Videos

Never cheap out on tools

Don’t get caught out with the allure of check tools. You’ll regret it in the end and will be kicking yourself for not choosing the right tools that’ll last and be beneficial to your business.

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Finding tools, apps and services that make things simple is a passion of mine. Today I want to bring your attention to a scheduling tool called SavvyCal. It’s simple. Clean and makes scheduling easy and personalised.

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Content creation and the tech

Too much tech is never great. When it comes to your video or podcast production tech, it’s no different. Having too many ’toys’ can hinder your creativity and when you start, it’s simply not needed.

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Using video in your business

I love making videos. It helps my prospective client understand who I am, and how I work, and they get to ‘know’ me a little before they get in touch. It’s vital for my business, and it should be for you too.

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Friday Fury: Kia Kamgar

We often get advice from people around us that we love and respect. But often that advice is coming from a place of love and not from a perspective that we need to move us forward.

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Do you own your data?

Your email is the glue that holds your digital life together, and without it, you could lose the key to all your data. So making sure you ‘own your keys’ is vitally important. Here’s what I had to deal with when my email stopped working.

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It’s ok not to know

We can’t all know everything. Now I’m the kind of person interested in learning and actually like, to be able to do everything myself. I’m not a control freak. But I enjoy knowing how to do lots of things. But it’s okay not to know everything.

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Things don’t last forever

As you know, I’ve been making videos for a couple of years. Now since the pandemic or just before the pandemic hit the end of 2019. But for the past few months, I haven’t been making videos, and I was trying to figure out why I wasn’t making the videos.

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Friday Fury: Apple Support is a fucking joke

You know, one thing that really irritates me is people not doing their jobs properly. And I’m sure you are the same.

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Revisiting an old friend: Daylite

Yesterday I spoke about being able to work when you’re offline when you don’t have an internet connection because I was on holiday, a lot of people that are on holiday and they can’t always work without the internet. Things like Google Drive and Dropbox, stuff like that.

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Working from home vs remote work

You may or may not know that last week I wasn’t around, and I was on a road trip to Portugal and kind of Spain. It’s a long story. I’ll save that for another time.‍

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The grass is just fine

With the work that I do, I have to go and find software solutions, basically, any kind of solutions, for my clients.

And what that entails is me using that software for a particular amount of time to make sure that I’m happy with how they work, how they function and whether it would work for any of my clients.

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Giving value to time

Everyone’s time is valuable. But we don’t really think about what that means. And I think I, after 50 odd years, have realised what time means to me.

P.S. If you’re struggling with time in your business, we should talk.

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It’s ok to be wrong

As business people who run businesses, entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, small businesses, etc. we tend to know our business and what we do.

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Friday Fury: Whereby

In today’s Friday Fury, I’ll demonstrate some things on my Mac and express my amazement at the sheer stupidity of this company, which labels itself under every name imaginable.

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Avoid the software trap

Software and apps are increasingly becoming more complex. This complexity often arises because companies add numerous features in response to constant user demands.

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This should scare you

After 30 years in tech, I’ve encountered countless issues ranging from broken hard drives to stolen computers. I’m still astonished that people generally do not take better care of their data.

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How not to forget great ideas

Like me, you might get ideas anywhere—from the shower to walking the dog. I constantly generate new concepts during these routine moments.

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Simplicity is hard

We’ve honed our skills to serve our clients, understanding both our craft and their needs. This expertise, once packaged, effectively meets our clients’ demands.

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You only need a Rolodex and some Post-its

If I suggested managing your business using Rolodexes and Post-it notes, you’d probably think I was nuts. And you’d be partly correct.

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We learn from our mistakes

This week I’ve been reflecting a lot on the concept of failure, specifically how we can grow and learn from our mistakes.

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Why I’m never busy

I often emphasise the importance of avoiding the state of being ‘busy’. Yes, there are tasks that need to be done, but constantly being or labelling oneself as ‘busy’ is counterproductive.

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Happiness is time without friction

I frequently discuss simplicity, Tech Minimalism, and all things that streamline life. However, one topic I rarely touch upon is happiness and its meaning.

Want to simplify?

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Be ruthless and say NO!

I have a love/hate relationship with social media. I love the fact I can connect with people around the globe. But hate the grind and the complex it is now.

Emma Wilson’s Post

Update:
This experiment has turned into something better than I ever could imagine!

My daily (yes daily, and people stay subscribed) newsletter has become my personal ‘social media’ filled with professionals whom I actually interact with and have great conversations with… Via EMAIL!

No algorithms, no fluff, just great connections!

Click here to subscribe to my newsletter

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Time is your most valuable asset

Time is the most valuable asset you have. So why make yourself busy for mundane tasks when you could spend that time to do the things you love.

Want to be the master of your time? Click here!

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Conversation with Mary Hamilton

After seeing one of Mary’s posts and videos on LinkedIn, I know I had to make contact and have a conversation with her!

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Conversation with Andra Zaharia

I met Andra, who’s a cybersecurity content marketer via Twitter, and I’ve been following her posts for a week or so.

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Conversation with Jack Bingham

When I find a great app, I love to talk to the developers behind it. And if I find an issue, I really want to talk to the developers. And Jack is one of those developers.

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Conversation with Chris Raroque

The last time I spoke to Chris was about a month ago. We met on Twitter and we spoke for about two and a half hours.

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Conversation with Eldar Gezalov

In this conversation, I’m speaking with Elder. I met him about last year, but I’ve been following him longer than that.

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Conversation with Paul Minors

I always like talking to Paul. Whenever I speak with him, I always get information that you don’t see through his videos.

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Conversation with Guilherme Ferreira

In this conversation, we talk about, remote work and dogs. it’s a great, fun conversation with lots of information great as well. So enjoy The Conversation.

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It's not working

We all get into a position where we think nothing’s working.

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Evolve the way you work

Moving away from something you know can be challenging.

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Conversation with Elizabeth Pampalone

Elizabeth is one of those rare finds. She’s a marketing expert that knows exactly where the clients need to be and how to get here.

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Practicality not Hope

You’ll never win the fight that marketers and salespeople are waging.

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Keep on going

It’s not easy to make content if you have no audience. And it’s definitely not easy if there’s no feedback, good or bad.

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Put your own mask on first

As business professionals and humans, we always have the urge to help someone, and that’s never a bad thing. However, there’s a reason why on planes, they tell you to put on your own mask first before helping someone else.

Want to simplify your workflow? Click here!

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Choose process over tools

If you don’t have a clear process, you’ll find yourself constantly changing tools without understanding why your workflow isn’t working for you.

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Conversation with Sebestian Ong

Sebestian is a digital and social marketer and strategist as well as a LinkedIn expert who I’ve been getting a bunch of great nuggets of information from via his LinkedIn posts and interactions.

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Take time to absorb

There is too much information out there, and all we seem to do is scan, skip and glaze at information.

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Milestones matter more

Looking at a list of tasks for a project with no context can cause a lot of anxiety.

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Friday Fury: I'm off to pick tomatoes in Spain

Is there anyone out there? Are you listening? Did you understand? Do you need any help? Shall I explain it again? Is this clear enough? Oh wow, maybe I should just go and pick tomatoes in Spain!

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Be mindful with your time

The ability to spend your time the way you need to is a superpower, and many don’t quite understand it. And if you give away any of that power to someone else, your day can become a mess.

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Remote work is just a fad

The ability to work remotely isn’t just for the employees to drink margaritas on the beach.

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They can't fix every problem

Over the weekend, I pondered the claim “We’re here to fix the problem of…” that some SaaS/software companies try to peddle. I don’t buy it, because they don’t know MY problem as they haven’t worked with me.

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Stop paying for nothing

More often than not, I find many paying for software and services they don’t use or make use of.

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Life shouldn't be incidental

Enjoying life is what it’s all about, right? Well, if you make life more of a priority than your work, then yes. However, I’ve found that many make their life incidental to their work. And that, to me, is a wasted life.

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Simplicity isn't for everyone

Do you crave simplicity? It’s one of those questions that’s replied with a ‘yes’, but often, the actual answer is ’no’. As strange as that sounds, this is precisely how some prospective clients see it when it comes to simplifying their tech and IT.

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Do you value your time?

Time is something we all don’t have much of, even though we think we do.

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The right tools for success

Having data and communication all over the place can make you feel unproductive and, at times, anxious.

I know because this is how I felt when I started coaching, but with Basecamp, I was able to tame and have a single source of truth.

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Multitasking isn’t good for anyone

We all love to be able to get a bunch of work done on any given day, but have you thought about how much of an energy suck multitasking is?

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The pressures of making daily videos

If you’re a follower, you’re probably aware that I produce videos for my business, but I’m often asked about how I’m able to make them daily.

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IT doesn't care about you

Having someone between you and your IT person is vital in ensuring the process you build for your business is implemented with the right tools and services you need to make a smooth transition into your new workflow.

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More tech isn't the answer

While meeting with a prospective client and going through their tech stack, I quickly found out there were too many tools by their admission.

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How much data do you need?

We collect, gather and hoard way too much data that we need to. Have you thought about the impact it’s having on our mental state? And the energy we use to keep data that we will probably never need or use?

Article by Karina Meerman (Dutch)

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Playing chess with technology

Getting the right workflow takes time and thought, just like playing chess. You need to understand your opponent and win by understanding your needs; otherwise, you’ll lose.

Click here to simplify your workflow

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Build the right foundation

This past week I’ve been talking about privacy, security and ways to keep your data secure on your Mac.

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Can your Mac get a virus?

If you give access to something you don’t understand, then yes, your Mac might get a virus.

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Keeping your Mac secured

about, and that’s FileVault.

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Protecting your email privacy

Just by using email, you could be leaking a ton of personal information that you’re not aware of.

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Never reuse your password

The best way to stay safe and secure is to make sure you never reuse your password.

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Keeping your passwords safe

Keeping your passwords safe should be high on your list when it comes to your tech. Unfortunately, I’ve seen some very inventing, alas not so secure, ways my clients file their passwords.

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Don't fear simplicity

Fear is a good thing, but often it’s a misguided feeling when you know deep down that it’s the fear that’s pulling you back from progressing from the position you’re currently in.

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Am I a Tech Communist?

When someone says something, you have to listen, and in today’s video, I talk about being called a Tech Communist.

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Adapt or die

Don’t be left behind, holding on to your idea of what’s right. Look around, learn and understand what your needs are.

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Does it 'fit' you?

It’s not often that you send back clothes are you’ve bought them, but when you do, there’s a good reason why you did.

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Make IT transferable

Making things simple for yourself is the best way to create time. So making things transferable and reproducible will help you minimise your frustrations.

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Know where your data is

Help is available if we know what the issue is and how to resolve it together.

Unfortunately, it seems that some don’t know where things are, so it makes it really difficult to fix what needs to be done simply.

Need help with your Apple Mac system? Hire the MacJunky!

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Less is always an option

After speaking with a few clients today, one of them gave me a soundbite that made so much sense as to what I do and what I’m trying to convey that I thought I’d share it.

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Free isn't always free

We know the saying ‘if it’s free, you’re the product’ but did you also know that just because you’re using a free email service you wouldn’t be paying for it in some other way?

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Software is the new drug

If you’re not careful with picking the right apps and tools to use, personally or within your business, you might find yourself hooked on software that you can’t reliably get away from.

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Minimal effort, maximum output

Well are all lazy and want an easy way to do things and I don’t think there is anything wrong with that.

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The power of less

Being intentional is a superpower when it comes to staying focused. And ’the power of less’ is something I teach all my clients to help with that idea when it comes to their tech.

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Simplicity with multiple tools

The idea that one tool can help you and your business to get things done is something that can ruin your workflow. They do exist, but they don’t do anyone right.

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The power of 'NO

The more you say ‘YES’ to things, the less time you have to yourself.

It’s not always good to accept new projects, tools or favours you do because that will inevitably suck the time you have for yourself.

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Laziness is the best ROI

It’s never a good idea to call yourself ’lazy’, but sometimes it’s the best way to explain the way you work and how you can help your clients to become more efficient and focused.

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Backing up explained

Many make the mistake of thinking that just having data on iCloud that it’s ‘backed up’ but that’s far from the truth. So I’ll be going over the best ways to back up your data, so everything is safe and sound.

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Be nice and smile

There are many things Apple doesn’t do right, but now and again they pull through, and being friendly and smiling will always help you get them on your side. So there was good news for me when I visited the Apple store yesterday!

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Once it's gone, it's gone

For the past few years, Apple has created smaller MacBooks; with that, the SSDs have also gotten smaller. But now the SSD, RAM and CPU are on one chip, so if your Mac dies, your data does too!

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iCloud is not a back up

Many make the mistake of thinking that just using iCloud will save them from data loss. This is a huge mistake. iCloud is a syncing service and not a backup service.

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All is not lost

Losing your Mac is hard, but losing your data is unimaginable.

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Limiting your inboxes

In this live stream replay, I go through what an ‘inbox’ means to me and how it can save you time so you can be even more productive by limiting them.

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Storm before the calm

Once the storm is out of the way, the calming starts, even though that’s not quite how the saying goes, It’s something to consider when it comes to the adoption of new technology or a new workflow.

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Don't be set in your ways

Doing the same thing repeatedly thinking ’this is fine’ isn’t going to help you be more productive. It’s only going to slow you down and get you frustrated more than you think.

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Riding the wrong wave

We often follow others blindly when it comes to choosing our apps and services.

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Embrace your weaknesses

The more you fail, the more you learn. So embracing your weaknesses can and will make your strengths even stronger.

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Moving forward

WOW! 2020 really did suck! I hope you got through it ok and are ready to make 2021 a bounce-back-and-kick-ass year!

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Apple M1 Powered MacBook Air 2020

Live stream on December 15, 2020, at 13:00 talking about the Apple M1 MacBook Air and Tech Minimalism.

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Is it time to stop using Zoom?

Last week, I read a scary article about Zoom and how they might be monitoring the calls we all are having.

As you know, I’m very much against ‘big tech’ having too much information about us. This is one reason I stopped using Facebook many years ago. Even Google has a lot to answer for when It comes to privacy and the data they collect while we’re surfing the web.

Anyhow, back to Zoom. If like me, you’d prefer to use another app to do your remote calls, then watch my live stream tomorrow! In the stream, I’ll be going over a few alternatives and how you can easily remove Zoom from being your default app for remote meetings.

The live stream will be on December 22, 2020, at 19:00

So save the date and join the live stream tomorrow and let’s stay safer on the internet together.

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