#productivity

Making your email game better!

If you think about it, there aren’t that many apps you need to do your work. And may of us has specific apps we need for our craft.

However, there is one app that every single one of us use. And that’s is… Email.

Email is by far the most logical, simple and oldest app that we’ve all used to communicate with the outside world.

It’s used for sending responses, transactions, sales, newsletters etc. Oh, and even love letters!

I won’t go too much in to that last one ;-)

Now that we agree that email is great, why is it everyone struggles with it?

Why does it have to be so messy, annoying and damn right complicated!

aaaaggggghhhh!!!

Well, there is a way to simplify your email so that you can do you actual work rather than get annoyed with the mess, the notifications the (dis)organisation of it all!

…And I can help.

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Is it time to move on?

There are times when you think you have everything worked out. But after some soul searching you find something slowly eating away at you.

This is how I’ve been feeling for the last year or so about my tech stack.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love my Mac and stack. The way it’s helped me, and my clients, get work done… simply!

But I’ve had this inner urge to find a better, simpler, more privacy focused, more secure, and even more productive way to doing things for me and my business.

Let’s just say this Tech Minimalist, that was ‘The MacJunky’ since 1986, may possibly be moving to linux!

And over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing the approach, the pitfalls and the wins.

Are you fed up with Apple/Windows. And have had thoughts like…

“There’s gotta to be a better way!”

I’d love to hear your story!

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The possibilities are endless!

After a hectic few weeks of cat sitting for my best friend, while packing my storage space to move. And the unexpected bad news about Woof! I’m exhausted!

However, life, and work, doesn’t stop. Not only that, I can’t sit still and wallow in self pity.

I’ve grieved, I’ve felt every emotion run through me. And I’m guessing it’s going to take a while to get it out of my system.

Hence an email rather than a video (for a while).

Anyhoo…

I wrote about my site being slow a few weeks back. It was annoying me no need. Even after back and forth with the support team, I got so frustrated and fed up, I caved and got myself a VPS (Virtual Private Server).

I initially got it purely for speeding up my website. And it’s really speedy now!

But I got to thinkin’…

Why not use the server for more than just a website.

I got to work and thought about all the services, their respective monthly payments, and whether I could securely host everything I needed.

Yes. The answer was Yes! I can move a bunch of stuff, self host. And it’ll be WAY cheaper.

And here’s the list…

– Website
– Analytics
– Podcast
– Newsletter
– Email server

Setting up the Website, Analytics, Podcast and Newsletter were simple. However, the Email server needed for the Newsletter to be sent, was a little tricky.

But once you navigate the techno babble, it too was rather quite simple. And it only took me about a week to do it all.

One of the issues with hosting your own Email server, or SMTP service (the protocol that send email via the internet) is that the server, IP and hostname has to be ‘warmed up’ so that it doesn’t land in/on a block list, and for other servers to ’trust’ it.

That can take quite a while, 1-3 months (!!)

And although it’s all running perfectly, I’m going to be warming it up by only sending the newsletter to a select few from the new server for a while.

What really helps with the ‘warm up’, and would help me greatly is for my newsletter recipients to reply.

Here’s the thing…

Apart from wanting to self host, and save money. I wanted everything to be on brand. Especially the Newsletter.

I want my newsletter to be an ‘Email’ not a ‘Flyer’.

Not just something that sounds like a sales pitch. But more importantly, it doesn’t look like a freaking sales pitch!

Like 99% of all newsletters out there!

I think I’ve succeeded, you be the judge…

Did you receive my old ‘Flyer’ style newsletter? Or are you one of the lucky ones who received the new improved super-duper ‘Email’ style newsletter?

Hit reply and let me know!

Kia.

P.S. Oh and do let me know if my newsletters are going into Spam automatically too!

P.P.S If you too are fed up with paying for software and tools you could self host and want help, hit me up!

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Hustle porn is fucking up your hobby!

“We’re treating our free time like it’s another job we’re not getting paid for.”

The digital age has been great. But it’s turned us into soulless robots that’s crying out to be accepted, at any cost.

Staying focused is easy with a MacBook...

…especially if it’s the only choice as a nomad, and you only have a 13" MacBook pro to work with!

No one said it was easy.

It’s all discipline, and knowing that your workspace and tools are setup so well that they’ll never be in your way.

Here’s how I set up mine when I collaborate with my clients, including some of the tools I use!

Kia.

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It's been a year, and my Mac desktop hasn't changed, much

Well, it’s been almost a year, since I posted this last year.

I find it calming, it does everything I need, and keeps me super productive!

How’s your desktop and Dock looking?

Kia.

Struggling to make videos can be annoying, but there is a solution...

It’s been a while since I made a video. But while I was checking my archives, I came across this one that’s nudging me to get off my ass to make more!

What kind of video would you like to see?

Click here and let me know!

Kia.

Don’t be busy, be productive

There are many apps that try to help you be more productive. But I’ve found they often make you busier than you need to be and actually hurt your productivity.

Want to simplify your workflow? Click here!

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Perfectionism doesn’t work, unfortunately

Being a perfectionist is one of the worst ways of losing your productivity. Doing the task or project is way more important than thinking about doing them.

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Getting more done with a single screen

Having multiple screens is fun and can be useful for the minority, but if you want to be more productive on your Mac, having a single screen is the way to go.

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Seek discomfort

The idea of comfort zones has been around for eternity. However, it doesn’t mean we need them. Sometimes it’s best to seek discomfort.

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You’ll never remember everything

It’s hard to remember everything before starting a project. And it doesn’t matter how much thinking or strategy you’ve done, it doesn’t always go to plan.

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Get yourself a Noid Light set

A Noid Light is a tool that helped me eliminate issues saving me time, money and a whole lot of headaches. You might need something like it too.

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Working around app limitations

There are times we need to work around the limitations we’re given. However, we never have to ‘make do’. We have to always focus on the outcome.

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Your time is worth more

On social media, you’ll often come across posts that’ll glamorise what a high-flying entrepreneur does to stay on top. And it’s all horse shit!

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Productivity is dying

Reading through the comments of a very interesting Tweet this morning, it seems many are getting fed up with ‘productivity’ apps, and I’m here for it!

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You don’t need to overcomplicate IT

If you want to focus, you must ensure you have no distractions. One area I find many struggle with is the amount of tab/app switching they do.

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Destructive wrong answers

It’s destructive to do anything wrong. Worse, it’s utterly destructive if you have to fix something you thought was a good idea due to a wrong solution.

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The 80/20 rule to rule them all

Many know the 80/20 rule. However, I don’t think they know how to implement it into their life as a whole. Let me explain my thoughts.

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Make IT so simple it’s invisible

The more complicated your tech stack, the more unproductive you will become. The secret is to make your whole system so simple that it’s invisible.

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Unlearn to learn

Learning something is one of the most rewarding things you can do. But often, you’ll need to unload what you learned to get something done.

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Turn it off and on again

There are times no matter what you try it will never be how you want it. Trying to sellotape or hack a solution to make it work will often make it worse.

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All the gear but no idea

Having all the tools in the world won’t make you productive unless you have a goal. Knowing what you need to achieve that goal is vital when choosing the right tools.

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Productivity is a lie

The longer you look for a way to be more productive by learning everything under the sun, the longer it’ll take for you to actually get off your ass and do it.

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FOMO is killing your productivity

The less we have, the more time we have. But having extra time for ourselves doesn’t mean doom-scrolling for fear of missing out.

Want to simplify your business workflow? Hire the Tech Minimalist!

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It’s ok to just use the stock Apple apps

Sometimes we need to get a third-party app to get our work done. However, using the stock Apple apps can be easier and save you time and money.

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Copying a system isn’t the answer

Having a system you’ve created and use daily is the best way to be more productive. However, if you copy a complete system from someone else, you will not benefit from it. On the contrary, I would argue that you’ll get even less productive.

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If it’s clunky it’ll make you unproductive

The more clunky the app, the less likely you will use it. It’s a simple fact. How do I know? Well, it comes from the clients I work with. Not only that, but it also comes from my personal experience.

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The problem with email inbox zero

Inbox zero is great, but if you’re only doing it for aesthetics, you do not understand the whole issue. My mistake has been not explaining what it means when I post screenshots of my email window on 𝕏.

Original post

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The right tools are better than any ‘system’

Having an external individual exert their ‘system’ on you or your team is a recipe for disaster. You can’t change someone’s way of working just because your ‘system’ works for YOU.

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Inbox-zero is possible, here’s how...

Inbox-zero is one of the best ways to focus on your business. Being constantly distracted by notifications can remove that ability fast!

Click here for help getting to inbox-zero

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You’re wasting way too much time on email

We all know wasting time in our business can cost us money. So why waste time on things that could be simplified? Email is such a powerful tool that we forget it’s a time suck if we’re not using it in the best possible way.

Fix your email

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Too busy to fix your busyness

Busyness is nothing to be proud of. If you’re too busy, there must be a friction point that needs to be fixed. No one should be too busy not to have time to do things they truly need to do. Fix your ‘busyness’. You’ll be happier for it.

Book a discovery call to fix your ‘busyness’

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Having everything in one place

We all know that having data for your business in one place is better than having to hunt for what you need in a bunch of tools, apps and service that isn’t efficient.

So why are some still use Post-it notes for important information?!

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You don’t have to use all the features

Humans are nest makers. They’re hoarders. And when it comes to tech and the apps they use. They want to use all its features because they have this idea they’re missing out on something. But that’s oh so wrong!

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How to keep track of everything in your business

You will hear ‘single source of truth’ many times over, but what and how is it relevant to you and your business? Well, it’s the idea of keeping and having all data and information in one place to help you be more organised.

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How to use TextExpander to save you days of work

If you want to be more productive, do less. That might sound like voodoo magic, but with tools like TextExpander you can make the work you do on your Mac way easier and quicker.

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Multitasking is overrated

Multitasking can be good in many ways, but when it comes to working on your Mac, or any computer, it can be a distraction. I’ve found that working on one app or task at a time yields way more productive than trying to do too much at the same time.

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