June 2020 Update

Hey all, thanks again for subscribing to my dedicated email list. This is my first of my monthly updates.

Word on the street

For the past month, I've been back at work. As expected work in the taxi is still relatively dead.

More and more people/customers are returning to the streets, but as this number raises so does the number of drivers returning to work, keeping my average earnings the same.My earnings are at around 1/3 the level that they were pre-covid, and tour guiding has of course stopped entirely.

I’m still just trying to get out 8 hours a day minimum, for 5 days a week, not chasing it and accepting that it's going to be survival mode until 2021 at the earliest.

I've had students ask me if it's still worth doing The Knowledge, this pandemic should not affect your reasoning for this.While I can’t personally tell you if it is worth doing The Knowledge for you. I can tell you that everyones circumstances are different. For me at 28 years old, I have a lot more years to ride out this pandemic.Also if you are just starting The Knowledge, it's probably the best time as you are more than motivated to leave your job, and by the time 3-5 years lapses, the economy will certainly have recovered.

The job works for me, I love the freedom of being my own boss, being entrepreneurial, building connections with other drivers and best of all, allowing me the time to engage with you.  Knowledge students, cabbies or anyone who has a general interest in the topic.It's definitely gutting trying to work in these quiet conditions, but every has it bad in some way.  I have friends who normally work in pubs, friends who work in barbershops so can't even try and work, and friends who have been furloughed and are not too sure if their employer will be able to survive this crisis.

We are still without restaurants, pubs, and accessible tourism.  Are those all dead too? Of course not, it just takes time to rebuild from the damage caused.

There’s been a taxi trade in London since the 17th century.  It coped with the Great fire of London, various wars, recessions and is still here today.  Hopefully with a bit of luck it can continue for many more centuries. 

What I’m currently reading

Atomic Habits - James Clear

This is a really insightful book into building good habits and breaking old ones.

It’s refreshing to see some examples that I put into practice when I was on The Knowledge (designing your lifestyle and environment to minimise resistance towards a given goal, i.e. studying), whilst containing plenty more ways of approaching good habits that I shall be putting towards my work and exercise moving forward.

New observation in London

I dropped a lady off at Burnsall Street in Chelsea, approaching from Elystan Place, I came in from Godfrey Street.  A street I don’t use often.

It was a beautiful day and the colour of the houses just beamed out at me, it’s definitely worth checking out, they are beautiful.

Thanks again and I'll see you all again soon.Be lucky,Tom H.