Tag: tech

note-taking and the iPad

MattLeave a comment

I have a tendency to repeatedly reevaluate my note-taking systems, apps, and tools. There is always this nebulous idea in my mind that I’m one tweak away from organizational bliss, extreme productivity, and lower stress.

Over the years I’ve often thought that incorporating an iPad (or other digital handwriting machine like a reMarkable 2) into my system would be helpful. Yet, as nice a device as it is, it’s never really clicked for me.

Here are some facts:

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dark mode bliss

MattLeave a comment

I’m a big fan of dark mode on my device screens at night. It’s easier on the eyes and generally contributes to a more chilled out evening vibe. I set all my devices to change automatically from light to dark at sunset and this works great most of the time.

One place where it sometimes breaks is on websites that haven’t implemented a built-in feature to change to dark mode based on the system settings. This website is an example. I’m using a stock WordPress theme and it’s light mode all day, all night, regardless of the system settings on the device viewing the site.

Enter Dark Reader. I’m late to the party here, but just now trying this gem of a browser extension. Basically it turns any site into one with a lovely dark mode. You can add sites that already have dark mode to a list and it will ignore those, rather than trying to stack two dark modes together. It’s open source and has a really simple privacy policy that starts with “Dark Reader had never collected and will never collect any personal data, browsing history etc.”

So in the meantime until the whole internet has consistent dark mode implementation, check out Dark Reader if you’re a dark mode fan like myself.

pulling vs. pushing

MattLeave a comment

One reason that I have an affinity for blogging, and the open web in general, is that it represents a “pulling” paradigm. People go to the web to intentionally pull information that they’re interested in.

Social media is a “pushing” paradigm. It’s distraction central where one is bombarded by what everyone else thinks is interesting or important.

why I don’t use a smartphone

MattLeave a comment

Since October 2021 I have used a simple mobile phone that does little more than call and text. My smartphone now lives in my desk drawer. Here are some reasons why:

  • set an example
  • focus better
  • get more done
  • engage with people around me
  • my phone is much smaller and lighter
  • less distracted
  • more observant
  • feel better
  • sleep better
  • eat better
  • more perceptive
  • make better decisions
  • happier
  • read more books
  • listen better (to others, to myself)
  • be more present

Working Anywhere vs. Working Everywhere

MattLeave a comment

Quitting my smartphone has taught me the difference between working anywhere and working everywhere. In a nutshell, it comes down to this:

Technology, appropriately used as a tool, increasingly allows me to work anywhere. This has been great news for my overall quality of life.

Technology, allowed to run amok, increasingly encouraged me to work everywhere. This was terrible news for my overall quality of life.

Does technology serve you? Or is it the other way around? It’s up to you to choose.

Paper vs. Digital, quick thoughts

MattLeave a comment

I’ve long been a proponent of a digital, paperless office. I hate clutter. I love the idea of everything being accessible all the time, from any device. Apps never cease to amaze me with their magic.

At the same time I have been in love with notebooks since I was a kid. There’s a sense of adventure that comes along with a new notebook. Paper is calm. Notebooks never run out of batteries.

Lately I’ve been thinking about productivity tools a bit differently, though, and it has helped to clarify the best choices. Rather than focusing on what qualities a certain tool brings to the table, pros and cons style, it’s better to focus on this question: what best helps achieve the end goal?

For example, take task management. Why do we make to-do lists? Is the goal to accurately record everything we need to get done, complete with every conceivable related detail? Not really. The actual goal is to get the most important things done.

What I’ve come to find lately is that in many ways using paper, or “analog” in the lingo of such things, has helped me to be much more productive in actually doing things. It also serves the ancillary goal of reducing screen time, which has brought many other benefits.

Maybe if I’m productive enough to free up some more time for blogging I’ll write more about this.

The WordPress App Works Offline

MattLeave a comment

Sometimes those little news blips in the WordPress dashboard are pretty useful! I saw one the other day about the WordPress apps now having better offline support. Here’s the full blog post.

From the article:

A WordPress app should give you a seamless, reliable posting experience, and you shouldn’t have to worry whether you’re online or offline while using WordPress Mobile. And if we’ve done our jobs right, you won’t have to! 

The WordPress.com Blog

I’ve gone back and forth about whether it’s better to write directly into WordPress (either in the app or in a browser) or use a dedicated writing app (like Ulysses), but haven’t come to any real conclusion. What I like about going directly to WordPress is it eliminates a step (at least) and seems to reduce friction to actually getting something published – which, after all, is the ultimate goal!

Cookies

MattLeave a comment

Every website is telling me that it uses cookies these days. To track this or that. The site asks me to accept their use.

Fine.

But why do these sites keep asking me over and over again? The same sites. The same question.

Can we setup a cookie so that it remembers that I accepted the use of cookies? Please?