Reading Time: 3 minutesChecklists: A Buffer Against Human Error As a part-time National Park Service ranger at the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, I lead public tours of a decommissioned Launch Control Facility. Two missile officers sat in a hardened capsule 31 feet under the ground and controlled 10 Minuteman missiles. As you can imagine, these were highly …
Reading Time: < 1 minuteRecently, David Sparks, aka ‘MacSparky,” invited me to give a presentation on retirement to MacSparky Labs members. Many of us are either retired or getting ready to retire. We don’t think or plan much about what we’re retiring to, just what we’re retiring from. We assume retirement will solve all our problems. I’ve been retired …
Reading Time: 6 minutesWhy Writers Disagree on Using AI for First Drafts Why do some writers use AI to write their first drafts while others refuse to? The difference often lies in how writers perceive their craft and role. If writers view their role as primarily communicating ideas in writing, then having AI write their first drafts is …
Reading Time: 3 minutesOutcomes vs. Processes In life, we often aim for the bullseye, forgetting that mastery lies in how we hold and draw the bow. In many areas of our lives, we focus on the outcome, not the process we use to achieve it. For instance, if we are looking for a job, the emphasis is on …
Reading Time: 5 minutesFrom Dual Macs to One Powerhouse For the last two years, I’ve had an M1 MacBook Pro and an M1 Mac Studio. Balancing two Macs seemed like the perfect setup until I found a better way. I used the laptop for mobility (primarily when I went to my Monday morning coffee shop to write the …
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe Everyday Trap of Taking Life for Granted We all fall into the trap of taking things or people for granted. We take spouses for granted, friends for granted, co-workers for granted, and even our possessions. We get used to the things and people we have and pretend they will be there forever. Even though …
Reading Time: 3 minutesDon’t Get Stuck in Over-Preparation, and Never Taking Action For creatives, there’s always the danger of getting stuck in over-preparation and never taking action. In a recent newsletter article titled “Beyond Over-Preparation: How to Start Before You Feel Ready,” Anne-Laure Le Cuff writes about researching rare Asian teas to prepare for launching a new business. …
Reading Time: 4 minutesSwitching from 1Password: What Made Me Take the Leap The Apple ecosystem is becoming a surprisingly strong contender in a world full of password manager options. This summer, after Apple released a stand-alone application for Apple Passwords. I experimented with switching from using 1Password (which I’d subscribed to for several years) to using Apple Passwords …
Reading Time: 2 minutesOn Wednesday, 6 November 2024, David Sparks and I will do a “Friends of Dave” interactive Zoom call for the MacSparky Labs on “Talking Retirement with Jim Eagar.” The books, videos, and blog posts listed below include some of the resources I plan to mention in the call and some additional ones. If you’re interested …