Tech Productivity Issue #224 (Perfectionism Holding You Back?)

Issue #224 (Perfectionism Holding You Back?) 05/29/23

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If you work on macOS, you'll enjoy this little tip shared on Twitter over a year ago by software engineer Zach Waugh. I'll quote the full Tweet here:

"I just discovered you can hit / in any macOS save dialog to open a Spotlight-esque quick folder search and even use things like ~ to jump to your home folder. No clue when that was added, but a handy shortcut instead of manually navigating a deep folder hierarchy."

There's also some follow-up discussion in the thread with some other tips and little-known stuff that you might find useful.

As one user points out, it's actually something you can easily discover by accident and then your productivity just skyrockets after that!

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

Tools & Apps

PixieBrix — A Chrome extension to drive productivity with AI, automation, and more. Enterprise-ready, endlessly versatile, configurable, and integrates with any solution.

Missive — A team inbox and chat app that empowers teams to truly collaborate around email by means of a business-first collaborative experience.

Eightify — A Chrome extension that lets you quickly access YouTube video summaries powered by ChatGPT.

AI Report for Small & Medium-Sized Businesses — Curious about the impact of AI? Dive into Aircall’s engaging report that explores the evolving sentiment towards AI in the workplace. Gain valuable insights from over 3,500 professionals to stay ahead of the curve. It’s time to level up! sponsor

Cyte — A Windows and Mac app that works in the background, recording everything you do, so you can search your full digital screen time.

VUCAC — A single infinite team whiteboard to discuss, plan, collaborate, using Kanban, sticky notes, pictures, doodles, and more.

OneCal — A plugin that lets you quickly sync your Outlook and Google Calendar, for real-time synchronization to help avoid scheduling conflicts and help you save time.

Articles & Resources

How to Reduce Stress and Overcome Anxiety as a Software Developer — One developer's road to fixing his overstressed schedule and pattern of life and work, with some suggestions that might help you if you find yourself in a similar situation.

Productivity and Well-being: A Summary of What Works — Making the connection between productivity and your overall well-being is an important part of carrying on and being efficient and effective. This detailed set of instructions may help you identify your sweet spot for making that connection.

Securely Share 2FA Tokens With Others, No Phone Needed — A browser-based 2FA authenticator for you and your team. Easy import from Google Authenticator, user management, read-only access, backups, and more. 2FA your team will love! sponsor

How the Push for Efficiency Changes Us — Pertinent quote: "While I certainly won’t deny the satisfaction of learning how to do a task faster, I do think it’s worth interrogating the way efficiency comes to shape our lives."

Perfectionism Holding You Back? 3 Ways to Shift the Habit — This connects perfectionism with anxiety, with the assumption that perfectionism is a symptom, not necessarily the main problem (though this may not be the case for everyone).

Keep Forgetting Things? Neuroscience Says These 5 Simple Habits Boost Memory and Learning — More details in the article but the high-level suggestions are: eat specific foods, build good relationships, improve your environment, spend your time wisely, and (wait for it...) walk backwards (!).

17 Principles for a Successful Hybrid Workplace — A whole slew of suggestions here that may benefit hybrid teams that have decided not to stay fully remote.

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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