I enjoy working on my 2013 MacBook Pro and Galaxy S7 Edge smartphone. These two machines are my pals. I’m super grateful for them. They’re an extension of me.
Here’s my work set-up at Starbucks @starbucks @waikelestarbucks on the 4th of July, 2019. To control my anxiety, I keep attacking my writing, logistics, designing, and reading to execute on my many small goals every day. 💻 By the way, I love my @apple Macbook Pro and my Samsung @samsungmobile Galaxy S7 Edge, my pals.
When I stop working, that’s when my dark thoughts take over so I counter them with all my lifestyle practices until I can get myself to sleep: mindfulness, gratitude, exercise, good food & beverages, time with positive people, work at my happy place, breath techniques, write from my heart, read books to improve myself, listen to music, update my daily goals and wins in my calendar, meditate, get some sunlight, look at the sky, drink green tea, smell an uplifting or relaxing scent, pray to my loved ones who passed away, talk to my mom, talk to my friend, and much more. My friends, do your daily practices every day to keep your soul bright.
I can pull long hours working at my happy office, a coffee shop. Here, I’m working at Starbucks @starbucks @waikelestarbucks at Waikele Premium Outlets with my friends. I have my Apple @apple Macbook Pro, Samsung @samsungmobile Galaxy S7, and Bose @bose Quiet Comfort 25, my weapons to produce content and IP.
Do you have places to work that lift your spirit where you can maximize your productivity?
Focused and typing on my @apple #macbookpro while listening to music with my @bose #bosesoundsport as I’m in transit on Honolulu’s awesome bus system on 4/30/2019! Maximizing my productivity! I’m looking forward to Honolulu’s rail system to be completed! Keep crushing everything you’re striving for my friends!
I have so much #gratitude for Starbucks @starbucks , especially the @waikelestarbucks @waikelepo because the baristas are so nice and the #vibe is good. I can #work there for 10 hours straight. Pictured here are some free samples: a brownie and the Pink Drink! Grateful ! Got my constant companion, my @apple #macbookpro #laptop ! 💻
For the past few years, I feel like almost every month or two, someone I know dies. My last poem was about racing against time. It’s the 9th time since 2004 that I’ve titled a post on my website “Racing Against Time.” We have to go all-out on what we want to do before our time in this realm expires. I’m super #thankful to have lived this long and experienced many things I envisioned #accomplishing but I still have so much more on my mind that I need to execute before I die. I’m quadrupling down on my work and going harder now! 💻
My friends, keep going, keep loving, and keep smiling! 😀
I have so much #gratitude for this free sample and the nice #baristas at Starbucks @starbucks @waikelestarbucks !!! My companion is in the backdrop, my @apple #macbookpro #laptop .
The public access room at the Hawaii State Capitol is my office when I’m there. Grateful for those who created this service for the public for as long as I can remember, dating back to when I was volunteering for my friend when he was a State Representative, the late U.S. Congressman K. Mark Takai while I was Vice President of the #studentgovernment at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Technology has made it easier for us to produce and consume. When I started an Internet retail store selling Hawaiian themed products back in 2002, customers were increasingly becoming more comfortable on buying products online. Now, it’s a part of our lifestyle. It’s such an exciting time where we don’t need offices and brick and mortar stores. We can bypass the gatekeepers and provide value straight to the consumers. We can research and learn online. We can produce content and services on our computers. We can communicate with one another in many ways. It’s also a great time for artists and entrepreneurs to disrupt markets and be found. I just love this time period and it will keep getting better!
In this picture, I was working on my @apple Macbook Pro in the lounge of a hotel on March 6, 2019 before my lunch meeting with a law client in regards to business contracts and business documents. Isn’t this lounge and all the plants beautiful!
I’m so grateful for technology and all of my technology toys for work! They make the hustle fun!
In the past year, I’ve stopped using my briefcase that I got from the University of Hawaii at Manoa bookstore when I was a college student and turned to my awesome REI Bookpacker Plus backpack that I used while a law student at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. It’s so comfortable and sturdy, great for walking and moving about in the bus transportation system in Honolulu, Hawaii. Briefcases aren’t comfortable to carry. Backpacks like the REI Bookpacker Plus has cushion and support for long walks.
My REI Bookpacker Plus also has a lot of space and compartments to put all my useful things. My backpack carries the following: good luck charms; Apple MacBook Pro; plastic folders of different colors from Office Depot and Fisher, which holds my business material; black gunmetal Bose Quietcomfort 25 noise-cancelling headphones; black Bose Soudsport wireless headphones; space gray Apple iPod; plugs and cables for my devices; batteries; black Imation flash drive; black with silver designs samurai umbrella by Waterfront in Japan; UNIQLO black foldable windbreaker hoodie; black Fossil sunglasses; black with gold accent Perry Ellis prescription glasses; several pairs of Dailies AquacomfortPlus contact lenses; Victorinox Swiss Army knife with my first and middle name on the transparent frame that my mom and dad got for me when they went to Switzerland; blue-purple with gold accents Parker dress pen; blue Eagle Scout pen with a rubber end to touch the screen of my phone, great for designing ads; pens; mechanical pencil; eraser; gray Totoro foldable reusable bag; black blue gunmetal Tiger Sahara stainless steel water bottle; hand sanitizer; napkins; and food and snacks.
The one thing I need is a portable charger to recharge my smartphone. I’ll reward myself this once I achieve a major goal.
All in all, I’m pretty functional as a mobile office with the gear I have in my backpack. The only times, I need my office is to work on my finances with my Dell PC desktop; scan, copy, and print in color and black and white documents on my Brother Inkjet All-in-One, or print large amounts of documents quickly in black and white with my Dell laser printer. I’m extremely grateful for my backpack and all my useful things in it that help me to maximize my productivity. It makes work fun!
Trying to pull off a 6-hour session reading and researching for one of my favorite projects that I’ve been working on for over 4 years. Wrote 70,881 words for content I hope to pitch to agencies in April 2018. Scared but feeling motivated.
Getting pulled in different directions at the same time. How do I resolve this? By working day and night at my happy office, Starbucks. In my days as a politician or litigation attorney, I would have difficulty doing this. But working in business development and law, in-between my meetings, much of my work is reading, analyzing, and drafting content and transactions, thus, my mighty MacBook Pro computer can keep me mobile, productive, and connected. Why are coffee shops my happy office? (1) Positive energy from people working, studying, reading, or meeting; (2) I’m fixed to a table to work and just using the restroom takes effort, so I keep working as much as possible with fewer breaks; and (3) Beverages and food are available so I can remain working.
Chaired my board of directors meeting for Jodo Shu Hawaii earlier and now working at Coffee Talk in Kaimuki, Hawaii while my mom attends a meeting for wellness products. I’ve been in the zone for the past week, pulling off nonstop writing and learning sessions of up to 10 hours straight at coffee shops. I snapped out of a low and depressive energy period caused by stress and anxiety – partly because life and death became very real when I had to save my cousin-in-law from choking on food. There’s so much I want to accomplish before I die. I want to play a small role in providing value to others, especially in products and services that can help others find peace. So excited to work!!!
I had a nice 1-mile walk to my office, Starbucks in Waikele to do work this evening of 2/27/2018. The energy I get from coffee shops motivates me to accomplish some small wins. This reminds me of my law school days when I walked everywhere, even in the snow and ice. Gratitude for my Hawaii lifestyle!
Drafted some litigation strategy for a construction company for the past couple days. Here’s a picture of my lay-out in my office during the early morning of November 15, 2017.
Even when I’m tired, I get up excited to be working on a few projects that I’m passionate about that have the potential to positively impact Hawaii and the Pacific rim with more revenue, jobs, services, and products – maybe even the world. I fear failure, but I learn and develop relationships from both, success and failure, which continues to build my ideas, skills, and network, so like a music producer/DJwho mixes different sounds and talent, I can mix my ideas, skills, and friends across different sectors of our economy to create a different service or product for people to enjoy. When I was a politician, I did the same technique to create or better programs and laws. Building things through entrepreneurship and lawmaking is much more fun than fighting and breaking apart things through litigation, which I also do once in awhile. I recently got an arbitration case closed, which I’m so happy about. Here I am reviewing about 750 pages of documents for one of my projects. Notice I have my good friend, my Macbook Pro. I have so much gratitude for all the things we’ve done together. Have a great weekend my friends!!!
Coffee shops and my Macbook Pro makes work fun! Did some work at Starbucks in Ala Moana Hotel, Honolulu, Hawaii before my meeting with an engineer at Jodo Shu Hawaii on October 11, 2017.
Fun workplace, drink, and project at Starbucks in Waipio, Hawaii on May 21, 2017. Pictured is my Macbook Pro, Tiger Sahara water thermos, and Starbucks Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino.
My 2013 Macbook Pro is my best friend like R2D2 is to Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. I accomplish work through my Macbook Pro everyday and it comes with me everywhere so I can work anywhere. All my ideas, plans, analysis, documents, and agreements is in it and backed up in 2 or 3 locations. I do all my business and legal work on it. I also do my banking and investments online so I can play the world’s markets through my computer. Through my Macbook Pro, I can learn new things by researching writings and data on the Internet, watching educational videos, and listening to stimulating audio talk shows or music. I need to come up with a name for my Macbook Pro. I think I’ll name it JR5 – JR because it’s my first and middle initials, and 5 because it’s the fifth computer I’ve owned. Like Luke Skywalker and R2d2, we’re doing our best to play our part in making our universe more peaceful, loving, and compassionate.
I dedicate the remixed version of “Star Wars – The Force Theme” by DJ AG located on the bottom of this article to you and your computer companion in your efforts to better our universe. May the force be with you.
JON RIKI KARAMATSU 