Express (and Remember) your Colors with Pastel
I’m thinking about color and design aesthetics these days, both for this website and other projects I’m working on. I know. It’s pretty monochromatic here right now, which is why I want to be able to put together some colors and keep track of the combos that I like. So I searched the App Store and found Pastel. After using it for a few days, I can tell it’s what I need.
What is Pastel?
From the developer, Steve Troughton-Smith on the App Store:
Pastel is an app for amateur developers & artists (like us!) that lets you build up a library of color palettes for your projects.
Pastel is free to download, with the ability to unlock unlimited palettes for a one-time fee. It is available on the iPad, iPhone, and Mac.
What does it do best?
Pastel comes with a bunch of colors and reference palettes included. Then, there’s the option to pull colors from different style pickers and save them to create new custom palettes. The creativity goes a step further by allowing the user to import a photo, and it will pull a palette of complementary colors. It works really well and is a fun feature to play with!
Palettes can be exported as wallpaper to beautify your home screen or watch face, as a color swatch featuring hex colors, or you can send it directly to Procreate for your design work.
Pastel is free to download, with the ability to unlock unlimited palettes for a one-time fee. It is available on the iPad, iPhone, and Mac.
How is it useful?
Pastel helps manage colors, which is useful for many projects, including websites, presentations, book and print media design, and even for pulling colors together for ideas around the house. It’s perfect for what I need because it’s not overly complicated yet still allows me to play with different ideas and take inspiration from the included palettes.
If you are working on a Keynote or slide deck that isn’t constrained by a corporate or institutional stylebook and want to make it stand out, Pastel is an excellent place to start experimenting with colors.
Weekly Quote: Jan-Benedict Steenkamp On Humility
This week’s quote comes from the book Time To Lead by Jan-Benedict Steenkamp.
My workflow for quote posts is to pull what I’m going to write about at the beginning of the week, so I can spend some time reflecting on it. Humility is a complicated concept, one that has been around for millennia and has been the focus of some of history’s most respected philosophers and thinkers. So I was struggling a bit to wrap my brain around it.
Then, I had a breakthrough.
I spent yesterday afternoon at the playground with my wife and two children, enjoying the sunshine and breeze as Spring finally arrives in New England. As we returned home to prepare for dinner and the nightly routine, I thought about this quote and realized that I wasn’t thinking about myself at all at the playground. I wasn’t thinking about the projects I’m working on or the tasks I need to get done around the house. I had entirely focused my mind on my family’s happiness. I was present.
Humility starts here for me, with my family, and not just thinking about what they need but what I can offer them. Who I can be for them. How I can be a better father and husband, and how it all comes together to help me be a better person.
I’ve tried to express humility in my leadership style by doing my best to understand what the teams I work with need from me, by being forgiving when people make mistakes and supportive when times are tough.
I know I still have a lot to learn in all realms of my life around humility. As I said, it’s complicated. To take a deeper look at what it means to me, I’ve created a Day One entry on the subject and look forward to further reflection. I think I’ll be writing on this topic again in the future.
What does humility mean to you?
Weekly Quote: Coleman Hawkins on Making Mistakes
This week’s quote, by the jazz legend Coleman Hawkins*, reminds us that if we aren’t stepping out of our comfort zones, we’re probably missing out on opportunities to grow.
Mistakes are the language of growth. Starting a new job, shipping a new app, building a new team, being in a relationship, being a parent, so many things are hard to do. You have to stretch, and you’re going to mess up. It’s what you do with the experience that matters. I’ve written about getting it wrong before, and how learning from that is essential. It’s a universal concept and one that is worth remembering.
It’s also important to know that it’s okay to be cautious. Maybe it’s a high-stakes situation, or you’re at a point where you need to slow down. That’s okay, embrace it and know that when you’re ready to try something new, you will, mistakes and all.
*Go check out Body & Soul by the Hawk, it’s a great collection of his work.
Chain Bookstores Aren’t Dead Yet (Thank you, TikTok)
I came across this article about the bookstore revival on Bloomberg CityLab by Alexandra Lange. It offers some history of the big-box booksellers, and dives into how Barnes & Noble is staging a comeback thanks mainly to nostalgia (check out the photos!) and by acting as the backdrop for the BookTok boom that has racked up over 40 billion views on TikTok. Gen Z is apparently finding its way to the mall.
There’s also talk of the concept of these stores becoming the third place. From the article:
It’s not until you add the coffee shop to the chain bookstore, circa 1990, that it becomes the best illustration of sociologist Ray Oldenburg’s concept of the “third place.” The chain stores were pick-up joints without the alcohol, teen hangouts without the style pressures of the mall, opportunities to explore identity both socially and via reading material out from under the thumb of parents and teachers. As with the malls and shopping centers that often support a bookstore, these private enterprises offered accommodation to a broad range of people, in terms of class, race and age.
Thanks to the efforts of Starbucks once and again CEO Howard Schultz, this is a concept associated with that coffee chain at least before the pandemic.
I grew up without a Starbucks nearby, but we did have a large Barnes and Noble that opened when I was in my early teens. I spent many hours exploring books and magazines about technology, business, cooking, science fiction, and fantasy. I also developed my taste for coffee at the cafe. Yes, they did serve Starbucks, but as part of a licensed program, so sadly, they weren’t nearly as good at misspelling our name in wild ways.
Weekly Quote: Ray Dalio on Maturity
This week’s quote comes from Ray Dalio’s book Principles, which I mostly consumed via audiobook during the long commute to and from my previous job. However, I’m planning a deeper dive on my Kindle soon.
It’s challenging to imagine what you may have to give up in the future when you’re focused on the present, and the idea of saying no to something now to hold space for better opportunities certainly takes practice.
I’m still maturing in this area of my life. I like to get engaged and learn and have felt the rush of excitement and, in some cases, flattery when someone asks for my help on something.
As I strive to become a better decision-maker in this area, I’m learning to ask myself in these situations the following questions and then taking some time to consider the answers honestly.
How will this fit into my life?
Check in with yourself and your family and see what’s possible. If you’re returning from parental leave, maybe it’s not the right time to jump into a new project which will likely increase your work and stress load. If you have some time and flexibility and want to get involved in something new, go for it!
Do I have the capacity to complete this and do it to my standards?
It is easy to overcommit and underestimate the time needed to complete a task. Unfortunately, as a species, we are good at doing this. It’s called the Planning Fallacy, and it’s real. Capacity, a term I’m using to represent mental and physical energy, can be hard to measure. Do you have margin in your life, and how much of that are you willing to give up? Margin equals time, and time is so important.
Does it help me learn something new?
It isn’t about being selfish. It’s about wanting to stay engaged in something while being able to learn something new. Not all projects or opportunities will tick this as a yes, and that’s okay. Saying no to this is not an automatic pass for an opportunity. However, if the first two are leaning towards a no and this one isn’t screaming yes, I have a good idea of how to proceed.
As I said, I’m trying to mature and learn how better to find the right opportunities. It isn’t always easy, but I think the three questions act as a framework to help me succeed.
PKM Toolkit: Using Readwise to Spark Creativity
Personal Knowledge Management, or PKM, feels like it has hit its stride in the digital world. Task management, mind mapping, project management, and knowledge management apps like Roam, Obsidian, and Craft offer various options for collecting, organizing, and managing our data. These tools aren’t just popular with users; investors are taking notice too.
What is PKM?
Great question. The productivity nerds reading this probably already know, but for those new to the idea, Wikipedia does a great job of summing it up:
Personal knowledge management (PKM) is a process of collecting information that a person uses to gather, classify, store, search, retrieve and share knowledge in their daily activities (Grundspenkis 2007) and the way in which these processes support work activities (Wright 2005). It is a response to the idea that knowledge workers need to be responsible for their own growth and learning (Smedley 2009). It is a bottom-up approach to knowledge management (KM) (Pollard 2008).
Mike Schmitz from The Focused Podcast wrote an excellent primer on PKM over at The Sweet Setup that goes deeper into the concept. I encoruage you to read it.
My PKM journey has changed a lot in the last six months. After a shift in my professional trajectory, I’ve become more engaged and focused on being creative and developing new ideas here. I’m working on some other projects as well, so with several irons in the fire and the responsibilities of a stay-at-home Dad (my biggest promotion to date!), I saw an opportunity to assess and, in some cases, add or change the tools I use to find, catalog, review, and act upon my information.
With this closer look, I’m starting a new 24 Letters series called PKM Toolkit, where I’ll share my results, the apps, workflows, tools, systems, and ideas that I use to get organized, keep focused, and create.
First up in this series is Readwise.
What is Readwise?
Readwise is an app that helps me manage and organize highlights from ebooks, articles, and email newsletters.
I’ve always enjoyed highlighting or writing marginalia in my books. Sometimes, I even keep a notecard in books to add notes or reference certain pages for future review. When I found out about Readwise, I was excited to try it out because it sounded like the digital version of what I’ve been doing for years.
A few weeks into the 30-day free trial, I subscribed, and It has become an essential part of the workflow that I use daily.
How I Use it
My favorite part of Readwise is the highlights emailed to me every morning at 7 am. It’s a great way to start the day because It can help set the tone and spark inspiration and creativity.
The email also encourages taking a deeper look at each quote and provides options to process it further and decide if I want to favorite it, share it, tag it, or even discard it. The same opportunities for review are available on the Readwise app and site via the Highlights Feed. There is also an option to browse the entire library on the site that I use regularly.
Readers of 24 Letters will note the weekly quote that I share. I always pull them from my highlight feed. Kindle is set up to sync into Readwise, and the bulk of my highlights are from books that I have read on that platform, although some are from newsletters and websites.
I can export my data in various formats and styles, including CSV, Markdown, and the graphical format I frequently use here, perfect for the web or Instagram. The data remains accessible, and that’s important to me.
There are several syncing options, currently in beta, for many of the aforementioned knowledge management apps like Notion and Roam. My preferred app, Craft, is not included at this time. I’m hopeful that Craft X will help build a bridge.
There is a robust search feature where I can use author names, titles, keywords, or tags to find what I need. Search can be narrowed to specific books or the entire collection. I use tags to track what’s been shared here before. I want to explore creating tagged collections based on the content or theme for personal and shared use.
How it Fits in
Readwise is a vital tool in my workflow. It’s the beginning of many things. In addition to the weekly quote I publish, sometimes a highlight gets imported into Craft and becomes the inspiration for a new idea or helps feed an existing project. Other times, it gets moved to my commonplace book for further consideration. It also helps me remember and reflect on what I’ve read in the past and sparks creativity and curiosity. That’s why it’s a daily use app for me and why I recommend it to anyone looking for a tool of this kind.
The read-it-later app that Readwise has in development looks exciting too, and could prove useful for the gathering stages of the PKM process. I’ve requested early access via beta, and look forward to trying it out and sharing my thoughts when I can.
Are you a Readwise fan, or perhaps you have another productivity app that you think I should look at? Email me and let me know. Your feedback about this series and 24 Letters is welcome, too.
Weekly Quote: Less is More
This week’s quote comes from The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. This is a book that I’ve read multiple times and continue to find new wisdom and ideas every time I pick it up.
I’m working on trying to say less while learning to trust that those who are listening will ask for what they need. I still find myself sliding back into explainer mode sometimes, particularly in email. I desire to be helpful, but my attempt likely hits somewhere between a lack of focused thought and condescension.
It’s a balance, like so many aspects of communication. Trying to make expectations known or be supportive of someone without writing them a novel via email that they won’t read anyway.
Sometimes, less is more.
Ted Lasso on 60 Minutes
60 Minutes did a segment on Ted Lasso, one of my favorite television shows and one of the shining beacons of hope, love, and kindness that helped many of us get through some of the darkest days of the pandemic.
It’s a great watch if you want to smile and know a little more about this show that no one, including its creators, was quite sure would find an audience.
Weekly Quote: Rethinking is a Skill
Another quote this week from Think Again by Adam Grant. I like the idea that rethinking, a critical part of leadership growth in my experience, is both a mindset and a skill set.
I’ve found that one of the most important skills for rethinking is active listening. It’s important to hear those who present a different perspective and process what they’re saying instead of just waiting for the chance to respond. I know this skill can be challenging to maintain, especially in high-stress situations, but it’s worth trying.
Time for reflection is also helpful. It gives room to consider further the new information you have and decide what other data you may need to make the best decision. Because rethinking is a form of decision-making, the entire process can help us learn and grow, so let’s embrace that.
As Adam says, these skills get rusty. What are you doing to get them out of the shed?
Weekly Quote: Make a List
This week’s quote is from Jon Acuff’s book Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking.
I love lists. I always have. Creating lists brings me a sense of control and focus that is so empowering.
I use digital and analog tools to collect data and am pleased with this hybrid approach. Tasks end up in Todoist, and items that aren’t as fully formed or action-oriented find their home in Craft.
I find lists to be especially useful as a tool to slow my mind down during a stressful or unexpected challenge. I will take five or ten minutes, find a quiet place, and write everything down in these situations.
I think of this as reactive list building, although it’s essentially a brain dump, a concept popularized by David Allen’s Getting Things Done. I find that doing this helps me sort out a situation by getting organized, and it helps bring a sense of clarity to the challenges ahead.
Are you a list builder? What tools do you use? I’m going to write more about this in the future and would love to hear from you.
Weekly Quote: Fill The Glass
This week’s quote comes from Donald Kaberuka, an economist and former president of the African Development Bank and current chair of the board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS. I discovered it in an issue of James Clear’s excellent 3-2-1 Newsletter.
Imagine if you walked into your next senior leadership meeting and the only item on the agenda was a significant crisis that needed resolution? Now, imagine the facilitator started things off with this quote?
What Mr. Kaberuka is expressing here exemplifies confidence and a focused attempt at finding the right solution. If you lead a team, this approach is invaluable because they need to believe that there is a solution and that you will lead them to search for it.
Of course, you need to believe it too. Reading the quote is helpful, but holding onto the inspiration it offers is vital for success and growth. How do you focus on filling the glass? Let me know.
AssistiveTouch on The Apple Watch
As you may have read in this post, I broke my right wrist a few weeks ago. It’s taken some time to process what happened, and I have been spending most of my energy, appropriately, working on sorting out childcare and making sure my family is okay. My wife is incredible, and our extended family and friends are amazing. Those same people who have been enthusiastic about my recovery are also very supportive of my work here and have encouraged me to continue writing and exploring. I am so thankful for them all.
As things started to settle down, I began to understand better how long I would be in a cast (6 to 8 weeks) with significantly limited use of my dominant hand. I started thinking about how I would interface with my everyday tech.
First on the list for consideration is my Apple Watch.
After a few days of not wearing it, my wife put my watch on for me. I always wear it on my left wrist and was quickly reminded that it is a two-handed device. So, I opened the accessibility pane in the Watch app on my iPhone and started looking around.
Accessibility Options
There are quite a few accessibility features on the Apple Watch, including adding VoiceOver, bold text, reducing transparency, and an hourly chime to indicate the time.
I found AssistiveTouch and remembered reading about it when it launched with WatchOS 8. Given my current situation, the ability to use the watch through one-handed gestures was precisely what I needed.
Activating AssistiveTouch
Turning on AssistiveTouch is easy. Open the accessibility menu in the Watch app on your iPhone, scroll down to the motor section, and toggle AssistiveTouch on. You can even try it out before you activate it.
Customizing Inputs and Appearance
Once enabled, AssistiveTouch offers a variety of settings that you can adjust to fit your needs. I’ve been working with the default for hand gestures, and I’m happy with how they function. It’s taken me a few days for them to feel intuitive.
You can also adjust the contrast and color of the outline that appears on the activated area of the screen. I did not adjust the contrast, but I did change the color to orange from the default blue.
The Motion Pointer
The Motion Pointer allows you to move around the screen by adjusting your wrist. I experimented with this feature briefly but found it too cumbersome to use regularly. I discovered that when scrolling is needed, like when reviewing notifications, the auto-scroll option is presented, and I activate that.
How I Use my Watch
I use my Apple Watch a lot, and primarily in two different ways. The first is for quick data checks. I want to see what time it is (obviously), who sent a recent text, or my progress in closing my rings for the day.
The second is more involved and includes interactions that typically require some voice dictation or several taps to complete. Maybe I’m completing a task in Todoist or responding to a message via Siri dictation.
I’m finding that AssistiveTouch handles my needs well. I can review notifications, navigate my dock, and access my complications easily. I do not doubt that I’ll return to using my other hand when it heals. However, I think it’s likely that I’ll continue using AssistiveTouch.
Learning Something New
I’m thankful to have accessibility options like AssistiveTouch, and a silver lining of this injury is that it’s required me to use some of what Apple has created to continue using the Watch effectively.
I’d like to hear how you’re using accessibility features on your technology, perhaps I can learn something from you too?
Weekly Quote: Learn from Being Wrong
This week’s quote comes from renowned author, economist, psychologist, and Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman.
I’ve found the long-term gains from learning something new through being wrong are significant and worth the potential embarrassment. The ability to change one’s opinion or grow in a new area is, to me at least, more important than perseverating about that time I advocated for an approach during a leadership meeting and ended up being wrong.
Try to get it right, but don’t be afraid to be wrong. Remember to give others some grace when they get it wrong too. In my experience, people respect those who can admit when they are wrong while being supportive of others on their journey too.
Weekly Quote: Suffering our Imagination
This quote connects nicely with last week’s entry about focusing on what we can control. Our ability to tell ourselves stories about the future is powerful, and we usually use it to our detriment even though the worst-case scenarios rarely come to pass.
A context shift can help us deal with these runaway thoughts, especially the big, persistent narratives that just won’t go away. I find reading a book or listening to some new music helpful because it provides some distraction in a low-stakes way and gives my brain time to reflect and engage with the subject in a new way. Doing something a little different can help bring a fresh perspective to the situation, making all the difference and helping to reset things for the better.
How do you handle this? Let me know.
Weekly Quote: Focus on What You Can Control
This week’s quote from The Daily Stoic applies to every aspect of our lives. I happened to slip on some ice earlier this week and ended up breaking my wrist. There isn’t much about that which I have control over.
I’m focusing on what I can control. I’m focused on healing, supporting my family, learning how to type (and do everything else) with one hand, and avoiding those slippery spots. How are you dealing with uncertainty? Let me know.
One Thing
I found this very simple app called One Thing over at 512 Pixels a few weeks back. It does just what it says, allows you to post one sentence in the menu bar of your Mac.
I opted for a quote from Seneca that feels especially appropriate right now. I appreciate the simplicity of this and thought you might too. Check it out here on the Mac App Store.
Weekly Quote: Be a Propeller
A sort of flow state comes along when what Adam Grant references in this week’s quote occurs. When I’ve experienced an argument like this, there is a sense of mutual respect, a desire to grow an idea through disagreement, and even excitement as the interested parties discuss concepts and find a path to come closer together on a resolution.
In situations like this, our ideas are collectively improved because of the outcome. Even if the argument doesn’t begin in this spirit, we are empowered to help find its way to something that can take flight.
If you haven’t read Think Again yet, you should. It’s one of my favorite books from 2021, and I’ll be writing more about my takeaways in the coming months.
Remember that it’s never too late to be the propeller.
Starbucks is a Bank that Sells Coffee
I came across this video (embedded below) from The Wall Street Journal recently. It’s a part of their series entitled The Economics of. I’ve always found Starbucks interesting from an operational perspective, so this was insightful, and I wanted to share.
A few takeaways and highlights:
Starbucks, in the fourth quarter of 2021, loaded about 3 billion dollars onto gift cards and mobile. If Starbucks were a bank, they’d rank as the 385th largest in the country. That’s a LOT of Pumpkin Spice!
As stated in the video, that 3 billion is immediate revenue. Yes, it does turn into a liability when someone comes in and orders their Grande Flat White, but as the video mentions, not everyone who loads a gift card actually uses it. I know I have some that are hanging around that will likely never get used, you’re welcome JCPenney!
Starbucks launched the pay-by-app program in 2009, that’s pretty early on for such an integrated use of technology. By the end of 2021, 24% of transactions were done on mobile. I go to Starbucks several times a month, and I cannot recall the last time I used anything but my phone to order and pay. It’s incredibly convenient, and works as intended every time.
The relationship between Starbucks and its partners is changing, as are so many relationships in the workplace these days.
The Starbucks mobile app is an example of seamless tech that works well. In contrast, I attempted to return an order to an online retailer a few days ago. I printed the label out, attached it to the package, and then went through several failed attempts requesting a package pickup with a courier because their website wouldn’t function properly.
I know Amazon has spoiled us with the ability to return via QR code at Kohls or Whole Foods, but when the vendor’s website doesn’t even work, that’s next level. It was frustrating and the exact opposite of walking into a coffee shop and scanning my phone. Starbucks is much better at gaining repeat business by reducing friction between our money and those cake pops that are for the kids. Sure, for the kids, right?
*Yes, that’s what I’ve been ordering lately. My daily coffee is prepared at home, with a Bodum burr grinder and Melitta pour-over.
Weekly Quote: Go Outside
This week’s quote from The Extended Mind by Annie Murphy Paul. Despite still being some two months until the end of winter here in Massachusetts, the sun feels a little brighter now and is gracing us with its presence for a few more minutes each afternoon. As my mind turns hopefully to spring, I’m looking forward to more frequent and comfortable walks in the nearby park and time spent at the playground with my family.
I spent many years in windowless offices, and I learned firsthand how meaningful sunshine and fresh air are. If you are at your desk, get up and go outside, even for just a few minutes. Take it in. It’s good for you
Site News: RSS Feed
I’ve added a link to the RSS in the navigation on this site. The feed looks pretty good from my testing in NetNewsWire, aside from a missing embedded YouTube video. I’m going to look into how to handle that in the future.. Let me know if you run into any issues or have any suggestions on how to make the RSS feed a better experience.