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Wonder Tools

Podcast Wonder Tools
Jeremy Caplan
Wonder Tools helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. Building on one of Substack's most popular productivity newsletters, each episode of the podcast...

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5 of 31
  • Voice AI 🎙️ say it, don't type it
    Typing isn't always the best way to get your thoughts down. Sometimes talking through an idea leads to better clarity. New AI tools can reliably transform those spoken thoughts into clean, organized text. I've spent months experimenting with voice AI tools — first on my phone, and now on my laptop. They’ve been helping me pull ideas from my brain onto paper. The tools below have become crucial to my workflow. Read on for my five-minute guide to making the most of voice AI.Why voice AI beats traditional transcription ✍Traditional transcription simply converts speech to text. Modern voice AI does much more:* Instant transformation: Speak naturally and get a polished draft, outline, or summary* Smart cleanup: AI removes filler words and adds proper punctuation* Format flexibility: Convert speech into various formats like bullet lists or structured documents* Context awareness: AI understands context and organizes your thoughts logically. Because it’s grounded in your own words, it doesn’t hallucinate.5 ways I like using voice AI 💫Here are some scenarios where voice AI is particularly valuable:1. Journal entriesInstead of staring at a blank page, I speak my thoughts at day's end. The AI transforms my stream of consciousness into organized reflections.2. Meeting follow-upsAfter an in-person meeting, I open my voice AI app, hit record, and talk through key points while they’re still fresh. I don’t worry about the structure of my sentences or about pausing as I think. The AI waits for me and summarizes my rambling.3. Presentation planningSpeaking through presentation ideas helps me figure out my narrative flow. The AI helps me organize my thoughts into a structured outline. I can talk through multiple potential versions, then compare them on screen later. 4. Book notesTo preserve insights from something I’m reading, I turn on a voice AI app and flip through the pages or scroll through the text to remind myself out loud about intriguing passages or ideas. I then save the structured note the AI creates. I like being able to look back at the text while dictating the note. And the editing part of my brain interferes less when I’m talking than when I’m typing. 5. Daily planningStarting my day by verbally mapping out my priorities helps me think through what’s ahead more effectively than typing out a list. Voice AI apps to try 🎤Letterly 💌* Easy to use Just press the app’s big button. Up to 15 minutes per recording.* Cross-platform Record or access your past text-from-voice across automatically synchronized desktop, web, and mobile apps.* Smart format detection The magic transform option can automatically reformat your words, turning lists into bullets or structuring email drafts for quick copy-and-pasting into other apps.* Customizable outputs Transform recordings into LinkedIn posts, podcast or video scripts, structured documents, or your own custom formats.* Iterative refinement Try different transformations of the same recording until you get exactly what you need. * Multiple languages Record in any of 90 languages, or record in one language and have the app translate your text into another.* Offline and screen-off options Record anywhere, even without Internet access. Try using background mode without your screen on. I often record with my AirPods while walking with my phone in my pocket. Founder’s tip: “Don’t confuse it with dictation,” says Letterly’s founder and CEO Anton Lebedev. “You don’t need to pronounce the perfect text you want to write. Instead, think out loud, speak slowly, quickly, or even chaotically. AI will understand you. Think of it like a writing assistant you’re telling what to write. The assistant can understand you and figure out how to rewrite the text.”Letterly Pricing: $80/year after a free trialOasis 🏖️* Multi-purpose output Get your recording transformed simultaneously into various formats—from a memo or outline to a blog post or TED talk. * Make custom templates Create and name short prompts that reflect your preferred styles or formats. Those become part of your personalized prompt library for transforming future recordings. I made one for my journal entries.* Web accessibility Like Letterly and Audiopen, you can access your recordings and transformed text through a browser on any device.* Oasis pricing: $5/month or $50/year for enough credits for hundreds of monthly uses. * Read my previous post about why Oasis is so usefulAudioPen 🖊️* Customize rewrite length Customize the length setting if you’d prefer summaries of your transcribed recordings to be shorter or longer. Create and access them on your phone or on any device through your browser.* Shareable audio notes Send individual audio note links to colleagues or collaborators. Or send then to other apps with a Zapier integration. * Flexible organization Combine multiple audio notes or their summaries into larger collections. You can search for old notes or arrange them in folders. * Rich template selection Choose from various transformation templates.* AudioPen pricing: $99/year or $159/two years after a free trial. Bottom LineStart with Letterly if you want simplicity and reliability. Consider Oasis if you want a slightly cheaper option or need to simultaneously access multiple format variations of the same content. AudioPen is useful if you want to customize the length of your voice summaries or if sharing or combining audio notes is important to your workflow.Sponsored Message from Griff FoxleyFeeling creatively blocked? Dreaming up a life transition that’s overwhelming? Your internal mindset plays a crucial role in your success. As a coach, I help seekers, creatives, and solopreneurs overcome limiting beliefs, build confidence, and achieve big goals in a program tailored to you. Let's navigate the challenges of today's competitive landscape together.Book a free discovery call!Where to use voice AI 🎯Voice AI shines when typing isn't practical or when you want to think freely without your hands on a keyboard. Here are situations where you can try it:At home 🏠Comfy chair 📚 Capture book notes without interrupting your reading rhythmKitchen 🧑‍🍳 Document recipe adjustments or cooking notes while your hands are busy with ingredientsBedside 🛏️ Record late-night musings without disrupting your wind-down routine with a bright screenGarden 🌱 Log landscaping ideas or random thoughts while your hands are dirtyOn the move 🚝Walking 🚶‍♂️ Capture project ideas and inspiration during your daily strollCommute 🚊 Draft emails and plan your day while on the subway or busCar 🚗 Record thoughts safely after parking but before you forget an important ideaAt work ⚡️Quiet space 🪟 Create reflective journal entries while looking out the windowConference 🎤 Capture insights between sessions to avoid being overwhelmed when you get home.Doctor's office 🏥 Record appointment details and follow-up steps while the info is freshActive time 💫Exercise 🏃‍♀️ Outline presentations or brainstorm on the treadmill Shopping 🛒 Create lists or remind yourself about products Outdoors 🌳 Draft journal entries or creative ideas while surrounded by natureBonus resource: 50 ways to use voice AI Voice AI on your laptop 💻I used to rely exclusively on mobile voice AI apps, but lately I've been relying on laptop voice AI apps. These are less focused on transforming text and more on putting your spoken text on your clipboard so you can paste into any tool you’re using. It works with Google Docs, Word, email, or whatever else you’re using. I use these on my laptop because it’s quicker and easier for me to talk than to type. Here are three worth trying:Flow 🗣️* Quick to start Once you’ve installed the software, just hold down the function key to start recording in any of 100+ languages. Your recording gets instantly transcribed and the cleaned-up text is copied to your clipboard.* Works anywhere on your computer Paste transcribed text directly into any application—email, documents, or messaging apps.* Reduces screen and hand fatigue Record while looking away from your screen to reduce eye strain and give your hands a break. * Flow pricing: Free for up to 2,000 words/week; $12/month billed annually for unlimited words and extra features. $8/month for students and educators. TalkTastic 🎙️* Simple transcription Made by the team that created the Oasis mobile app, TalkTastic is designed to be simpler. Instead of transforming your speech into various text types, it just puts a cleaned-up version of what you say onto your clipboard to paste into any app.* Smart text transformation You can optionally set it to analyze your screen context to offer transformed versions of your text.* Free While in beta, there’s no cost for TalkTastic. MacWhisper 🧑‍💻* Advanced transcription Use this free software to transcribe online meetings, podcasts, or live dictation. You can even upload files to transcribe.* Pay once for pro features Enable YouTube transcriptions, batch uploads, translation, and top AI model usage with a one-time purchase.* MacWhisper pricing: Free for basic usage. ~$60 for pro upgrade; 20% discount with this link. Journalists, students, or non-profits can email [email protected] for 50% off.Other ways to use your voice to benefit from AI* ChatGPT has a powerful voice mode in its mobile and desktop apps. Rather than typing out AI queries, you can have a conversation with an AI bot. Here’s why that’s so useful. * Perplexity’s mobile app voice AI mode is terrific. I ask it a series of questions, like an oracle. It beats Google on many of my queries. The AI understands what I’m asking, then gathers and summarizes a helpful response. Citations in the app ensure I can check on its info sources.* Google’s Gemini and Microsoft’s Copilot have recently-upgraded mobile voice modes. Converse with human-sounding AI bots without thumb typing.* Open-source options abound.📌 Share your voice with a comment👇 Get full access to Wonder Tools at wondertools.substack.com/subscribe
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  • Help your parents stay safe online
    When’s the last time you fielded a tech support call from a parent? You want your parents — or anyone you support — to benefit from email, photo sharing, and video calls. You also have to protect them from scams, malware, and unnecessary complexity. Or maybe you are that parent and want to stay safe online. Either way, today’s post aims to support you. I periodically help my parents make sense of confusing WebEx conferencing instructions or Microsoft Word settings. So when Wonder Tools reader and tech expert Paul Schreiber offered to write a guest post based on his professional and personal experience, I welcomed his input. Below he outlines specific hardware recommendations, security steps, and practical tips you can implement today. The next section of this piece is by Paul. Paul: Over the past few years, I’ve helped my parents and some friends’ parents stay safe online. Here are some things I’ve found work well.Simplify hardwareSkip the computer…Many folks don’t need a powerful computer. They just need access to email, messaging, and the web. An iPad or Chromebook for ~$300 provides this (along with thousands of apps), while reducing the burden of maintenance.… Or pick a simple oneA MacBook Air is a great choice if they do need a computer. There’s less malware and Apple provides a single, simple source of support. No need to worry about separate or conflicting instructions from hardware and OS manufacturers. Plus, if they already have an iPhone, the Air works with it seamlessly. Replace the routerReplace their current router with one or more eero devices. Eeros:* Automatically connect to each other in a mesh for large homes — no more clunky extenders with separate network names. They also work for apartments with thick walls.* Automatically configure themselves with the right network settings* Automatically stay up-to-date* Can be monitored and administered remotely from your phoneSponsored Message Tell stories with factsScroll.ai is the AI notebook for journalists, helping you turn your sources into stories. Think Claude or Notebook LM, built specifically for research-based writing.Just add any video, audio, or article and Scroll will translate, transcribe, and summarize, all in one easy-to-use notebook.Add guardrailsMake yourself the adminWhen setting up the computer, create two accounts:* One for yourself, with administrative rights* A standard account for your parentIf they accidentally install adware or other junk, it will only affect their account, not the whole computer, and it’ll be easier to remedy. Install an ad blockerAds slow down the page and trick people into installing malware. I recommend the free uBlock Origin for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. (Note: avoid the similarly-named uBlock.) For Safari, consider buying 1Blocker, Wipr, or AdGuard.Adjust settingsSet up a family accountApple (iCloud+) and Google (Google One) both sell cloud storage that can be shared with your family. For about $10 per month, you ensure everyone’s device is backed up and their photos are synced. You can also share some apps without repurchasing them.Make yourself the recovery contactAdd your email and phone number as a recovery contact (Apple, Google) for your parents’ important accounts. This lets you help when they forget their password. It also lets you reset it if they become incapacitated or die.Set up legacy contactsUnlike recovery contacts, legacy contacts control an account after someone dies. Setting these up gives you legal permission to access the account. Each service handles it differently, so read instructions from Facebook, Apple, and Google carefully.Today is trash dayGo through your parents’ computer and/or phone. Delete unused apps. Clean up the downloads folder, removing installers (such as .pkg and .dmg files) as well duplicate or outdated files.PasswordsPasswords are a pain. Good news: you no longer need to memorize them. With a password manager, the only two passwords you’ll need to remember are those for your computer and your email. Your password manager will automatically create hard-to-guess passwords and fill them in for all other log-ins. It won’t fill your password in on sites trying to steal your information.* Set up password autofill and teach them to use it. * Spend a few hours using Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or 1Password to generate new passwords for their 25 most important sites.* Share key account passwords with yourself.Final Tips* If you want personalized advice, visit Consumer Reports’ security planner. * If your parents or relatives are easily duped by fake reviews, set up bookmarks for Consumer Reports, Wirecutter, the Good Housekeeping Institute, Vetted, or other trustworthy review services.p.s. Bonus Tools — Recommended by Jeremy* Print Friendly makes it easy to print anything online.* Postlight Reader removes clutter from articles, making reading easier. * Permission Slip is a free app from Consumer Reports that helps you learn what companies are collecting data about you or your parents or children. You can send a request that they stop selling your personal info.* Consumer Reports testing found that paid data removal services often fail to fully scrub personal information from people-search sites. * I’ve been testing Incogni, which wasn’t assessed in that report. So far it’s been helpful in requesting that data brokers erase information about me that they’re storing and selling.* See the big data broker opt-out list for more info. * CleanMyMac is a simple Mac app that makes it easy to remove old installers, duplicate files, and other files cluttering up your computer or taking up space. I’ve used it for a few years and recommend it.* Yorba is another promising new service in beta. It can help in several ways: * Unsubscribe from emails.* Wipe old unused accounts and associated logins.* Cancel subscriptions you forgot about. It’s free to start.Have a thought or suggestion to share? Leave a comment 👇 Get full access to Wonder Tools at wondertools.substack.com/subscribe
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  • Create your AI taste atlas ❤️
    Imagine turning your reading history into a treasure map. By feeding a list of your favorite books and movies to an AI assistant, you can uncover hidden patterns in what you love. From your subconscious attraction to unreliable narrators to your love for stories that begin at the end, you may be surprised by what an AI assistant can reveal. Building a personal “taste atlas” helps you understand your reading self better. It can also surface blind spots in your cultural diet and point you toward unexplored literary territories you’re likely to love.Why analyze your preferences? ⚡️This isn’t just another recommendation engine. Netflix or Amazon may suggest what to watch or buy next based on viewing history, but a taste atlas goes much deeper. It analyzes themes, narrative structures, and emotional resonance across media formats. It can reveal connections between novels you adore and foreign films you’ve never heard of, or help you articulate why certain stories stick with you while others don’t. You can tune the atlas by adjusting the info and examples you give it. You can customize the analysis with your prompts, asking for particular kinds of observations or recommendations.With AI’s help, you can map out your own universe of awesome. As you scout out gaps in your reading or movie watching, you can discover authors and films that expand your horizons.Start by gathering your favorites 🤩You need to provide an AI assistant with a list of at least 10-15 titles that resonate with you for meaningful insights; 30+ is better. Here are the fastest ways to gather them. * Physical books or DVDs: snap a photo of your bookshelf. AI can read the titles. Or write a list of titles on paper. AI assistants can read handwriting surprisingly well. * Digital readers: refer to your Kindle library, your “read” shelf on Goodreads, listen history on Audible, timeline on Libby, or any doc or spreadsheet you maintain with your favorites.* Streaming: Apps like Likewise, Sofa, Listy, Listium, Letterboxd, Trakt, and Reelgood let you compile lists of favorites. You can use those collections to train your AI assistant. * Use your voice: If talking jogs your memory, use conversation mode in ChatGPT, Claude, Google’s Gemini, or Microsoft’s CoPilot. Let the AI interview you about your favorite books or movies. * Scan award lists. If you can’t think of favorites, check a list of Oscar-winning movies or book awards for reminders of what you’ve enjoyed. Criteria: Consider titles you often revisit or recommend. Include recent favorites and older resonant ones. Give extra weight to those that provoked emotion, changed your perspective, or prompted action. Ideally, note not just the title but one or more aspects of a work that particularly resonated. Prompt AI to analyze your list 🔎Once you've compiled your list, use your preferred AI tool to uncover patterns in your literary tastes. Prompt the AI assistant for insights to advance your self-understanding. After that, ask it to help you discover more books/movies you'll love. Start by writing a detailed prompt to elicit a thorough, subtle analysis of your taste in books or movies. Here’s an example you can adopt or adapt: You are a perceptive literary critic and cultural analyst with deep knowledge of literature across genres and cultures. Carefully analyze the attached list of my favorite books for patterns. Think deeply about connections between titles and topics that might not be immediately apparent. Where you notice interesting patterns, explain your reasoning and cite specific examples. Please analyze this list of my favorite books. Create a detailed literary taste profile that identifies:Core Elements:* Primary themes and topics* Genre preferences and style patterns* Narrative approaches and structure choices* Character types and relationships* Tone and emotional range»»»» Upload a file with your list or paste it. * Here’s a related prompt for film. * Additional taste atlas prompts to enrich your analysis. * Case study of a taste atlas I created for my book group. Which AI tool to use? 🎯* ChatGPT 4o worked well for me in importing Google Docs and PDFs with my favorites. Its analysis and recommendations were nuanced and helpful. * Limitation: Occasionally, it suggested authors who were already in my existing lists, despite being prompted not to. * Claude Pro provided an excellent overview of the kinds of books I’ve selected for the book group I facilitate over the past eight years. It helped identify gaps in our reading list and offered useful suggestions for future titles. * Limitation: Some documents I tried to import, like my Readwise reading highlights, were too large to fit in a Claude Project I created for my taste atlas.* Gemini 2.0 Experimental Advanced, Google’s newest model, was an excellent voice partner in analyzing my current reading interests. * Limitation: 2.0 couldn’t yet import documents, but Gemini 1.5 could. It helpfully analyzed the Google Doc with my complete Readwise Highlights archive. Use either free or premium AI tools for this analysis. For long book lists or extensive highlights, use a pro model for nuanced analysis. Sponsored MessageBecome the better version of yourself with GenYOU. Create AI-generated headshots, profile pics, or even full-body portraits right from your selfies. The advanced AI ensures your facial features remain accurate with every generation. Skip the photoshoot hassle and design personalized AI portraits your way. Expand your taste horizons ✨Once an AI tool has analyzed your book or movie preferences, prompt it to suggest new authors and titles. Ask about specific connections between the titles you liked and its recommendations, so you understand the rationale. * Cultural leaps: Ask AI to identify authors who write like your favorites but in different languages or cultures. * What’s missing? Try a prompt about negative space — what authors, titles, topics or genres are missing from your favorites. What notable titles might stretch your literary horizons? * Bridges to the past: Prompt your AI assistant to suggest "bridge authors" who influenced the writers you enjoy. This is most effective if the authors on your list are well-known.* Cross media: Ask for documentaries and feature films that share traits with your favorite books. To push the AI further, ask for plays and songs. Next Steps 💫Make it a project 💻If you use ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro, start a dedicated project (learn more) to house your taste atlas. This lets you refine and expand your analysis over time. * You can also create a Perplexity Space to combine AI search with analysis.* Or make a Custom GPT or an AI Poe bot to share a group taste atlas with a class, a book group, or others who share an interest.* NotebookLM (read more) is another great tool for analyzing collections of your favorite works in AI-powered notebooks. It accepts files of up to 50,000 words, up to 200mb, so it’s especially useful if you run into file size caps on other platforms. It’s also uniquely able to generate an audio summary piece about your favorites. (The video accompanying this piece has an excerpt of an audio piece generated with my reading highlights). Share for human insight 🧓Share your taste profile with a friend or librarian. They’ll spot patterns the AI missed or suggest unexpected connections. Expand to music and beyond 🎶Once you’ve mapped your reading and movie preferences, try a similar approach for your favorite music, art, food, and other interests. Case study: my own taste atlas 🗺️How I gathered my favorites: I had a Google spreadsheet with 80+ books I appreciated, so I exported it as a PDF to import into AI tools. I’m also gradually exporting my Day One book journal. For my movie list, I used Listy [here’s why it’s useful], which let me export an image and a CSV file of 30 movies I liked. Some apps don’t enable list exports, which requires screenshotting or copy and pasting.Behind the scenes: Here’s a ChatGPT analysis thread illustrating how I created an initial taste atlas with my book and movie lists. You’ll see that ChatGPT struggled to understand Listy’s CSV export, so I fed it a PDF instead. I’ve also experimented with Claude, NotebookLM and Gemini. Each offers unique insights, so it’s helpful to try more than one. My taste atlas has already been useful. My night table has a new pile of books inspired by connections to books and films I loved.Leave a comment to share your own taste atlas or to add thoughts, questions, comments, suggestions, or helpful resources 👇 p.s. Want to try something new this year? I’m looking for curious collaborators to work on exciting new projects. I’m also hiring a paid part-time assistant. Answer two quick questions if you’d like to work with me in either capacity. Get full access to Wonder Tools at wondertools.substack.com/subscribe
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  • Protect Your Focus: A 10-Minute Guide 🎯
    A dozen tabs open. Notifications pinging. I just opened my laptop and unread emails are already calling my name. Sound familiar? To break this routine, I’m relying on a carefully chosen stack of tools and tactics that protect deep work from daily distractions. Rather than hunting for a perfect productivity app, I've curated a three-layer system for planning, focus, and analysis. In today’s video and the post below I’ll show you how it works. Feel free to steal any of these tactics as you’re refining your own workflow for the new year. My focus stack has three layers: * Planning tools that help me decide where to direct my concentration.* Focus tools to help my wandering mind return to the task at hand.* Analysis tools for tracking progress and observations about my work so I can improve my focus over time. Read on for a 10-minute guide to setting yourself up for a fruitful day of focus. 1. Planning: Design your day 🚀 Think of focus setup like a chef’s mise-en-place: organizing your workspace before diving into complex work. Start by collecting and prioritizing a handful of core tasks so you have a short menu to choose from. Include time estimates. That helps you be realistic about what will fit on that day’s calendar.Book tip: Read Work Clean by Dan Charnas to see how much chefs can teach journalists, educators, and other info professionals about productivity.I often fall victim to the planning fallacy. I overestimate how many things I can get done on a given day. That leads to end-of-day disappointment when I haven’t completed everything on my list. To avoid that issue, assess your time estimates at the end of the day. After two weeks of doing that, you’ll get better guessing how much you’ll actually accomplish in a day. Book tip: Read Madeleine Dore’s terrific book "I Just Didn't Do The Thing Today" for a guide to coping and conquering those I’m-not-productive-enough sentiments. Also check out Rest as Resistance by Tricia Hersey.Keep it simple: power tools that work ⚡️For me, task software should be as simple as possible. [See more of my philosophy on this]. I prefer to get stuff done rather than spend hours mastering software menus. That’s why I recommend simple, free task software tools. * The bottom line: Workflowy, Apple Reminders, and Google Tasks all help you do the four basic things you need to do with to-dos:* Create simple lists, organize and add to them, and reliably and quickly access the tasks on multiple devices.For a more advanced software tool, consider Todoist or Things, which allow you to categorize tasks in a more sophisticated way with projects and multiple views. Sponsored Message from Griff FoxleyFeeling creatively blocked? Dreaming up a life transition that’s overwhelming? Your internal mindset plays a crucial role in your success. As a coach, I help seekers, creatives, and solopreneurs overcome limiting beliefs, build confidence, and achieve big goals in a program tailored to you. Let's navigate the challenges of today's competitive landscape together. Book a free discovery call!Pro tools, minus the complexity 🔥You may prefer a pro tool that combines planning with managing tasks and calendaring. Teams aiming to put all their projects, tasks and plans in one spot can use a hub like ClickUp, Monday, or Basecamp. But if you’re working independently and want something simple, I like Sunsama. Sunsama has a variety of useful features for planning your day. It works well for timeboxing. Here are some key features that make it so useful: * Planning and review modes let you prepare for and conclude the day with reflection and intention, avoiding the temptation to work reactively. * Estimate how long tasks will take, add notes or substasks, then schedule the tasks directly in your calendar. * Optionally use AI for time estimates and to categorize tasks. That helps analyze how you’re allocating time.* Employ focus mode to time your current task. When you complete it, the next task appears in the corner of your screen. I use this for deep work to block out everything but my current project.Time design: Intelligent scheduling 📅* Vimcal, Akiflow, Fantastical, and Motion are among the best-designed calendar tools. They sync to your existing calendar (e.g. Google or Outlook).* Use natural language to schedule things. Say something like “Meet Pat at 3pm Tuesday at HeyTea to talk about our AI summit.” Avoid a minute of manual data entry a dozen times daily and you’ll save an hour each week. Calendar magic: AI-assisted planning 🗓️Reclaim, like Motion, can automatically put time on your calendar between your appointments for priorities that you've set in advance. For example, you may want to routinely find time for meditation, calling a loved one, stretching, or praying. Reclaim adds those moments to your calendar between existing appointments on your calendar. They show up privately on your calendar. If you choose to let it, Reclaim can move your self-care slots if a meeting gets scheduled into that time slot.2. Focus: your concentration kit 🎯For background focus music, I rely on both Headspace and Calm with noise-cancelling headphones. Both offer instrumental tracks that block distractions without becoming distracting themselves. Coffitivity is a good free alternative if you prefer the background hum of a coffee shop.Brainy headphones 🧠🎧Neurable MW75 Headphones ($699) blend premium audio with an unexpected superpower: they measure your brain’s focus levels while you work. Unlike clunky EEG headbands, these look and feel like luxury noise-cancelling headphones. Why they’re useful: These noise-blocking headphones measure your brain focus like an EEG machine, without having to strap all those wires on your head. Neurable has somehow made one of the first consumer brain-computer interfaces that actually works so you can track your focus. I've been impressed with how they monitor my level of focus. Like a fitness tracker encouraging me to move, they subtly encourage sustained concentration with a daily deep focus target of one hour. Despite minor data syncing glitches and a lofty price tag, I’m pleased with their look, feel, and functionality. The first version of the app provides limited actionable insight about your focus level. Based on my conversations with the founder, I expect the app and the usefulness of its data to improve over time. A foldable design would also be nice, but that’s a small quibble for what they deliver. For now they’re available only in the U.S. and Canada. Cheaper: Want a lower-cost alternative to get some quiet? Writer A.J. Jacobs recommends these $10 noise-blocking earmuffs and I’ve found Loop earplugs (starting at ~$25) to be helpful. Pitfalls to avoid* Motion vs Action It’s easy to get stuck preparing to do work as a subconscious way of avoiding the work itself. Read James Clear’s smart, piece or Erin Nystrom’s recent take about falling victim to this tendency.* Tool Overload Pick one new tool to adopt at a time. Avoid cramming your toolbox so full that the tools distract from the work itself. The allure of "productivity porn" can tempt you to spend more time organizing tools than doing actual work.* Over-Engineering Keep your system simple. Avoid setting up complex categories, tags, and organizational schemes. The best frameworks tend to be simple enough to use intuitively. Tiago Forte’s PARA system, for example, is easy to understand and use, and doesn’t require any special tools. 3. Analysis: measure what works 📈Rize is a time tracking app that charts how you spend time. It monitors what software you’re using and tallies which projects — or hobbies — your hours are flowing to. (Get a free month to try it).Google's Time Insights similarly helps you see where your time is going. Rather than monitoring your actual computer behavior, it relies solely on your calendar. Available only on certain Google Workspace plans. As noted in my timeboxing post, a simple spreadsheet or paper and pen record will also do fine for documenting time allocation. Just jot down learnings about how your actual time spent diverged from your plans. How AI can helpAI tools can help you analyze your time allocation. Feed Claude, Gemini or ChatGPT a list of your tasks and how much time you estimated they would take, alongside estimates of actual time spent. Or snap a photo of your handwritten schedule and notes and feed that to your AI of choice for summary insights. By feeding some time tracking info into a Claude or ChatGPT project, a Notebook LM notebook, or a Gemini Gem, you can design your own custom timeboxing coach. This AI coach will understand how long things typically take you and your indicated priorities. It can then assist you with planning more effectively and making better time estimates based on your own past behavior. Today’s post builds on the tools and tactics I wrote about in last week’s post on timeboxing. Counter point: This viral 2007 personal productivity post by Marc Andreessen includes surprising gems if you’re skeptical of timeboxing. He admitted in a 2020 interview, though, that he’s since switched to more structured planning. Get full access to Wonder Tools at wondertools.substack.com/subscribe
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  • Wonder Tools ⏰ Try Timeboxing
    I’m starting this year with a focus on tactics, not just tools. Timeboxing is the tactic I rely on to plan my 100 weekly waking hours. In this post I’m sharing tips and tools to help whether you’re new to timeboxing or a pro.To read this full post online, visit https://wondertools.substack.com/p/timeboxing Timeboxing is the practice of scheduling tasks and deep work directly onto a calendar. By specifying how long to spend on each task, timeboxing helps you create a realistic plan taking into account your priorities and available time.How it works for meI start the day with 15 minutes of reflection and planning. I usually use a portable notebook or Sunsama. I review tasks, set priorities, and schedule specific time slots for deep work. I allocate time that’s available to me between meetings and teaching responsibilities.Why timeboxing might work for youTimeboxing might be a fit if you have the freedom to decide what to do when. It’s especially useful if you have a sense of how long things often take you and know the daily rhythms of your concentration levels, i.e. when you’re best able to focus. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing: timebox a fraction of your schedule if unpredictable work or personal responsibilities limit your flexibility.Here's a simple process to start timeboxing today:* Choose your planning time Pick either the end of your workday or first thing in the morning. I prefer a.m. when I’m most focused.* List your priorities Spend 5 minutes listing your most important tasks for the upcoming work session. Not everything. Just the top few.* List necessities Spend 5 minutes listing other less-valuable tasks that you have to get done today. Again, not everything. Just what’s most essential.* List notes and for-later items Spend 2 minutes jotting down anything else that comes to mind that you’ll need to remember later to help you get your work done, or that you’ll need to put on a future work list.* Estimate durations Next to each task, write how long you think it will take, adding a 25% buffer to account for interruptions or hidden sub-tasks.* Block your calendar Schedule each task into specific time slots.* Review at day’s end Consider how long things actually took, what worked well, and what didn’t. That reflection will strengthen the next day’s plan.Pro tip: Start small. Begin with just your morning or afternoon hours. Start with the simplest tools available to you, whether that’s paper and pen or your existing Outlook or Google Calendar.Common pitfalls to avoid* Over-scheduling Don't fill every minute. Leave buffer time for unexpected tasks and the occasional rabbit hole.* Unrealistic estimates Most tasks take longer than we think. Double your initial estimates.* Ignoring energy levels Match challenging tasks to your peak energy times.* Too much rigidity Build in flex time for inevitable disruptions.* Planning too far ahead Focus on the very next work session, not next week. Who knows what will happen to complicate plans or alter priorities?How timeboxing supports popular productivity frameworks* The Eisenhower Matrix This approach focuses on assessing what is urgent and important. While Eisenhower analysis helps you prioritize and decide what to do, timeboxing helps you decide when to do it and how long to spend. It also nudges you to commit to it by putting it on the calendar.* Eat the Frog This idea suggests doing the most important or most difficult task first. Timeboxing helps give you a structure for putting that task onto your calendar and allocating sufficient time for it.* The 80/20 Rule This concept suggests that 20% of the work you do delivers 80% of the most important value. It helps focus attention on what's most valuable when you’re deciding what’s worth your time. Timeboxing helps you execute on that prioritization by making it tangible on your schedule.Recommended timeboxing toolsGraph paper, sand timers, and Post-its* Graph paper works well. Organize your schedule into boxes, with each representing 10 or 15 minutes. Here’s a nice notebook version.* Sand timer It’s old-fashioned, attractive, and doesn’t require batteries or a screen. Get one that lasts 15 minutes — or whatever work interval you prefer. Benefit from a visual reminder to stay focused.* Writing Guru Mallary Tenore Tarpley recommended this sand timer in an excellent recent piece on gifts for writers. Choose between 5, 15, 30 or 60 minute durations for $10 to $13.* A nice notebook and pen help provide a clean, pleasurable surface for planning. I like the classic Leuchtturm1917 notebooks.* Post-its Put one 15-minute task or deep work step on each Post-it. Line up eight in order to plan out a two-hour work sprint.Google Sheets / Microsoft ExcelA free spreadsheet can work well for planning if you work independently and don’t rely on a digital calendar.* Here's a blank Google Sheets template for planning in 30-minute increments. Click “Use Template” at the top right to make your own private version. Or copy it. Adjust it to suit your needs, or create your own template.* To access your sheet as you work, print it out, bookmark the tab, or access it from your mobile device.* Avoid the temptation to decorate or perfect your spreadsheet. Spend brief time planning to maximize time for doing.* If you do want to get fancy, use checkboxes to mark completed tasks to reward yourself for getting stuff done. Or use color codes to categorize your priorities to get a visual overview of where your time is going.* Benefits: Google Sheets is free, simple, and easy to use. So is Excel if you already have it.Google TasksUse Google’s free task manager to list out priorities, then drag them directly onto your Google calendar for scheduling. It’s simple, fast and handy if you already use Google Calendar. It works well across operating systems, but doesn’t let you adjust the duration of tasks.SunsamaThis is my preferred daily planning software. I use it on my laptop — you can also use it on iOS or Android. You can sync it to your existing task lists and calendar, or use it by itself.When you open Sunsama it prompts you to reflect on the prior day and to plan your upcoming work. You can add new tasks or import them from other apps like Todoist and Asana. You can then drag tasks onto your calendar to schedule your day.Integrations and pricing: Sunsama syncs with Outlook and Google Calendar as well as Slack, Teams, Trello, Monday, Notion and other tools so you don’t need to flip between apps. At $16/month it’s a well-designed pro option for those with a budget for work tools. Too pricey? Stick to the free alternatives above.Wonder Tools is reader-supported. To get new posts, become a free subscriber. To get bonus resources, full archive access, and invites to live workshops, become a paid subscriber. https://wondertools.substack.comHow my approach has changedI used to dive into email first thing. I would tackle tasks as they came to mind, or based purely on urgency. I would pause work throughout the day to contemplate what to do next.Now I plan, set the schedule, and then focus on doing. I waste less of my limited attention on making decisions hour by hour. I worry less about how I’m spending time because I trust my morning planning. I take five minutes at the end of the day to think about what worked and what didn’t so I can plan better next time.Reality check: I often mess up my intended approach and instead hop from task to task without finishing things. On those days I waste time, dwell on unimportant email, ruminate, self-blame, try structured procrastination, then eventually forgive myself and start fresh.Timeboxing resources* How Timeboxing Works and Why It Will Make You More Productive by Marc Zao-Sanders — Read this for a three-minute summary of what’s in Zao-Sanders’s Timeboxing book.* Primary takeaway: timeboxing makes it clear to you and to others what you’re working on because it’s on your calendar. It helps you plan based on actual deadlines and priorities.* What’s the #1 Productivity Tool? For Me, It’s Timeboxing. by Neha Kirpalani* Primary takeaway: by forcing you to find time on your calendar for each task, timeboxing helps you conquer the planning fallacy, which is the tendency to underestimate by 3x how long things will take.* Tranquility by Tuesday by Laura Vanderkam offers nine ways to make time for what matters.* Primary takeaway: “Effortful before effortless” is an excellent rule of thumb to encourage putting more consequential tasks first. Why? We’re often in a stronger state of mind earlier on.* Vanderkam also suggests applying this approach to leisure. We might benefit from spending time on active hobbies we deeply enjoy before passively consuming Netflix.* Indistractable by Nir Eyal is an excellent guide to staying focused.* Primary takeaway: to overcome distractions we have to confront our tendencies to avoid difficult work when it is complex or boring, or when our perfectionism stalls us.Timeboxing vs time blockingTime blocking means allocating blocks of time for priorities without specifying timing for specific tasks within that block. Timeboxing adds an additional element: you actually schedule tasks and deep work onto the calendar in defined time slots. Having specific timeboxes nudges me to focus fully on that one thing during that part of my day. It also helps me, over time, to better estimate how much time I need for various kinds of projects.Timeboxing vs working from a task listPicking what tasks to work on requires mental effort. If you make that effort throughout the day by repeatedly asking yourself what to work on next you’re spending down your focus on decisions that could be made in advance.Timeboxing vs improvisingImprovising our day may seem an artistic approach. But musicians, painters, dancers and others who do creative work often follow carefully-planned practice regimens.Even when we’re doing creative work that requires imagination, we benefit from structure. Detailed plans allow us to apply our focus and creativity to the work itself. When we trust in a schedule we’ve crafted, we avoid getting distracted by decisions about what to do next. We can then immerse ourselves in the action. Get full access to Wonder Tools at wondertools.substack.com/subscribe
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