Happy Sunday morning, friends! Another week has flown by, and we’re suddenly looking at the biggest technology month of the year. I am sure my pocketbook is going to scream to be let loose in the coming weeks.

There are weeks when the devil sits on my left shoulder and tempts me into oblivion. This week was one of those weeks. Throughout the first half of the year, I had found a contentedness in my devices, vehicles, house, and other categories — a contentedness I hadn’t had perhaps in my entire life. I believe that contentedness is the closest thing to earthly joy that a person can experience. But this past week was brutal — new vehicles, new toys, new keyboards, new furniture, new golf clubs — you name it, I started to want it. My wishlist is currently as long as it has ever been.

There’s one singular tool that has always effectively handled temptation: gratitude. Gratitude for what we have. Gratitude for the people we have. Gratitude for the country we live in. Gratitude for work, hobbies, and more. Gratitude for my Bible.

We live in the greatest era of human history. There’s comfort in every part of our lives. Most of the world has access to a glowing device which can summon any bit of information humanity has ever conjured, and we can do so in an air-conditioned home in 45-degree (120-degree?) weather. There are no bounds to the level of luxury and comfort we live in today.

One of the most telling elements of the lie we live if we give into temptation: That once you have purchased the thing, or done the thing, or consumed the thing, you never really find the true joy you thought you might find. That’s the lie. You just want it again and again. You want more of it. You want the better version of it. Until you realize the thing you’re wanting isn’t going to truly solve what you’re looking for, temptation will continue to knock at your door.

Find gratitude. Say thank you. Wake up tomorrow, look to the sky, and thank the Good Lord for His creation and the abundance He has provided us. We have it so good compared to our forefathers. Find rest in knowing that.

Onward.

MyMind

The most significant change in my last week was MyMind. I cancelled my Readwise Reader subscription, exported meaningful links from RainDrop.io, and opened a MyMind account.

I am obsessed with this app. It is unlike any other app on my devices. It uses AI in unique ways, has limitations that I wish it didn’t but which make good sense, and looks as beautiful as Things or Day One or Ulysses or Craft. I want to save everything in my life to MyMind — quotes, links, screenshots, thoughts, highlights, books — and I want to use the app all day long. I truly haven’t felt this way about an app in a long, long time.

MyMind is a bookmarking app on steroids. You can save just about anything to MyMind, and the app will use AI to tag your savings for future searching. If you are on the Mastermind tier, you gain access to Reader Mode, which provides a basic reading view for articles. You can create Spaces for some of your own organizational needs if you’d like, or you can create Smart Spaces if you find yourself searching for the same things over and over. In general, though, MyMind is simply a place to dump stuff and the app will organize everything for you for the next time you jump into the app to find something you saved.

The app is quite limited in nature. You can’t edit the URL in a link you saved — you have to delete the card and save a new card with the new URL. You can’t change a card type, which is specifically limiting when you save a highlight from an article but would rather have it styled as a quote. You can’t bulk import past savings from other apps, a choice made specifically by MyMind’s creators to ensure the app acts as a fresh start from other apps. MyMind has several opinionated choices, which you’ll either have to deal with or which will act as a dealbreaker.

In general, I’ve come to love MyMind this week. I really like being able to send stuff into the app. I can jump into the app to find some fun articles to read, or I can just leave them there and never think about them again. Likewise, I have saved numerous inspirational screenshots from Instagram as we dream about renovating our bathroom, all of which are easily unearthed if I simply search for “bathroom” in MyMind.

It’s rare where an app really surprises me these days. I haven’t had too many “Aha!” moments over the last few years. MyMind is right up there with some of the best software I’ve tried in a long, long time.

Focus Hard. In Reasonable Bursts. One Day at a Time.

I found this Cal Newport article off the back of an article from The Wall Street Journal, in which the author talks about the successes found by grinding extra hard each day. The writer talks about working 80 or 100 hour weeks endlessly, which ultimately resulted in riches that can be used in the future to slow down.

Cal Newport largely takes the opposite end of the spectrum — that 9-to-5 work is the most that’s needed each day, and that focus is the key to strong productivity. All the productivity writers online will have to agree with Cal, of course — you can never be on the side of recommending to youngsters to work their absolute tails off and live life later.

There’s always a spectrum in this stuff, it seems. The original thought — that you can’t really get ahead by working the same number of hours as the general population — is probably more correct than the opposite. You have to be willing to do non-normal things to achieve non-normal results. Normal effort basically never results in abnormal successes.

But there are also lines you shouldn’t cross as well. Rest is utterly important. I am coming off a very long spurt of tax season energy, and I can’t begin to explain how grateful I am for a restful summer. I have as much inspiration and drive now as I’ve had at any point in the past 10 years.

As always, read with your critical hat on and end up somewhere in between Cal Newport’s and the WSJ’s discussion on how long and how hard to work. I appreciate there are folks willing to have the conversation out in the open.

The Second Cup

ZSA Voyager Split Ergonomic Keyboard

I have been rocking my ZSA Planck EZ for the last few weeks in my home office, and I forgot how much I missed the multi-function layers and the awesome columnar layout. It’s different to type on, yes, but after getting the hang of it, my hands feel better for longer periods and I can type faster for longer. I would love to try a few extra keys that the Voyager offers, and I really want to see how a split ergonomic keyboard works in this size (I tried the Ergodox EZ last year and I really did not get along with it at all; I think it was due to how far my thumbs had to go to reach the thumb clusters.)

I took 1,000 photos with the Pixel 10 Pro.

Becca’s videos move fast. There is so much information in this short YouTube video. Which is probably why she is one of the best in the business.

The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel

I don’t often buy or read books. I tend to read articles and tax literature (yawn… I know.) I believe I will give this one a go though — Collaborative Fund is likely my favourite blog on the internet right now.

My Current Favourite Version of the Eames Lounge Chair

I think, if you’re buying one of these, by default you have to go with the 2100 Series black leather with walnut finish. But if I was willing to be creative and take a chance, then I would probably end up with the above-linked configuration. Tall, walnut shell, and Lupine Mohair fabric. I guarantee the fabric would be dirty after the first week (which is why I would ultimately go with the leather variety), but dang if this isn’t the prettiest chair on the planet.

Friday’s Clamshell 56 Desk

Expensive, but unique and fun stowaway desk for small spaces. Looks like a great option for a small apartment where every square inch matters.

Happy Sunday. I hope you have a wonderful week ahead.