My Digital Detox — Week 3 update

Another week, another week of events.

Switching to AnyType for content management

I noticed the way I was processing my blogs — from ideas to published — was causing me a lot of confusion because I couldn’t find the right workflow with the least amount of friction.

I tried all sorts- spreadsheets, Notion, Obsidian, Twos, Upnote, Evernote, and Apple Notes, to name a few. The problem was multifaceted. I wanted quick access, cross-platform availability, drop-down menus for progress, database structure, and above all, offline access. AnyType uses E2EE and P2P for synchronisation, so I know my blogs are protected.

Anytype is the perfect solution for me. I have managed to create a content management page that manages, organises and tracks the progression of my blog posts. Within each listed post, is the content, links, tasks, outline, and media required. Once I feel the content is ready, I export it to Ulysses, where I will use the proofing reading tool. I use it to resolve any issues before publishing from the app.

The combination of AnyType and Ulysses together has reduced the friction, saved me time, and stops me having to look in different areas for my content. I am so happy with my setup.

My content manager in Anytype.
My content manager in Anytype.

Health

I have managed to stay away from the sugary snacks I wanted to avoid. It has been stressful because I am at home all day with plenty of treats in the cupboard. Once I go back to work, I will be too distracted to think about eating.

My exercise has been consistent over the summer holidays. Fitness is an area of focus for 2023. I want to improve my fitness through cardiovascular exercise, core toning and weight training. The fact I have a cross trainer at home has helped massively. If I feel bored, I can go on the cross trainer for half an hour or 10K, whichever comes first.

I’m enjoying my daily walks. The fact I am getting outside more, instead of looking down at my mobile screen, is a considerable bonus. Dare I say I am more sociable with people in the community?

Reading

I thought I would revisit my Building a Second Brain book by Tiago Forte this week. I’ve read it twice already. Furthermore, I wanted to pull out some information from the book, preparing for the PARA method book arriving.

The PARA Method by Tiago Forte arrived in the post.
The PARA Method by Tiago Forte arrived in the post.

Tiago Forte’s PARA method book arrived on Tuesday morning. I was excited to receive it after waiting a few weeks since pre-ordering it. I have managed to read part 1, which talks about the fundamentals of PARA.

Tiago is right about creating a system that is easy to maintain and simple to use. Only the simplest, frictionless habits endure long term, as he put it.

I like how Tiago emphasises the need to break projects into bite-sized actions. I get where he is coming from. Not only that, but I have experienced projects, both personal and work-related, where the actual project is seriously overwhelming. Breaking the project into smaller chunks and identifying the actions needed to complete it helped significantly.

Learning

With the spare time, I had gained through purposely avoiding social media, my time has been used to catch up on learning. I mentioned in my last post about my intention to complete Your Digital Life 3.0 course by Carl Pullein. The course had me intrigued, especially with his Time Sector System.

I completed the course and must say the Time Sector System (TSS) is incredible! I have fully implemented the key principles and I feel organised, which is something special.

Completing the course unlocked more courses by Carl Pullein. I have used the codes to get the other courses for free. I’m currently working through a course on social media strategy, with the hope to complete another by the end of August.

My progression on Carl Pullein’s course dashboard.
My progression on Carl Pullein’s course dashboard.

Week 4 update

I’m away next week and the place has next to no phone signal. This is a great time to ditch my phone, like I had done on my last trip to the coast of Yorkshire, England. Hopefully, it will give me time to handwrite my experience and journal without any distractions. I will most likely publish my week 4 and 5 posts together at the end of August.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read my post.

Mark @ CodeMacLife