No: “Where is the one thing that will fix all my problems for me right now?”
Yes: “Will this thing give me one new, good idea I can use right now?”
Invest in things that will help you fix a small problem so you can get a little bit better at what you do. Find one good idea and actually implement it. Then repeat.
I loved this Superorganizers interview with my friend, Josh Kaufman that dives into how Josh does research, reading, writing, and uses Ulysses. And how he has a separate computer that is only for doing focused work.
The past 12 months I have gotten extraordinarily nerdy on backpacking gear. And one of the things I ended up splurging on was the best headlamp I’ve ever owned. Two things I love about this thing: (1) how very thin and lightweight it is; and (2) its dedicated buttons for the white and red lights. The dedicated buttons mean you don’t have to cycle through a whole sequence of options before you get to the light you want. It’s just press and go.
When your attention goes to many things, no real progress is ever made. Not all opportunities are worth pursuing — especially if it means being pulled away from something that is currently working.
I’ve been noticing a lot of folks sharing some fancy-looking screenshots lately, and turns out its with this app called Xnapper. I downloaded it a few weeks ago and it’s great. If you share screenshots for marketing purposes, or just want to share nicer-looking screenshots, this is the app for you.
This will be the 3rd or 4th year in a row that we’ve done our Summer Adventure Bag. Two things new for this year:
We started taking requests this year. The boys are all anticipating it and have been asking us when we’ll start it. So we started asking them what adventures they want. Their submissions so far include: “play video games ALL DAY”, “Go to Krispy Kreme”, and “Picnic breakfast”)
I’m going to start being more intentional about documenting / photographing our weekly adventures and possibly creating some sort of time capsule. I don’t know for sure yet. We’ll see.
So this is a completely random but fun experiment… but what app would you pick if you could only pick ONE?
I know, I know. It’s an impossible choice. I’d be so torn between several: camera, notes, music, messages, tasks…
And, as nerdy as it sounds, I think I’d pick the app Things. (The to-do list manager.)
Things is not my most used app at all. But… it’s super fast, very easy to use and navigate, and very versatile. I think it’d work as the single spot to keep all my ideas, reminders, projects, tasks, notes, etc.
I think I’d prefer the simplicity and speed over the missing features.
If it was a different device — say iPad or Mac, I’d pick a different app. I’d probably pick Ulysses as the only app I could use on my iPad. And Notion as the only app I could use on my Mac. (Or I would totally cheat and say Safari on Mac.)
So I just realized that I’ve been a mechanical keyboard nerd for nearly a decade. (Wow.)
Anyway, I’ve got a plethora of keyboards in my office, and the one I have now is my favorite by far. It’s the Keychron Q2. My model is the Silver Grey A, with the knob, and blue switches.
These are incredible photographs by Xavi Bou, with some insights into how they’re made.
Stack a new habit next to an old one to help you build your new habit more easily.
This is a gorgeous, stow-away desk / art piece.
In my office is a stack of fancy, ready-to-use note cards, with stamps right there. I use them constantly to easily send folks hand-written notes in the mail. One of my favorite things. And Hoban Cards makes the best.
In his book, Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster lists several principles for the outward expression of simplicity. These are things which someone could use or do in their attempt to flesh out the meaning of simplicity in the modern life.
Here are six of Foster’s suggestions: