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 2017 27" Retina 5K iMac. It's a refurbished model with a 3.4GHz quad-core i5 processor, 16 GB of memory (with open slots for 16 more) and a 1 TB Fusion Drive. Now that I'm working from home, the majority 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 finally upgraded my beloved 2015 12.9 in, iPad Pro, 128GB to the new 2021 M1 model of the same size and storage capacity. While working fabulously for so long, it was finally starting to show its age and was time to move on. Even though the form factor is quite familiar, the new iPad Pro does take a bit getting used to. 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 Graphite iPhone 12 Pro Max, 128GB. After having spent a month with the Pacific blue iPhone 12 Pro model, I just couldn't get over it feeling a little small (having previously used the Just Black Pixel 2 XL from Google). I'm loving the new phone with it's beautiful design and best in class camera. I've got to be honest though - I do miss the Google Assistant/Pixel specific features. 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.
Never far from reach are my Apple AirPods (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. 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 While I do have a fairly elaborate A/V setup for entertainment in my basement turned media room, what I wanted to mention here is my Roku 3 for non-4k TV streaming and Google Nest Mini (2nd gen) for music. Each is fantastic due to their simplicity and effectiveness. Plug and Play - it's absolutely as simple as that, with no significant setup. I have the Roku plugged into an extra 36" TV which I setup on my deck at a moments notice. I use the speakers in my office and kitchen to compliment my Google Home audio setup (which includes the discontinued Chromecast Audio) to play music everywhere around my home. Of course, it also has the added benefit of making the Google Assistant more readily available. |
Roku 3
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
- Foodnoms - calories and nutritional information (much more reliable than MyFitnessPal)
