So one question remains on the lips of over 1,000 amazing people who visit this site every day: why has New Rising Media stopped posting? There was a promise of plenty of content, which seems to have been broken.  

Well to be brutally honest, dear reader, I have broken this promise and I am sorry. Before me lies a mountain of unfinished projects, thrown to the side in a haze of full-time commitments and procrastination. 

This is not what I had in mind for a dream I've been chasing for many years. I can see my sixteen-year-old self, fascinated with the creation of a Blogger page, turn and shake his head in shame. I was going to come to you with the simple reasoning that as I move into new realms of my career in social media marketing, the time in other areas has grown significantly, affecting what is happening on the website.

However, it's this very career that I owe my entire life's work to achieving. Sure I've got a degree, but not one single employer has asked about it, rather questioning me about New Rising Media. Undeniably disruptive of my personal relationships, it is what I love to do. No matter how my commitments change, this will always beckon to me, eagerly awaiting my return.

Is it scary that NRM is so pathologically connected to me as a human being? Of course it is, but I have not come here to perform a (what would be) troubling self-psychoanalysis. I'm writing candidly as a spiritual upheaval, to relieve myself of the soul-crushing dread of staring at an empty white screen, to start what is the beginning of a long journey-returning to former glory.

Let's get going again.

In this, the first part of however many it will take me, I thought it best to take a glance over what helps me work. Two particular tools that aid me in removing any writers block or sheer procrastination, leaving nothing but pure focus on what's at hand.

Music: Heyward Howkins

To-Do List: Clear

One of my main issues when it comes to keeping a list of all my to-dos is remembering them in some of the most inconvenient situations, only to forget them near instantaneously when you reach a time to fill out a list of actions. Clear circumvents this with great integration between my iPhone & Mac, and a great gesture-based interface to boot.

Organise both your personal and professional lives with style.

Some people like something with a quick tempo and a strong beat to help them concentrate. For me on the other hand, Philadelphia's own Heyward Howkins becomes the perfect background accompaniment to any tasks. He has two incredibly captivating albums, out of which I personally prefer 'Hale & Hearty.' Have a listen whenever you are in the urgent need to get something done, and see if it is a fit for your productivity like my own.