I feel we are in the Pacman game. We want it more and more… We want to grow nonstop. Our families, kids, companies or partners, we are all in Pacman game.

I was at the grocery store yesterday. We were lined up between each other 6 feet apart. (Luckily there marked on the floor what is 6 feet look like for people like who don’t know feet vs meters still after 10 years in the states:) On the line, I thought about Pacman while I was waiting on the line. A couple of weeks ago, I was listening to a podcast and the guest said we are raising our kids like Pacman. Learn this lesson, do this, attend that club, go to this school, etc. Is it only we do for kids? I don’t think so. We do have the same approach for almost everything.

I have no problem with gaining more knowledge or raising our standard of living etc. Also no intention to change the game.

A) I want all of us to know we are in the Pacman game

B) There is no Game-Over. Pretty much if you failed, you can start again and again. Don’t stress out too much.

C) Is this your Pacman game or someone else’s?

I feel you. This is how we all feel lately. We are all kinda scared of it. Because, we always find to distractions not to be bored. Because, What we believe “Being bored is sucks”. Is it really?

I believe being bored is healthy. You are starting to think and process. You can be alone with your thoughts. You have a chance to re-evaluate many things.

I don’t know when was the last time we felt being bored until the stay home movement started. Now, we are tired of watching Netflix, checking Instagram, following News, etc. Boredom is hitting so hard all of us. That’s good. Now, we are backing to our basic instincts….

Every day when we get up from our bed, we have one goal: Don’t die. I know sounds a little bit harsh. However, that’s pretty much simple rule. We might don’t figure out until the global corona event, but we were always trying not to die today. We subconsciously always thinking about how we can make it to tomorrow?

Why am I talking about this? Because of the last couple of weeks, we all feel death is not too far. People are losing their loved ones, and it’s hard to forecast what is going on. I had a chance to think about this. And, came up with an idea, Live Today! Think today is the day. Yesterday is already gone. So change your attitude instead of surviving another day, be more aware where you spending your time. Don’t waste it.

Focus on the real stuff: Live Today!

Don’t worry at all. Everyone is weird (1) anyway. Some of us easily to show our weirdness and be proud of it. Some of us keep hiding under the mask.

I don’t like to be label myself or anybody at all. However, I used to super offensive if someone called me “nerd” or “weird”. Now, I actually enjoy it.

Don’t scare. Embrace it! Say “ I’m weird and love it”

(1) According to Meriam Webster Dictionary, First Definition of Weird: of strange or extraordinary character.

Walking: One Step at a Time by Erling Kagge. I read Erling’s Silence book a couple of years ago. I like the way he writes. He’s a writer, collector, and explorer from Norway He is the first man who walked the South Pole, North Pole and top of the Everest. Erling is for sure an expert in Walking. After that book, I started to walk at least 1 hour per day. I did a couple of research about him and watched multiple videos. He’s definitely one of the coolest guys I would love to meet.

Pound the Stone by Joshua Medcalf. Joshua is a great storyteller. His Chop Wood, Carry Water is one of my favorite books ever. I recommend it that one for everyone who is looking for a short, sweet story. Pound the Stone is a great curation of ideas, best practices. The book is very easy to follow and read it.

Addiction by Design: Machine Gambling by Natasha Dow Schull. I like Design, Social behavior topics. Especially Machine Zone which is the place you can’t think outside of the game is a topic I really wanted to learn it. Very interesting to see Casinos are in Las Vegas don’t gamble. They calculate everything to make you addicted to their machines.

BONUS

You should definitely watch Ozark. I mean I love the show. New Season came out last Friday. I already spent my weekend and watched the entire season.

I did a Youtube Video Interview with 415 Stories. If you curious about my story and how I help other startups, watch here ( English)

Last week, We published our latest episode (Turkish) on how to built Saas Company in Turkey. We are sharing with all the best practices that we experienced in our companies with my co-host Osman ( He is CEO of UserGuiding.com- My portfolio company). Our latest (last one) will be available next week.

That’s all from me. I hope you guys can enjoy all the recommendations during this stay at home time.

best

aykut

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You guys probably are cutting your own hair. Me: I’m shaving

I have a head razor. I bought maybe 4-5 months ago. I tried to use it multiple times either I was not successful or I was turning the bathroom like a mess. I’m talking about my hair. People who know me, know what I’m talking about. I’m a bald guy. I have little hair on my both side of the head and back that’s it.

Anyway, because of the quarantine, I can’t go barbershop so I started shaving my hair again. Now, I learned the trick. Don’t let the hair grow more than 3-4 days, If it grows, it’s getting harder to shave it.

Now, I know how to shave my own hair on the top other advantages of being bald. Like pretty much not spending any time for your hair. Sounds like monks they figured out this time-saving habit couple thousand years ago:)

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I discovered Leonard Cohen around 2010-2011. I like melancholy and slow music, especially on Sunday. Drinking my coffee and writing on my notebook is part of my rituals.

I was so sad when he passed away in 2016. I don’t know he was the closest English music composer and singer to Turkish sad music I like it. Later on, I discovered he wrote almost all his songs. Cohen was a poet before he was a musician. That makes me closer to him. I started writing Poems back in 2007. Those are mostly short ones. Last 2-3 years I restarted writing Poems pretty much whenever I feel to share something. My wife is collecting them. Maybe one day we’ll publish them who knows?

I love Cohen’s “Waiting for Miracle”. Especially these days we are all waiting “Miracle to Come”

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How can we automate our decisions based on signals instead of noises? It can be applied for any decision making process.

Voltaire said: History never repeats but people do. So, if people are repeating the same pattern so why don’t we take advantage of it?

I’m talking fully automated solutions can make a decision. A pure system without human interaction. No human error or bias.

Learning from conditions then take the actions based on our KPIs. More “signal data” more “calculated outcome”

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When is the last you asked yourself “What am I into? “

I love being curious. I wonder all the time. You might even catch me talking myself. Let me share with you my top favorites questions for any occasion:

-Why this happen?

-Who started this first?

-Why are we doing what we are doing?

-Who was the first person to say this?

– What will be end results?

While we are curious about our favorite artist’s height or where are they from:), we should also ask deep questions ourselves to discover our untapped potential.

I believe every single of us is unique. Our brothers and sisters have the same dad and mom but they are most of the cases totally opposite than us. So, what is on the earth we should be the same person. If you want to find your uniqueness, start being curious about yourself.

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Stay home except for essential needs. You hear this all day long.

Why is it so hard to stay home?

I don’t know. But, I actually enjoy it. I think I grew up with that. I attended a boarding school ( Hasanoglan Anadolu Ogretmen Lisesi) in Ankara/Turkey between 2001-2005. We were always either at the dorm or school campus. Our campus was huge. I think bigger than most of the universities.

The school was built by students (1943). After they graduated high school, They started to be a teacher. Mostly they went to the countryside of Turkey to educate women and kids.

Our daily routine look like:

• Get up 6am
• Study between 6-7 am
• 7 am-8 am Breakfast
• 8 am 3 pm School
• 3 pm-5 pm Free Time
• 5 pm-6 pm Dinner
• 6 pm-8 pm Study
• 8 pm-9 pm Get Ready for Bed
• 9 pm: Sharp sleep ( I mean military sharp:)

I literally live like that 4 years. So, we can’t leave the campus area during the weekdays. If you are local, you can go on the weekends. Anytime, you had to leave the campus either you had to be sick or your parents needed to call the school. So, those times there was no smartphone. The Internet got came to our school in my senior year. So, what we did in during that time? Read, Study and Enjoy nature.

That’s what I am doing now too, Work, Read, Write and Enjoy the nature.

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