Imperfect Practice / field notes
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Practice makes better,
not perfect.

A weekly log of small experiments in work, health, creativity, technology and real life — the ones that worked, and the ones that didn't.

Portrait of Peter Jones
Kept by Peter Jones — a practicing surgeon, husband, father, writer, and compulsive experimenter. About me →
Be Optimistic, Not Positive Latest essay2026-11-063 min

Be Optimistic, Not Positive

Passive positivity is a weapon used against us. Honest optimism empowers us to progress. Better to choose the latter.
New here?

Start with these six.

What this project is, and why imperfect is the point. Read them in order.

  1. 01What is Imperfect Practice?
  2. 02Burnout, hiding in plain sight
  3. 03The Myth of the Extraordinary Life
  4. 04Replacing Resolutions with Themes
  5. 05The Seduction of Rumination
  6. 06The Secret Ingredient: Knowing Yourself
The five pillars

Everything here lives in one of five places.

Pick the one you’re working on.

01 · The self The Foundation Habits, health, sleep, fitness, attention, and the inner conditions that make practice possible. Explore → 02 · The tools The Instrument Hardware, software, workflows, task systems, notes, and the machinery of daily work. Explore → 03 · The creative spark The Voice Writing, making, expression, and keeping a creative life alive inside a full life. Explore → 04 · The reservoir The Well Reading, learning, reflection, wisdom, music, culture, and the ideas we return to. Explore → 05 · The real world The Practice Experiments, failures, family, work, meaning, and what survives contact with actual life. Explore →

What lands in your inbox

SundaysThe Weekend WrapWhat I read, heard, tried and learned this week.
Once a weekOne articleA reflection, a tool or workflow, what I’m reading and learning, or something new I’m trying.