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TripMode: Control what’s eating your mobile bandwidth
If you’re often connecting your Mac laptop on the road through a mobile connection (phone, USB dongle, etc), TripMode will show you which app is using how much bandwidth and will allow you to disable internet access for it. This can both save you money as well increase the connecting speed of the apps you’re [Continue reading]
Pomodoros with Eggscellent + Google Calendar + IFTTT + Beeminder
File this under #lazysunday (I should be working) #justbecauseIcan (I’m not sure I’m going to use it) #addicted2automation (no explanation necessary) :) Here’s a recipe for beeminding1 pomodoros2 if you use Eggscellent3 1) Download Eggscellent4 2) Open Google Calendar 3) Create a new calendar named “Eggscellent” 4) Open the OSX Calendar and add your Google [Continue reading]
Currently reading: The Motivation Hacker
I’ve been reading this while travelling today and it could possible be for productivity what was for me the Hacker’s Diet for weight loss. E.g. a gateway to a different way of thinking and what one can achieve. That said, and following one of the suggestions of the book, consider this a public commitment to write [Continue reading]
How to put an end to workload paralysis
We’re all busy. But sometimes we go through periods where the work piles up and it seems like it might never end. With the waxing and waning of my freelance work, a startup to manage, and side projects always on the go, this seems to happen to me all too often. So why is it [Continue reading]
How to connect Garmin with Pact and slowly become rich!
Update: Pact does not endorse the following setup and will probably refuse support in case of trouble (which I did have). My experience with Pact’s support has been mixed… Announced with much fanfare, Apple’s Health platform didn’t make much of an impression so far in this humble blogger’s opinion. The reason being that app developers [Continue reading]
14 Days of Garmin vs Fitbit: the numbers
I’ve been testing for the last couple of weeks a Garmin Vivofit as a replacement of my Fitbit Force (see previous posts here and here). As a final part, here are some numbers from two weeks of continuous use of both devices. All in all, the differences vary from day to day, and fluctuate between [Continue reading]
Awesome Goals vs. Crappy Goals
[Text by Steve Pavlina] When you sit down to write out some new goals, I recommend that you take your first batch of brainstorms and literally toss them in the trash. Whenever I ask people what their goals are, at least 95% of the time (I’m not exaggerating), the first things out of their mouths are [Continue reading]
12 Days of Garmin vs Fitbit
As previously written, I’ve been testing a Garmin Vivofit as a replacement for my Fitbit Force (and before moving on to a Garmin Vivoactive that is yet to be released in Europe). Here are some more thoughts. Pro Fitbit: Vibrating alarm: waking up with a vibration in your wrist is extremely better for me than [Continue reading]
Action is hope
“I don’t believe in optimism. I believe in optimal behavior. That’s a different thing. If you behave every day of your life to the top of your genetics, what can you do? Test it. Find out. You don’t know—you haven’t done it yet. You must live life at the top of your voice! At the [Continue reading]
9 Days of Garmin (vs Fitbit)
I’ve been a big fan of Fitbit ever since a Fitbit Force back in January 2014, as it has helped me lot in my fitness goals. But times are changing and I’m planning to get a Garmin Vivoactive this spring. Still, the band on my Force has been in terrible shape for months, getting unstuck [Continue reading]
If at first you don’t succeed: Try another 610 times!
A story of extreme focus in goals and persistence in continuous improvement. Tom Toro, really wanted to get on the New Yorker, ending up submitting 610 drawings, even travelling around the country to meet with Bob Mankoff, the legendary cartoon editor of the New Yorker. His response, honest but hopeful: “I don’t see any joy [Continue reading]
Quantified self, Level 2
Good friend Dimitris Dimitriadis (@insideabox) was writing about his use of self-tracking apps. I would like to explore this a bit further, in an effort to provide more insight on the purpose of the quantified self excerice. While any kind of tracking will almost instantly change the monitored behaviour (even subconsciously), it can be more [Continue reading]
The Apple Watch is not your next fitness tracker
This is an actual photo in the Apple page for the Sport edition of the Apple Watch. I’m not sure what kind of sport activity is displayed or in which manner the man on the right is aided by the watch. And this is the only photo of people using the Apple Watch on that [Continue reading]
How to sync RunKeeper data into HealthKit
Update (1/Dec/2014) : RunKeeper now syncs with HealthKit, on iOS you can find it in the app under Settings -> Apps, Services, and Devices -> Apple Health. RunKeeper can read/write calories, cycling, walking+running distance (not steps), weight, etc. RunKeeper hasn’t joined the HealthKit bandwagon just yet (although they promise they will on their official forums) but there [Continue reading]
A new way to share on Google+ from any page
Friends+Me has a new Google Chrome #extension, allowing you to share any page you are currently visiting. A popup like the one you would get on G+ appears and you can write your post, tag people and use the hashtag autocomplete feature as if you’re inside G+. You can also choose to start a new [Continue reading]
11 Rules on being a productive creative by Henry Miller
Henry Miller (1891—1980) was one of the most controversial American novelists during his lifetime. His book, The Tropic of Cancer, was banned in the some U.S. states before being overruled by the Supreme Court. During his time working on his book, he came down to the following set of rules: 1) Work on one thing [Continue reading]
Helping charities just by walking
I previously wrote about using Earndit (see “Moves+Earndit: How to earn rewards while doing nothing (except exercise)!“) and today I used my credits for the first time on JustWorld International. JWI acts as a catalyst for positive change in the developing world by working in alliance with local partner organizations to provide basic education, nutrition, [Continue reading]
Moves+Earndit: How to earn rewards while doing nothing (except exercise)
I’m posting this under Motivation because for me the end result is highly motivating. You can also file it under “technology for the lazy” because this requires a one-time setup and no need to ever think about it again :) So I’ve been using for some months Moves, a free iOS app (soon on Android as [Continue reading]
Draft: cloud text-editing for any anything anywhere
// I’ve written about #Draft already a few days ago http://bit.ly/g-draft when it was “just” a web-based text #editor for #Dropboxand Google Drive with version control and collaboration features.But I need to write again as a #Chrome extension was released that redefined how you can use Draft. I’ll just copy the developer’s (+Nathan Kontny) description: [Continue reading]
Text editing on the cloud: Draft
// I’ve been using Dropbox for some time now to access work files from home or when travelling. But when I’ve recently had to work on a closed down Windows PC that I couldn’t install anything, I had to get further "deeper" into the #cloud. :) I’ve been keeping quick notes in text files stored [Continue reading]
Today on the other hand
//– Can be the first day of the rest of your life, if you so choose. Choose wisely.Is an opportunity to decide if you like the path you’re on, or if you need new direction.– Is an opportunity to start building new habits, changing the you of tomorrow.– Is an opportunity to say "yes" to [Continue reading]
What is a Project?
// Things don’t have to be overly complex (as in the #Dilbert comic below) An answer by David Allen of Get Things Done ( #GTD ): Any outcome that’s going to require more than one action item, in some sequence of events in order to be able to get to that outcome, that’s a project. [Continue reading]
Hack your life!
// #Hacking is not a bad word, mmm’okay? :) Here is a small intro on hacking your daily routines to improve your #productivity and enjoy more of what’s really important in #life! :)
7 tips to get to an empty inbox
// The guys at Time #Management Ninja have a short guide on reducing your mail clutter allowing you to be more #productive . 1. One Day at a Time: If you already have a lot of mail, realize that you can’t empty it all on one day. You can do it gradually though.2. You Touch [Continue reading]
On being a productive creative
// Here’s an excellent speech by illustrator Victor Koen at this year’s TEDx Athens on harnessing your #productivity and #creativity. Some of the key concepts he explains: – Work-day self-awareness: realize which hours of the day you work best on your various tasks– Separate your tasks to match your best performance during the day– Learn [Continue reading]
Must download: Best of Quora
// If there is a site that you could say "let’s convert this into a book", it is probably #Quora . So it’s great that they just come out with a collection of 100 of their best responses form the last 2 years. The 400-page #book is available for download as a free #PDF [Continue reading]
New year resolutions motivator: Lift for iOS
// As usual for this time of the year, you might be thinking about doing all those you always wanted to do like start reading more books or working out or even be a better person. If you’re missing on #motivation , there’s (more than one actually) app for that. Following the recent trend of [Continue reading]
The Apple Manual on being a Human
// A big scoop for Gizmodo yesterday, with what appears to be the Apple manual on their Genius staff training. It’s a full instructions set on how to talk to customers in a civilized, friendly and empathic way, while at the same time not admitting that there might something wrong with an #Apple product and [Continue reading]
John Cleese on creativity
How many Jewish mothers does it take to screw a light bulb? :) An excellent video of John Cleese on #creativity not as talent but as a way of operating. http://vimeo.com/18913413 via +Mike Spinak
Getting your priorities straight
The parable is more than just about time management. Read on… Reshared post from +Brad Thompson Parable of Time Management One day, an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget. As he stood in front of [Continue reading]