Tech Productivity Issue #374 (Are Zombie Projects Eating Productivity?)

Issue #374 (Are Zombie Projects Eating Productivity?) 04/13/26

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This is kind of a crazy keyboard tip to learn for the first time after so many years (talking about me personally!).

On a Windows machine, as you know, you can delete text letter-by-letter by simply hitting the BACKSPACE key. Maybe you didn't know, however, that you can delete word-by-word by using CTRL+BACKSPACE.

From what I can tell this works pretty universally, no matter what app you're working in. This includes deleting 'word by word' in the browser's URL bar, which can be useful if you want to visit a new directory a couple of folders up from where you currently are.

And interestingly, there's also an option to 'delete forward' or what would be deleting the next word, by using CTRL+DELETE. I don't find that particular shortcut is one I would find all that comfortable to remember, but I suppose it can be learned.

And if you want the breakdown of this in Mac, Windows, and Linux, here's a little table for you:

OS	Delete Previous Word	Delete Next Word
Windows	`Ctrl` + `Backspace`	`Ctrl` + `Delete`
macOS	`Option (⌥)` + `Delete`	`Option (⌥)` + `Fn` + `Delete`
Linux (GUI)	`Ctrl` + `Backspace`	`Ctrl` + `Delete`
Linux (Terminal)	`Ctrl` + `W` or `Alt` + `Backspace`	`Alt` + `D`

Linux GUI apps are the same on Windows so the table also includes the shortcuts for working in the terminal on Linux. I'm sure there are similar shortcuts that might be relevant for terminal on the other OS's but you can research those if needed.

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

Tools & Apps

Handy — An open source and extensible speech to text app for Mac, Windows, and Linux, that works offline and was built by someone who broke a finger and tried similar solutions but didn't find one that suited his needs.

Gloomin — A fast, simple Chrome extension for screen recording and screenshots. with auto-save, downloads, and instant link sharing built in.

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Pure Invoices — A zero-friction invoicing app, as an alternative to Stripe or similar, that tracks clients, has a products and services catalog, and smart tax handling, with no fees taken off any charges to clients.

Online Notepad — A simple web based notepad that tracks files in the browser and has features like ability to open local files, export in HTML, Markdown, TXT, or JSON, and find/replace.

Qaxa — A secure messaging solution for teams that enables custom private rooms, built for sensitive client work, with access permissions and task assignments for the different rooms you create.

Open Claude Cowork — An open source desktop AI chat app powered by Claude Agent SDK and Composio Tool Router to automate your work end-to-end across desktop and all your work apps in one place.

Articles & Resources

Phantom Obligation — I love the final words in this little historical look at why RSS readers resemble email clients: "When we sit down with our phones or our computers, confronted with all those little numbers telling us how behind we are, we should feel free to ask the only question that really matters: Is anyone actually waiting?"

Brain Drain: Are Zombie Projects Eating Your Team’s Productivity Alive? — Based on a study from Atlassian with help from Censuswide, who recently surveyed 8,000 global office workers on what is currently weighing down workers and causing teams to slow down.

Newton’s First Law Applies to Productivity Too — A recommendation to look to one of Newton's laws rather than the typical productivity principles and guidelines that make the rounds in articles and newsletters like this.

Should More Be Done To Tackle 'Ghost Jobs', Vacancies That Don't Exist? — From this BBC piece: "Up to 22% of jobs advertised online last year were positions listed with no intent to hire, according to a study across the US, UK and Germany by recruitment software provider Greenhouse."

Master Visual Studio Code — 150+ tips with 450+ screenshots on learning to use and customize VS Code, the world's most popular code editor. Available in EPUB or PDF formats. sponsor

Do AI-enabled Companies Need Fewer People? — Some data analyzed here that suggest that fewer workers are needed, but with some optimism and acknowledgement of the fact that AI startups are a big part of this.

Large Tech Companies Don't Need Heroes — Something we don't think about often, but obvious when you consider it, because such organizations are based on systems already in place, regardless of the individuals using them.

Suggestions?

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

Stay productive!

Louis
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