System Andromeda: 2018/06

...on the other side of fear...

"Everything you want is on the other side of fear."
~Jack Canfield

What do you think?

Still exploring the galaxy?
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site (under construction!) - Facebook - Twitter - Pinterest

Curious for more? Check out my other projects:
Ransomed Roads (RR): site - Facebook - Instagram - Pinterest
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...changing yourself...

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."
~Leo Tolstoy

Freedom Fridays: Evernote for Research

I'm making this week's Freedom Friday quick and dirty, because TinyFest Midwest is this weekend, and I have been prepping for the last two weeks. If you're unfamiliar, this is one of three tiny house festivals linked across the U.S.: West Coast, East Coast, and - you guessed it - Midwest. I'm excited for this year's fest as I am currently making plans for my own tiny house, and I needed a place to organize and keep my research.* Enter Evernote.

I first discovered Evernote about 11 years ago, when I needed to find a better system of bookmarking. I had gone through several laptop switchovers, and I was tired of the backup/export/import method of keeping track of my bookmarks (this was before Google took over my life by linking literally everything I use in an efficient and, frankly, disturbing fashion). Half the time, I didn't actually need most of the bookmarks anymore, or couldn't find what I needed. It was a time drain, and that was becoming untenable as I got geared up to begin my work on System Andromeda.

I needed a research app. I needed to be able to do everything in it: compose, make lists, save basic files, and notate bookmarked webpages, all organized within folders with tags to link everything. I felt like I was looking for a miracle. Finally, I found an article that seemed it had been written for me. The guy was espousing the virtues of Evernote, and they were ticking off all my needs. Best yet, it was free...and you know how I love "free".

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...pushing through the storm...

"Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm."
~Democritus

Freedom Fridays: TickTick - An App for Stemming the Tide of Chaos

I first discovered TickTick a couple months ago, while trying to replace my then current task app. The developer had decided to discontinue the service without much in the way of warning, and I had well over 100 tasks that had been meticulously organized. I was distraught and reached out to my network for suggestions. I received quite a few, some I'd heard of, and others that were new. Some came close, but none quite hit the mark. The reason for this was simple: the individual.

On their own, most of these were awesome. They had cool options, some free, some for a fee. Yet I had some specific requirements that had to be met. For one, I am a visual person, but I tend to be more text and list-oriented, so Trello, the most recommended, was out for me, as it was set up in panels/boxes that I found mildly confusing.

Other requirements included:

A folder/project system that allowed me to categorize my undertakings.
A tagging system that allowed me to cross-organize for similar things, such as running errands, paying bills, or working on photos for multiple projects; this helps me to put similar types of work together for when I'm in that mindset, location, or time frame.
The ability to set deadlines with reminders for each task.
A priority system, so I don't get carried away with one task and miss something else that's important.
Available across platforms, specifically desktop and Android.

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...make it distinctively yours...

"Make some corner of the world distinctively yours."
~Chinese Saying

Freedom Fridays: An Introduction

Okay. "Freedom."

We throw the word around every day. We read about it in history books. We hear it used in politics and foreign policy. We debate and philosophize it until we're sick to death of it, and, more often than not, we can't tell what it really means. There doesn't seem to be one universal definition for the word. So, the question remains...

What does freedom mean to you?

I've been exploring this concept in-depth for literal decades, and I could do a treatise on it: semantics, symbolism, cultural origins, social implications, and what it says about us as an evolving species.

...but...

I'm not going to. Or, rather, I should say that I'm not going to do it all at once.

Over the next few weeks, months, even years, I will be sending out posts on Fridays that are dedicated to "Freedom". This will be anything from reviews of products & services that make life easier & more efficient in achieving our dreams to inspired sources: books, talks, stories, and more. I won't post every week, but I should manage most weeks.

In between, there'll be plenty of time to share what freedom means to you, me, and, yes, humanity. And I'm not doing it fully on my own. That's because I want to hear from you. I want to know what you think. Share your insights. Share your inspirations. Share your dreams and what achieving freedom in your life looks like....and what it means to you. I hope you'll join me.

Feel free (oy) to get the conversation started in the comments below. And have a great weekend! I hope it's inspiring.

What do you think?

Still exploring the galaxy?

Click on any of the following:

site (under construction!) - Facebook - Twitter - Pinterest

Curious for more? Check out my other projects:

Ransomed Roads (RR): site - Facebook - Instagram - Pinterest

Tricky Fish Photography (TFP): Instagram - Facebook - Pinterest - Deviant Art

TFP Shops: RedBubble - Zazzle - Society6

The Arcadian Gypsy (AG): shop - Facebook - Instagram

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