Tidbits from Brian - Issue #11
Keeping a consistent routine. Here's a peek at mine.
Last month I touched on the subject of working from home and how it's not always rainbows and unicorns. Even though I'd never work in an office again. But keeping a regular routine is key. I thought I would share mine. 🕰️
8 am: ☕️ Wake up, shower, and grab a coffee downtown at Starbucks. I like forcing myself to get completely ready. No, not all of us remote workers just roll out of bed and sit in our pajamas all day.
8:30 am: 📈 Open my laptop and quickly check the stock market, Bitcoin, etc. I don't look at regular news. If any of my limit orders have filled during the night, I place new ones. Always be DCA'ing when things are down. It's about time in the market, not timing the market.
9 am: 📧 Open up my email client (Mimestream) and start catching up on emails and resolving support tickets.
11 am: 🐦️ Do a quick catch-up on social media. Responding, retweeting, sharing, etc.
12 pm: 📹 Have a video call with my brother, and we chat about what we have in our WordPress plugin development workflow. We then tag team any remaining tickets that might need a second pair of eyes.
1 pm: 🗒️ Start trying to bang out my Trello tasks and get as many completed for the day as possible. This can involve anything from writing content to testing new updates in our ecommerce system.
4 pm: ✅ Return to support tickets to try and close everything out for the day. If that's even possible.
5 pm: 🏋️ Work out (lift weights) or take a bike ride, depending on the weather.
6 pm: 🌱 Eat supper. I'm big into intermittent fasting (OMAD). So I don't eat anything until 6 pm. And I give myself one hour to eat. That's right; I only eat once every 23 hours and never snack in between. Don't worry; I'm not withering away.
7 pm: 🎵 Catch up on some emails and turn on a TV show, or listen to music (synthwave is my jam). Bang out a few more Trello tasks if I can. I also love to sit out on the patio in the evenings.
11 pm: 💤 Start getting ready for bed. However, this can vary a lot based on my workload. My main goal is to get 8 hours of sleep, so if I'm in bed by midnight, I feel great.
I then repeat the same thing the next day. On the weekends, I don't have a set schedule, but I do turn my phone and computer off on Saturdays to give myself a full day to recharge. Even if I'm just out for a hike or binging Netflix, giving my brain a chance to relax is something I've found I've needed.
I've burned out a few times in the past, so consistency for me is everything. Between intermittent fasting, working out, eating healthy, and getting at least 8 hours of sleep, I can ensure I'm here for the long haul. 😄
Updates ✍️
I was swamped this month! Kyle from The Admin Bar reached out and asked if I wanted to do a second webinar. Of course, I agreed without hesitation. During the live stream, I optimized WordPress sites (GeneratePress + Elementor) using our Perfmatters plugin. If you're interested, you can check out the replay. ⚡️
Speaking of The Admin Bar, Kyle has an incredible giveaway going on right now, with over $7,000 in prizes. Definitely, one you don't want to miss. And yes, our two plugins are in there as well.
We pushed out a new version of our Perfmatters plugin. It includes performance improvements to lazy loading, better compatibility with Elementor and Delay JS, and an overhauled global view in our Script Manager (including more details like regex settings). You can now refresh individual settings for post IDs that no longer exist.
We pushed out a new version of our Novashare plugin. We added a new Follow Buttons Block, which allows you to quickly add and customize follow buttons for your social network profiles anywhere on your site (via the Block Editor, Customizer, or Widgets screen).
I updated my post on WordPress VAT with information on submitting VAT to the UK using their new Making Tax Digital (MTD) system. Lovely that they keep changing things. 😅
Interesting things 🔎
Misc.
Wow, I never knew this little trick on Mac where you can drag the icon in the title bar.
A native Microsoft Teams app optimized for the Mac is here (in preview). Check the comments for links.
I stumbled across the Pure Paste Mac app the other day from Sindre Sorhus. It's great! No more having to use shortcut keys.
Starlink V2, launching next year, will transmit directly to mobile phones, eliminating dead zones worldwide. This is pretty cool!
I'm in ❤️ with the new 1Password 8 iOS update. It's blazing fast.
There is a new version of the Rectangle Mac app out. You can now configure snap areas in the preferences window.
WordPress
I could not be more excited about this. 🔥 Kinsta is entering its next phase. Introducing application and database hosting. Everything developers need in one place. Spin up apps like PHP, Node.js, Python, Ruby, etc. Or databases like MySQL, PostgreSQL, Redis, etc.
Had a fun time chatting with folks on the WP-Tonic podcast about WordPress and tech.
Sadly, ServerPress is shutting down. Before Local and DevKinsta, I used their software a lot. I wish them the best in their next venture.
Cloudways is joining DigitalOcean. Wow, this is one acquisition that surprised me. But it actually makes a lot of sense.
WordPress has a newly redesigned homepage and download page. Definitely looks more modern.
Performance
WordPress theme authors are moving to host fonts locally. This is good progress.
Just a reminder, no-index pages don't impact Core Web Vitals, unless you don't have any other content (source).
WebP by default on hold again after some objections.
Marketing
Out of the blue, Quora announced they are discontinuing its partner program in the US. That's why I never write for third-party platforms.
SERPs have become a zero-sum game. Some good tips in this thread.
Twitter confirms it is testing a phone number verification badge. Perhaps to deal with the spam?
A cookieless future. Kinsta has a good write-up on how we should be preparing for the end of third-party cookies.
Are you a Google Sheets nerd? Check out these new updates.
Props to Simon Harper and his great newsletter (you should subscribe). It gave me the idea of interlinking between my own newsletter issues. Brilliant! 👏
Bitcoin (not financial advice)
Check out what Bitcoin mining looks like on paper. Pretty cool!
Want to see something even more incredible? Bitcoin coders have sent an international Lightning payment over ham radio. 📻️
BlackRock (yes, the one you're thinking of) has partnered with Coinbase to give their clients access to Bitcoin.
BlackRock has also launched a spot Bitcoin private trust for U.S.-based institutional investors.
Proof-of-Work versus Proof-of-Stake. A must-read presentation from the folks at Kraken.
A really interesting read on the crypto geniuses who vaporized a trillion dollars.
The idea that the government will ban Bitcoin is ridiculous. Why? Because, as this user nicely put it, BlackRock and Exxon Mobil are the government.
For US users, you can get 16% back at Starbucks, 9% back at Amazon, and 6% back on just paying off your credit cards. I have some of the tricks here. Blog post coming soon! See proof.
Great summary from NYDIG on why Bitcoin is valuable.
I've started compiling a list of people you should follow in the Bitcoin space.
Whether you like it or not, politicians are talking about Bitcoin.
What is the easiest way to start buying Bitcoin? Swan Bitcoin is always my first recommendation for beginners.
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If you're ever in the Scottsdale, AZ area, hit me up, and we can grab a coffee! ☕️👋