I've always enjoyed reading about things people use that makes them more effective, or simply makes life just a little more enjoyable.
Below are some of the things which fall into that category for me; always keeping in mind the best value for the money.
Below are some of the things which fall into that category for me; always keeping in mind the best value for the money.
Home | Work
It starts with my silver 2023 24" iMac (replacing a 2017 5K model). It has the Apple M3 chip, 16 GB of memory, and 512GB SSD hard drive. I debated long hard about another iMac vs the Mac mini and stand alone display. In the end, the desire for simplicity won. Since I work from home at least 2 days a week, a lot of my time is spent here.
When traveling, working offsite, or simply meandering around the house (which perfectly describes life since 2020!), I'm grabbing from the items below if I'm not using a corporate issued laptop (which is frequently the case).
I've been using an iPad since the second model was released back in 2011. I've upgraded many times since then and currently use a 2021 12.9 in. iPad Pro, 128GB. Now, for the folks who still think an iPad isn't necessarily a true laptop replacement, I agree. However, it absolutely is a worthy alternative limited only by app developers not taking advantage of what the hardware can do. This iPad coupled with the Apple Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil, can handle just about everything I throw at it particularly given my cloud based workflow.
My phone of choice for personal use is the Silver iPhone 17 Pro Max, 256GB which replaced the 14 Pro Max. Even though I've been firmly planted in the Apple ecosystem for a while now (since the iPhone 12) I have to admit, I still miss my Pixel 2 XL!. Since I utilize the cloud for almost all document, photo, and music storage I've never needed the larger capacity phones. For work, I have a black iPhone XR, 64 GB which quite frankly, I never have to use expect for authentication.
Never far from reach are my Apple AirPods Pro (2nd gen). They get a lot of use ranging from Microsoft Teams calls, to mediations, to listening to chill beats while on a walk, and they work equally well on all devices. Essentially, they have rendered my over-the-ear headphones obsolete! Despite feeling like they're always about to fall out (but never do), they are my most used piece of tech outside of my phone.
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Finally, depending on the circumstances, I use two bags to carry all this when needed. I'm either using the more traditional blue Brenthaven Collins Slim Brief Bag, or as is more often the case the more casual Nylon Commuter Backpack by Everlane in dark grey crosshatch. Each are lightweight, stylish, and have just the right amount of pockets without being bulky (unfortunately, neither are currently available). |
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Productivity
My productivity philosophy is I want to be able to access my tools anytime, anywhere I want. That means whether at work or home, using company supplied equipment or not, dealing with corporate firewalls or free WiFi, I want to be able to use what I need on any device to get the job done - and regardless of operating system (supporting both Windows and Apple). As a result, the apps I choose must meet those requirements. Some of those are:
- Paper - If it’s work related and I'm writing it down it ends up here; everything from long form writing to meeting notes. I was previously use Zoho Notebook which is pretty great, but is missing two key features. Notebook doesn't offer the ability to expand/collapse text or use multi-color highlighter which is important to me.
- Zenkit - My task and project management tool of choice for work related items.
- TickTick - All personal tasks and reminders are captured here
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Home Entertainment Even though I have a fairly elaborate A/V setup for entertainment in my basement turned media room, I am a huge fan of the Google Nest Audio and Nest Mini (2nd gen) speakers for music. I have several of these placed strategically throughout my house and even outdoors. They are fantastic due to their simplicity and effectiveness. Plug and Play - it's absolutely as simple as that, with no significant setup. I use 2 of the larger speakers paired together on my outdoor deck (always keeping covered when not is use as they are not waterproof) as well as in my kitchen. I use the smaller speakers as satellites for my office and basement. For my family room I use Google's Chromecast Audio (which unfortunately has been discontinued) to plug into my Bose speakers. Of course this setup also has the added benefit of making the Google Assistant more readily available. |
Nest Audio
Google Nest Mini
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Health
A few years back, I was watching my then 8 year old daughter at Soccer Conditioning camp. It was late in the afternoon on a hot, and I mean HOT summer's day. Here she was running and sweating, sweating and running, and not a single complaint. I was amazed how hard she was working and the level of her determination.
That inspired me to not only get into better shape myself, but to quantify that effort as well. First, I wanted to keep track of how much I was running. Of course it was easy to find an app for that. Then I wanted to keep track of the food I was eating....yet another app could take care of that.
What really got me excited about the idea of self-quantifying though was the discovery of Gyroscope - a dashboard truly powered by my life (screenshots below). What’s great about it is I can see everything from health & fitness to sleep patterns in one place. It serves as a collection point for all the various apps that are automatically tracking information. I really don't have to do anything. The apps take advantage of the technology already in my smartphone, and the amount of manual effort on my part is little to none.
Some of the apps/hardware which capture and feed data include:
- Apple Watch Series 8, 45 mm, silver - fitness smartwatch for heart rate, steps, sleep monitoring, workouts and more
- Fitbit Aria scale - records weight and body fat
- Last.fm - for music I listen to from sources like Spotify and Pandora
- RescueTime - records web and app usage on the computer
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