the background for all my tech-nerds:

The site still runs on Kirby—because we all love Kirby—but everything has been re-coded from scratch. Notes are no longer posts with a category slapped on them but are their own unique entity with dedicated design and post type. Books also now have a dedicated page. The content is a lot more modular and better organised on the backend side which will make expanding and adding new features in the future a lot easier.

Why now?

Because I outlived the old site. It was originally a theme done by Manuel, that we tried to hack into something else, but he decided a rewrite was in order.

This relaunch also kicks off a new rhythm: more regular posts, more unfinished thoughts, more writing. I’m treating cliophate.wtf as a lab — for ideas, for writing, for projects I haven’t fully figured out yet. I quite like the new Notes feature.

The main question I try to answer on these pages is what makes a good life. And I’m building it around four things: health, clarity, creativity, and play.

You’re welcome to watch, join, steal, or ignore.

What’s next?

I’ll be posting weekly. Some essays, some notes, some experiments.

Again, there’s a newsletter if you want to follow along. There are RSS feeds for all content, just posts, just notes, and just the reading updates.

There is also a new Ko-Fi link, in case you want to support my writing.

And soon maybe more. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Thanks for reading.

• Book title: The Great Work of Your Life
• Author: Stephen Cope
• Rating: /5

Where to buy The Great Work of Your Life by Stephen Cope:

• Bookshop

• Book title: The Mountain is You
• Author: Brianna Wiest
• Rating: 4.5/5

Read this in two days. Never heard of the author, but that is some good prose. It is the fourth book in the whole series I've been reading lately, and it's the one that talked to me the most. Not very scientific, but the writer is a poet not a psychologist, so I'm ok with that context.

• Book title: Driven
• Author: Douglas Brackmann, Randy Kelley
• Rating: 3/5

This might be more helpful for people who actually have ADHD, even though Brackmann and Kelley keep using "Driven" as a term. But that is just semantics. I don't have ADHD, so some stuff did not apply to me, at all. I have no clue why I read this, btw.

• Book title: Relentless
• Author: Tim S. Grover
• Rating: 3/5

A bit of tough love that some people might need. A good read, maybe a bit too much focus on the author himself. Also, I know nothing about basketball.

• Book title: Purpose & Profit
• Author: Dan Koe
• Rating: 4/5

I've discovered this book by coincidence, but it somehow came to me at the right time.

Where to buy Purpose & Profit by Dan Koe:

• Amazon.com

• Book title: The War of Art
• Author: Steven Pressfield
• Rating: 2/5

This book is overhyped. It's way too woo-woo for my liking and it didn't actually do anything for me.

This post is inspired by Rands in Repose and his “How to Rands” post.

I wrote this so we can skip the awkward figuring-each-other-out phase and get straight to doing work. I won’t tell you how to do your job. I’m just giving you a guide to how I do mine, how I work best with others, and what helps or hinders collaboration. My goal is always the same: build good things, with good people, and have fun.

This is a living document.

On Schedules

My calendar changes a lot, but the rhythm stays the same. When I’m working, I’m working. I don’t half-ass the day and then stay late to make up for it. Once I’m done, I’m done. I don’t check Teams. I don’t check Outlook. And if you send me a text message, I’ll be annoyed AF and ignore it until the next day. My time outside work is mine, and I protect it. I have way too much stuff going on on a daily basis, so I wouldn't even have time to look at your stuff. (I have too many hobbies, I know.)

When I’m in the office, I’m productive in a different way. There’s a lot of value in those face-to-face moments, spontaneous chats, and shared context. That’s where a lot of thinking happens. I might not do deep solo work there, but I get clarity that helps later. That tradeoff works for me. (But if I am in the office, and wear headphones, I’m either in a meeting or need to focus. )

Remote days are for execution. Office days are for context.

On Communication

I prefer written communication to be clear, short, and to the point. On Teams or email, just say what needs saying. Skip the pleasantries. I do, too.

That said, in-person communication is different. If we’re in the same building, talk to me. I prefer it. Office conversations are often faster, more natural, and more human than a video call with five people and a fuzzy agenda.

Meetings via Teams tend to drag. I struggle with them more. If it feels like we’re holding a meeting just to hold it, I’ll probably tune out. (Nah, scratch that, I will definitely tune out.)

I’m short in writing. Sometimes there’s no greeting. Sometimes no emoji. That’s just how I write. It’s not personal.

Silence doesn’t bother me. We don’t always need to fill the space. I respect people who take time to think before speaking.

On Meetings

The best meetings are the ones with a reason to exist. A real reason. Not because there’s a recurring slot on the calendar, not because someone wants to “sync” without knowing what for. If there’s no purpose, skip it. If we finish early, even better.

I like walking 1:1s. It’s some of the most useful time I spend with people. I also believe in sprint-style check-ins when we’re building something fast and want to keep momentum.

What I don’t like are bloated, directionless meetings with too many people and no ownership. I try not to run them, and I don’t enjoy being in them. And I don't mask it.

On Decisions

I want to move forward. That doesn’t mean rushing through decisions, but building clarity and then acting. I’m okay with ambiguity, but only for a while. If something feels stuck, I’ll ask why. If we need more time, cool, but let’s be honest about it.

Sometimes I think I’m right. (I am.) But I’m also open to being convinced, just bring a solid case. I won’t get defensive. I’m not here to win arguments, I’m here to build the best thing we can.

But if you disagree with me, do it privately. Don't make it a circus in front of people.

On Work

I work because I like building things, solving problems, and having fun doing it. That’s the heart of it. It’s not about status or ladder climbing or checking boxes. I have a big enough ego already, I don't need outside validation anymore. I validate myself regularly enough.

I care a lot about what I do at work, but I’m not defined by it. I’m a mix of interests, projects, ideas, and moods. Work is one part of that and not the whole picture. So if you criticize my work (within reason), you will never criticize me. So don't worry.

Also, I don’t talk about work outside work hours unless the reason we’re meeting is to talk about work. If you talk work outside work hours, I'll probably tune out. (Nah, scratch that, I will definitely tune out.)

Burnout doesn’t scare me as much as bore-out does. I need to feel challenged. If I start to lose interest, it’s probably because the work got repetitive, I’m not learning anymore or nobody’s pushing for better.

On Feedback

I want it. Early, often, direct. Don’t hold it back because you’re worried about tone. Say what’s true, and make it useful. That’s all I ask.

I give feedback in the same way, straight, but never mean. I don’t do performative feedback. If I’m offering a thought, it’s because I think it’ll help. If I say nothing, we’re probably good (or I’m still thinking).

I try to give people space to figure things out on their own. But I try to clear their path, so they can do their work. I’m not big on hand-holding. But sometimes I might leave you alone too much. If you need more direction, just ask. I’d rather adjust than have you stuck or frustrated.

On Growth

I don’t believe in fixed paths. My career has been a zigzag of opportunities, instincts, and timing. I’ve shifted roles, teams, and even “industries” because something interesting came up and I chased it. I respect people who do the same.

If you want something, say so. If you don’t know what’s next, let’s talk about it. But don’t expect a 5-year plan from me. I don’t plan ahead like that.

Let’s build something worth doing now, and let the path unfold from there.

On Annoyance

People calling instead of thinking. Meetings that could’ve been messages. Loud talkers who mistake volume for clarity. Passive negativity. People who can’t or won’t decide. Fake friendliness that’s really just a way to get you to agree. People who waste time pretending they know something instead of admitting they don’t.

And above all: people who can’t admit fault.

Final Thoughts

I like working with people who are curious, driven, and self-aware. People who care about the quality of what they do, but don’t need applause for every step. People who know when to move fast and when to think twice. People who don’t pretend to be someone else to fit in.

If that sounds like you, we’ll probably work well together. If it doesn’t, this doc should help you navigate things. And if something feels off, tell me. I’d rather fix it than coast.

Work should be exciting. Not all day, not every day but regularly enough that we go to sleep looking forward to the next thing.

• Book title: A Prayer for the Crown-Shy
• Author: Becky Chambers
• Rating: 4.5/5

Follow-Up to A Psalm for the Wild-Built. Started it right after finishing the first book. It didn't have the same emotional impact on me, but it still only took me a day to finish.

Where to buy A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers:

• Bookshop.org