Author Archives: Andy

Make 2024 a Year of Less

I have too much stuff. I buy too much stuff. Chances are, if you clicked on this post, you do too. To solve this, I’ve decided to do a year of less: getting rid of what I have, and controlling my consumerism. We’ll discuss my four reasons why and two actionable methods I’m using to do so.Continue reading “Make 2024 a Year of Less”

Mistake-Proof Your Life With This Japanese Concept

Poka-yoke is a Japanese concept of mistake-proofing processes, applicable in business and personal life. Originating from Shigeo Shingo, it aims to eliminate errors through prevention. Its application in business centers around total quality management, while in personal life, it involves designing spaces and using apps to minimize mistakes. Cultural appropriation concerns are also raised.

Reset Your Life From Zero This Year With Zero-Based Budgeting

It’s been a while since my last post, oops! A lot has happened over the last few months, like running a half-marathon, going to Ocarina Fest in Texas, seeing my all-time favorite band from childhood in concert, going back to school, being best man at my brother’s wedding in Ireland, and sadly my cat CharlieContinue reading “Reset Your Life From Zero This Year With Zero-Based Budgeting”

Get Out of Your Own Way

Fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of success even—we all have our reasons for not pursuing what we want. If we don’t try, we can’t be rejected. If we never try to succeed, we can’t fail. Many of us are in our own way. A “Gifted” Kid, An Anxious Adult It all began inContinue reading “Get Out of Your Own Way”

Making My Own Work Experience

The Job Hunt Sucks Unemployment in america is low … but I live in literal Silicon Valley. You’ve heard of all the tech layoffs. I was impacted by that when AVerMedia laid me off! Those layoffs have made the job market SUPER competitive—a hiring manager is definitely going to lean more towards someone with GoogleContinue reading “Making My Own Work Experience”

Don’t Follow Your Passion: Build It Instead

I recently started freelance writing again after a hiatus, and I’m a lot more passionate about it now than when I did it the first time. Why is that? My First Round of Freelance Writing I started writing for MakeUseOf in July of 2022, and I applied to write in their section all about Macs,Continue reading “Don’t Follow Your Passion: Build It Instead”

Are Niche Hobbies Better Off Niche? (SHOULD Ocarinas Get Popular?)

Many of us have some niche hobby or community we’re a part of, and it can feel really special to be a part of something most people don’t know about. Are these small hobby groups, like the ocarina community, better off niche? Would we lose something by gaining mainstream popularity?

Content Calendars: Planning Basics for Organized Creators

Creators can learn a lot from marketers—this especially applies to organization and planning! Today we’ll be discussing content calendars and how you can use them to plan your content out just a bit better.

I Quit Social Media for a Month (as a Social Media Manager)

I quit social media for a month… as someone who does social media management. Digital Minimalism We’ll start with WHY I got off social media. I started reading the book Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport, here’s a quick summary of what it recommends: I don’t agree with everything he says in the book—it’s not realisticContinue reading “I Quit Social Media for a Month (as a Social Media Manager)”