Tech Productivity Issue #231 (Is Coffee Good for You?)

Issue #231 (Is Coffee Good for You?) 07/17/23

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The topic of coffee drinking always seems to be a popular one in work and office circles. It's certainly a topic that's in the ballpark of increasing productivity, seeing as it's viewed as a stimulant and many people even believe coffee is healthy for you.

If you're interested in a deep-dive on the science behind the question of whether coffee is good for you, you'll enjoy this YouTube video by James Hoffman, who runs a YouTube channel that's all about coffee.

The video, which is a fairly reasonable 18 minutes long, provides an overview of research examining the relationship between coffee and various aspects of health, including things like gut health, sleep, cancer, cognition, mortality, and more. The description box includes info on how to find the reference papers cited and used in the discussion, should you want to go even deeper into the subject yourself.

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

Tools & Apps

BlueMail — A cross-platform email client with features like unified inbox, task board, chat app, generative email, calendar, webmail UI, and more.

one sec — iOS or Android app that automatically delays distracting apps when you open them, forcing you to wait before interacting with them, thus increasing friction and lowering appeal. Also as a browser extension.

The First Wearable to Track Your Productivity — Design your day for deep work. Pylot measures your cognitive performance so you know when to do your deep work, shallow tasks, or take a break. sponsor

Kanboard — A free and open source visual Kanban project management app built with PHP that you can self-host. Includes features like drag-and-drop, search and filter tasks, automatic actions, and lots more.

BeforeSunset — An AI-based, actionable productivity app that features time-tracking, time-blocking, personal analytics, and integrates with your calendar to help plan your day.

Cakedesk — A simple invoicing app for freelancers, for Windows and Mac, that lets you customize your own invoice and proposal designs with HTML and CSS.

CrowdView — A search engine that lets you conduct a search exclusively on forum websites (Stack Overflow, Hacker News, Reddit, etc).

Articles & Resources

The Art of Moving On: When and How to Disengage From a Goal — The author uses the example of barbell training to make the point of how important it is to recognize and handle stagnation.

The Fine Balance between Short-Term & Long-Term Planning — Pertinent quote: "[If] you're considering learning to code, don’t just consider the time investment required but also think about the timeframe within which you'll be able to start utilising those skills."

DeskSituation — Get inspired by a curated showcase of the best workspaces and desk setups. sponsor

How to Create a Business Rhythm for Better Collaboration — Many progressive organizations have installed a "business rhythm" with a set of fixed, regular meetings to ensure proper collaboration among team members and between different teams.

How Addictive Tech Hacks Your Brain — The latest neuroscience on whether or not digital addictions are actually comparable to substance use disorders.

I Tried to Cure My Burnout. Here's What Happened — The author relates her experience with the Colorado Resiliency Arts Lab (CORAL), an ongoing research project that aims to help people who are burned out from their jobs.

How to Be a Product Manager that Engineers Don't Hate — Some good advice here if you're in this role, or maybe this is something you'd like to tactfully pass on to someone you work with!

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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