Year-End Reflection Prompts

There is something therapeutic and hopeful about hitting January 1. While I’m not one for new year resolutions, I’m a big fan of year-end reflections. Before the year ends I always try and stop and collect some wisdom from the year prior. For me, this involves some journaling. You can do this with fancy pen and paper or in a text file. The important thing is to get these thoughts out of your head and on a screen or piece of paper so you can examine them closer and from different angles.

Here are my year-end prompts in no particular order:

What went right this year?
What went wrong this year?
Where did I make progress?
Where did I fall behind?
What should I have done differently?
Where did I stand in my own way?
What gave me the most energy this year?
What took the most energy from me this year?
What was my biggest mistake?
What was my best move?
What brought me the most joy?
How did this past year show my character?
Summarize this year in a sentence.

You don’t have to answer all of these. (You don’t have to answer most of them.) But spending some time thinking about the ones that resonate with you may help you head into 2022 with just a bit more wisdom.

Untangling USB-C

I just recently discovered Glenn Fleishman’s post about the confusing state of USB-C cables and how to (more or less) untangle them. The problem, if you didn’t already know, is that even though all USB-C cables have the same connector, they don’t have the same capabilities. Just recently I ran a speed test on my external USB-C cabled SSD only to discover that its performance was way below spec. Unknowingly, I had used one of my short USB-C charging cables instead of one of my short USB-C data cables, which is much faster. Glenn’s piece on this mess is excellent.

An Upgradie for MPU

The Upgrade Podcast did their annual Upgradies in their most recent episode and chose the Mac Power Users as the Best Tech Podcast for 2021. It sounds silly but this really touched me. Stephen and I put a tremendous amount of work into MPU to make it informational and fun every week and recognition from two of my favorite podcasters meant a lot.

Mac Power Users 620: The State of Apple in 2021

As the year draws to a close, Stephen and I use this episode of Mac Power Users to survey the landscape and talk through the products, services, and policies that have shaped Apple and its users over the last year.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

1Password: Have you ever forgotten a password? You don’t have to worry about that anymore.
Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code MPU at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
The Tech Savvy Lawyer Podcast: Helping Lawyers with their Tech Questions. Listen now.
Memberful: Best-in-class membership software for independent creators, publishers, educators, podcasters, and more. Get started now, no credit card required.

Gift Wrap Field Guide

I think I am about a month too late in linking this, but if you are still wrapping gifts, it is not too late to learn how to wrap them properly. There’s even a free MacSparky Field Guide for just that.

Relay FM Fusion Guesting

I guested on the most recent episode of Relay FM’s member’s-only Fusion podcast. In it, we talk about how we handle the new year and Stephen’s disturbing lack of a spirit animal. If you are a RelayFM member, check it out.

The Inside Story on Apple Maps

CNN scored a nice interview with some of the Apple Maps leadership about the journey they’ve been on and where the app is now. (I found this interview via 9to5 Mac.) I wish Apple would let their project leaders talk to the press more often. Articles like this let us get a better understanding of the philosophy behind choices in Cupertino and help us make better decisions as consumers as to what is right for us. For instance, I didn’t realize how big a deal Privacy was to the Apple Maps team until reading this article.

As for me, I’ve been using Apple Maps for a long time. I like the convenience of it and I’m fortunate enough to live in California, where I think Apple has historically always had pretty good data. It has performed well for me or I wouldn’t have stuck with it. That said, I really only care about accurate directions and navigation help, like telling me what lane I need to be in. All that stuff about the 3D maps of buildings is something I never looked at until getting the image for this post. It’s nice, but I don’t have much use for it.

Focused 141: You Never Arrive

Join Mike and me on the latest episode of Focused as we discuss the arrival fallacy and the importance of finding joy in the journey.

This episode of Focused is sponsored by:

Timing: The automatic time-tracking app for macOS. Use this link to save 10% on your purchase.
Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code FOCUSED at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
Setapp: More than 200 powerful apps for your Mac. Try it free for a week.

Mac Power Users 619: Home Studio Updates

I had to move my home office, and Stephen built a cabin. On this week’s episode of Mac Power Users, we compare notes on how our studios have evolved over the last couple of years.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

1Password: Have you ever forgotten a password? You don’t have to worry about that anymore.
Memberful: Best-in-class membership software for independent creators, publishers, educators, podcasters, and more. Get started now, no credit card required.
The Tech Savvy Lawyer Podcast
TextExpander from Smile: Get 20% off with this link and type more with less effort! Expand short abbreviations into longer bits of text, even fill-ins, with TextExpander from Smile.