Favorite Alfred Tricks
My Mac is useless without Alfred. That's no joke. I try to use my wife's profile once in a while. It's painful for me and hilarious for her to watch. I keep hitting the Alfred shortcuts and staring at it like it's broken.
Articles
Text File Setup and Workflow
Now that I've moved away from Evernote, the primary way I store information is through text files. It's taken me a while to get it nailed down but I've managed to simplify the number of apps I use and the flow of text across my devices.
28: Why Is Focus So Hard?
I've slowly drifted away from the mission that gets me excited each day. And that's due to a lack of focus and alignment with my goals.
Choosing the Right Medium
You're reading them right now. And the medium that they arrive in will change their weight. Words. Words in email have less impact than a handwritten letter. And a conversation over coffee has more sway than a phone call.
Behind The Scenes
Almost daily, I get an email from someone interested in how I have this site set up. "It's not WordPress and Disqus. What are you using?" We can talk about that, but why not take it a few steps further? Let's go from domain registrar to the reader.
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27: Pit of Procrastination
I reflect on my tendencies to fall into a procrastination pit. And a reader emailed me about web designers posing as developers so I go off on a rant.
Using GTD As A Woodworker
Hobbies are great candidates for GTD. With all the commitments we tend to take on, free time to spend on our hobbies can be elusive. That means it's helpful to have a system in place that keeps track of where we were and what comes next.
Using GTD As A Man
To be honest, I struggled with this article. I wanted to write it but wasn't sure how to convey what I was thinking. GTD has helped me as a man more than I realized but the impact has been implicit, not obvious.
26: The Value of Lurking
Let's talk about lurkers. Well, I'll talk about them. You can just listen. And that's okay because there's a lot of value in lurking.
Using GTD As A Dad
One of the greatest things a dad will ever hear is the sound of his kids squealing in joy while they play games together. It's energizing and pure pleasure to see the delight and sparkle in their eyes as they ask to "do it again!" Those are the memories that we hope to multiply.
Using GTD As A Husband
I find it easy to let my marriage slide. We love each other so it should come naturally, right? Roses every Valentine's, daily love notes, and genuine conversations each night. If that's second-nature to you, I envy you.
25: Creating Ideas
Coming up with ideas doesn't have to be hard. There are four ways I create new ideas. And I had a moment of insight about being content at a birthday party for our girls.
Using GTD As A Writer
It never fails. I'll be mowing the lawn or riding my bike and that's when it hits me. There's nothing I can do about it. I wish it would leave me alone until I could do something about it, but there I am; trying to figure out how I'm going to write those lines down.
Using GTD As A Homeowner
Most of the time when I'm discussing GTD with a friend or online it's in the context of getting more work done more efficiently. I agree that this is the easy target for the framework; our jobs and the work we do each day are the most pressing and stressing in our lives. We need as much help as we can get to stay on top of it.
24: No More Project Codes
With my recent move away from Evernote, I've made the decision to leave my project codes behind. And although there are serious competitors to Evernote, I'm staying away from them.
The Value of Tradition
Having young kids has made us think consciously about the traditions we want to pass down to them. What do we want them to learn? Will our traditions help them see the importance of our view of the world? Are they fun?
An Alternative to Evernote
I've been a supporter of Evernote for a long time. I've written a number of articles on it and convinced a number of friends and family to start using it. But I've run into some issues with it and it's come time to throw in the towel. I'm leaving Evernote.
23: White Space
Leaving space around the edges of your day can have a major impact on your productivity and happiness throughout the day. Also, I'm glad I don't have an Apple Watch.
How to Create Energizing Rituals
I learned about creating rituals after I read The Power of Full Engagement over a year ago. Since that time I've been figuring a few things out about building and implementing energizing rituals.
Budgeting and Irregular Expenses
You're cruising along and your bank account is looking good. But then, surprise! You get the bill for your car insurance premium and everything is out the window.
22: Addiction to Numbers
Since I started my business I've developed an addiction to checking numbers. But I watched a webinar last week that really changed the game for me and has me hand writing my schedule for the day.
The Importance of Data Visualizations
It's easy to present data in a summarized table, but what about turning it into a data visualization?
Time and Dollars
When I started my business, I wasn't in a place to say no to anything. I needed to provide an income, and every little bit helped. But recently I've had to start deciding which activities are most worth my time and which ones need to be put aside.
21: Issues with Evernote
I've found that I have a lot of reasons to leave Evernote. In this episode, I talk through those and give a few updates to the articles I've written recently.
Tracking Time with Launch Center Pro
Lately I've been tracking my time and starting to correlate it with dollars earned. The idea is to help me decide which types of work are the most valuable. This is a look at how I'm doing the time tracking portion using Launch Center Pro.
A New Discussion
It's time. I've been talking about starting a new community for a couple weeks now and we are moving forward.
20: Code Freeze
My Dvorak typing speed is picking up and I'll be launching a new discussion in two days. Once that's out, I'll be going on a code freeze.
Just a Laptop
When I started my business I made the shift from three 27" monitors to just a laptop screen. That shift has taught me a few things about how I work.
Dictating vs Typing
Dictation is becoming more and more commonplace, and as the software behind it continues to get better we'll likely see it become a bigger part of our daily lives.
19: Online Discussions
I'm looking for a good way to promote online discussions. I share my idea about it and give an update on Dvorak. And what about masterminds?
