Vision #1: Modes and Friction

Let’s work through the principles outlined in … for the next few days. This is a dump of thoughts I had while brainstorming and is definitely not complete or finished. You get a little peak into the process of working out an app design. First up: Your planning app is used in three key modes: […]

Cue Up A Vision

Right now, Cue is just a simple list app. You get as many lists as you want. Each one has tasks in it. You can check them off, rearrange them, or delete them. You can also rearrange the lists, or archive them. That’s it. Nothing special. Without a lot more little features or a few […]

Take Care of Yourself, Like You Deserve It

I just dropped my son off at scout camp, but he’s not there as an attending boy scout. He’s there as a camp counselor. It’s his job for the summer. This first week is “staff week” – he and the other counselors will be getting trained and getting the camp ready for the first week […]

My Weaknesses Laid Bare

I’ve got a lot of weaknesses. I don’t finish things. I don’t start things, if they seem difficult. I assume things will be more difficult than they usually are. I avoid taking on responsibilities. I procrastinate stuff I know is important. Sometimes, I don’t get enough sleep. You can probably relate to some of these. […]

Planning Too Much

I did that today. I tried to fit in too much. It happens. It’s ok. It’s life. You try something. You see the result. You learn from it. Then you try again. Use what you learned to do better. And, down the road, what I tried to do today may no longer be “too much”. […]

Your Tools Are Tyrants

Ok, maybe not tyrants, but the alliteration was too good to pass up. Your tools are dictators. They dictate. Every tool you use imposes certain processes for the work you do. Say you wanted to cut a board in half. You could use a regular handsaw. That means you need to move it back and […]

Habit Stacking? No, Habit Acceleration!

I’m planning every day, and I’m using a tickler. Why hasn’t my life changed? Pedantic me wants to say, “It has! You didn’t plan every day and now you are. You didn’t use a tickler and now you do.” But that’s ridiculous. What you’re really asking is, “Why haven’t I seen an improvement in my […]

Not Frequently Asked Questions

What planning tool should I use? What habit should I develop first? How can I get more done, even though I’m crazy busy? These are all questions I’ve NEVER been asked. Ever. These are not the questions people ask when they are overwhelmed, frustrated, or unmotivated. Mostly, they don’t ask question at all. They just […]

Body, Mind, and Spirit: The Brothers Karamazov

I just finished reading The Brothers Karamazov yesterday, for the second time. It has nothing to do with planning. But I’m going to give a very un-literary summary for you. In it there are depicted four brothers, sons of Fyodor Karamazov, three of whom are legitimate. Each of these three represents, in archetype, one of […]

Why I Don’t Use A Calendar (And Why You Should)

I have a busy life. First there is my day job as a software developer and team lead. Then there is my family: one beautiful wife, four crazy kids, plenty of extended family in town and beyond. Besides hanging out with them, there are also sports, piano lessons, ballet, choir concerts, recitals, boy scouts and […]