Image vs Reality: The Work We Love vs the Identity We Crave

Reading Time: 3 minutesImage is all-important in our social media culture. People regularly post carefully curated photos on Facebook and Instagram to project the image they want others to have of them. They select images that say, “Look how exciting my life is,” “Look at what a wonderful family I have,” or “Look at how cool I am.” …

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Unlock Your Productivity Potential with Daily Planning: Find the Method that Works for You

Reading Time: 5 minutesThe best productivity tip I’ve learned in the past few years has been to start each day with a plan for what I intend to get done that day and when I intend to do it. Productivity gurus agree. As a MacSparky Labs member, I recently watched a preview video of MacSparky’s upcoming Productivity Field …

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Forget Resolutions: Why December Reflection and Planning is the Key to Success in the New Year

Reading Time: 5 minutesEvery New Year’s Day, millions make resolutions to change their behavior. Almost no one follows through. The Power of a New Year New Year’s Day holds an extraordinary power — it’s seen as a time to make a new beginning. “New Year’s Day has long held a special power over our behavior. We turn the …

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Unlock Your Thoughts: How Obsidian Can Help You Record and Develop Your Ideas

Reading Time: 6 minutesFor some time now, I’ve felt a need to pay more attention to what I’m thinking about things. “Don’t spend much time thinking about what other people think. Think about what you think.” The Daily Stoic, by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman I tried doing meditation for 5 minutes every morning. I would focus on …

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Garbage In, Garbage Out — What Do You Let Into Your Mind?

Reading Time: 4 minutesWhat you allow into your mind makes a difference in your life, positive or negative. “You’re only going to be as good as the stuff you surround yourself with.” Austin Kleon, writing in Steal Like An Artist.“ We’ve all heard the old saying, “Garbage in, garbage out.” If we fill our minds with mental garbage, …

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Navigating the Rhythm of Creativity: Embracing the Peaks and Valleys

Reading Time: 3 minutesCreativity is a fascinating and unpredictable phenomenon. Some days, we find ourselves overflowing with ideas and energy; other days, our minds feel dull and uninspired. Perhaps some people can be creative day in and day out, but I’m not one of them. I experience some days when I’m very creative and productive and others when …

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Obsidian: the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

Reading Time: 8 minutesIt’s hard to get balanced and objective information about Obsidian. People either love it or hate it. Too much of the information is produced by those with OOS, or “Obsidian Obsessive Syndrome.” It’s fanboy propaganda and enthusiasm. I listened to a podcast where an Obsidian enthusiast cohost forced every topic on every episode to have …

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How to Jump-Start Your Day by Setting Up A Morning Routine With Apps, Widgets, and Shortcuts on Your iPad

Reading Time: 5 minutesI’ve used a morning routine based on my iPad for over two years. In March 2022, I wrote a blog post, A Morning Routine that Works – An App-Based Approach. My iPad has a custom Home Page containing all the widgets, apps, and shortcuts I need to perform my morning routine. Since I wrote that …

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Incubation — The Key to the Creative Process

Reading Time: 4 minutesWhat is Incubation? Incubation happens in your mind when you’re not actively working on a project. It is “unconscious processing” that goes on in your mind automatically. As Kadavy explains in his book Mind Management Not Time Management, “Even when you aren’t consciously thinking about something, your brain is incredibly active – something scientists call …

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