A Few of My Favorite Things - 2020 Edition
As this rollercoaster year comes to a close, I took some time to write down the things that have improved my life this year. I looked at not just physical tools but digital ones as well. I picked out some of my favorites from that list to share with you. So without further ado, here's a look at a few of my favorite things from 2020.
Physical Things
Pilot Metropolitan Fountain Pen
I love writing in notebooks. Whether it be for blog articles, journaling, or note-taking, physical handwriting is by far my favorite medium for expressing my thoughts. Over the years, I've used a variety of pens, but the fisher space pen has continued to be my favorite...until I found the pilot metropolitan. And wow, has it forever altered my writing experience. I love this pen, not just because of its price point (around twenty bucks) but its build quality as well. The pen's body is constructed with metal, which is important to me, as plastic pens don't give off the same high-quality writing sensation. The Metro also allows you to run either ink cartridges or converters, which is handy. Many people have said it's a great entry-level fountain pen, which I completely agree with. I now understand why there is an almost cult-like following around fountain pens. Once you dip your toe into the fountain pen world, it's hard not to get hooked.
Field Notes Memo Book
Aaron Draplin is one of my favorite designers and co-creator of a little company known as Field Notes. Aaron started the company by making its first product, the memo book, by hand and giving them out to friends. From there, the brand has grown into a full product line with pens, pencils, notebooks, and special editions. I have quite a few notebooks I use for different things like designs and writing, but my trusty Field Notes book goes with me everywhere. I use it as a catch-all for my thoughts, sketches, or ideas that pop up throughout the day. Sure, most people use their phones for this. I enjoy the freedom of pen and paper.
Letter Board by SnugShelt
This item is more of an esthetic piece, but it also serves a practical purpose. I love quotes and sayings, but remembering them can be difficult. I use this letter board as a visual reminder for quotes or mantras I want to internalize. It's simple but effective. There are tons of different letter board designs, especially on Amazon, but I liked this one from Snugshelt. Another accessory I found relevant after using the letterboard is a letter organizer. I can't tell you how much time I spent looking for letters when they were all mashed in one pile.
Digital Things
Flow For Mac
When you spend a lot of your day at a desk, it's essential to take breaks. Not just for your body but your mind as well. Left to my owns devices, I tend to crank out long uninterrupted work sessions, which was a habit I wanted to change. So I started incorporating breaks, and after about a six-months, I can tell you it works. I feel more focused and less fatigued during the workday. At the core of this technique is a reliable timer. Now you could use an analog kitchen timer, which works for some, but I wanted something on my computer. Enter Flow. Flow is a minimalist Pomodoro based work timer that does pretty much one thing, times your work sessions. I love the simplistic design/features of Flow, and best of all, it's free to use. My favorite feature right now [in the pro tier] is the ability to send your flow sessions directly to your calendar or export them via txt/csv file. With Flow being a young app, I'm excited to see it mature with more features, including a mobile app, which will bring even more flexibility to my workflow.
The Breathing App
Our breath is the most important thing our body does every day, yet it goes unnoticed to us most of the time. Throughout history, humans have learned to alter their mood and even body functions through breath work. The breathing app takes some of this knowledge and boils it down into an app on your phone. The app is super simple, giving you options for breathing ratio and time duration. Although you could do this without an app, I've found using one helps make it a habit. I try to do a couple of sessions a day, but where it really comes in handy is when you are feeling stress or anxiety, it focuses your attention and allows you to...breathe.
Insight Timer
I came across Insight Timer after about a year into my meditation practice. With my subscription ending on another platform, I decided to try meditating without an app - it didn't work. I need a place to go with the sole purpose of meditating to keep me at it every day. So I went looking for other options. Enter Insight Timer. Not only did it have a lot of content, but much of it is also available for free. The app took some getting used to. There were so many flavors of meditation to choose from, it was a little intimidating at first. Once I got the hang of it, it's great. The app feels more community-driven than some of the other ones out there. You can learn from thousands of teachers through live and recorded sessions and interact with other users. I use the app just about every morning and still feel like I haven't scratched the surface content-wise.
So there you have it, my favorite things from 2020. Wishing everyone all the best in 2021, and remember to "keep things simple."
Disclaimer ~ I have no affiliation with any of these companies, nor am I using affiliate links. I just like these products and wanted to share my personal experience with them. All thoughts are my own.