When moving to Zorin OS, I realize that Notion doesn’t have a native app for Linux. So I went looking for something with some offline capabilities. I thought about Anytype. But I felt that that was too complicated to use. Even Obsidian seem to complicated to set up like Notion. Then I saw Capacities. Now this was confusing, too. But now I use Capacities 100%. Has it replaced Notion for me? Maybe. I haven’t been back to Notion for anything other than referencing old information in it to bring over to Capacities.

Reasons Why I Use Capacities

Calendar.

This is what I want. For an app to have a way to capture things on the day you create them. I can just go to a date and view the page or objects that I created.

Daily Notes.

You can create a daily note to write the day’s tasks or ideas. To just capture the day on the day without it being like in Notion, where you have to setup a database just to keep track of everything. On this page, you can turn anything into an object or add tags to a line or group of text.

Tags are automatic.

Go to the tags Page and see every tag created. Click on a tag to see where that tag appears.

Objects.

Having everything sorted for you is a good feature to have. It’s easy to make an object, and it's just that. Any image, link, date, or file is automatically stored as an object. It makes it easy to look back at the things that you create or bring into Capacities.

Custom Objects.

The default objects are not limiting you from making your own. In fact, it serves as a way to give you ideas of things you would like to make. For me, I made an object for book authors and Book Category, which is just a way for me track book challenges or if a book falls into a special category.

Free.

Capacities is free to use. There’s a mobile app, a web app, and a desktop client. It does just enough for me.

I think that if Notion had a way to sort everything that you have put into it, then it would work. Like if I want to see images, Capacities will show me every image within the space. Or even dates, quotes, people mentioned, weblinks. I can see it.

But Capacities has made an app where my workflow makes sense. It’s something that I don’t have to constantly wonder where things are. Capacities has truly replaced Notion. I don’t open much these days. I just update my book journal there.

If you are here, enjoy a discount, good until March 31, 2026.

60% off for 12 months

• Don’t buy a single book until you Google the PDF version of it. It doesn’t matter what version you find. You’ll save 100s of dollars, you’ll need.

• Don't go unless you've got the money to waste.

• If you are not going for medical, law school, engineering, teaching, or anything else that involves a certification or proof of education, don't go.

• If you don't know what job title, field, or major, don't go until you figure something out. “You’ll have 2 years to figure it out.” Why do they say this? Those 2 years will not put you in courses that will help with building interest in any of the degrees a college offers. Take time to figure this out.

• Financial Aid ain’t shit, if you are attending an expensive college or a less expensive one. Pell Grant will probably pay 10% to 40% of each semester. Think about where that other 90% to 60% is coming from.

• Working while in college is a thing.

• Pay off those loans NOW and pay the max amount you can.

• Taking a semester or a year off is a thing. There is no such thing as graduating on time. I mean, there is, but you’re an adult. If life happens, take that time off. You can always come back.

• College is not a requirement for a lot of jobs today, but it may still be an old way of thinking for some people. A lot of experience can take the place of education.

• Find internships, co-ops, and research opportunities related to your field. Those will help when looking for work after graduation and even lead to a full time offer after graduation.

• If you can afford to live by yourself, go for it.

The Fun

Moving out of your parents’ house. They won’t be there 24/7. It’s all on you. To get up on time. To go to bed on time. To study. The adult things that you don’t think about because your parents were there to do it for you. Adulting.

Figuring out your life routine outside of your parents’ house is the fun part. On your own. Find a routine or system that makes you a functioning adult. Set this up first, and you will be good.

I basically just went with the flow. I didn’t realize that I had a system until I realize that I was up early every morning. I would shower (after the custodians clean the bathroom for the morning). Get dressed. Head for breakfast. Go to class. Skip lunch. Study. Class. Dinner. Study. Chill. Bed. Repeat.

This was my routine for the first 2 years. Then I made friends. So then I would go to lunch with them. Studying became study sessions with friends. Group naps in the lobby or classrooms. This system has been solid for years now. I still do this years after graduating. Minus breakfast. At some point, I skipped that meal altogether and would just have a late breakfast/early lunch.

There is no one to tell you, you can’t do that or this. It’s up to you to decide.

Don’t Go At All

Start now. Whatever it is. Start now. There is so much information out there. YouTube, MIT, and Coursera have so many courses available for free. Want to be a writer, start writing, start putting you work on the internet, and take writing classes. You could skip college. Want to be a developer. Get a computer and get to work. This topic along has so many free content, YouTube, MIT, Freecodecamp. Want to be an editor, get to editing. YouTube, Tiktok, Twitch, all have a need for editors. Video or photo editing is in demand. Just take content you already watch or topics that interest you and create something more from the original video or photo.

A lot of the things you want to do can start online. Google it. Find some books, websites, blogs, and YouTube channels and take in the information.

And if you can’t get through the free information, how will you do in a college environment or even a work place? Go for something that piques your interest or pays enough money for you to be miserable at work and happy once you clock out.

Some things to point out:

• I did not read every day.

• I have never read so many books in this time frame.

• There were days when I just read for hours in, which contributed to me reading so many books.

Initial Goals

• Read 8 books

• Read for a minimum of 30 minutes each day

• Track each day

What I Got From Reading?

One thing that really stuck out to me is that reading is only good when you can actually sit down and get started without interruptions. Having to stop constantly because of interruptions kills the mood. I observed this particularly in March and early April, where much of my time was spent simply trying to find time to read. It became clear that to read more books, a complete shift in my reading habits would be necessary.

I was surprised at how many books I got through in April and May. Those books had me in a chokehold. I experienced so many emotions - crying, joy, anger- and it was a complete rollercoaster. These were books that I looked forward to reading, and I am so glad that I read them. I read 5 books in April and 6 books in May. Before April, I was reading 1 to 2 books a month.

Did I read for 90 days completely?

I did not read every day. It was hard keeping up a log for reading. Especially in Notion. I find myself not wanting to wait for Notion to open. But when March got here, an idea struck me. I have a book journal, why not use it? Literally, I could have been tracking my reading there. I created a monthly calendar to show each month’s readings and goals, and books. Then I just made other trackers and challenges for myself.

Looking back, it's clear there were days I didn't read at all, and days I read for hours, alongside days where I had little desire to read, and others where I couldn't put the book down. Isn't that the essence of reading – discovering other worlds within words and getting lost to where you lose time in reality?

In the End - A Reading Slump

I fell into a little bit of a reading slump. I think that I committed to too many fantasy books that were a series. By the end of June, I had finished 3 books. But that was within the first 2 weeks. The final 2 weeks, I struggled picking up a book. The book was good, hard to follow at times, but good. I just didn’t want to read it right then. It was 600 pages, and I was finding it hard to keep reading. I was getting distracted too easily.

In June, I read very little. I opted for shorter books and tried to stay away from fantasy books. But of course, I couldn’t stay away. Still in that slump, I returned those books to the library. I got 4 more books while trying to avoid the sci-fi section. But I still end up with 3 sci-fi books, but they are not fantasies and are not part of a long series. So this should help.

The 12 Books

• Archenemies

• Siege and Storm

• Assistant to the Villain

• Mexican Gothic

• Ruin and Rising

• Iron Widow

• Heavenly Tyrant

• Fevered Star

• Bloodmarked

• Oathbound

• Dear Martin

• Nettle & Bone

Let me know what the best book you have read this year is in the comments.

Leave a comment

Are you a reader interested in a digital reading journal? Guess what. I have just the thing for you.

Book Tracker Set Drop! — The Blog Post

Buy Me A Coffee Shop link

The world is more connected in so many ways. Instagram. TikTok. Facebook. X. YouTube. Discord. Reddit. Kick. Twitch. LinkedIn. Everyone has some form of social media in their life. Or are you still using snail mail?

What is Doom Scrolling

A simple way to look at it is a negative feed, where the only thing you consume on social media is the bad stuff in the world. Politics, death, war, violence, hate watchers, fake news. The list is so long for what can be a negative feed. But it ultimately comes down to the person. Do you feel anxious, uncertainty, apprehension, fear, and feelings of distress after scrolling on TikTok or X? Then that’s doom scrolling. Anything that can affect you in a negative way when consuming media is a part of doom scrolling.

There are studies on the dangers of doom scrolling.

Doomscrolling Dangers

Doomsurfing and doomscrolling mediate psychological distress in COVID‐19 lockdown: Implications for awareness of cognitive biases

Is It Doom Scrolling if it Serves a purpose

Taking time to see what’s going on in the bubble of your network isn’t dooming. But it could be the network that needs to be reevaluated. If it’s more bad information or negative comments, then it's time to look at your network. Who are you following that brings so much negative news to your feed? Or are you enjoying the toxic state of the Internet?

Read more

A Digital Planner Search

I googled the internet for an app that has the ability to allow me to keep a todo list and then take that list and place it onto a calendar. I went through a lot of sources and sites and even YouTube videos. The most important thing is the calendar and todo list must be included in the free version of the app. Otherwise I might as well stay with Google Calendar.

Some apps I tried and some I just looked over the features. A lot were eliminated just from the list of features.

Helpful Search Results

9 Best Daily Planner Apps 2025

Reddit Post - Tried a few todo apps and here’s my take.

The List

• Plaky

• xTiles

• Todist

• Routine

• Craft

• Reclaim

• Anydo

• Structured Daily Planner

• Morgen

• Ellie

• ByDesign

• Rocket 135

• Twos App

• Brite

• Lifestack

So here are the apps that made it to the “try list”:

• Any.do

• Ellie

• Structured Daily Planner

• Routine

Somehow Routine won in the end. I needed a way to plan and see my todo list and if there is a notion integration is a plus. I looked at all of these apps and googled "to the end of the earth”. I tried out Ellie and any.do but it didn’t even last an hour before I thought, Routine does this. I just didn’t know how to make the notion tasks and due dates be the same thing.

Turns out they are not the same item. The Notion tasks that show up in the inbox are independent of the notion task itself. I could drag the items in Routine to the day and hour needed. This is what I wanted. Somewhere to plan out Notion projects and hold my todo list. Who would have thought that I had what I needed this whole time.

Routine is free to use and free to integrate Notion. Looking at the list above, everything has a free plan but the limitations and trying them all out would be too much.

How did Routine win in the end?

I already have a Routine account. Like stated before, I was just confused by what the Notion integration does. After understanding that, I got what I needed. A way to view tasks on the calendar with all of my calendars.

The Problem with Routine

It loads slowly sometimes. In the week of searching for an app, the app was down. Now you can see how that can ruin a first impression. It makes the app look unreliable. I was trying to see if there was any information on what was happening. I found nothing. The Twitter feed was quiet. The website was returning 404 errors. Now I hope this isn't a current occurrence because I get enough of this with Notion. I don’t want an unreliable app.

Why not a Notion Calendar?

NO iPad app. Like that it was just. I don’t tend to plan anything on my iPhone, just doing a quick todo list, nothing more. The calendar app has gotten nothing since it was acquired from Cron. Cron did the work for Notion. They just put their name on it.

What apps do you use?

Leave a comment to let me know. I would love to see what’s out there that isn’t talked about like the mainstream apps.

The performance of Ubisoft is terrible. They put out games and concepts that gamers want. But they really have no grip in reality. In a world where people want to play video games, real-world problems don’t matter. Make a Star Wars game about being an outlaw, but you can’t break any real laws. You can’t rob people, but you can rob the cops. Made a live service game, but it closed before it was out of beta. Now, Assassin’s Creed is on the verge of killing the company.

As someone who owns most of the PS3 games, it’s crazy to see it fall from where it was. Maybe it should take a page from Rockstar. GTA only has 6 versions of itself, and Red Dead has 2. All of those are classics. But the difference is the writing and how much time it takes to get out the game. GTA V has been on 3 generations of consoles. That’s a game that still has people playing today.

I have watched a number of videos of Japanese gamers telling us what Ubisoft got wrong. I even learned that some places and things cannot be used in media. There are some that need permission from the owners. But it was very strong when they said you cannot use this in media. There are places in Japan where you can’t take photos or videos. So, to see that in the game was kind of disappointing. I wonder if Japan can take legal action for this. It was mind-blowing that Ubisoft wanted to make a historically accurate game but just didn’t do enough research into it.

As I did not purchase this game and will not, this was an actual video that described the gameplay. Aside from the one streamer that I watched play this, he was lost and didn’t know how to get to places. They didn’t do the map reveal like the other games. You climb up to a high point and it will reveal the area. Then you take the leap of faith into a hay pile.

Oh, let’s not forget the store. There is a purchase you can make to reveal the map. They just sat down and said, “How do we monetize every part of the game?”

It’s been a month since the new year started. Have started making changes in your life that you said that you would? Maybe you are struggling to get started or to keep going. But no matter when you start, just start. If you stop, that’s ok. Try again. It’s not easy building habits or changing systems, but at long as you are working on it, that’s all you can ask for.

You don’t have to necessary wake up hella early to start a good routine. But starting habits can be hard when finding time or energy to do them.

Here are some resources to kick start you.

Tracking your habits can be a good way to keep yourself accountable. For some just tracking the habits is not enough. Even though you are tracking your habits, it is still not enough to keep going. Add more than a check mark might help. 

Martin’s System for Habit Tracking

This YouTube video has a habit tracking method that helps you understand where you are going wrong by letting you note down what stops you from completing the habit.

2023 Habits Tracker in Google Sheets — with Free Template

This is a Google Sheets Habit tracker. This is easy to use and understand. I was looking for a habit tracker that shows a overview for each month and came across.

The 5AM CLUB by Robin Shara — Animated Book Summary

How to Create a Morning Routine

You don’t have to wake up a 5 AM but some of the things mention can help you adjust the way you setup tasks and your routine in the morning. Just by rethinking your mornings, you can be start seeing changes.

Fitness Rules: 10 Things When You Start Your Journey

9 New Notion upgrades you don’t wanna miss !!

I created 8 Bit Void to search the web for resources that could be helpful to others. Hopefully, you can find any of the links helpful. If you read this and find it helpful, thank you. 

If you have any things that you want know or topics to cover, let me know 

Noteful is a basic note-taking app with simple tools that make taking notes easy. The UI of the app, everything is aligned to the left of the screen. It’s a simple and clean layout. There is no complexity to the way Noteful works. Pick a pen, color, and write.

Tools include:

• Different pen options and sizes

• Layers

• Powerful tagging

• Lasso tool

• Laser pointer

• Audio recording

• Import images, text boxes, and shapes.

Noteful is a one-time purchase app for $4.99. Even with the free features, it gives more in the paid version. The paid version comes with unlimited notebooks, sync with iCloud, more than three colors picker, premium templates, and much more.

With what is available in the free version, it’s enough to get you started in notetaking and to find if Noteful is the app for you (unlike another app I know — Notability). Currently, I have 5 notebooks created. So you could have one for each subject or project.

Noteful pens and highlighters are good. There are 3 choices of pens, ballpoint, fountain, and gel. You can have 5 pen and highlighter sizes saved to your liking.

There are multiple paper template choices with 3 colors, black, white, and cream. A lot of the templates are in the paid version, but there are enough templates to give Noteful a try. You can even import PDFs into Noteful. If you have a planner or a premade notebook, you could import it and use it instead of the templates that Noteful has.

Writing within the app is good. It’s everything that you would expect with writing with an Apple Pencil. It has auto shape, just hold the pen after drawing the shape, and you will be able to edit that shape also.

How Does Noteful Compare to the Others?

For starting out without spending any money, Noteful is already in the lead. The free version is enough to get you started in deciding whether you like it or not. If the free version isn’t enough then the paid version offers more. When compared with prices with its competitors, Noteful is a good deal.

Now the differences in features may make you consider other options. Like if you like the element feature in GoodNotes, then you would go with GoodNotes. Although you can import images into Noteful, you can’t do it the way GoodNotes offers.

Noteful has a competitor that is completely free with more features. Collanotes is very close to Goodnotes in some of its features. Collanotes allow for collaborations in the notetaking experience.

There are a lot of notetaking apps out there. Noteful may not be what GoodNotes is but it has a simple approach to notetaking. For someone who just wants to write their notes down without any of the fancy stuff then Noteful’s free version is enough. But if you need more then the paid version is worth the price that is at and it’s not a subscription.

Back in November, I brought a refurbished iPad Air 4 from Back Market. It has been a decision that I regretted at first, but now I have found a reason to use it more. I have gotten back into digital art, digital notetaking, and planning. I no longer keep a paper bullet journal.
It’s a big difference,coming from the Air 2 to the Air 4. There wasn’t much I could do on the Air 2 with only 16 GB beside browsering the web or reading books. Most apps that I use were over 1 GB and with the iPadOS taking most of that space up, it just made it harder. I went with the 64 GB Air 4 thinking this is enough compared to the Air 2. I stand by this decision. I have a good amount of apps that I use. I don’t have to wonder about space running out super fast.
The Apple Pencil kept my interest in the Air 4. Outside of the usage of the Apple Pencil, there wasn’t much that I used the Air 4 for. I was occasionally watching videos or browsing the web.
I have put a lot of time into drawing, journaling, and notetaking on the Air. Trying out Adobe Fresco, GoodNotes, Apple Notes, and other apps that are designed around the Apple Pencil helped with the decision on much I would use the Air 4. Without the Apple Pencil, I would not have to use the Air 4 as much.
Since spending the money on the Apple iPad Air 4, I can say that the purchase is worth it. Even with the little that I do on it, the Air 4 has made me want to get into digital drawing and I have even started journaling. Before I didn’t journal and I rarely ever drew. Now I try to make sure that I sit and think about my day from time to time (not every day) or a least once a week. I just open GoodNotes and write. With drawing, I have taken my art a step further by adding color and shadowing to it. I never really got to coloring on paper. It’s so much convenient coloring digitally. I don’t have to worry about mistakes and starting completely over when I do.
Thinking of buying an iPad, I would suggest going with an iPad Pro with an M1 or M2 chip to get the full advantages of iPadOS 16(coming in September 2022). If you look at stage manager and think, that’s something that you won’t ever use, then go for the iPad Air 4. It a good purchase at the price compared to the other iPads. The iPad Air 4 is enough for anyone needing a tablet. There are options for colors and storage.

Notability features

Notability has a great number of features that work well for anyone that takes notes, from different paper templates to tools that help with the notetaking process.

Features:

• Paper color options

• Different paper templates

• Import PDFs

• Pens and highlighter

• Insert pictures and sticky notes

• Favorite tools; Limit to 3 on free version

• Limited monthly usage in the free version

• More colors are behind subscription

• Hold to make shapes after drawing

• Can resize and edit shapes after drawing

Using the app

I didn’t have any problems taking notes with Notability. Writing in the app felt smooth and close to writing on paper. Just using the app for notetaking is great until you get to the edit limit in the free version. You can still view the notes but not edit them, which is weird. I couldn’t get the feel of the app once I hit that limit.

Whatever you do digitally for notes, Notability can handle it. It offers a wide range of templates from the community to get you started. Notes for students will work well with a subscription. The free version isn’t enough. Setting up a planner may be better in Goodnotes, but it works within Notability. You can save images or words as stickers to have them easily available to use throughout the document.

A quick comparison

Notability’s free version has many features that make you consider subscribing to the app. But when you compare the free versions to other apps that are free then, you wonder if it’s worth it. There is Notability’s biggest comparison, Goodnotes, and the free version is just limited in the number of notebooks and not how much you use it. Coming from an app like CollaNote to Notability and Goodnotes, it makes me wonder why Notability. To me, paying for an app like Notability isn’t worth it when Goodnotes and CollaNote exist. Goodnotes works for me just with the free version which is why Notability is not worth the subscription price.

What is Reclaim AI?

Reclaim AI is a scheduling AI. Reclaim takes the events that are put on the calendar in consideration to help you plan your tasks, meeting, and habits.

Reclaim can integrate with several productivity tools like Slack, Google Tasks, and Asana. When creating an account, you use your Google account to get started. Your Google Calendar is integrated with Reclaim. All your events on the calendar that you choose to sync will show in Reclaim. Reclaim uses those events to help find time for your tasks and meetings.

Tasks in Reclaim are scheduled based on the availability of your calendar. It finds time for that task that you need to get done.

• If you make a task that needs 10 hours to work on it, Reclaim will break that task into different time slots that fit into your Google Calendar events.

• Even if you don’t have time for completing the task in one day or sitting, Reclaim will find time to do this task over time.

First Impressions

I honestly don’t know how I came across Reclaim. I’m on the home page, looking around. Let’s give it a try. Initially, this looks like it works for people that need extra help when wondering when to do what. Reclaim will schedule that task into open time in your schedule. I don’t think that putting a hundred tasks into Reclaim is good but those upcoming and high-demand tasks will do for now.

It was confusing at first, it had me wondering why the other calendars weren’t syncing but Reclaim only does one calendar automatically. You would have to add the other calendars.

One thing that I did notice is that it is hard to have all of your calendars from Google in this. You will have to sync each calendar to see it on Reclaim and for it to see your availability. I didn’t want to do that just to try out an app. My way around this is to just use one calendar just to try out Reclaim. I usually use time blocking to schedule my tasks, adding them as events in their perspective calendar. Now in Reclaim, those tasks can be scheduled by the AI magic.

One Week

I have been in a more productive mood. I’m getting work done. Reclaim takes out the planning and wondering when will I have time for this by just scheduling your tasks for me. Just put in how many hours it will take you to complete, how much time you are willing to work on the task in one sitting, and when is the due date. With these 3 things, Reclaim puts tasks into your schedule where they fit.

It schedules around your meetings and events. Put a meeting or event on your Google Calendar and those hours get blocked off within Reclaim. Reclaim can move tasks around when events are put on the calendar.

2 Weeks Later

Now I’m in week 2 of using Reclaim. I have gotten a good understanding of how to use it and what’s a good way of scheduling tasks. I am thinking more of how much time I need to complete a task verse wondering if I have enough time to get it done. Reclaim has made it simple, taking the guesswork out of scheduling.

I am at the point where I can move things around and add events to fit the way I work. I have readjusted the way I plan tasks and events. All my to-dos were in Notion as a running list. Now the tasks are in Google Tasks. When I’m away from my computer and think of a task, I just add it to Tasks. When I get back to my computer, I update the task with the number of working hours and more details. I still use Notion for the more detailed information, but use Google Tasks and Reclaim for scheduling. (Reclaim has a formula for making a task in Google Task but I don’t want to remember how to do it. It’s simple once you remember how to do it.)

I have been using Reclaim without a team or scheduling meetings. I don’t have a team to share my calendar with for any of the work that I do. So I can’t speak on how it works from a team perspective. From an individual perspective, Reclaim works. Just having the help to schedule tasks is enough.

I am fully committed to using Reclaim. I can say that if you are having scheduling issues, give Reclaim a try. It automatically puts everything on the calendar and you can change events and tasks around and it will adapt. Any changes you make will make the AI change up your schedule to meet deadlines, meetings, and events. This is the first time I have gone for a long time of just working consistently. Sometimes I just stop or don’t feel like doing anything. Taking the guesswork out of what to do next, I have been more productive for the past two weeks than I have been in the past month.

Reclaim - A smart friend for your calendar
They're making time for their priorities on Google Calendar via Reclaim, automatically defending the time they need to…reclaim.ai

1. Twitch

Twitch has a number of unimaginable hours that I have put into watching people stream. For the most part of the day, Twitch is open for some reason. Twitch has become cable TV for me. This is where I get a good amount of entertainment from. I spend most of my waking hours watching Twitch. Twitch is somewhat like YouTube, there is something for everybody. I personally just watch GTA RP (NoPixel), Apex, Overwatch, and Valorant. There are times that I watch whatever my favorite streamers are playing because they are entertaining to watch.

2. YouTube

YouTube is everything you need to watch on the internet, all in one, that one-stop-shop for your interests. From entertainment, learning, traveling, and news, YouTube has it all. My main usage for YouTube used to be music videos, then it went to gaming videos to learn how to code and productivity.

3. Spotify

Although I can’t escape the ads, my go-to music app is Spotify. I sometimes hate the desktop app but I wouldn’t choose any other music app over it (Maybe Apple Music). I can’t work without music going. Music keeps my energy up.

4. Discord

I can’t mention Twitch with GTA RP without mentioning the hub for all the tea. I only actively read one Discord channel. The rest are just because. I don’t really communicate with Discord but I use it like most people use Twitter. I’m mostly scrolling through to see what happened. When I can’t watch Twitch, Discord is the play by play update.

5. GoodNotes

Having an Apple Pencil has made me want GoodNotes. Then GoodNotes became free to use without purchasing it. It’s great. I am convinced to buy GoodNotes in the future. The reason for GoodNotes over CollaNote is the ability to add to an existing notebook with PDFs. A lot of what I do is adding other PDFs together to make one notebook. It’s really the feature that CollaNotes needs otherwise it would have been here instead of GoodNotes.

6. Google Calendar and Google Drive

With a Google account, my go-to cloud storage is Google Drive. It comes with 15 GB of storage and takes is enough a reasonable amount of storage for me. I can access it from my phone, computer, or iPad.

I think that I only use Google Calendar for convenience because of all of Google’s apps. Having a Google account gives you access to a large range of apps for free so I take advantage of everything being in one place.

7. Mem

Mem is a new app that I found. It acts as a replacement for Clover, which they are somewhat the same for a least what I used it for. Mem has turned into my permanent note taking space. The closes app to that is like Mem is probably Roam. Mem has some ways to go but I am committed to using it for note taking verse using Notion.

8. Notion

Notion is my hub for all management. I keep everything in Notion from notes to project management. I keep an in-depth wiki for the things that are important in my life. Notion is where most of my links and bookmarks and in-depth lists live. I write and organize my entire blog in Notion.

For a week, I planned on using just my iPad Air 4. The only exception that I made is Twitch and Discord. Watching Twitch from a mobile device sucks, especially when you want to watch more than one stream at a time. Discord on mobile sucks when trying to catch up with past messages because while new messages come in, it just scrolls down and it’s hard to figure out where you were reading.

On the first day, I used mostly Goodnotes in writing down some notes and planning out my week. This is something that I would have done regardless. I took an attempt to study Japanese. I came to the realization that the way I study calls for another screen. I usually start off with highlighting in the textbook, then I would open the textbook on the computer and write out notes and vocabulary. So a way around this would be to write in a physical notebook and then transfer those notes to Goodnotes.

I started by studying Japanese. I found a YouTube playlist with pronunciation for the word in the textbook. So YouTube on an iPad is doable. This didn’t stop me from doing what I needed to do.

When it came to other tasks, I sat and looked at my iPad, wondering how to get started. My entire workflow has always been from my laptop, sitting at my desk. I have never written anything from my iPad or even got much done with it in terms of getting work done or managing that work. The most I have done is check or update the calendar app or jot down quick notes. The biggest workflow I have with my iPad is using Goodnotes and digital drawing. I wanted this week to be about how much I can get done using my iPad. I wanted to know how much of my workflow can be more mobile. Is everything I do from a computer or is there enough in most mobile apps that I can get anything done?

Overall I learned that I am not productive enough in my own workflow to be able to continue writing this blog post. I am unproductive and unmotivated. I cannot disrupt my workflow when it’s already not working well. So I put a hold on this. I will come back and finish this. I think there is a huge difference in the workflow but in the number of things that you can do. It actually comes down to what I am doing.

For studying, I will need to do it from a computer as far as starting a new lesson. I need to be able to write notes from the textbook to Goodnotes. Outside of that, this is doable. Searching the internet is the same for me as it is on a computer. Most of the time I have multiple tabs open but rarely am I looking at multiple tabs at once. But if that were to change, the iPad has the ability to show two windows side by side. Typing anything is simple. As long as you have a keyboard, typing in any app is pretty simple. That’s pretty much my workflow, studying, writing, drawing, and watching YouTube videos.

So this went from an experiment on how to use only the iPad to me realizing I need to get re-motivated in my work. I had one of those weeks where I just couldn’t work. But outside thinking about the things that I do, I believe if I was to ever need to be mobile I could do it. There is not much in my workflow that can’t be done from the iPad.

When buying an iPad, there are definitely some accessories to get to make the experience better. I got a few things a few months ago. Here are quick reviews of the products that I brought along with their Amazon links.

If you want to read my review about the iPad Air, read Unboxing the iPad Air 4.

Accessories Purchased for iPad Air 4

Apple Pencil 2 — $124

When deciding to purchase an iPad, I only wanted one that worked with the Apple Pencil 2. I didn’t see a reason to get the iPad Pro or even an older model that uses the Apple Pencil 1. I didn’t like the way that it charged. The Apple Pencil 2 has a better design. This pencil is great. There is no real downside to having an Apple Pencil especially when you use it heavily.

Soke Case for iPad Air 4 — $17

This Case is good for when you need to type or view videos. Anything in landscape position, in this case, helps with the levels that it can adjust to. The iPad fits great in this case. The case does not feel cheap. It has a slot for the Apple Pencil can sit and charge without falling out. The only thing I don’t like about this case is the material that the outside is made of. It makes it hard to keep clean. Just about anything sticks to the case.

JETech Screen Protector — Tempered Glass — $10

I originally purchased this screen protector in the beginning. This case is great if you are using the Apple Pencil for casual use. The viewing of this case is great compared to a matte screen protector. The screen is brighter and more clear. But as I got more into digital art and notetaking, I noticed that writing on this screen protector wasn’t good. For serious drawing and writing, this is not the right screen protector. When you write, the Apple Pencil will feel like it is slipping sometimes.

iCarez Anti-Glare Matte Screen Protector — $8

This is a paper-like screen protector made for those who draw or does a lot of writing on their iPad. It makes writing and drawing more smoother than using a glass screen protector. But the downfall of this is that the screen is a lot darker and not as clear as glass. When writing or drawing a lot on the screen, you will start to notice lines on the screen. Just wipe the screen clean and those lines disappear.

Phone and Tablet Stand — $11

This stand can fit a phone or tablet in portrait or landscape orientation. The height and angle can be adjusted. It has a cutout so that the device can charge while on the stand.

Fintie Bluetooth Keyboard — $30

I purchased this keyboard back in 2015 when I brought my iPad Air 2. It came with a case for the iPad. This keyboard still works. The battery life is good. The keyboard is slim and works great. It has magnets inside the keyboard so it can attach to any case with magnets.

Headphone Dongle — $10

Even with the newer devices moving away from a headphone jack, I still use regular headphones. I can’t really find any Bluetooth earphones that don’t irritate the inside of my ear and don’t fall out every 5 minutes. So I still buy and use Apple headphones. I haven’t found a brand that makes good headphones like Apple.

Skullcandy Sesh Evo Wireless Earbud — $40

So I regret buying these earbuds. Reading the box, thinking that is a good idea. Having the ability to find your earbud after it falls out of your ear sounds great. But that is also the reason these are not the best earbuds for me. The earbuds are constantly sending their location to the Tile app, so when not in use, the earbuds need to stay charged. My problem is that I don’t use these that often. So when I do want to use them, they are dead.

I think that if you are constantly using these, then these earbuds will work for you. The sound is outstanding. But then there’s my problem with every earbud I buy, they either fall out constantly or irritate my ear.

Accessories I Want or Wished I Brought

Logitech Pebble M350 Wireless Mouse

I just like the way this mouse looks. I don’t know how good this mouse would feel on daily usage. Because it is compact, that makes it a good mouse to use with the iPad Air 4 on the go.

Akkerds Case — $13

After regretting the color and material that I got with the case that I brought, I start looking for the dream case that I can afford. I would go with the Apple Smart Folio in orange for no other reason than the pop of the color. I’m not buying a case for $80 though. So this case will do. This case comes in a good range of colors. This case also sits at an angle that I need for drawing.

Silicone Apple Pencil Cover — $10

You know like with a real pencil, holding the Apple Pencil for a long time can make your fingers start to hurt. So why not buy a cover that makes holding the Apple Pencil better. This cover comes in multiple colors and has good reviews.

iPad Pro Keyboard Case- $83

I came across this case and thought that this could be a good fit if I ever did any serious typing on my iPad. The keyboard is detachable from the case. There is a slot for the Apple Pencil. This kind can be an alternative to the Logitech and Apple keyboard and case.

In 2021, I can say that I was not motivated or had any interest in doing anything. A lot of the goals that I wanted to achieve didn’t even get done or started. I tried my best to attempt them but I think that I had gotten busy with other things that didn’t benefit me directly. I was happy helping people out but I think that I didn’t get work in the hours that I wanted to. Somehow I became a driver for free, taking everybody to work and picking kids up from school. It made working harder because I was so used to working at certain hours in the day.

Then there was the biggest problem, Twitch. I spent a lot of my day watching Twitch. This is better than TV. I love video games and can’t really afford to buy any. Plus my computer can’t handle any of the good games. So the best thing was to watch people play those games. I usually watched Twitch during the night. So my working hours were in the daytime, around midday. With the day

I don’t think that I had any hard goals for 2021, just some basics, not hard to do things.

2021 Goals

• Read 10 books

• Exercise More

• Get into digital drawing

• Start a YouTube or Twitch channel

• Learn Japanese

• Post a blog every month

I read 3 books last year. I just couldn’t bring myself to read anything. And when I did read, I read slowly. It took me half a year to finish 1 book. I was truly bored with what I was reading last year. I didn’t feel interested in reading even I found the stories to be good. For this year, I want to read 5 books. If I get past 5 then that’s fine but if I don’t then I don’t. I just want to read. I also want to clear out my TBR list. I won’t be adding any books to my list this year.

I probably exercised twice last year. It was sad to say. Toward the end of the year, I decided to make better choices when it comes to eating. I may not make better choices all the time, but most of the time would be nice. With this, I started tracking what I eat each day. I am not concerned with counting calories, but just making better decisions. Exercising, I know I can do better and will be trying harder this year.

With the world staying at home, I found some new interests that I enjoyed last year. I discovered more YouTube channels and even got into watching Twitch. I may have lost a lot of sleep watching Twitch but I was happy in those moments. I’m pretty sure that I spent at least 15 hours a day watching Twitch. This is an addiction that I want to learn to be mindful of. I think I actually go to sleep at night now, instead of getting 4 hours of sleep. Role-play is addictive.

But with watching a lot of YouTube and Twitch last year, I thought that maybe I should start a channel and see how it would go. I want to do a gaming channel because I can do that with ease. I love playing video games and I enjoy watching others play. In trying to get started, I realized that I don’t have the capability to record any games that I play. I would need a better processor and better graphics to make that happen. So I put this on hold until I can afford a new PC. The YouTube channel problem is that I don’t want to be on camera. I am still figuring this out.

Learning Japanese was probably the most copium filled goal that I ever set for myself. I got started and found resources to get me going, but it just didn’t do much. I learned Hiragana and some basic words. I couldn’t figure out a way to learn and remember what I was learning.

After reviewing what I did in 2021, I figured that I would not even bothered with achieving goals. I will just focus on tasks and projects that I want to do and do them. Some of these projects and tasks will align with goals that I had in the past. The only thing that I will do is keep track of habits for the year. I won’t say “I’m not doing this enough or I need to do more of that.” I will simply make a note of how much I did at the end of the year. At the end of the month, I want to see what I did and if there is anything that I want to do in the following month.

Features:

• Free — That’s it. The best way to be the better app is just by being free. The rest of the features are just a bonus

• Notebooks

• Import PDFs

• Templates

• A great variety of paper to choose from

• Good selection of pen sizes and colors — Highlighters, pens, and pencils

• Save favorite pens, pencils and highlighters for easy access

• Dark mode. Paper able to change from light to dark and the ink changes with it.

• Auto shape and lines

• Record Audio, sync with your handwriting and playback

• Real-time collaboration with others

Features Needed:

• Ability to import PDFs into existing notes

• Auto shape needs to be fix — When I draw a square it makes an hexagon. You need to be very precise in making the shapes

• Ability to duplicate text boxes without them resizing

• Ability to duplicate multiple text boxes at once

• Change text color the same way you change the pen color

With the Apple Pencil comes new apps to try. When looking for apps that work for with well with the Apple Pencil. I searched the internet and YouTube for recommendations and you know what came up, the notable three — Procreate, Goodnotes, and Notability.

I saw a lot of videos for Procreate and Goodnotes. These are the apps that every YouTuber swears by. So let’s look at note taking apps. With the recent changes to Notability, I tried it for awhile. I loved the app, it was great. But the downfall of the app was the limitations on the free version. You get a certain amount of edits per month. It didn’t look like I could reach that limit but I did, too early in the month. So it was off to use another app.

Now CollaNote come into play. This was the first app that I used and actually liked. It had most features needed for a note-taking app. I tried out Notability just to see what the hype was. But I felt that I would come back to CollaNote because of the free features that it already has.

So in the mist of going digital a little, I also wanted to get into digital planning. After searching for templates and planners, I found some that would work for me. I am just mix and matching planners because I can’t find one that I would use completely. There would be some where I want the monthly calendars and weekly layouts from others. The problem that I ran into was that CollaNote does not allow for importing PDFs into existing notes. So the next best thing is to import the pages as screenshots. The only problem with that is it can get little bury.

So I set up a digital planner and have been using it since November of 2021. I used to bullet journal and stopped because I didn’t have anything to add on to it. There were no reason to keep it up. But I wanted to keep it going because it was a good way to keep track of things. Now I combined the two things, digital planner and bullet journaling. I have been doing good to update it everyday and it’s fun to do. I can customized it anyway I want and can be lazy about it, too. With a little bit of copying and pasting, it becomes a lazy methods.

From note taking to planning your life, CollaNote does a good job. But the best part about CollaNote is the collaboration. You can collaborate with other people with the notes that you make. I don’t use this feature at all, but you can try this feature out when you get the app. The app starts with 2 notes that people from the community uses.

Download and try CollaNote for yourself:

‎CollaNote: Note, Journal & PDF
‎CollaNote - Most powerful Note-Taking App, PDF Editor, Whiteboard, Memo-App & Digital Planner - All in one - Best…apps.apple.com

First Impressions

Coming from an iPad Air 2 with 16 GB is a refresher for my iPad experience. I don’t have the problem of low storage to barely any storage on my iPad. It was time to get a new iPad but I was not going to pay full price for one. I spent half a year looking for a good discounted iPad to buy. At one point I was going to get an older model of the iPad, but the way the Apple Pencil charges for those models was the deciding factor that I was going to get something that was compatible with the Apple Pencil 2.

iPad Air 4 — Sky Blue 64 GB

• Used from Back Market for $400

• Packaged well; ensured that the iPad was protected in transport.

• No major scratches on the screen or back; It really looks like no one owned it before me

• This was not my choice in colors but hey with the price, I clearly don’t care.

Setting up

• Apple makes it easy to set up a new device if you already have Apple devices. But even if you don’t have an Apple device, Apple makes it easy to set up. I started from a backup from my iPhone XR. But it was mostly a fresh start.

• I took some time to decide on what new apps I want to try out on my iPad.

Accessories

• iPad Case

• Keyboard

• Apple Pencil

Buying new accessories is a must for any Apple product. Whether it’s a case or a screen protector or a keyboard. From the start, I knew that I wanted to buy a case and screen protector. And at a later date in the future, I would buy a USB-C Hub and an external hard drive. When looking for a screen protector and case, I went around looking in stores but none of them sold an iPad Case or screen protector for the iPad Air 4. So I went to Amazon for the best deal. I basically choose the cheaper option that has good reviews. I already owned a Bluetooth keyboard from 2015 and it still works like new.

The biggest reason that I bought an iPad was for the Apple Pencil. I wanted to get into digital art. So the Apple Pencil was a must. When searching for an Apple Pencil, I could not find any used Apple Pencil from a trusted source. Lucky for me, it went on sale when I started looking. It was only $110, so I went for it. From what I heard this was worth the purchase and I agree. Writing and drawing with an Apple Pencil is smooth and your handwriting isn’t bad. It doesn’t take much to make your handwriting or drawing look as if you were on paper. But a good screen protector helps make it better. Go for a matte screen if you are drawing some real artwork and go with a glass if you are just writing notes. Drawing figures is harder on glass than on matte. The pencil feels like it is sliding as you draw. The matte screen protector feels closer to paper, so drawing on would be better.

New Apps

• CollaNote

• Clover

• Notability

• Sketchbook

• Call of Duty

• Genshin Impact

• Adobe Fresco

A Month Later

So far finding a purpose for this iPad has been a little hard. I was looking for something outside of the regular stuff that I was doing. My other iPad was just doing nothing. Now that I have an iPad that uses the Apple Pencil, I can finally get into digital drawing and note-taking. I tried with a stylus from Amazon, it was ok for writing if you don’t care about the way your handwriting looks. It took a lot to make my writing look good. Drawing with the stylus was hard. I could not even draw straight lines with it. The lines always looked jagged. Now with the iPad Air 4, I am not having either of those problems.

I am having a big debate on what note-taking app to use. I found some free apps that have some features that are shared across the apps. So I will keep looking until I find one that is right enough. Notability looks good but there is a limited amount of edits per month and it is looking like it’s not the app to use. Notability is winning compared to the other apps. It has everything that I want in an app. But if I had to choose a second app, it would be Collanote. It’s the only app that comes close to Notability in features.

Call of Duty and Genshin Impact have been some of the best games that I have found for my iPad. They can keep me busy for hours on end. There is no real ending to these games and they are not paid to win. I am happy to have these games to play because on my previous iPad I had to let go of a lot of apps.

There are a few apps that I wanted to try to see how they work. I started using Apple Pages, Notes, and Files. Right now with just the iPad app for Pages, I want to leave Google Docs. But without having a Mac, that won’t happen. Maybe if I ever change my mind about owning a Mac because I would never pay those prices for a computer, I can get a customized one for the same price.

After using the iPad for a while now, I really love it. I went from not having any apps on my iPad Air 2 to having an iPad Air 4 with an Apple Pencil 2. There are so many other things that I want to try out in the future. So buying a used iPad is worth it especially if it comes with backing as it does from BackMarket.

Your Refurbished (Super) Market
Find the best deals on refurbished phones, laptops, and tech at Back Market. Up to 70% off when compared to new…www.backmarket.com

What can I do this year that was different from last year?

I want to take my blog to the next level, which will include starting a YouTube channel. I want to be able to give more than just words for my ideas. I want to put my ideas in video format. I have been thinking about this for years now. It seems like a good year to put it into action.

I want to write more technical blogs and I want to write blogs that have research to back it. Instead of just writing solely based on my experience, I want to add in other people’s experiences also.

Sharing my Design Process and Web Dev Process

Last year, I stopped coding. But I did do a lot of designing. So this year, I want to establish a working process. Taking a project and from start to finish document the process. This way I can show how it’s done and have my process clear for myself. I don’t think that I follow a procedure when it comes to making web designs and sites. But it’s nice to know what type of process that I have.

Personal Journal

Remembering the things that happen this year and for the future years to come. I just want a recount of the year to look back on.

Reading Journal

I already have a way to track what books I read. Now I want to give some details about the books I read. Sometimes, I look at a title and wonder what was this book about. Like really, what did I read here. So I am going to keep a log of what I read. As time goes on, I want to get more detailed in what I write. For now, I just have a summary every few days of what I read.

Reading Goal this year is 10 books. There are no specific books that I want to read, just whatever I find available and interested in. I don’t buy books by the way. I use Hoopla through my library because the library is still closed.

2020 Goals and Accomplishments

I posted a blog post every month. A lot of them actually did well, too. They got a good number of views and even a few claps. So if you read my posts regularly, let me know in the comments, and thanks.

2020 — The Pandemic

My year didn’t change much. The only thing I have not done is gone into a restaurant and ate inside and seen family like we usually do on holidays and random weekends out of the year. The only people I saw outside of my house were my nieces and nephews and sister. I only see them because I have to take my niece to work. No parties, no social gatherings, nothing. I brought food from the store and went back home.

If you are still living your life like it’s March 2020, thank you. But if you are just not giving a damn…Be safe out there and wear a mask!!

Did you accomplish anything in 2020? Did 2020 make you reevaluate your life? What are you planning in 2021?

I have been trying to learn Japanese for about 2 years now. I decided back in 2019 to learn Japanese because I was tired of reading subtitles in anime. There was always someone saying that the dubbed version is not the same as the Japanese version. Then most of the anime I watch is subbed so why not learn a language so that I can understand what’s going on when there is no subtitles.

So far, I have learned Hiragana and Katakana, how to count to 100 and days of the month. So I have not gotten far in the 2 years. But I have gotten somewhere. I would always forget the Hiragana and Katakana that I had learned. Some are engraved in my mind but some look like others that I just can’t remember.

Different Methods for Learning

Using OneNote

So I had to find ways to keep track of the things I learned and how to review those lessons. In the beginning, I had an OneNote notebook setup. I used this to be able use on my iPad with a stylus to handwrite Hiragana and Katakana to learn how to write them. But this did not work because I could not figure out to type Hiragana characters on the keyboard. Overall it started out as a good tool starting out. Then I was trying to organize the notebook into different subjects.

Paper and Pen

I have two notebooks for learning Japanese, one for practice and the other for note taking. I have a graph composition notebook to practice writing and to review notes by writing words that I have learned over time.

Notion

I recently watched a video on setting on a digital notebook in Notion. I have thought about using Notion for notes but I wanted to write the Kanji by hand. Then I stopped using One Note for Japanese by this time so why not give Notion a try.

I set up the notebook in the way the video had and made a template to save time on making new pages. Each lesson lives in a database, so that I can track where I am and what I’ve done.

Then another life changing video was released. This video was the ultimate task manager. The important part of this is that all tasks and are filtered into projects, all within one database. The thing that made this so important was having the ability to have recurring tasks. What better way to keep track of lessons and bring them back to review at a later date. I could do a lesson, learn some new words and set it up as recurring with X amount of days. So everything I learn come back depending on how well I know it.

This brings me back to paper and pen. In my composition notebook, I can write the words over and learn to recognize them and how to read Hiragana by not relying on the Romaji. Then for another review session, I can rewrite the notes that I took in the other notebook.

Learning Materials

When I first started off, the first thing that I needed to learn was Hiragana and Katakana. So this was the only thing that I focused on. I am still learning this after 2 years. I know them, but I not as fast at it as I want to be. I want to recognize them they way I recognize the alphabet in English. I want it to be automatic.

Apps

• Kana (only available on iOS)

• Drops

• kawaiiNihongo

YouTube Channels

Learn Japanese with JapanesePod101.com

Japanese Lessons.com

JapanSocietyNYC

Linda Botes

There are other YouTube channels that I have came across that helped me understand what to think about when learning a new language. But those are not language based like the ones above.

Books

I started out in this book learning greetings and making notes in One Note. Then I stopped using this for a while. I wanted to stop using Romaji to identify Japanese sounds. So this is where my focus is now.

Genki Textbook and Workbook

Websites

I have been following Tofugo guide when I started learning Japanese. Starting with Hiragana and Katakana and adding on some basic lessons as I go along. This guide has resources and worksheets to get started learning Japanese.

RealKana is a website to practice Hiragana and Katakana. It is similar to the Kana app for iOS.

If you want to use the database to track your tasks and projects, here is the link to duplicate it:

Ultimate Tasks for Notion

2020 has been a good year to start reading or to grow your reading list. But for me, 2020 has been the opposite. I have been losing focus on reading anything. Compared with what I read at the beginning of the year, I have not been feeling any of the books that I have been trying to read. You would think that with all this time on my hands, I would take advantage of that time.

I don’t know what it was. Maybe it was the disappointment in not being able to read the books that I wanted to read this year. I had to switch apps and libraries. My current library does not offer the books that were on my to be read list. So I had to find other books to read. I had to go deep into my list. Each book I wanted to read next was not available at my library. I was looking between two apps. But I did find some of the books that I wanted to read and added more books to read.

So I had to switch apps because my library card expired from Texas and I was no longer living there. At first, I was using Libby. Now that I live in Alabama, the library is not with Libby. Instead, they had Hoopla and Cloud Library. I am glad that my library was able to send me a pin because I needed it to set up on Hoopla and Cloud Library. So now for the books that I read this year.

2020 Book Haul

Each book that I finished, I can say that they were great books. My favorite book of the year is Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse. This book was the most unexpected read of the year. The not so great book was Ethereal. It took over 2 years to read this book. I understand after finishing the book why it took so long.

Books Read

1. Becoming by Michelle Obama

2. Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney

3. With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

4. The Magician by Michael Scott

5. The Dark-Thirty by Patricia McKissack

6. The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

7. Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Han

8. Rosecliff Manor Haunting by Cheryl Bradshaw

9. Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

10. Silver Moon by C.L. Bevill

11. Ethereal by Addison Moore

Did Not Finish (DNF)

These books my be revisited at a later date.

1. My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due

2. Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

3. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Currently Reading

1. The Toll by Neal Shusteman

2. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

3. An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

Apps Mention

These apps work with your local library. Contact your library to see what options you have for borrowing books digitally.

Cloud Library

Hoopla Digital

Libby