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Issue #131  (Bobby Fischer on Playing the Wrong Move) 08/16/21

I'm not a huge fan of chess (I'm pretty bad at it, even after having studied it for a bit) but the life of Bobby Fischer always intrigues me. Searching for Bobby Fischer is one of my favourite movies of all time (it's not really about Fischer, just a good movie) and the mysterious aura that surrounded Fischer is interesting.

I happen to stumble on an interview Fischer did on Johnny Carson in 1972, and Fischer said something almost as an aside but I think it's a good way to look at anything we want to achieve.

At about the 4:34 mark of the video, Johnny asks him how he reacted to making moves in a game that he would later regret. Part of Fischer's answer was:

"That's part of being a pro. Try to play the wrong move in your mind – get rid of it, then play the right move."

Seems like an obvious thing to do, and easier said than done. But it's a nice reminder of the importance of forethought, recognizing the potential results of our actions, then adjusting our actions based on that prior thinking.

Now on to this week's hand-picked productivity links!

Tools & Apps

Maestral - A lightweight, open-source Dropbox client for macOS and Linux that provides powerful command line tools, supports gitignore patterns to exclude local files from syncing, and allows syncing multiple Dropbox accounts.

Qlearly - A modern bookmarks and tabs manager as a Chrome or Firefox extension to organize websites by columns and boards. View your board every time you open a new tab.

Nalu - A Windows or Mac app that provides an enhanced and higher-performance experience using Google Docs.

SigmaOS - Mac app. A new privacy-friendly web browser that aims to make working in the browser easier via organized apps, split-screen view, collaboration tools, and more.

Sheet 2 SMS - A Google Sheets plugin that lets you send text messages from your spreadsheet.

Clerk - Add sign up, sign in, and profile management to your JS, React, and Next.js app in minutes. Theme prebuilt frontends to match your branding, or customize everything with easy-to-use APIs.   sponsored  
 

Articles & Resources

The Value of Doing a Little - So true: "We think the choice is between doing something big or something small. But really, it’s between doing something small or nothing at all."

Stat of The Day: 38% of Remote Workers Work From Bed - This article appears in the latest issue of the publication Duh!.

The Rise of Never-Ending Job Interviews - Some companies are asking candidates to attend multiple interviews, which many think is a red flag.

Hundreds of Ways to Get [Stuff] Done—and We Still Don’t - Long read from Wired on the tools that are supposed to help us be more productive.

How to Measure Burnout Accurately and Ethically - Discusses the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), a scientific measure of burnout that started in 1981, with some suggestions on how to avoid misusing it.

Console - Join thousands of engineers in subscribing to a weekly roundup of the latest in open-source software, curated by an Amazon engineer.    sponsored  

Suggestions?

Have a suggestion for a productivity-related tool, article, or other resource? Send me a direct message via X (@LouisLazaris) and I’ll consider including it in a future issue.

Stay productive!

Louis
techproductivity.co
@LouisLazaris

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