This week has been a great week. Some new video equipment is in which you should see in next week’s show on YouTube if you watch it there. Also a new keyboard is in which means no more wires and I have a full ergonomic keyboard.

Content wise, I finished out the rewrite of an old book that will be titled The Freelancer’s Guide to Getting Started. Watch for cover ideas coming your way in the next week or two and we’ll be launching a few weeks before US Thanksgiving. If you’re on the email list, you’ll get first dibs on the book at it’s lowest price.

What I Shipped

Monday I wrote about reading lots of books, specifically re-reading them. If you didn’t know it, I have a podcast where I present the book reviews I do in audio format. Subscription information is here.

I’m iOS first, and one of the things that frustrates me regularly is the lack of good keyboard support for apps. Tuesday I reviewed Pocket for iPad…and guess what the keyboard support is lacking.

While I don’t do many interviews on The Smart Business Show, sometimes a good one comes along. In the latest episode I talked to Matt Medeiros about his change from leading a web agency to working as a Sales Executive for Page.ly. We even talked a bit about the family dynamics because he was in business with his father, which could bring a whole new level of problems if you’re not careful.

Friday Five

1. Shawn Blanc on how he reads 

While Shawn wakes up an hour before his kids to workout and read, I set aside the first working hour of every day to read. We both share the same thought.

To be candid, I don’t read nearly as much as I’d like to.

I would love to read and study and research and write more. The biggest limiting factor in my life now is, we need to eat and I don’t get paid to read and write yet.

2. Has Screentime changed your behaviour?

Chris Bowler got me thinking about Screentime again. We have no limits set up on my kid yet. When I see other share their reports, I’m wishing my phone wildly less than most and for very different things.

Here is my pickup report for today.

I’ve averaged 14 per day over 7 days. If the task switching is what leads us to feeling frazzled, so far I’m decent.

Has Screentime given you more insight into how you use your device? Have you made any changes to get more focused work done?

3. On tracking sleep

Someone got obsessed with tracking sleep and this is generally a good thing. I have a Fitbit Flex 2 which does sleep tracking and most of the time it’s pretty great. Occasionally it’s obviously wrong but overall it lets me know when I’m not getting enough sleep.

Sleep is so important to being awesome and providing value that I devoted an entire chapter to it in The Art Of Focus.

4. How Does Distracted Parenting Affect Kids

In this interesting article from The Atlantic, we find that it’s a big deal to have our interactions with our children interrupted by notifications.

Based on the title, and my own thoughts, this was the outcome I expected from the article. It does drive home how pronounced the affect is, particularly in younger children.

We’re at a new house as of October and I have yet to find a great spot where I can hear if my wife calls, and not have my phone in a spot where it easily sings it’s siren song to my attention.

5. An alternate view on the 80/20 rule

James Clear has a great take on the 80/20 rule and why you just may not want to follow it exactly.

This is the downside of the 80/20 Rule: A new path will never look like the most effective option in the beginning.

and

The 80/20 Rule will help you find the useful things in your past and get more of them in the future. But if you don’t want your future to be more of your past, then you need a different approach.

Food for thought as you look at your business and plan where you want to go.