3 Ways to Deal With Self-Doubt as a Writer

Reading Time: 4 minutesMany, if not most, of us who write experience self-doubt about whether our writing is any good, has any value, and what that says about us as individuals. Even well-published, professional writers suffer from the same feelings. Diana Gabaldon is the author of the award-winning, #1 NYT-bestselling Outlander series of novels. She has a scientific …

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Unlock the Benefits of Linking with Hookmark: Save Time, Avoid Distraction & Work Efficiently

Reading Time: 6 minutesHookmark has revolutionized my use of linking between files in my workflows. I’ve been aware of the value of linking files with other files in different apps for some time. I’ve done some linking between apps that internally support linking, such as linking a file in Craft to a task in Things. However, the problem …

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My Year With MacSparky Labs: Gaining Skills, Enhancing Productivity, and Exploring Creativity

Reading Time: < 1 minuteA year ago, David Sparks (aka MacSparky) announced that he had shut down his half-time law practice and was going to dedicate his full time to producing MacSparky creative work. When Sparks announced his membership program, MacSparky Labs, in early January of this year, I immediately joined the highest level of membership (there are three …

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Surgery Prompted Me to Use Dictation on My Mac and iPad

Reading Time: 5 minutesSurgery on my right shoulder (I’m right-handed) in late December motivated me to try using dictation more on my iPad and Mac. I have dabbled in using dictation but haven’t used it very consistently. During the past week and a half I’ve extensively used dictation to: • Write emails and messages. • Write notes on …

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Get Started Right — Using A Checklist to Launch New Projects

Reading Time: 5 minutesHow do you start a new project? If you don’t have a template, you’ll likely leave out some important steps. In Tiago Forte’s excellent book Building A Second Brain, he discusses in chapter 9 the importance of having a checklist to launch new projects. “Before they taxi onto the runway and take off, airline pilots …

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The Key to Creative Success

Reading Time: 5 minutesAccording to writer Todd Henry in Daily Creative, steady, deliberate progress is the key to creative success. It takes three things to get things done and bring about creative success: 1. Commit to steady, deliberate progress; 2. Do it every day, and; 3. Work even when you don’t feel like it. The key to creative …

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Reflections About Hot Sex, Love, Friendship, and Productivity On My 50th Wedding Anniversary

Reading Time: 6 minutesDuring the first week in December, my wife and I when to Disneyland to celebrate our 50th Wedding Anniversary (we’re not really that old — we married when we were 5 😉). The event and discussions with friends about it have prompted some thoughts I’d like to share. Don’t panic, it’s not all mushy stuff. …

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A Tool to Bring Self-Discipline to Our Use of Social Media

Reading Time: 2 minutesSocial Media Is Designed to Waste Our Time Most people interested in tech are aware that social media platforms are specifically engineered to manipulate human weaknesses to make people addicted to their platforms. The goal is to suck you in and keep you in as long as possible so that the platform receives advertising revenue. …

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