This week, our Weekly To-Do was “kick back,” and we both succeeded. We’ve both had a good holiday, and our thoughts turn to making resolutions for the new year. Or not.
Thanks for listening to The Weekly Review this year. We are closing in on our 200th episode and our 4th year of podcasting together. Having nice listeners like you make it all the more worthwhile. All our best wishes for 2022.
Jean and James talk about the gifts they gave themselves this year— Apple Silicon MacBook Pros. What thoughts do they have about their new machines? Do they live up to the hype? Will new laptops mean more productivity? How’s life with that notch on the screen? Jean and James share their experiences.
Wishing all of our listeners a happy and healthy holiday season!
Both Jean and James moved since the last episode, Jean permanenently to another apartment in her building, James to New Jersey for a family visit during the holidays. With a larger apartment with more options to sort out, Jean has again engaged the services of professional organizer and all-around amazing person, Penelope Rose Miller. We talk about how organizers can help us, and how to find one who you can work with.
Working With A Professional Organizer
Leaky Open Loops and Organizing Fairy Godmothers
This episode is inspired by an anecdote Jean recently heard from a friend about a kitchen mishap which led to a change in thinking about unexpected tasks. This comes at a fortuituos moment since Jean and James both have tasks to handle in the coming weeks that were not on their radar just a short time ago. Plus, as the year winds down, Jean and James get the Weekly To Do back on track.
This week, James and Jean talk about some holiday gift ideas: things we would like to give, things we might not give, and things we don’t want to get ourselves. James shares a neat trick he uses to keep track of gift cards.
It’s Thanksgiving week in the United States, an opportunity to think about what we are grateful for this year before the crazy holiday season takes off. We take note of the technology, entertainment, science, people (and one pet) that have made our lives better this year.
In this week’s episode, James tells Jean the story of how the fate of a five dollar connector can immediately reorder your priorities, change the course of your day, and even get your cat to lick the kitchen floor. Jean talks about her delicious upcoming weekly to-do while James gets ready to say farewell to a trusty old MacBook Pro.
We talk about the Ultimate Productivity Lesson, prompted by Ridwan in his post on the brevity of life. You can keep checking off items on your to-do list, until that Big Check-Off. In case you think it will be a downer, we manage to stay pretty chipper about the whole topic.
Ultimate Productivity Lesson by Ridwan Jaafar
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman
As the year winds down to its final two months, Jean and James discuss where 2021 has gone. Conversation turns to taking a few moments to do a personal year in review before the holidays begin. Jean accomplishes a deferred task in a short amount of time. James returns from Hawaii with some logistical issues further complicated by an unexpected acquisition.
This week, James comes to us from Hawai’i, where he is mostly on vacation. His weekly to-do was “play ukulele,” which (spoiler alert) he managed to accomplish. We chat about how we manage mixing work with vacation.
Jean is still having trouble placing one phone call, and would have been happy to talk about Dune all episode long, if only James had also seen it.
James and Jean have known for a while that Apple would be releasing new MacBook Pro laptops. That created a project—decide on which MBP to buy and place an order—that was on hold until now, even if we never actually added it to our trusted systems. James has completed this project, Jean is still working on it. In other news, James’ house is now earthquake-resistant and laundry-capable, wrapping up a couple of other long-standing projects.
What happens after you finish that big project? How do you feel afterwards? This episode Jean and James talk about what Jean has dubbed the ’post-productivity hangover’. For Jean, there can be a feeling of not knowing what to focus on next. For James, there is a seemingly inevitable period of being in a funk for at least a few days. Plus, earthquakes, laundry, song liner notes, and concomitant Swedish death cleaning.
Coincidentally, both James and Jean launched their unannounced projects this week, and now they can finally talk about them! James released a new single, One More Thing…, a tribute to Steve Jobs on the 10th anniversary of his death, a collaboration of over 30 musicians. Jean worked on the release a major new version of the app Kaleidoscope, recently acquired by her developer friends in Germany and Austria.
Listen to One More Thing… by James Dempsey and the Breakpoints:
Check out Kaleidoscope 3, the world’s most powerful file comparison app.
In this episode Jean and James allude to some projects they are working on but aren’t able to talk about just yet. The discussion includes how accomplishing tasks can be very different when working on things that need to be kept under wraps. James talks a bit about working on a top secret project at Apple and how even the best laid plans of secrecy can leave unexpected gaps.
We are celebrating James’ first anniversary of establishing his Dance Party! habit. 🥳 What started as a way to automate a fun exercise break has become the basis of a great achievement in fitness. 💃🕺🎯
Dance Party!, Episode 128, September 25, 2020
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
Good Habits, Bad Habits by Wendy Wood
The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It For Life by Twyla Tharp
In this episode Jean and James talk about the recent Apple event and whether any of the newly announced products will make them more (or less) productive. James promises to put away some papers and reveals a bit more about his as yet unannounced project. Jean has an mystery project of her own and also reveals a little trick to help you play your guitar or other instrument more.
In this episode Jean takes a first action that snowballs into accomplishing a whole project. James encounters an unexpected obtacle while trying to accomplish what is usually a routine task. The conversation turns to handling the unexpected including home warranties, AAA, and Apple Care. Plus, an air of mystery surrounds an unannouced project.
It’s back-to-school season, which sparks Jean to review her GTD strategy and to re-evaluate whether there isn’t room for improvement. She did her homework, reading some interesting articles, and decided it was time to go back to two tried-and-true tools.
Oliver Burkeman, What If You’re Already on Top of Things?
Leo Babauta, Zen To Done (ZTD): The Simple Productivity System
Thanh Pham, How to Achieve Your Goals with Any Task Management System
This week, James and Jean met up in person at the 360|iDev conference in Denver. Despite the thin air, we were able to eke out a podcast recording in person. We talk about the effect of travel and socializing on productivity (more naps needed!), and how much we enjoyed performing a live show with our Breakpoint friends, both new and old.
It’s only the second podcast episode we’ve recorded in person. The first one: Episode 8: The Usual Monkey Wrench (June 14, 2018)
Jean and James are both heading to 350iDev in Denver next week and have chosen their weekly todos with travel in mind. Topics include retirement planning, processing stacks of papers, James’ Disneyland map collection, and the benefits of free money. James attempts to keep a habit streak going while on the road and Jean brings along some books to help her thrive and prosper.
Jean and James talk about how things at a macro level, like the pervasive spread of the Delta variant, and at a micro level, like unpacking a suitcase and finding shards of glass, can conspire to demotivate you. Conversation also turns to whether there should be a different category for projects besides ‘Active’ and ‘Someday / Maybe’. Plus a short discourse about a novelty Star Trek t-shirt.
Shopping for new Apple products was a big topic this week. Jean is ready to splurge on the AirPods Max and the HomePod mini, while James treated himself to a new keyboard with Touch ID. Of course, all of these purchases have productivity bonuses, no rationalizations here. 😏
Jean and James talk about the dilemna of things that hold sentimental value or other meaning. After a week clearing things from the house where he grew up in NJ, James finds that some things don’t feel right to simply throw away, but don’t have a real practical use either. Jean plans Micro Camp and approaches the finish line on a major project while James approaches a classic NJ pizza.
A De Lorenzo’s tomato pie, well done with extra tomato.
James and Jean muse about what constitutes a finished project, how priorities shift when you’re not feeling well, and how travel can provide incentive for getting things done.
This episode Jean and James are in the ballpark of closing loops in progress. Jean moves closer to completing the sale of her house. James thought he would be closing a long-standing loop by bringing his car in for service for the day, but it was not as easy as that. Plus, James goes to an actual ballpark.
This week brings followup! Is James’ plumbing truly fixed? Is Jean’s house finally listed? Jean also shares contact info for her professional organizer, Penelope Rose Miller, whose invaluable help was the subject of Episode 167: Working With A Professional Organizer.
In this episode Jean and James talk about open loops that aren’t tasks to be done but life’s little mysteries to be investigated. James tells the story of a few household mysteries deferred and eventually solved and the satisfaction that brings. Jean gives an update on her house sale and move. Finally a brief discussion of everybody’s favorite productivity topic—puddles.
Jean talks about her experience over the last month, working with a professional organizer to clear all the stuff out of her house, hold an estate sale, and downsize for her new apartment. From the style of an organizer to the nitty gritty of what they can do, there is a lot to think about when hiring a professional. In Jean’s case, it’s been a fantastic experience and a way to stay sane during the course of moving.
In this episode Jean and James talk about recovering after a week focusing on the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). James ended up underneath an avalanche of email larger than usual, even after such a busy week. Conversation turns to causes for the James’ overstuffed inbox. Jean gives an update on her move. Jean and James lament over Apple Fitness stand goals and broken streaks.
We didn’t do a weekly review, but we really focused on the important must-dos this week. James debuted a new song Futureproof at the latest LIVE near WWDC extravaganza, which also featured a remote panel of Breakpoints who have played with James over the years. Jean held an estate sale at her house to clear out furniture and items that are still useful or valuable to other people. We were both a bit overwhelmed by these huge projects, and we do an even shorter episode than last week.
Futureproof on Vimeo.
In one of the least lengthy episodes in the series Jean and James talk about the things that currently have them short on time.
James has released the third episode telling the story of James Dempsey and the Breakpoints and is prepping for next week’s free LIVE near WWDC show. Jean is preparing to turn her home into a pop-up store for the weekend—having an estate sale to help her superfluous stuff find good homes.
Jean talks about the importance of remembering to ask others for help when needed. James prepares for going through ‘WWDC Tilt’ for the next few months following next week’s conference.
In the face of massive projects, such as the Live Near WWDC Show and moving house, Jean and James find themselves talking about an important subject: Star Wars/Star Trek mashups they would watch.
This time around, James‘ weekly to-do spills over into the rest of the episode. It’s the just-announced LIVE near WWDC 2021 event which celebrates the 20th anniversary of James Dempsey and the Breakpoints. The conversation turns to plans for the event and digging through a few decades worth of hard drives, laptops, and videotapes to find materials for the event. Jean talks about her own efforts to reduce tech clutter, including an organization near her that not only provides refurbished machines to those who need them, but also teaches how to do the refurbishing! Also, a little story of the Titanium PowerBook that could.
Having a checklist for a recurring project is a good way to free your mind from worrying about small but important details. Before 2020, the checklist that both of us used the most was our travel packing list. On the eve of James’ first post-pandemic trip (to Disneyland, of course), we talk about what needs to be updated on that trusted list.
In this episode Jean and James talk about how life is beginning to change as they and so many others become vaccinated. James celebrates his first hair cut in over a year. Jean continues to settle into her new place. Jean is looking forward to more casual gatherings with family and friends. James misses playing music with other musicians. And looking at his trusted system, James is finding many projects put on hold can now be made active again. Both wonder if they will return to their pre-pandemic patterns or if new habits developed during the past year have taken hold.
James found the “get out of jail free card,” and Jean is happy to use it.
Upon rereading the GTD book, James came across this definition of the weekly review: “It’s whatever you need to do to get your head empty again and get oriented for the next couple of weeks.” No matter which tool you use, from simple written notes to OmniFocus, getting yourself oriented for the next couple weeks is the goal. Considering that neither Jean or James did their official weekly review this week, it was nice to let us ourselves off the hook.
PS: It’s our third anniversary! We’ve been publishing an episode every Friday since April 29, 2018. 🎂🎂🎂
In this episode Jean and James discuss the announcments from the recent Apple ‘Spring Forward’ event. Will Jean get a new M1 iMac? Does James misplace his keys often enough to justify getting an AirTag? The conversation turns to product color a number of times leading James to a minor chromatic epiphany. Both Jean and James are tempted by the new iPad Pro but may stand pat with their existing models. James is looking forward to the new Apple TV remote. Also the secret fictional origins of The Weekly Review podcast.
Jean made a big decision this week. After 13 years, she’s moving—and that wasn’t a project or goal she had noted anywhere in OmniFocus. James offers good advice, both on how to look at big decisions in the context of a trusted system and how to process house projects that will never be done now.
And we affirm our podcast’s mission statement: we don’t claim to be productivity gurus, just two friends who help each other get things done.
From Jean’s blog: Moving: suddenly but not-so-suddenly, a big decision clicks
This episode Jean and James talk about their most plentiful and precious digital assets—photos. Jean expresses frustration at not being able to find an Easter-themed photo of guinea pigs Grace and Ada from a past year. James describes how even a dark, blurry photo of time spent with friends is a great way to bring the moment back into memory.
Jean sets out to prune her photo library of unwanted photos that don’t make the cut—with unintentional guinea pig butt photos being a surprisingly common category. James continues to be a digital pack rat with even the bad photos as he continues to purchase more drive and clould storage over time.
A photo by James looking up at the Incredibles Arch on Pixar Pier at Disney California Adventure.
This was taken on the last day of James’ last visit to Disneyland before the pandemic.
A Christmas photo of guinea pigs Grace and Ada by Jean.
The sort of photo, with a guinea pig butt to the camera, that Jean plans on deleting.
We started this episode out without a specific topic, but that didn’t stop us from reviewing what things we got done this week and how we did it. We also took the opportunity to talk about Dance Party! and give James kudos for completing three months of his fun automated exercise program.
Episode 128: Dance Party!
This episode, Jean and James talk about their strategies for managing passwords. Both have seperately arrived at similar but not identical approaches. Jean admits that she sometimes saves pieces of information in 1Password and forgets it is there when she needs it. James realizes that he needs to take care of the various warnings in his password managers. Both Jean and James conclude that a little bit of time spent tending to your passwords can go a long way and both intend to add a recurring periodic task in their trusted systems to do so. Finally, the duo bats .500 this week in accomplishing weekly reviews and weekly to-dos, but who did and who didn’t? (Hint: J did but J didn’t.)
This week we turn our attention to one of those essential but often cluttered repositories: our Contacts database. Jean embarks on a quest to clean up her Contacts, organize people into groups, update info and delete some names too. It feels a bit like the Inbox Zero projects we did when we launched the podcast, but the goal is not to reduce it zero, of course!
TWR 3: Brute Forcing Our Way To Inbox Zero
Felt, hand-written card design app
With spring fast approaching, Jean and James discuss a variety of topics in the waning weeks of winter. James procrastinates tackling some tasks as he eagerly awaits the arrival of a whiteboard. Jean reveals the proper way to dispose of 2020 wall calendars. James extolls the virtues of unplanned activities while Jean suggests a strategy to get Dexter the cat drinking from his water fountain again. Other topics include mangled math and more examples why its better to keep things in your trusted system instead of your head. It’s a wintery mix.
Life may be just a bowl of cherries…but it’s also filled with the open loops that sap mental and creative energy.
The good news is that we both completed a weekly review this week. The better news is that we have identified some aspects of our trusted systems that could be refined, making it more likely that we will continue to make those reviews weekly in the future.
For the 150th episode, Jean and James talk about enhancing your productivity by a seemingly unproductive approach—doing nothing. Or at least doing something else. Topics include sleep, background processing, and James’ dad’s oft-repeated three day rule. The conversation then turns to ways of reacting to life’s little mishaps.
Inspired by the winter weather emergencies in Oregon and Texas, James and Jean revisited the topic of preparedness. After last summer’s wildfire emergencies, Jean realized it made sense to download videos in advance in case of internet failure, rather than using power bank reserves to run the internet for streaming video. We also talk about the ideas that Ben Brooks outlined in a recent article about “go bags.”
Episode 123: Emergency Planning
Jackery Portable Power Stations
The Brooks Review: We Need to Rethink Emergency/Go/Bugout Bags
As we approach the anniversary of when many locations began shutting things down due to the pandemic, Jean and James reflect on various things that were commonplace in their lives but that they now haven’t experienced or done in over a year. Other topics include competing Groundhog Day groundhogs, the atrophy of packing skills, and whether James misses his sister or Disneyland more.
It’s the last episode in our consideration of the planning horizons above where we mostly concentrate, Ground Level (Next Actions) and Horizon 1 (Projects). This week, James and Jean talk about Horizon 5: Life, or alternatively, Purpose and Principles.
Somehow the conversation leads us to Las Vegas. Whether it’s craps or slot machines, there’s always a metaphor for life to be found in Las Vegas, as well as some excellent restaurants.
The series:
Horizon 3: One- to Two-Year Goals
Horizon 4: Three- to Five-Year Vision
Horizon 5: Life, or Purpose and Principles (this episode)
Continuing on the path of ever-widening horizons, Jean and James move on from one- to two-year goals to consider their visions for the next three to five years. Jean notes that although the word ‘vision’ might imply a grand world-changing scheme, in a personal context it could mean something life-changing or life-enhancing instead. Then the conversation takes a turn to barnacles and DNS configuration. It’s been that kind of a week.
We continue our review of GTD’s Six-Level Model For Reviewing Your Own Work, and this week we are looking at “Horizon 3.” We both discovered that it’s been a long time since we looked at one- to two-year goals, but given the major life upheavals we’ve experienced the last few years, it isn’t surprising that long-range plans have been neglected.
The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter, by Margareta Magnusson
Following last episode about the Six Horizons of Focus, Jean and James begin their ascent through the horizons by talking about Horizon 2: Areas of Focus and Responsibility. As Jean and James share some of thier own items from this horizon, conversation includes whether areas of focus are different than responsibilities, and some thoughts on how to represent this horizon in OmniFocus or the productivity tool of your choice.
How do you decide what to do next? In Getting Things Done, David Allen talks about several strategies, including the Six Horizons of Focus. The higher up you go in the list of horizons, the more you can see of the big picture. Yet things actually get done on the ground level (next actions and calendar) and Horizon 1 (projects), which is where this podcast and its hosts are focused.
It’s a good practice to step back from the nitty gritty work, and consider how it fits into bigger goals and responsibilities. We discuss our plan for kicking off 2021 with a closer look at each horizon.
(If that sounds very serious, don’t worry. We also talk quite a bit about pierogies.)
In this episode, Jean and James talk about the recently released Pixar movie Soul. The conversation delves into some of the concepts presented in the movie such as having a passion turn into an obsession. Jean and James connect that to how too strong a focus on productivity has to potential of having you lead a less fulfilling life. Also, Jean and James discuss a whimsical new invention for 2021.
Finally, Jean and James wish all of our listeners a Happy New Year!
WARNING: There are movie spoilers!