One of the things I (Zane) nerd out about is not just what people do but how people do things in the world. It seems like everyone who is contributing beautiful work in the world has a metaphorical “tool box” they draw from to help them carry out the everyday work that is before them.
When’s the last time you added tools to your metaphorical “tool box”?
If it’s been a while or you don’t even know where to start, then might we suggest peeking into our tool box? In Onto Somethin’ Episode 44, Deja Roberson and I (Zane) collaborate on what we call a “Tool Box”, where we cover a few items or practices we’ve discovered over the past year that we’ve added to our personal repertoire. Many of these tools are small or minuscule, but they matter in our everyday work.
Practical is a love language of the Onto Somethin’ Podcast, so without further ado, here are a couple of practical items or practices each of us have adopted over the past year that help us in how we operate in our day to day lives.
Shift (Zane’s Recommendation)
Shift is a productivity application for any computer. As someone who works on multiple projects with multiple email accounts, Shift is an application that allows me to use multiple email/gmail suites at the same time while staying organized. The software easily lets you keep browsers and extensions separated to keep your virtual spaces clean. It’s been a game changer for keeping school, work, personal, and side projects separate while still being able to fluidly access different accounts in one space.
Enduring Word Commentary (Zane’s Recommendation)
The Enduring Word Commentary is a free resource online everyone should know about if you’ve ever wanted help reading the Bible. Many people know they should read the Bible, but very few know how to study the Bible. The Enduring Word Commentary is basically a database of thoughts and explanations on every passage in Scripture. Although I haven’t used it long enough to endorse it theologically, I find it very helpful for personal study or preparing light talks (such as a devotional thought).
Away Messaging for iPhone (Zane’s Recommendation)
There should be times where our phones exist in the “off” position. Many of us want to step away, but we worry about what happens when others reach out and don’t hear from us. This “life hack,” which Deja actually introduced me to, is where you can customize the auto reply setting on your iPhone to send a premade response by text message when your phone is on “Do Not Disturb Mode.” This is an incredibly helpful setting to use for those who are trying to take a sabbath away from your phone but don’t want anyone to worry or be left waiting while you’re away from your phone.
Go with the Flow (Deja’s Recommendation)
When we shifted to working from home, I had a hard time figuring out how to focus in a space where I usually only rested. I started Googling and found Flow– an OS app (sorry Android users) for the Pomodoro method. The basic gist of the Pomodoro method is breaking your work down into intervals, to limit distraction habits like checking social, responding to text, etc. The Pomodoro method allows me to work on a specific task, or set of tasks for 25 minutes, with a 5 minute break between “work” times. I’ve found two things to be helpful inclduing (1) keeping my planner or a sticky note next to me to jot down random thoughts or taks I remember and (2) to take a 10 minute break after the 4th “work” time.
The Ultimate Task Manager (Deja’s Recommendation)
Onto Somethin’ Pod is big on using the Full Focus Planner (and really all the products, systems, and books by Michael Hyatt & Co). One thing that the FFP team suggests for ultimate success with using the planner is having a “task manager”, which is basically a command central for all your projects and tasks so you can move them into your FFP on a weekly and daily basis. A lot of my job involves helping our team determine where our current work fits into different goals, projects, and initiatives, and I found that even though my FFP can do a lot there needs to be a bigger system to hold everything. Also, one of the best parts about Asana is that it’s built for teams to use together.
32 Before Brew (Deja’s Recommendation)
Over the past year or so, I’ve learned that if I do not start my day off with water (but instead jump straight to the java) I will barely finish a water bottle. So, in order to combat this, I’ve installed this “mantra” of 32 before brew — which just means I have to drink 32 oz of water before having my first cup of the day. We’re at the point now where I don’t even really think about it, and if for some reason I skip the 32 oz first thing, I will notice based on how my body feels before lunch.
That Crossfade Though – Bonus #1 (Deja’s Recommendation)
You know that moment where you’re jamming out to a really good song, it ends, and then there’s like a weird 10 second silence before the next bop starts? Welcome to one of my least favorite things. One of the reasons why I stand for Spotify Premium is because they allow you to set a “crossfade”, which can be anywhere from 1 second to 12 seconds. Personally, 6 seconds is the sweet spot (chef’s kiss, as the children say these days).
Saving from Spending – Bonus #2 (Deja’s Recommendation)
Back in the day when people used cash to pay for things, people would throw all of their spare change into jars or buckets or wherever. Then, one day, you’d either dump it all out and count it yourself or head to the nearest grocery store or bank and have them do the hard work. Qapital is basically the same concept, plus a bunch more. Qapital is an app that you can attach to your bank account that’s designed to help you save money. You sync your Qapital account with your bank account and then establish different rules (like round up – spare change, certain percentage when there’s a new deposit in your bank account, stand/exercise goal). You can even create multiple “goals” with their own rules to save for specific things.