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Welcome to the New Normal: Everything is a Startup Now

People, businesses, and organizations large and small are learning to re-invent themselves and lean into new possibilities. Because going back to the ‘old’ normal is not an option.

Key Points

Let go of things that are out of your control
Focus on what is within your power to change
Get clear on your goals and make a plan to get there

Got the pandemic stressed-out blues? You’re not alone. Time for a new plan. You can’t move forward until you let go of the stuff that’s out of your control. Lean into what’s within your control to change. I know it’s hard. But you have to learn how to let go in order to move forward. If we team up, innovate, and imagine new possibilities, just as a startup does, then the future looks much brighter indeed. Here we go.

Situation Report

This is a necessary exercise. Let’s recap where we are now.

Coronavirus is here to stay for awhile.
Frontline workers are being hit hard.
Remote working is now mainstream.
Millions of people are unemployed.
Some jobs will not be coming back.
Personal finances can be really tough.
Some stuff we need is in short supply.
Staying healthy feels like a challenge.
There are some crazy people out there.
We can do better than this.

What To Do?

Step One – Get centered. Turn off the news, close your eyes and breathe. Whatever is clamoring for your attention right now can wait. Seriously. The rest of the world will just have to take a number and get in line. Feeling those pandemic blues creeping back in? Just stop. Breathe. Let go and get centered. Haven’t been into thought-stopping or mindfulness meditation before now? It’s time to learn a useful new life skill.

Step Two – Take inventory. What do you have right now, that’s totally within your control? Pro Tip: It doesn’t do you any good to stress out over what you don’t have or what might have been, or to get all worked up over the injustice of it all. Focus on the here and now. What resources do you have? What do you know how to do? What are you really good at? Who do you know that can be part of your support and motivation network along the way?

Step Three – Make a plan. Envision where you want to be and make a list of your goals and what steps you might need to take to get there. At first, it might seem like Mission freaking Impossible. I know this is hard. Start anyway. Do you want to reboot your life? Do you want a better job? Or do you want to start your own business? Write it all down. Go for a walk and come back to it. Do whatever it takes to make the shift from daydreaming to building a better future right now.

Change is hard. “I want my life to be back to the way it was!” I hear you. The reality though, is that to get to where you want to be, some things are going to have to change. You may need to learn some new skills. Perhaps some things that you had counted on are just not going to happen in the way you thought they would.

Consider this: maybe there’s something better waiting for you that will exceed what you thought life had in store for you. Pivoting, innovating, and living into new possibilities can pave the way to a brighter future. The bottom line is this: you were meant to thrive, not just survive.

Good News

We’re here to help. Let’s make the journey to a better place together. Why go it alone? That’s just crazy. Forget that. Join our tribe. Sure, there’s some tough stuff we’ll have to work on together, and there are new things to learn. Make a new start by living into the hope that things can be better. Worry not, move forward you will.

What’s Next

We’re sharing ideas, strategies, resources, skill-building tutorials, success stories, and all the good stuff to support you on the journey.

Welcome to the new normal.
Everything is a startup now.
Time to embrace new possibilities.

We’re glad you’re on the team. Let’s get to work.

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Top 10 IT Certifications for 2020

Round out your knowledge, skills, and abilities with the right certifications

Whether you’re a seasoned professional or relatively new to the field of information technology, it’s a good idea to plan on acquiring appropriate IT certifications along the way. However, be warned: recruiters and hiring managers will tell you that a certification alone is not going to get you the job. There is absolutely no substitute for deep knowledge, hands-on experience, and practical skills. Nevertheless, getting certified adds value, both for you and also for your employer. In this article, we explore the top ten IT certifications to consider getting in 2020.

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional
Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP)
CompTIA Security+
Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect (GCP)
Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD)
Oracle Certified Professional (OCP)
Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE)

10 Side Gigs to Consider

Struggling to make ends meet? Start something new to earn some extra cash.

Let’s face it. You need to start making more money. The financial uncertainties created by the global pandemic are going to make things increasingly more difficult. Perhaps you’ve managed to save up a tidy little nest egg. Good for you. Problem: it won’t last forever.

Maybe you already have a rock-stable job and there’s just no way you’re ever going to get laid off. Excellent. Do someone a favor and share this article with a friend who’s struggling.

Or, maybe you’re one of millions of people who have been laid off over the course of the last few months. Maybe you were looking for something new even before the COVID-19 pandemic began. If you’re struggling financially, know that you’re not alone.

Whatever your current situation is, know this: you can change it. You were meant for more than mere survival. Whether you’re looking for a new job or new side gig to earn some extra money, you’ve come to the right place.

Let’s get started!

In order to lay the foundation to start something new, here are five important strategies that you can use right now, using whatever resources you already have to work with:

Take better care of yourself. Seriously.
Get your house in order. Make a list of everything you’re good at.
Build your network. Make a list of everyone you know.
Expand your skill set. Make a list of new things to learn to be competitive.
Build something new. Brainstorm ways of making more money.

Here’s the basic concept. You already have some skills that can be redirected towards starting something new. Everyone has something that they’re really good at. However, you need to be prepared to learn some new skills as well. Whether you’re looking for a new job or planning to start a new side business, growing your personal portfolio of knowledge, skills, and competencies is essential for success.

Let’s get your side hustle going. As a quick start, here are ten ideas to consider:

Virtual Assistant – some people are super busy, and they need help.
Errand Runner – not everyone can break away to get what they need.
Help Desk – nearly everyone is working from home; tech support is hot.
Online Store – offer things that people need right now.
Personal Shopper – some people need help with shopping.
Sell on eBay – you’d be amazed at what people want to buy or trade.
Make Something – good with your hands? Make something to sell.
Online Tutor – sign up to help people learn.
Freelancing – writing, design, translation, software testing, marketing.
Start a New Business – provide a service that’s in high demand.

Need more ideas? Subscribe to our newsletter for more suggestions on making a new start, getting a better job, creating or growing your business, and achieving your goals.

We’ll be with you every step of the way. You can do this!

10 Ways to Help During the Coronavirus Pandemic

During the COVID-19 global crisis, there are ways you can make a difference.

Be Kind, Patient, and Generous
Every day, there are opportunities for you to make the world a little better. Be someone who takes the time to be cheerful, listen to people, and encourage them. Share some love. Simple acts of kindness are critical these days. It doesn’t have to be hard, you know? Wear a mask to show people that you care about their health. I know… masks. Just do it. Folks, it’s time to get out of your bubble. Reach out and say hello. Ask someone: “How’re you doing?” Sharing kindness with others will do you good, as well.

Take Care of Yourself
Stop eating junk food already, and start eating healthy. Get up and exercise. Doubling down on healthy choices translates into a stronger immune system and a better chance to survive and thrive. Head’s up: hospitals are struggling with caring for folks who are really sick right now. Don’t add to their burden. Historically, most causes of death can be traced back to personal decisions about health. Healthy lifestyle choices are something that you have complete control over right now.

Check on Your Neighbors
Call, text, email, or give a wave over your back fence. Better yet, go for a daily walk around your neighborhood and check on how folks are doing. Who haven’t you seen around the neighborhood lately? Are they OK? Reach out to people who are sheltering at home, especially those who are elderly or have mobility issues. Do they need help with groceries, running errands, picking up needed medications or supplies? Provide comfort, support, and reassurance. Loneliness is a real thing right now. You can be a light to someone. Many houses of worship and community gathering places are closed these days. Hear this: lean into the call to create and nurture community where you are. It all begins by reaching out. Cultivate new relationships. Community building begins with you.

Volunteer with Local Organizations
Local non-profits, churches, and synagogues need help to carry out their missions of caring and sharing. Get involved with mutual aid networks in order to help people meet critical needs. Many people these days struggling. They’re trying to do the best they can with what they have. It’s hard out there: layoffs, food insecurity, housing challenges, poverty, domestic abuse, intolerance, loneliness and grieving are real. You do not have to be the total solution. Be a part of the solution. You can make a difference in someone’s life, directly or indirectly, by teaming up. Who knows, the life you save may even be your own…

Set Up a “Sharing and Caring Co-Op“
There are families in your community who are struggling right now. Some may even be in your own neighborhood. Band together with like-minded people who want to help make a difference in the community by gathering needed supplies, groceries, and basic necessities. Find safe ways to drop off care packages to people in need. Brighten the corner where you are.

Take Care of Front Line Workers
Your local hospital workers, fire fighters, EMT volunteers, police, and crisis center volunteers are working really hard to keep us safe. Reach out and see if they need anything. Offer to drop off a meal, a pizza, healthy snacks, or bottled water. Sew them some masks. Ask your kids to draw some pictures and write letters of support.

Support Local Business
Small businesses are really having a tough time. Give them a hand. Order take-out food if that’s your thing. Buy a gift card for future use if you can. Post good reviews online. Spread the word about good businesses doing good things in the community. Consider donating to an emergency fund to support food service workers. Support your local bookstore by buying a book. While you’re at, start or join a book club and buy a bunch of books.

Support the Scientific Community
Scientists around the world are racing to develop new treatments and vaccines and to expand our knowledge about Coronavirus. They need your help. If you’re a science geek, read preprint articles and offer feedback to the research team or share what you’ve found with others. The two most popular preprint servers for coronavirus research are bioRxiv and medRxiv. This new approach is turning out to be an interesting way to get preliminary results out early and solicit feedback. Hundreds of new scientific articles on COVID-19 research and related areas of study are posted on preprint servers every day.

By the way, you don’t need an advanced degree in science to help. Volunteer your skills to help the research community. Are you good with your hands? Do you like making things or fixing things? Join a start-up team working to design better gear to keep us safe. Science is cool. Get your kids involved.

Stay Safe and Encourage Safe Practices
Follow guidance from authoritative and credible sources about social distancing, sheltering in place, hand washing, wearing masks, and other safety practices that help to slow the spread of the virus. Community health is a shared responsibility. The personal choices you make about practicing safety affect many lives. Seriously.

Get Involved with Government
Your voice matters. Let your state, local, and federal officials know what’s on your mind in a constructive way. Look, these folks are trying to make difficult decisions and they need your input. Seriously, they really do need your help. Support good policies, programs, and legislation. Don’t hesitate to call out bad behavior, wrong-headed thinking, and corruption. Be smart and respectful. Avoid ranting and name-calling. Shine a light on the important issues in a well-informed and intelligent way. Join forces with people who are trying to change the status quo and build a better, more civilized and just society. Fight fear-mongering and misinformation with facts. Let’s face it, democracy is hard. We need you.

Bonus:

Share your knowledge and skills with our youth. Consider volunteering as an online tutor. Children and young adults need your help with learning online and staying positive in these challenging times. Taking the time to help kids to learn is a smart investment in our future together.

Hang in there, folks. We’re going to get through this together.

Peace.

Get Going!

You’ve been down long enough. It’s time for a new strategy.

Listen up. Yeah, I’m looking at you.

The Great Pandemic will not last forever. Don’t let fear box you in and take you out. You will survive this.

I know that the scoreboard looks bad. COVID-19 Feels like a massive, global gut punch.

Maybe you know someone who’s been struggling with COVID-19. Perhaps you’ve already lost a friend or a co-worker. Or maybe you’re one of millions of people who’ve lost jobs, opportunities, or businesses.

Perhaps The Great Pandemic has won the first round.

Shake it off and get back up.

Whether you’ve trained in the military or the school of hard knocks, you learn this fundamental thing: to stay alive, you have to keep going. Look adversity straight in the eyes and proclaim, “This is where I begin.”

Folks, this is the kind of resolve we need to get to a better place.

You can’t just sit around, getting more depressed every day, and wait for the distant hope of vaccines or more government handouts to save you.

I know what you’re thinking… “Look, this is hard. This thing is kicking me in the teeth.”

LOCK THAT DOWN.

Step 1 – Take inventory of what you have to work with.
Step 2 – Get organized.
Step 3 – Find your tribe.
Step 4 – Make a plan.
Step 5 – Get going. Your future is waiting.

If you’re a science geek and want to join up with teams that are working on research and therapies to fight SARS-CoV-2, that’s cool. Thank you, guys. If you feel called to help out at a local food pantry or help feed exhausted hospital workers out in the parking lot, that’s awesome. We love our heroes. If you’re thinking about pivoting your business to something new, offering something that people really need right now, then do it. The world needs you.

Maybe you’ve been pondering over a new idea, something really innovative that could make a difference in the world. Write it down. Brainstorm what it would take to move forward on that. Take the first steps. Work with whatever you have. Slowly gather more resources. Build your team. Grow your network. Join up with other tribes. Encourage each other. But don’t stop there. Keep moving forward!

The Great Pandemic is not where your story ends. You’ve still got some fight left in you.

We’ll be right there with you, every step of the way, urging you on.

Need help? Ask us.

It’s a new day. Dig deep and get going!

10 Technical Skills to Learn

Start Building Your Software Development Capabilities

Feeling inspired to build something new? Excellent. To build a prototype, you’ll need the right tools. Not an expert software developer yet? You have to start somewhere. The idea here is to build something that can illustrate your idea. Doesn’t have to be perfect. Along the way, you’ll learn, have fun, and refine your idea. Let’s get started.

1. CS Core – Database Design

Most software development projects involve using data at some point. So, you’re probably going to need a database management system (DBMS). To start, learn the fundamentals of relational database design. If you dive straight into database development without a good handle on best practices in database design, you’re inviting headaches. The two models of database design are logical and physical. The structure of a relational database includes: tables, indexes, views, stored procedures, and triggers. A database table consists of rows and columns. Each row in a table has a unique key. There are seven primary steps in relational database design:

Organize information required
Divide the information into tables
Turn information items into columns
Specify primary keys
Set up the table relationships
Refine your design
Apply the normalization rules

Along the way, you’l learn to classify data and identify relationships. There are three classic types of relationships: one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many. To learn more, the book, “Beginning Database Design: From Novice to Professional” by Clare Churcher is very helpful.

2. Special Topics: Artificial Intelligence

AI is everywhere these days. Start learning the fundamentals of AI and see where your curiosity takes you. Along the way, you’ll want to learn the basics of machine learning, deep networks, convolutional networks, recurrent and recursive nets, computer vision, speech recognition, natural language processing, representation learning, and deep generative models. The book, “Deep Learning” by Ian Goodfellow et al is interesting reading.

3. Programming Languages: Python

At some point, you’ll want to roll up your sleeves and write code. With so many programming languages to choose from, where to start? Consider learning Python. Python is an interpreted, high-level, general-purpose programming language that’s easy for beginners to learn. Python has a wide range of uses including: task automation, web application development, data science, and artificial intelligence. Python supports multiple programming paradigms, including structured (procedural), object-oriented, and functional programming. There are two main series of Python, version 2 and 3. Note that release 2.7.18 is the last release of Python 2, which was officially discontinued in January 2020. Python 2 is no longer supported and there will be no further updates or bug fixes. As a result, focus on learning Python 3. Along the way, you’ll learn about functions, data structures, algorithms, design patterns, classes, methods, and working with files and databases, and web development. The book, “Think Python: How to Think Like a Computer Scientist” by Allen Downey is a good place to start.

4. Database: PostgreSQL

Database management systems (DBMS) come in a variety of types, including: relational (RDMS), full text, and NoSQL. Types of NoSQL databases include: key-value store, document-oriented, graph, object, tabular, tuple store, RDF, and column-oriented. Consider starting with an easy to learn RDMS like MySQL or PostgreSQL. PostgreSQL is a good choice for beginners, and it also works well for production-grade systems. You may be wondering, what about MySQL? MySQL is fine for small-scale use, but in a large-scale production system, the licenses for the MySQL cluster and enterprise editions can cost thousands of dollars. It’s not that you shouldn’t use MySQL at all. Many folks still use MySQL for prototyping in a development environment. Consider learning PostgreSQL. It has excellent features, it’s free and open source, and you can use it in any environment without any license fees.

5. Development Approaches: Agile

Software development requires collaborative teamwork, and many development teams embrace Agile approaches. Agile is primarily a product development approach, not a methodology or process, and is grounded in values and principles. Agile is not a project management framework, nor should you attempt to use it as one. (There are project management frameworks for that.) The four major principles of the agile approach are noted in the Agile Manifesto, which are:

Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan

Agile frameworks contain a workflow, methods, or processes to support teams in responding to the unpredictability of developing software. Examples of Agile frameworks include: Scrum, XP, Lean, and Kanban. Scrum uses incremental, interative sequences of work, called sprints, which typically run for one to four weeks. Sprints end with a demo meeting, which is an opportunity to walk through the software product with the product owner. Scrum uses regular, fixed length sprints. In contrast, Kanban uses a fan-in and fan-out process in which developers pull user stories from the Kanban board and funnel them through development to create the software product. Rather than use fixed length sprints, Kanban uses a continuous flow to deliver product capabilities on an as-need basis. Even if you’re only working as a solo developer, using processes from an Agile framework like Scrum or Kanban can be helpful, such as implementing clearly defined, small chunks of work, executing work in sprints, using a Kanban board, and refactoring code frequently.

6. Front End Development: Django

Code completely from scratch or use a web framework? If you’re trying to quickly build a prototype of a web application, you might want to consider using a web framework. There are a variety of web frameworks that are full stack, which means that they support both the front end and the back end (server side). Examples include: Spring MVC, Ruby on Rails, and Django. Since you’re learning Python, you might consider Django, as it’s built with Python.

7. Back End Development

Django can be used for back end development, including APIs. Its features include a stateless authentication mechanism that protects an application from third-party attacks. And Django connects to databases easily. However, at some point, you may want something more than Django on the back end. Consider exploring an additional back end framework at some point, like: Spring Boot or Express.js/Node.js. Spring Boot supports writing production-grade back end web applications in Java, including development of microservices. Or consider a framework based on JavaScript, like Express.js, which is a Node.js framework for backend web development. Express.js is part of the MEAN stack. The MEAN stack includes MongoDB, Express.js, AngularJS, and Node.js. Don’t worry though, when you’re just starting out, Django is usually just fine.

8. DevOps: Docker

Docker uses virtualization to deliver software in packages called containers, which are isolated from one another and bundle their own software, libraries and configuration files. By using a virtual container, Docker packages an application and its dependencies so that it can easily run on any Linux server, which makes deployment much easier. Due to the lightweight nature of Docker containers, a Linux server or virtual machine can run several Docker containers at the same time without issues.

9. Infrastructure: Ubuntu + AWS

Using an operating system that’s stable, highly configurable, and easily secured is awesome. Ubuntu is an excellent operating system for a development notebook or desktop workstation, local server in the lab, remote server, virtual private server (VPN) or a cloud server. Consider replacing Windows on your notebook with Ubuntu for a faster, more stable system. Works great. Ubuntu is excellent in the cloud, as well. AWS supports a variety of operating systems, including Ubuntu. AWS offers an extensive portfolio of services. A good learning path to start with includes: AWS VPC, EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud), S3 (Simple Storage Service), RDS (Relational Database Service)

10. Tools: Git

In software development, using a version control system is essential to save your code locally and remotely, track changes in code, and share your code with others. There are a variety of version control systems including: Microsft Team Foundation Version Control (TFVC), Concurrent Versioning System (CVS), Mercurial (hg), Subversion (SVN), and Git. These days, most teams use Git, which is a free and open source distributed version control system. Git is free and open-source. Git repositories are available as a service, including: GitHub, SourceForge, Bitbucket and GitLab. You’ll want to get comfortable using Git on the command line, as well as using a GUI at some point. There are good tutorials on setting up and using Git available on the web.

Stop dreaming and start building. It’s time.

Open Source Desktop Publishing Software

It’s time to get your brilliant ideas out there. Get started with free desktop publishing software.

Key Points

Save money with free open source DTP software.
Open source tools are available for each part of your workflow.

Desktop publishing (DTP) software is used to develop projects for digital and print. More specifically, DTP refers to page layout software, such as Adobe InDesign, QuarkXPress, or Scribus, in contrast to word processing software, such as Microsoft Word.

On a shoestring budget? No problem. You don’t need expensive, proprietary commercial DTP software to create a professional-looking finished product. Free, open source tools are available for each part of your desktop publishing workflow.

Visual Studio Code

To keep things simple, let’s start writing with plain text. Visual Studio Code helps you to focus on writing efficiently in plain text without the distractions of a full-blown word processor. Pro Tip: To quickly capture ideas, focus on content, not formatting. In addition to plain text, Visual Studio Code supports multiple programming languages, including IntelliSense for JavaScript, TypeScript, JSON, CSS, and HTML. Available for Linux, macOS, Windows. Price: FREE.

LibreOffice Writer

A word processor, LibreOffice Writer, is similar to Microsoft Word and Corel WordPerfect. Writer is excellent for authoring content for documents ranging from articles to book chapters. Pro Tip: Avoid using a word processor to layout and prepare for press. Instead, use a DTP like Scribus for page layout. Writer opens and saves documents in OpenDocument (ODT), Microsoft Word (DOC, DOCX, DOT, DOTX, RTF, XML). Writer saves to Text Document Template (OTT), Flat XML ODF Text Document (FODT), Unified Office Format text (UOT), DocBook (XML), HTML, Rich Text (RTF), Text (TXT), and Office Open XML Text (docx). Writer exports to PDF, EPUB. Available for Linux, macOS, Windows. Price: FREE.

Joplin

A note taking and to-do app, Joplin, organizes notes into notebooks and is a useful replacement for Evernote. Joplin enables links to other other notes, file attachments, and creates Markdown notes. With third-party plugins, it also supports math notation and diagrams. Joplin imports Evernote export files (ENEX) and markdown files, and offers end to end encryption, note revision history, and synchronization with Nextcloud, Dropbox, WebDAV and OneDrive. Available for Linux, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android. Price: FREE.

GIMP

A raster graphics editor, GIMP, is similar to Adobe Photoshop in functionality. Pro Tip: while working in GIMP, save your working files in XCF, which preserves image layer and transparency information. When exporting images for press, save a copy in TIFF. GIMP imports and exports BMP, JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, Adobe Photoshop documents, and PostScript documents. GIMP can import, but not save to PDF. Available for Linux, macOS, Windows. Price: FREE.

Inkscape

A vector graphics editor, Inkscape, is great for preparing graphics for digital and press and uses SVG as its primary file format. Inkscape imports Adobe Illustrator (AI), CorelDraw (CDR), Microsoft Visio (VSD), PDF, JPEG, PNG, GIF, and BMP. Inkscape exports PDF, EPS, PS, LaTeX (TeX), and Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML). Available for Linux, macOS, Windows. Price: FREE.

Scribus

A DTP program for layout and preparing for press, Scribus, is similar to Adobe InDesign in functionality. With support for CMYK and ICC color profiles, and its pre-flight check for press-ready PDFs, Scribus is a good choice for magazines, newspapers, books, brochures, manuals, and posters. Scribus native format is SLA, which is XML and open. Scribus imports and exports LibreOffice (ODT), Microsoft Word (DOC), and PDF. Note that read/write of QuarkXPress and InDesign (INDD) native file formats are not supported, due to their proprietary nature. Scribus also includes vector drawing tools, with support for Encapsulated PostScript, Adobe Illustrator, Xfig, and SVG. Available for Linux, macOS, Windows. Price: FREE.

You’re all set. Create something great.

Get It Done: 10 Time Management Tips

Power up, get organized, and focus on getting the right things accomplished to achieve your goals.

Key Points

Learn to focus on the right things and avoid time wasters
Mindfulness empowers moving forward with purpose

No one wants to become a work drudge. We all know people like that. You were meant for more. Let’s get the right stuff done and have some fun along the way.

1. Plan Your Day

It all starts the day before. Prepare your list of goals and tasks to accomplish for the next day. In the morning, review your list, make appropriate adjustments, and then execute. Yes, unexpected things will come up during the day. You’ll adjust accordingly. Pro Tip: plan your work and work your plan. Hey, there are apps for that.

2. Focus on What Needs to Get Done

Don’t fall into the trap of working on tasks or projects that really can wait until later. Be the Gets the Right Things Done kind of person. Don’t waste your time on random things, no matter how much fun they are in the moment. Pro Tip: Avoid trying to multitask. Do one thing at a time, and do it well.

3. Avoid Distractions

Lock that down! Stop compulsively checking your email. Seriously. Just stop. When you’re in the zone, focusing on the task in front of you, avoid the temptation to answer random phone calls, surf the web, check emails, or scan social media. Lock your phone in a drawer, if you must. Pro Tip: Identify habits that waste your time and work to mitigate them.

4. Batch Similar Tasks Together

Avoid randomly jumping from task to task. Make order out of chaos. Organize tasks into groups to execute efficiently. For example, select a group of emails waiting in your inbox that fall into a similar category for action at the right time. Pro Tip: Fine tune your classification scheme based on how you work best.

5. Important vs Urgent

This is a vital concept to get right. Not everything can be priority #1. It just doesn’t work. Learn how to identify tasks that are important, but not urgent, and that can be done later. In contrast, if a task is clamoring for your attention, quickly triage whether you should get it done right now or if someone else on the team has more bandwidth and can get it done faster. Pro Tip: Be flexible and smart about prioritizing.

6. Work in Timed Sprints

Set a timer for each task or group of related tasks. Turn it into a game of beat the clock. Learn how to shift gears like a professional race car driver at work. Pro Tip: Pipe the right playlist of music into your brain to set the pace. Amp up the music when you need to.

7. Reprioritize Regularly

At appropriate intervals during the day, scan your task list, assess your progress, identify choke points, and reprioritize as needed to get done what really needs to get done. Pro Tip: The right task management app can be very helpful.

8. Develop Restorative Habits

You can’t perform at peak efficiency all the time. Take a break. Clear your mind. Breathe. Learn mindfulness. Go for a walk. Become aware of whatever helps you to refill the well. Pro Tip: Achieve clarity through mindfulness.

9. Learn to Say “No”

There is a bottomless well of human need. You can’t solve everybody’s problems right now. Stay in the sweet spot at the intersection of your core competencies and your available resources. Pro Tip: Say “No” to projects or opportunities that are not a good fit for you.

10. Review Your Day with Clarity

You’ve done your best today. Now, quickly do the post-game analysis. Identify what worked well, and what didn’t. Apply lessons learned to plan for tomorrow. Pro Tip: Avoid the allure of perfection. You’ve done your best. Now give it a rest.

You’re well on the way to becoming a wizard of efficiency and effectiveness. Imagine what you can do with with all the time you’ve saved.

In another article, we’ll take a look at time management apps to help organize and track tasks, as well as streamline your workflow to get the right things done.

Relax. You’ve got this.

Get It Down: 10 Tools for Writing

Seek clarity and avoid clutter. Pick the right tools to maximize your writing productivity.

Key Points

Eliminate distractions that get in the way of writing.
Choose software that fits your personal working style.

When working on a writing project, productivity is key. It’s not just about word count, although cranking out 10,000 words a day is a noble goal for the truly ambitious. Pro Tip: Identify and remove any distractions that compromise productivity. Common distractions that get in the way of your becoming a lean, mean writing machine include:

Checking email – it can wait
Watching the news – turn it off
Surfing the web – close that window
Playing video games – rewards come later
Worrying – write more, worry less

With that out of the way, let’s pick some writing tools. There are three main categories of software for writing:

Text editors
Word processors
Desktop publishing (DTP)

Text Editors

Personally, I do most of my note-taking, brainstorming, and production writing with a basic text editor. I truly dislike clutter. My nirvana is a clean interface with no distractions. For my personal working style, I strongly prefer cross-platform text editors, because I really like the flexibility of being able to work on whatever platform I have handy: macOS, Linux, Windows. When I’m on the go, I like the capability to capture ideas on a portable device and save them to the cloud. However, I also need to be able to quickly and easily integrate my notes into larger document projects as needed, and without issues.

Many people find that dead-simple, cross-platform tools that don’t get in the way are an ideal way to go. Here are five cross-platform text editors to consider, all of which are available for macOS, Linux, and Windows:

Visual Studio Code
Bluefish
Geany
Brackets
Vim / gVim

Look, I’m a get stuff done kind of guy. That’s my thing. Give me a basic text editor and I’m off to the races. Here’s the key: select the right tool to fit your own personal working style.

Word Processors

Microsoft Word. I know. Love it, hate it. Everybody has an opinion on Word. For some things, Word is the right tool. Feels like everybody uses it, but that doesn’t mean you have to. There are options. Here are five word processors to consider, when something more than a basic text editor is needed:

Word – macOS, Windows
Word Perfect – Windows
LibreOffice Writer – macOS, Linux, Windows
Google Docs – cloud and offline

Being able to work across multiple platforms can be very helpful. LibreOffice Writer and Google Docs work well for me. Whether one syncs document content in the cloud or on a home/office network share, remember that version control is important.

When I’m on a serious writing tear, I prefer Libre Office Writer, which is part of the Libre Office suite, a cross-platform open source software for macOS, Linux, and Windows. In my experience, Writer is easy to use and rock-solid.

Pro Tip: Stable software that doesn’t crash in the middle of a brilliant writing session is awesome. Between you and me, I’ve had it with Word doing crazy stuff to my documents and then crashing at the least convenient moment. Not my thing. However, I’m a realist; sometimes you just have to use Word. That’s life. But when I get to choose, I want something that just works. Period.

By the way, Writer is very cost effective, as in free. And, because it’s cross-platform, it works on macOS, Linux, and Windows. Bonus: Writer opens, edits, and save Word document format and many other formats as well. Check it out.

In another article, we’ll explore desktop publishing (DTP) software, including Adobe InDesign and other options. Scrivener, Ulysses and others in the long-form writing software category are a separate topic that we’ll cover elsewhere as well.

Okay, time to get back to it, folks. Just Write! You can do it.

Learn Computer Science – Resources and Reading List

In Brief

As a student of computer science, your learning plan should include these key areas:

Mathematics Fundamentals: calculus, matrics, probability, statistics, and differential equations.
Mathematics for CS: predicate logic, induction, sets, functions, and relations, as well as formal language theory, including regular expressions, grammars, finite automata, Turing machines, and NP-completeness.
Computer Science Core: algorithms, data structures, database design, design patterns, object oriented design, and programming languages.
Systems: compilers, operating systems, computer architecture, and networks.
Applications: graphics, security, human-computer interface design, (for starters)
Special CS Topics: artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, graph theory, social network theory, and GPU computing.

Reading List

This is being updated. For now, start working on your mathematics foundational reading.

Discussion

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Learning Resources

This is being updated.