Reading Time: 2 minI mentioned a few days ago that I’m not super happy with Google lately, but a few days before that I shared how I just can’t shake Gmail. The math says I shouldn’t use it, but that’s much easier said than done. It was exactly 20 years ago today, April 1, 2004, that Google introduced […]
Productivity
Writing doesn’t begin with a blank page
Reading Time: 2 minIf you know you need to write something and you’re struggling with where to start, a big blank page sitting in front of you can be very intimidating. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. For me, notes are the key. Before I sit down to write anything, I already have a few notes […]
Processes over routines
Reading Time: < 1 minI recently shared more thoughts on have routines instead of goals (“Just do it“), but in some cases processes can beat routines. For exercise and learning, I think routines can be great, but if your life is more varied it can be hard to stick to a routine. In those cases, processes can take over […]
11: When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
Reading Time: 2 minWe’ve reached the 11th and final question “Tribe of Mentors” by Tim Ferriss (see all previous questions here), and it’s a good one! When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, or have lost your focus temporarily, what do you do? (If helpful: What questions do you ask yourself?) There are three great answers that I pulled […]
Strategic Luxury
Reading Time: < 1 minI had an interesting set of conversations on consecutive days last week and it taught me a new phrase. When chatting with Ali, she talked about how she consistently tries to find little ways to make her life better. It could be a better jug for her water (and all of the little ways her […]
Efficiency vs Effectiveness
Reading Time: < 1 minI’ve long thought that efficiency and effectiveness were roughly the same thing. There are some small differences, but they’re both about getting things done. After reading more about both, their differences are more pronounced than I realized. Peter Drucker separates them simply by this: “Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.” […]
A Nimble contact list
Reading Time: 3 minI’ve briefly mentioned the tool “Dex” on here a few times, as it’s a great tool to help you remember to catch back up with old contacts. It does an excellent job, but it has one major problem — it doesn’t sync with my contacts. It can pull in my contacts, as well as email […]
A paper planner on a digital notepad
Reading Time: 2 minFor the last few years, I’ve kept a rough schedule on my digital notepad (first the reMarkable, later the Kindle Scribe), and the tools keep getting better every year. Planning tools aren’t native on either device, so I’ve been purchasing templates from “ePaperTemplates” on Etsy. They make some great templates at a fair price and […]
How can I pay for that?
Reading Time: 2 minI’ve always been a believer in supporting the apps that I use the most. So many small, useful apps go out of business every year, so I try my best to support them and I encourage you to do the same. Snipd For example, the popular “Airr” app on iPhone was forced to shut down […]
Google Tasks is finally decent
Reading Time: 3 minDid you know that Google has a task management app? Not many do, because it’s been tucked away and largely ignored for years. It first came out in 2018 as a feature in Gmail, and has slowly expanded into a more full-featured app. It’s still rather bare-bones, but some recent improvements (as shared by The […]