Videos

Step back and take a top-down view to fix things

Often you need to step back from a situation to be able to fix it properly. This is also true with the way you work.

Email automation isn’t for everyone

Automation can be a good thing, but for your email, not so much. It’s fine to automate one or two things, but if you use automation too much, you can get lost in a sea of ‘inboxes’.

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Organising your Apple Mail workflow

Your email app and workflow should be as boring as you can make it.

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Friday Fury: Do listen, don’t listen

It’s always good to listen to experts, but don’t be fooled into being forced into a new workflow if it’s not right for you. But to listen to the advice they give to see what will work within your system.

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If you lose your Mac, would you be worried?

Losing your MacBook is not fun, but you can replace it. It’s the data that’s more important and something you need to think about more. Here’s a story of one of my clients.

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Where I stand on email tracking and security

Today will be the last day I use tracking on my email newsletter because I don’t believe anyone needs to know that much information about you or anyone else.

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Don't get press ganged into working their way

Have you noticed there are a bunch of ‘productivity gurus’ that force you into using their ‘system’ but never talk with you about your current workflow?

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Sometimes it's ok to have nothing

I keep talking about the Paradox of Choice, and I’ve been hit by it today. So today, I have nothing.

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Friday Fury: HEY

In today’s Friday Fury episode we’re going to look at HEY (The email service from Basecamp) and go through some of the issues it has with workflow.

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First look at HEY email service

In today’s episode, I look at Hey, the new email service/platform by the makers of Basecamp. it’s pretty impressive.

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Security and virus protection for your Mac starts with you

Your Mac is only as happy as how you treat it. So if it gets infected with a virus or you find some malware on it, it’s probably you that caused it.

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Listening to your gut feelings

Your gut feelings are there for a reason, and sometimes you have to listen to them when it’s telling you something isn’t quite right.

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Work on your own flow, don't copy

If you find a workflow, you like and simply copy it, you might find it won’t work for you. Your workflow should be something you come up with, not a copy of someone else’s.

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Friday Fury: Complications

In the many years, I’ve been a technical consultant, I’ve come across so many situations that have been so complicated, so convoluted, and so confusing that I’ve found myself thinking if I don’t understand this stuff, how on earth will the client understand it?!

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How to choose the best Apple device to buy

Buying a new Apple device can be daunting, and buying a second-hand device can be even more so. But one thing that often gets missed out when looking for a device is its age.

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You need to cut the noise

To cut through the noise, you need to step back and figure out where it’s coming from, then create a plan to dampen or better still, eliminate the noise coming from the lack of framework.

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What was your best onboarding experience?

Onboarding is a very important step when welcoming a new team member or a new client. So getting this right can help smoothen the start of your project.

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Work-life balance?

For as long as I can care to remember, I’ve never had a ‘work-life balance’. I’ve always just had ‘Life’.

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Friday Fury: Service providers

In today’s instalment of Friday Fury, I talk about how getting support from some companies can be like pulling your teeth out with a hammer and string!

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More tech. More problems.

Simplicity is the way to go when it comes to the Tech you use. Whether it’s for personal use or if you’re in a business or team. In today’s episode, I go through why having more Tech would mean less output.

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How are you feeling today?

Today’s Weekly Wednesday newsletter was sent, and the response has been, well, pretty amazing! It just goes to show that simplicity does work.

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This could be why your Mac running slow

So, how is your Mac doing? This week, I’ve already had two clients of mine with the same issue: Slow Mac! In this episode I walk through why your Mac might be running slow, and how to resolve it so you can have a new fresh Mac back on your desk… or lap ;-)

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Descript is an app that’ll be game changer for your podcast or video

I found Descript a few days ago that will be making my episodes even better. It transcribes the audio into text, and you can even edit it like a document rather than messing with audio!

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Friday Fury: Tech

Things in the Tech space annoy me, and I’m guessing they annoy you too. So welcome to my new segment called Friday Fury!

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How to use Apple Mail, Things 3 & Basecamp together‍

In today’s video, I’ll go over how I use Apple Mail, Things 3 and Basecamp in my workflow. This is how they help me get to inbox zero with my email, have my ‘assistant’ (Things 3) to notify me of what needs to be done, and how I use Basecamp with my clients and email info organisation.

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How to use email with your task or project manager

I had a question via my site about how to use emails with a task manager, however, I never got a name or any contact details, so I thought I’d make a video to explain it.

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Organising your email with a task or project manager

In yesterday’s episode, I went over how to organise your messy email with a Task or Project Manager, but I’ve been getting messages as to how one should do it. In today’s episode, I’ll go over how you should be doing this.

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How messy is your email inbox?

Believe it or not, it’s straightforward to fix your email woes. All you need to do is to get rid of all your folders and make sure your inbox is empty. Yeah I know, I make it sound easy, but in this episode, I’ll explain what I mean and how it’s possible.

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Limitations are good for productivity

Limiting your tech stack, limiting your apps, and limiting your workflow will help you focus rather than multitask on several tasks at once.

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Let’s talk about backing up, again!

How many times do I have to talk about backing up in my episodes? Well, I’ll keep doing it until I make people understand how important it is and that they don’t need to lose data if only they did things properly.

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Stop staring at that blank sheet of paper and go for a walk

There are times I have a complete mental block and can’t get anything done, so I go for a walk with Woof! my dog.

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Stop wasting your time searching for a solution

I talk about my Membership site quite often, not only because it’s me trying to market it and sell it to you, but it’s me trying to make you understand that it can save you hours of headache.

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Great conversations can teach you many new things

Today I had a group Zoom call about De-Stressing Remote Work, and it turned into such a great and relaxed conversation that I felt it was a great resource to share.

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How I make my daily videos

Making daily videos is only a chore and complicated because you make it so. If you simplify your workflow, why would it be complicated? If you enjoyed the process, why would it be a chore?

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Are you doing IT right?

Mistakes, we all make them, and more often than not, we rectify them. However, in recent weeks, I’ve seen so many individuals and businesses make so many mistakes in their uptake of Tech that it makes my body shiver.

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You're not going to be productive if you're always in meetings!

Have you ever left a meeting thinking you didn’t waste your time?

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Your workshop could be in danger if…

Have you ever been in a situation where you’re in a remote session on a call and your audio dropping out all the time, or the video freezes etc?

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Calming your communication with Basecamp

Having a calm workflow will help with the communication between you and your team or client.

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Not all routines are good routines

For me, routines suck! Whether it’s a personal one or a work-related one. I think living by (some) routines that are baked into what you do is not what I call living life.

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Membership launch!

I’m so excited to launch my Membership program!

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Switching to a new app isn’t going to help you

How many times have you switched apps only to find it’s not helping you with simplifying your workflow?

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Don’t get blinded by cost, look for the benefits

You get what you pay for. How many times have you heard that?! Yep, loads I bet.

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Achieve more in your life by simplifying

You Live.
You Die.
But in between, You Simplify.

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Automation is a blessing and a curse

Automation is functional, but only if you use it sparingly. I found myself drowning in a lot of automated systems, and I found I wasn’t able to breathe, so I stripped it all back and started again, and it felt great!

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Do you suffer from FOMO?

It’s a known fact that being an internet user or working on your own can cause you to have the age-old syndrome: FOMO.

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Create a distraction free environment

Just the idea of being distracted should send shivers down your spine. Not only does it take you away from the work you’re doing at that time, but it takes away even more time as you have to get back ‘in the zone’ after the distraction.

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Happy Kings day 2020!

It’s a bank holiday here in Amsterdam, so today’s video is cancelled! Well kinda.

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Basecamp: The Tools

How many apps and tools do you use in the running of your business or project? You’ll find you can minimise your tool stack and simplify it all by understanding what it is you need. In this episode, I walk through how Basecamp can be the replacement for many of the tools you’re using.

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Basecamp: The Footnotes

This is the last video in my Basecamp series that I made this week, where I’m walking through a few features I’d like to touch on that are great features that complement the tools within Basecamp.

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Basecamp: The Permissions

In this episode, I walk through Basecamp permissions and how simple they are when adding team members and outside collaborators and clients.

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Basecamp: The Reasons

In today’s Basecamp video, I walk through 3 features that I think make Basecamp an excellent tool for Tech Minimalism and how these features can calm your workflow.

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Basecamp: The Philosophy

This coming week I’ll be doing episodes about Basecamp and how it can help with understanding what Tech Minimalism is about. In today’s video, I talk about the reasons I chose Basecamp to run my business on, but also some background on how Tech Minimalism and Basecamp can be used to simplify your workflow.

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Creating calmness at work is easy if you know how

Today I saw an article by SpriteCloud and the tools they use for Remote Work, and it intrigued me as I know the CEO Andrew and respect his work.

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Backing up is not only for your data

Having a backup of your data is not enough. You need to start thinking about backup tools too.

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Productivity isn't what you're told it is

Have you ever found yourself buying into an app to help you ‘become more productive’ only to find you get even more annoyed than you were initially?

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Tame your iPhone notifications with Tech Minimalism

Do you ever find yourself picking up your iPhone and getting annoyed by all the notifications, red numbered circle on all the apps and a bunch of banners messing with your mojo?

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Organising your iPhone with Tech Minimalism

The idea of Tech Minimalism is to rid yourself of the technology that’s in the way of what you need to do.

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Tech Minimalism: Fixing your email workflow – Lesson 1/5

In this first lesson, I’ll show you how to simplify, organise and navigate your email.

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Tech Minimalism: Organising Your Documents – Lesson 2/5

In this lesson, we’ll go through how simplifying your files and documents can be really easy.

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Tech Minimalism: Utilising a task manager – Lesson 3/5

Using a task manager can help you with more than just being organised.

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Tech Minimalism: Keeping It All In Sync – Lesson 4/5

In today’s lesson, we’ll go through keeping it all in sync and show you how on an iPhone.

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Tech Minimalism: Working better remotely – Lesson 5/5

In this final lesson, we’ll be going through how the past lessons can help you to work remotely.

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Your ideas should be put into practice

Running a business is hard, and having good ideas to make your business successful is even harder.

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Does your business run on a solid foundation?

No matter the size of your business, if you don’t have a solid foundation for your IT, then you’re asking for trouble.

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Don’t be in the wrong room

I don’t consider myself to be a fanboy in any shape or form, but when I learn something from someone I respect and love the work they do, it might come just across that way.

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Time waits for no one

Enjoy your life and stop worrying about the wrong things and fix the amount of time you waste in your life by getting more organised and less wasteful with your time.

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I’m very proud to announce...

After months of thinking about it, endless days trying to figure out what it should be about and countless Red Bulls, cigars, shots of whiskey, bars of chocolate, (some of that is a lie, I’ll let you figure out what ones), I’ve managed to put together a great Tech Minimalism Video Course!

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Being 'productive' doesn’t mean what you think it means

The word ‘Productivity’ is not something I like to use, not because I don’t think people should be productive, but I think it’s being overused and for the wrong reasons.

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The killer features that help

When I’m using an app, or better still, when I’m searching for an app to use, I always look for that killer feature.

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Things can always be improved

There is this tendency to just work, work, work and not step back to understand why we’re working 27 hours a day!

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Do workshops work?

Simple answer: YES!

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You get what you pay for

I often hear from my clients that adding yet another subscription to use a tool for their business is getting to a tipping point, and to an extent, I agree.

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Now is the time to work on your business

If you’re working in your business and find you have no time for anything other than client work, then you might need to start thinking about working on your business.

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Should you use Basecamp or Notion?

Both Basecamp and Notion are amazing apps. However, they do things quite differently, and if you’re thinking between the two, I know what I would choose.

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This helped me overcome one of my fears

Overcoming your fears is not an easy thing to do, but there are always people who can help you with whatever you’re fighting with.

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Having 15 spoons isn't necessary

A few weeks ago, I made a ‘Reset’ video going through and resetting my tools and the apps I use to run my business.

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My thoughts on online courses & 'help' articles

Online courses and ‘help’ articles are all over the internet. However, they don’t always help (at least 99% of them) are virtual ’stings’ to sell you something else.

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Do you have back up tools?

Backing up is vital to make sure you don’t lose any data but have you thought about a backup of the tools you use in your business?

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Your clients should not jump through hoops

If you’re running a business, you need to make sure that your clients and prospective clients, can get a hold of you without having to jump through hoops.

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Too much choice can be a burden

The amount of times I’ve seen a client with a bunch of duplicated apps is insane.

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Why black and white? It's all about simplicity

To do things quickly, efficiently and well, I like to do things simply. Recently I was asked why I make my videos in Black and White, so I thought I’d respond in the best way I know how by making a video explaining it all.

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Beware of people selling snake oil disguised as 'remote work' advice

In times of desperation and needing expert advice, you need to worry about the credentials of the person giving you the information.

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If you need Tech or IT help through this crisis, just ask

The weekend is upon us, and the situation around the globe isn’t getting any better. There are a ton of businesses feeling the pinch, by either lack of work or having to stay home and remote working.

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Don't follow the 'remote work' hype blindly

So the newfound ‘hype’ or remote work is getting out of hand with this coronavirus (COVID-19) issue the world is having.

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What’s on my iPhone

I was asked to do an episode on the apps I use on my iPhone and how it’s all set up, so here you go.

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The importance of being poor

The more we have, the more problems we have to deal with. This is true in all areas of our lives.

Just because your technology is the newsiest, the one with the most features or has won awards, doesn’t mean it will work for you.

In today’s episode, I share a personal story, about how the experience helped me understand the importance of being poor, having nothing, and how it helped me realise that less is more.

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