Organizing for Change

Editors Note: As mentioned in the introduction, this was written as part of the creation of a video on the same topic. Additionally, the bulk of the writing was done completely on the Supernote, as mentioned. Unfortunately, it did take more time for this initial use than I feel it would as you continued to work with the process. I am also aware that my conclusion section may seem overly long, but at the same time, I really got into the flow of writing with the keyboard in that section. I do really appreciate the approach of the Supernote team regarding writing in Word. This entire blog is going to be written in the Supernote with native word document format. While this may seem like a crazy workflow, you will notice that it does take on different characteristics and the advantage over reMarkable and other platforms is that whatever I do on my A5X is immediately available in Word on my PC. We will discuss all three ways to write on the Supernote, clean it up in Word by opening from the...

This is probably one of the biggest questions I get asked. So, why don't I use a planner? I know that I have talked about some of these reasons before, but let's dive a little more deeply into it. Before doing so, please understand that I am in no way minimizing or looking to say that planners are not useful for a whole lot of people, including my lovely wife. However, I just feel that they keep me from working the way I want and need to, keeping me from being the most successful version of myself. You may be asking why something designed to be efficient could be inefficient for someone. That’s a great question, and not easily answered. As with most things related to productivity, there is nuance. I know everyone wants straightforward solutions, but generally those are as elusive as things that promise to be too good to be true. For example, even though I don't use a planner, I do plan extensively. I use my Google Tasks heavily. I also use the Supernote ToDo function ...

In this very short post, I wanted to think through the Rocketbook and how it may have been underrated as a technology. I have been planning to revisit how this particular blending of paper and digital technology works, but it seems I have an even better reason to consider this with the rise of new “smart pens” that seem to be looking to compete with the e-ink market. I find this whole concept very interesting. Alright, enough of an intro. Below, you will find my initial reaction created completely on my Rocketbook . Let me know your thoughts. If you want to see the whole process of how this article was created and drafted, you can visit my Patreon site here:  https://www.patreon.com/OrganizingforChange?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator Rocketbook Export (Edited Text Below) I recently saw Kit Betts-Masters review the Newyes Sync Pen and began thinking about the Rocketbook again. After all, this was the first digital technology (or quasi-digital at least) that I ever reviewed. So...

  What is AI? I Mean Really? Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the the buzzword of the day. It seems like you can't go a minute without hearing someone talk about, read a news story about, or encounter another example of AI as good or evil. That being said, I feel all of these conversations are valuable, and quite frankly necessary.  It is about more than some theoretical conversation, these tools are here and must be acknowledged. Unfortunately, many see AI as a silver bullet, shortcut, or quick fix. The truth is that it is an extremely powerful and capable tool, but just that, a tool. The issue arises in that most tools can't really do any harm without assistance. Usually, it is the human that makes the mistake in using the tool. I know, many of you are saying that is still the case with AI. I would argue that it both is and isn’t. Let's look at an example of what I mean. A lot of people have been comparing AI to various other productivity or organization tools, such ...

After the initial livestream with the E -Team, I began thinking a lot about where this journey (YouTube, Blog, Patreon, Discord) started and where it might go. Don't get me wrong, there is no vision on my part of this being a primary source of income or even a significant one. However, I am curious to see what the potential is and explore the possibilities. I posted my first video, a trailer, on December 10, 2023. It's hard to believe that in those ten months over 1,400 people have subscribed to my YouTube channel. Quite frankly, I wasn't even sure that monetization was ever in my future. This whole thing started as a hobby to share information and learn a new useful set of skills. As a full-time staff member in higher education and adjunct instructor, I work online a lot. I teach face to face, online, and hybrid courses facilitated with technology on a constant basis. Not to mention the other roles that come with leading a teaching and learning center, such as: Profess...

I am asked all the time about open-source programs, resources, and other free alternatives for things that can be prohibitively expensive. Don't get me wrong, sometimes there are easy answers. Big companies will offer generous discounts to educational institutions, non-profit organizations and even individual educators. However, as we also know, sometimes, there is a significant barrier when talking about access to knowledge. Let's step back for a minute and think about what is necessary versus what is desired. Of course, "free" always sounds better and seems more desirable. However, what does free really mean? After all, most of us understand that there is some inherent cost to everything. The real question is more about who is paying that cost and what are we willing to accept? Below, we will explore three primary sources of "free" resources and talk about the implications and tradeoffs involved. For our purposes, we will look at publicly available r...

Just recently, I achieved a milestone that was not even initially a goal when starting my YouTube Channel . After all, I was not a professional video editor. I had no background in YouTube or video production, other than working in the educational space with recorded lectures, instructional design, and educational technologies. Beyond wanting to develop my skill set and as a hobby, I thought YouTube and blogging might be a good way to share some useful information for professionals looking to better organize their time and work lives. Again, I had no idea that this might be something people would really subscribe to. I was really inspired to try this by several people in the e-ink space when I was researching my eventual purchase of the Supernote . Right before turning 50 in December of last year, I decided to jump in and try to create something. Admittedly, my first few videos were rough, and not something I feel was my best work. I started with a 4K document camera that doubled as my...