Shawn Blanc

Long-time readers will know that for years and years I’ve used a hybrid approach to managing my tasks and time. I use both Things on my iPad and also a Baron Fig notebook. But a few weeks ago I wondered how it would be if I went fully digital. And then, of…

The live podcast events at WWDC are turning into the main events, second only to the keynote. I was just barely able to get tickets to the Talk Show, and I only managed to do so by setting an alarm on my phone for a few minutes before they were scheduled to go…

For me, the most important and exciting announcement at WWDC was iPadOS. I spent most of this week writing notes, jotting down half-formed ideas, and trying to distill why iPadOS is such a big deal. Then, on my flight back home, I finalized my thoughts and…

Yesterday, Sunday, I flew in to California for WWDC. Here are a few photos from my first day at WWDC 2019. Even though the conference is in San Jose, I first flew into San Fransisco to meet with a friend for dinner. At my layover in Las Vegas. My WWDC travel…

A few days ago my friends at Studio Neat released a brand new notebook: The Totebook. And it’s fantastic. The Totebook is about the size of an iPad mini. It has a soft cover (more on that in a second). And it’s dot grid (the only possible option). As far…

On Monday I officially ran out of feature ideas and improvements for Ulysses. Because the iPad app now offers split-screen editing, and it’s fantastic. I mostly use Ulysses from my iPad, and this was the last remaining feature request for me. I don’t need…

Just a friendly reminder our spring registration period for The Focus Course is currently open for just a few more hours… thefocuscourse.com/course The Focus Course is a proven system that will help you: Get control of your schedule. Free up precious hours…

On a recent road trip, I listened to Brené Brown’s newest book, Dare to Lead (which is fantastic). The second half of the book begins with a section on the importance of our values and living them out. There were three takeaways from this section that I…

Spring is upon us. Well, maybe. But that’s another story. For me, when the seasons change, I often get the desire to reassess my goals and to make sure my time is being spent on the right areas. As we are fast approaching the half-way mark of 2019, if you…

Earlier this year I was in Nashville for Donald Miller’s StoryBrand workshop (which was fantastic, by the way). The workshop was downtown at the Music City Center — a stunning building with incredible architecture. My only regret from the trip was that…

Have you ever felt at your limit? Perhaps emotionally you’re feeling on the edge. Or perhaps there is little to no breathing room with finances right now. Or physically, you’re just tired and feeling overwhelmed. We all need breathing room in our lives. As…

A few months ago I bought two pairs of noise-cancelling headphones: Sony XM3 B&O H9i First of all, noise-cancelling headphones are amazing! Where have these things been all my life? Secondly, it’s safe to say that both of these headphones are fantastic.…

Over on The Sweet Setup, Curtis McHale wrote a detailed comparison between what we think are three of the best note-taking, writing, and research apps: Ulysses, Bear, and Apple Notes. Now, I realize there are LOT of other apps out there in this space. I can…

If so, then I’d love your feedback in this brief survey. Why? Well… there are some ideas that I’ve been mulling over at The Sweet Setup, and it’s time now to begin moving forward with making something new. Of course, before we get started, I would love…