Tag Archive for: productivity

Five Books That Changed My Thinking in 2024

A grand library interior with tall, ornate wooden bookshelves filled with neatly arranged books. The shelves are framed by decorative columns, and the ceiling features a series of curved wooden arches with metal accents, creating a symmetrical and majestic architectural design. Warm lighting enhances the richness of the wood and the historic ambiance of the space.

As a kid, I was never far from my children’s encyclopedia; I was a voracious reader and especially loved non-fiction. However, as an adult, I do most of my learning through audiobooks, podcasts, and YouTube. That is until a few years ago when I started rebuilding my reading habit by switching from scrolling social media to reading ebooks.

Even more recently, I have come full circle back to physical books. Mainly because I realized that reading on a phone just looks the same as scrolling social media and doesn’t help me model the reading habit I want my son to build. As a bonus, I got to experience these five books, which have significantly shaped my thinking. Perhaps one will resonate with you too.

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Year of Execution

An inviting pathway meanders through a lush forest at sunrise, with the early morning light casting a warm, golden glow over the verdant surroundings. The path symbolizes a journey of personal growth and the pursuit of goals, enveloped in the tranquility and beauty of nature, embodying optimism and inspiration for a new beginning.

Coincidentally, right at the start of the pandemic lockdowns in my area, I declared 2020 the Year of Healthy Habits. While there were plenty of health-related events going on at the time, not a ton of them were being generated by me.

I mostly spent the time trying not to freak myself out, supporting my wife, who was basically working 24/7 at our local hospital, and being (essentially) the sole caregiver to a kindergartener. So, the Year of Healthy Habits didn’t quite have the impact I had hoped.

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Dark Noise

This image shows a digital icon which is a stylized representation of a sound wave pattern within a circle, centered on a purple square with rounded corners. The icon is set against a background featuring abstract purple and black shapes with dynamic, flowing lines. The color scheme is predominantly purple with black accents, conveying a sense of modernity and digital technology.

Putting on some headphones is a pretty universal sign to others that you’re working, or at least that you don’t want to be disturbed. But what do you play in said headphones when you’re trying to focus?

If I am doing chores around the house or running errands, I am probably listening to a podcast. If I am working out, probably some combination of 80’s power ballads and shitty pop music. But if I am working, recently I have been listening to noise, not music.

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Why I Mind Map

I do some of my best thinking on walks while listening to some combination of silly pop music and songs from my son’s favorite movies and tv shows. Something about that scenario gives me the mental space to think clearly and deeply about creative projects.

Sometimes on these walks, I can write a whole script for a video in my head; other times, I generate a few unstructured fragments that need to be worked into something better. My favorite tool for building out those fragments is a mind map.

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Remote Controlling My Task Manager

Instead of using different apps for tracking habits or chores, I keep everything in my task manager. This made my task manager cluttered and require too much maintenance until I started automating the marking as complete of various action items via AppleScript.

I made a video explaining and demoing the process; this post also has various downloads and links to help you recreate my work.

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