I was on the phone with a friend this week who aspires to get his PhD in the next few years. They are notoriously difficult to complete — with deadlines sometimes years away and distant advisors, it’s easy to procrastinate and feel isolated in the task.

Essentially, the thought is that companies will be lowering their cost structures due to automation through software. And, where humans were once necessary, there will increasingly be software which costs less to produce and maintain.

When I was there a few weeks ago, I even met a few young people who’d skipped going to university to, instead, come to the mountainous north of Thailand, to work on projects and learn about entrepreneurship.

I’m guessing this one is on many people’s New Year’s resolutions list. Luckily for me, I usually only fluctuate a few pounds, but any more than that is just enough to make me feel unhealthy. I’m going to drop down to my fighting weight in the next 60 days and stay there for the remainder of the year.

In a busy world, I still make time to open my RSS reader every morning and read blogs. Ian and I love being a part of that. Blogging gives us space to think through ideas and connect with like-minds in a different way than simply tweeting or recording a podcast.

For most businesses, generally in the first few years, there is a period when you have to spend a significant amount of time and/or money to get it off the ground. You are trying to figure out what does – and does not – work.

About a year ago, somebody mentioned that I should install software that would tell me when people who emailed me were tracking whether or not I opened, re-opened, or clicked on their email.

A few years ago people (mostly non-entrepreneurs) started asking me the question “Where did you come up with that idea?”, in reference to my business.