Don't force it
When I started my new job last July, I decided to change up a few things and create some new habits. A big one was organizing my notes, because my existing note-taking process was chaotic.
I wanted to use a more feature-filled note-taking app to help with the organization, so I settled on Notion. I really liked it (and still do), and it lets you do a lot of other things besides taking notes, like creating simple databases or calendars.
I separated my notes into different categories, like meeting notes, personal notes, project notes, etc. And then I tagged each note with important tidbits, like who the meeting was with or what the project was about, that way I could easily search back to find something specific, if I needed to.
I loved this system, and I was excited that I finally tamed the chaos.
Several weeks went by and I was still using Notion, but every now and then I found myself pulling out my old note-taking app a few times. Ok, not a huge deal. I eventually moved the note into Notion where it belonged.
Several weeks after that, I completely abandoned Notion. Not necessarily on purpose, and not because I thought it was a terrible app. But the truth is, it didn’t fit into my natural workflow.
While my old note-taking process was messy and unorganized, it was really simple, and that’s what I liked about it. I could quickly open it up and start writing a new note within a matter of seconds. Whereas if I wanted to take meeting notes in Notion, I first had to go into my meeting notes section, create a new page in that section, and then I could start writing. It was fine if I had time to prepare notes, but if I thought of something in the moment to write down, I sometimes forgot what I was going to jot down by the time I opened a blank note page in Notion.
I think we all get into this mindset that there are objectively better ways to do stuff, especially if we notice something that worked really well for someone else. We assume it’ll work just as well for us. But sometimes it doesn’t, and we assume that it’s our own fault—that we’re somehow not doing it correctly, or that there’s something wrong with us. So we try to force ourselves to change. When in reality, it competes with our natural workflow.
And hey, that's okay. What works well for others (or even a majority) may not work well for you. There's nothing wrong with that. Embrace it.
Overtime
Other work-related stuff I want to talk about without dedicating an entire newsletter to it.
With AI and ChatGPT swiffering the world, some companies are creating new roles in order to cash in on the boom. "Prompt engineer" is a common one I've seen. And honestly, I have to chuckle a bit, because "prompt engineering" is easy as shit and anyone who tells you otherwise is a clown.
There are some tricks to learn, sure, but ten minutes looking up these tricks will give you everything you need to create good prompts. But damn, I guess if I had the chance to scam a tech startup to pay me a $200K salary to create some prompts, I'd probably take it.
Happy Hour
Fun things I’m doing, TV shows and movies I’m watching, games I’m playing, music I’m listening to, and other neat stuff I want to share.
It's been about a month since we moved into our new house, and what a whirlwind it's been. Lots of projects complete, but even more projects to do.
But we've also had time to unwind a bit. We took a trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Pinnacles National Park. And we discovered a show, called I Think You Should Leave,that had me laughing so hard it hurt.
Thanks for reading! Be sure to catch up on some older newsletter issues if you’re a new subscriber, and feel free to follow me on Instagram for my off-hours shenanigans.
Also, if you think a friend or family member would enjoy this newsletter, feel free to forward this email and tell them to subscribe!