I know I toot my own horn all the time on this but look at my website. It is pretty much nothing but content. Why is that? Well I figure it is the reason my readers even care to be here in the first place. Therefore, why give the reader anything else? I believe online publishing should, at it’s heart, be about the content. You are visiting to hear what the writer has to say about a given topic. You are seeking to be informed and enlightened, or sometimes even enraged by a particular point of view.
This brings me to todays thought: If I were a visitor from another planet, and had no idea what a weblog or “blog” is, or even online publishing in general, would I be able to tell by looking at one? For most, I am afraid, the answer is “no”. Here is what most online publishing seems, to me, to be about just by looks alone:
* Advertising.
* Selling eBooks.
* Affiliate linking.
* Page views.
* Your Twitter feed.
Do you notice what is missing from that list? Where is the content? How do I separate it from the rest of the noise that is going on? How to I get straight to the reason I came to the site – what the writer has to say? To borrow one of the most famous pop culture advertising lines of all time, where’s the beef?
Let me tell you how I am going to do it (since most out there will not likely do it for me):
Instapaper |fdata|referrer|afsee
– This is where I stack up longer posts that I may not have the time to read now but want to read later. It is especially useful for, and originally designed for, formatting this reading list of long blog posts and articles for the iPhone. Of it’s many wonderful features, the one I love, love, love, is that it can take almost any page and strip it down to just the content. Just text on white background. No ads. No comments. No Twitter feed.
Readability – Is new and experimental but, man, it has captured my heart like few other new things do. It basically allows you to create a configurable bookmarklet that, when clicked, strips away the clutter (see bulleted list above) and gives you just the content. It works so well that, the first time I used it, I nearly cried at the sheer beauty of the new page that appeared before me. It was as if someone came and redesigned the web just for me.
The bottom line is this. Load your page up with everything in the bulleted list above. I don’t care. People just like me are building the tools to get the web the way we want, with nothing but the content. Besides, if that does not work we can always execute the “nuclear option” – not reading what you have to say.
Category: post
You. Visualized.
Let me state, up front, that I am not really sure where I am going with this post. This is just a general observation I have noticed lately. Something that peaks my interest. I am sure that this is, in large part, driven by my recent attempts to actively exercise my visual thinking.
As we continue to share information about ourselves on the web, the things we can do with that data and the cool ways we can visualize it, becomes really compelling. Here are just a few examples I have come across:
FitBit
FitBit is a product and service that is not yet released but I am really looking forward to it. The product is a wearable Tracker with a motion sensor that senses your motion in three dimensions, converts this into information about your daily activities, wirelessly transmits it to a base station attached to your computer and then uploads it to a web app which tracks and visualizes this data. It can measure the intensity and duration of your physical activities, calories burned, steps taken, distance traveled, how long it took you to fall asleep, the number of times you woke up throughout the night and how long you were actually asleep vs just lying in bed. This is not to be confused with a simple step counter or a more advanced tracker for runners. This is designed for regular people with regular activity levels to be more conscious of your health.
Daytum
If you are seeking a bit more of a manual and ad-hoc way to quantify your life data, give Daytum a try. Inspired by the Feltron Annual Report, Daytum is a way to take all of the mundane data sets of your life – How many pizzas your have eaten, length in miles of hot dogs consumed, plants watered vs. plants killed – you can create virtually any type of data set you can think of and easily track and quantify it.
Dopplr
Dopplr is a social network for travelers. Not only does it allow you to keep details about your own past and upcoming trips, it also allows you to share this information with friends and followers. This year, they introduced the Personal Annual Report which visualizes your travel data. You can see what your personal velocity was compared to a giant tortoise, compare the miles you traveled to the distance to the moon, even see what your carbon footprint is in “Hummers”.
You. Visualized.
What does this all mean? I’m not really sure. I just think it is cool. I do think that the information age continues to give us ways to quantify, share and visualize vast amounts of personal data about ourselves. The possibilities of this are as compelling as the privacy concerns are frightening.
With that said, I think that simple knowledge often gives you all the tools you need to make modest changes. How will knowing that you are not that active cause you to be conscious of being more so? Will a tool that allows you to quantify how much Diet Coke you consume cause you to drink less? How will knowing that the trip you want to take will increase your carbon footprint by two Hummers affect your travel plans? Perhaps it wont but at least you will have the data at your disposal to help with the decision.
Modest Goals
I am making a resolution not to make any new years resolutions. There is enough going on in everyone’s lives right now, mine included, to take on any major commitments or promises that even to oneself are difficult to keep. Who really needs that kind of self induced stress anyway?
Instead, I am committing to some modest goals. Small, achievable, meaningful goals that will add just a small bit of personal satisfaction to my life. I will not stress about them nor beat myself up should I not achieve them. That being said, some will be things I normally do anyway (this is partly to remind myself and partly to ensure success) Here are a few I am setting forth on. It is my hope that those who know me will keep me accountable to them.
* I will learn and use keyboard shortcuts more and use the mouse and/or trackpad less. I have downloaded a little program called KeyCue to help with this. This also means getting in a little deeper with Quicksilver.
* I plan to be much more mindful of the signal to noise ratio of my online life. This means I will be doing some trimming of my Twitter follows, my RSS feeds, etc. Basically, if the signal is not adding real tangible value to my life, then it is simply noise and I do not need it. I also hope to increase the quality by seeking new signals that I should be listening to. For Twitter, Mr. Tweet will help with this.
* Of course, the signal and noise argument cuts both ways. For this reason I will continue to post here according to the following criteria and schedule – Only when I think I have something of real and original value to add to the greater internet conversation. My personal promise to you, the reader, is that I will not fill your eyes, head, or RSS feed with anything that I consider to be repetitive, noisy or otherwise less than useful.
* In addition, I will be adding regular and more reliably scheduled content over at my other project, work.life.creativity. Myself and the other founders recently got together on a conference call and recommitted ourselves to making this project into something really great. The past few weeks has seen a virtual explosion of new activity in the forums and fantastic new content added to the blog. I am very proud of the things happening over there.
* I will continue to seek ways to grow my consulting business into something that can reliably sustain me and mine. This includes finding new ways to get the word of mouth spreading as that is where the vast majority of my business comes from.
* As is the case with many a couple, Princess Bethany’s resolutions and goals are, by proxy, mine as well. Towards that end, I also will work towards a better appreciation for our home. We have started the renovation work on what will become our new bedroom and also on a library/den area. Our vision may be a bit ahead of our grasp and means but I am sure once it is all finished it will provide an even deeper love for our beautiful house.
Voices
My own reflections on this past year has revealed many voices that inspired me in some way shape or form. I think that far to often we read an insightful blog post, a thought provoking “tweet” on Twitter, or great comment in a forum thread, and don’t give it the proper due or take into account the lessons learned. These little transformations help to shape us.
That being said, here are some of the voices that inspired me in no particular order:
Jared Goralnick – I just love this guy. He is an incredibly giving person who lives life in a way other people only dream of. So many of the things I have read on his blog have made an impression on me. Most recently, his post on information overload helped to relieve me of the guilt of several unfinished books.
Clay Collins – Once again, a young man a really respect and admire. Someone who is living life according to his own rules and trying to inspire others to do the same.
Jane Quigley – I have to admit to a bit of an internet crush on Jane as part of a little mutual admiration society we seem to have fallen into. She has been incredibly supportive to me and my family through small but very meaningful deeds, actions and regular check-in’s. A truly compassionate person. Not to mention, whenever I want to know what is hot in the social networking space, I see what she is up to because she is always ahead of the game.
Merlin Mann – This should come as no surprise to regular readers here. That being said, this year his voice spoke to me even more so than before (and I know I am not alone). Mainly because, as one of the leading voices in the realm of personal productivity, he had the courage to stand up and call out the entire personal productivity movement that had descended into nothing but list posts and click through fodder. Most importantly, he inspired me to try to, especially with my own site, try to be just a little bit better.
John Gruber – Gosh, where do I even begin? First of all, no one writes about the Apple ecosystem with more honesty, depth and skill. You may not always agree with him but you have to respect him. Even when he decides to write about something like the movie E.T. it is like he jumped inside my id and expressed my ideas better than I could ever dream of. Also, I don’t think any of my web work would even exist without Markdown.
Rands – When I dream of what I wish this blog was like, in writing and content and style, my aspiration is Rands in Repose. There is not a single post that has not inspired me in some way or simply caused me to take a moment to think in a new and exciting way I had not done so before.
Brett Kelly – This year, Brett made the brave move of handing over the fairly popular Cranking Widgets blog to Andy Parkinson (see below). Brett has since been posting regularly to his own blog site and some mighty fine writing to be found with lots of other fun random content. Thanks to Brett for your example shows me how to admit when I am no longer giving something my full attention and move on without guilt and gracefully.
Andy Parkinson – Has taken the reigns of the Cranking Widgets blog, admirably filling the shoes of Brett Kelly. Andy, out of the gate, has shown an interest in taking the conversation of personal productivity to a new level. He has also been incredibly warm, open, and generous to me. It has been a pleasure getting to know him and I know he has great things in store for all of us in the coming year.
I know I am likely missing many I will later regret after I publish this post (this is what updates are for so perhaps you may want to check back again later)
Value
At the end of the year, it is only natural to look back on the year that was in reflection of the hopes and goals one has for the year to come. For me, these reflections often begin to coalesce around a central word or theme. For me, this year, that theme is the idea of value.
Therefore, I would like to start this off by proposing a revolutionary idea. One that I am sure will take some explaining and, hopefully, spur some honest thought…
Money has no value.
I think if this year had any lesson to teach it is this one. I am not just talking about the current economic crisis, although that will help to support my proposition. Increasingly when I think about the things I value and the things that have true value in this world, money is not one of them. As an example, lets take a look at the problem our nation (and by extension our planet) finds itself in.
A big reason our economy is in the current shambles it is in is due to the seize up and collapse of a little something called the Commercial Paper Market. Here is how Wikipedia explains what this is:
“In the global money market, commercial paper is an unsecured promissory note with a fixed maturity of one to 270 days. Commercial Paper is a money-market security issued (sold) by large banks and corporations to get money to meet short term debt obligations (for example, payroll), and is only backed by an issuing bank or corporation’s promise to pay the face amount on the maturity date specified on the note. Since it is not backed by collateral, only firms with excellent credit ratings from a recognized rating agency will be able to sell their commercial paper at a reasonable price.”
Let me break this down for you. Our entire intra-business economy in this country is not based on money, it is based on promises and trust. It is based on the trading of that trust. Lose that trust and the market collapses. This is, albeit a simplistic explanation for the purposes of my example, largely why the whole system collapsed – the companies and banks playing this little game of Monopoly lost trust in each other. Trust has value. Money does not.
Here is another example. I know someone who lost a parent fairly recently. This parent left behind a large home that was well maintained and paid for and a large trust fund that would reasonably keep them financially comfortable for the rest of their lives. We are talking about a fair amount of money here. Lets just say that, even in this economy, that person could call themselves a millionaire and be more than correct.
I know this person well and know that they would give it all back for a single moment longer with their loved one. They would do this without hesitation or thought. Time has value. Money does not.
It is one of the reasons you will never see advertisements here or any of the online ventures I choose to be involved in. I have no real interest in money for it’s own sake. It does not motivate or drive me. It is effectively worthless to me other than as a means to an (often unfortunate) end.
Where I am going with all of this is to try to remember, as we reflect back on the year that was, what truly has value in our lives. I would posit that if your principle motivation for anything – your career, your blog, etc. – is money, you will often find the value of those activities lacking. Be not concerned with the money that you gained or lost. Instead, be concerned with the time you had, the experiences and people that filled it, and the lessons and trust you built by using it effectively. And then, resolve to increase the value of that time and trust in the year to come.
My Manifesto: Travel Light
Travel as light as possible. Carry only what you need to have.
I have always struggled with packing way too much. I have been getting better about it over the years. I try to be really conscious of how much stuff I carry around on a daily basis and, even on the smallest of levels, look at ways to reduce it. As an example, in my last post regarding my Circa system note flow, my main goal was to reduce the size of the notebook I carried with me. To me, even 40 less pages of paper matter. I do this with the keys on my keychain. Any key I don’t absolutely need on a daily basis gets taken off and hung up on a rack by the door at home. I don’t even have a fob on the keychain, it is just a ring.
That being said, the main area I have had the most struggle in has been when packing for travel. Perhaps it is because of this I am absolutely fascinated by articles, posts and resources that talk about how to pack lightly and travel well.
I have tried y hard at geting better at this over the years. I have slowly done better. Mainly because I often pack and then take a look at how much crap I am about to drag around the globe and then unpack a lot of it. I go through each item and seriously question it’s need. Even doing this I still felt like I could reduce a lot of weight and bag size if I just was savvy enough.
I recently became newly obsessed with light travel due to these two posts:
* How to Travel the World with 10 Pounds or Less (Plus: How to Negotiate Convertibles and Luxury Treehouses)
* How does a geek plan for 3 weeks in 4 countries with a small bag & a laptop?
These really set a fire under me. I therefore decided to really give the methods laid out therein a serious go. I had a trip to Cancun coming up. I was going for 5 days and 4 nights and was determined to go as light as possible. Here is what I brought:
* 3 Button Down Short Sleeve Shirts. All are light, easily hand washable and quick drying.
* 2 Pairs of Travelsmith Anywhere Pants. Once again, light, cool, quick dry.
* 2 Pairs LL Bean Supplex Cargo Shorts. Light, quick dry, can also double as swim trunks.
* 2 Pairs Ex Officio Boxer Briefs. Light, quick dry.
* 1 Marmot Ion Windshirt. For rain and wind protection.
* 1 Pair Teva Hurricane II Sandals.
* 1 Kiva Keychain Duffle. If needed for a day bag or souvenirs.
I also packed a travel clothesline designed for pin free hanging as my plan was to hand wash things so that I could take less items with me. For instance, one pair of underwear would be drying overnight and I would still have a pair dry and ready to go.
The result? It worked out very, very well. So well, in fact, that I am loathe to travel any other way from now on. The feeling I now get at the thought of even one extra thing being added to my bag is not simply one of question but one of sheer dread. This is largely because I have seen how very possible it is to do without and the feeling of being able to pack for a week in what amounts to an normal overnight bag is an extremely freeing one.
I have a trip to San Francisco for Macworld coming up in January. My plan: Take away the shorts and sandals and add a light fleece and shoes (which I will be wearing) to the list above. Otherwise, I am not changing a thing.
My Circa Noteflow
Another in my series of Levenger Circa posts. In this episode, I discuss a recent brainstorm I had about a change to the workflow of processing my notes. Enjoy:
My Circa Workflow from Patrick Rhone on Vimeo.
AwayFind
AwayFind is a new web based service that allows one to set up professional email auto responses and signatures. On the surface, the purpose is to allow you to set appropriate expectations for those that send you email and allow those with an urgent need to get in touch with you right away. It is a very elegantly executed service that provides just the right balance between method and message. I can’t say enough good things about the web site itself. It is elegantly designed and a joy to use.
Now, AwayFind could be just another web service. They could just give you the basic free service and gladly take your subscription money when you are ready to upgrade to the pro level to get more features. But, it seems, founder Jared Goralnick is not interested in solely doing that. This is made apparent by the very front page of the AwayFind web site:
Awayfind is not just a web tool, it’s a blueprint for escaping email, with a handbook and a community to ensure your success.
What Jared really wants to do is to change the way you approach the idea of email. He provides that message, and the corresponding short lessons, at almost every opportunity on the site. As you navigate around, there are videos to watch, tutorials to guide you and a fantastic PDF handbook to download. All with one purpose in mind, to educate and encourage you to do the following:
- Batch process your email once or twice a day.
- Clear your Inbox by processing everything.
- Turn off notifications.
- Let people know your intention while providing a route to get time sensitive and urgent messages to you.
It soon becomes clear that AwayFind is first about education and, also, happens to have a service that, if you would like, can help you facilitate the goal in mind.
What I find most interesting is that, with this message front and center and the lessons provided, there is nothing that would prevent one from simply setting up an auto response on their own that provides the same opportunity. Heck, I have even written here before about doing this very thing myself at a previous employer. Having spoken with Jared, if that ends up being your takeaway from AwayFind, he will have achieved his main goal. It may seem a little altruistic on Jared’s part but that is because it is. His main goal is to set out to try to solve a problem that is a growing concern to us all. If it is a bit of LaMancha-esqu windmill battling then so be it. If one persons life if made a little bit easier, their time a bit more free, due to the lesson taught and, secondly, the service provided, he is fine with that.
There is a certain level of compassion I see in all of this. It is a unique and special thing. That alone will cause me to use AwayFind versus my own DIY solution. I urge you, gentle reader, to have a look and consider doing the same.
My Manifesto: Speak the truth.
The courage to speak your own truth will free others and allow them to do the same
The truth is hard. It can sometimes be hurtful to those we wish not to hurt. More often than not it exposes and highlights things we rather be left in dark corners. There are many who would rather not hear it and would seek to knock you down rather than have you speak it. Speaking truth, in the face of any consequence, takes courage beyond belief.
Sometimes even simple truths about ourselves are hard to face. Even more so when we admit them to others.
Yet we must. We must because it is the only way to be free. When we speak the truths who’s very revelation bind us in fear, not only do we free ourselves of the burden, we engage and encourage others to have the courage to come out of the shadows and say…
“Me too”.
My Manifesto: The problem may be you.
Do not place blame with others. Instead, look inside yourself, recognize your own shortcomings and work to overcome them. That way, others may be able to learn to do the same.
This entry in my manifesto reminds me of a difficult, yet crucial, way to change my thinking. That being, instead of constantly pointing the finger of blame at others, look within myself for the solution. We all carry a measure of guilt and innocence within us. Meditate on your guilt and it may allow you to see the innocence in another. The best way to explain this is to provide the following example…
How many times have you gotten into a disagreement with someone else and said something like “You made me angry!” or “You hurt my feelings.”? Well, let me tell you a little secret – Those statements are inherently false. The fact is that no one has control over our emotions except for ourselves. No one can “make you angry” or “hurt your feelings. The only one who can affect how you feel is you. It is a choice. It may not feel like one at the time, but I suspect part of that is our initial denial of control inherent in the very statements alone. We have choice and control over our actions and reactions. The anger, the hurt, the bad feelings, the negative emotions, they only affect us. By declaring otherwise, we are not only denying truth but we are also denying our inherent ability to change the situation by making a conscious choice to react differently. It is not an easy thing to do, especially when one is emotionally wounded, but it is really the only path to resolution. The more factual way to state these feelings would be “I am choosing to react with anger to this action that you have done.” or “I am choosing to feel hurt over this action you have done”. By doing so, we assume not only truth but we also assume the right to change it if we choose to.
This is just one example. The fact is that many situations would be better solved, and faster solved, if instead of being so quick to point the finger of blame, we looked inside ourselves to ask what we could change to solve the problem.