Steve Holden's Blog

Thoughts & Tips for February 2020

February 1, 2020

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WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON?

Christy and I had a great weekend trip to Yuma to see one of our favorite 80's cover bands – Checker'd Past.

I made some updates to the Europe 2019 Trip Blog over the Christmas Holidays.

Christmas was awesome. The time off from work was refreshing. I had some pretty good beers!

In early January, we had a great Australian foreign exchange student for a week or so. We got to do a lot of fun stuff around San Diego while she was here, and eat at all our favorite places.

Our Vietnamese student for the last year has moved on to a place closer to SDSU. It is going to be weird not having a foreign exchange student in our house.

Our church is doing the RED LETTER CHALLENGE (#rlc). Just finished day 19 of 40. Pretty good study.

I really enjoyed the last Star Wars movie "The Rise of Skywalker." Spencer and I saw it on opening weekend, and then we went back later so I could see it again.

TECHNOLOGY AND TIPS

If you read David Allen's Getting Things Done a while back and are looking for some podcast references to maybe jump start your system, then you might want to check out this blog post I did on the subject.

My home older Dell Windows 10 system has been having some BIOS boot issues so I decided to upgrade to a new system. Some key tech specs that I was looking as key: boot drive on SSD; more than 8-GB of RAM; and latest generation Intel processor. I ended up with an Intel i5 processor vs. Intel i7 processor because of a deal at Costco. The first thing I did was remove the bundled 3rd party software and many of the Microsoft add-ons that I know I didn't want. It took about 4 hours to get the system stabilized and ready to migrate data and services.

I recently picked up a "Ninety7 JOT Portable Battery Base for Google Home Mini" that enables the Mini to be portable so I can take it outside or into another room. Very helpful for listening to music or podcasts while at home.

FUTURE STUFF THAT I AM EXCITED ABOUT
- There is a UCSD Triton Sprint Triathlon coming up that I am considering if the weather holds.
- We got more GTD Participant Kits from VitalSmarts at work, so I can go back to teaching a class every other month starting in February or March. We also go our 2nd Certified Trainer trained so that is going to make my teaching schedule more manageable.
- The Super Bowl is tomorrow (2/2/2020)!
QUOTE I'M THINKING ABOUT

"People do not decide their futures, they decide their habits and their habits decide their futures." – F.M. Alexander
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Thoughts & Tips For January 2020

January 1, 2020

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Utah Beach (Normandy) – Steve Holden

CHRISTMAS
- I hope your Christmas was wonderful. We had a good time with friends and family. All of our time was spent in San Diego, so we didn't have any travel woes.
- I love putting up Christmas lights. I have decided that the three pronged power cord is the enemy of good electrical distribution. I am moving to 6 or more outlets on every power cord in 2020.
- I had a good number of Christmas beers (both brewed for the Holidays or gifts) this year. Here are three of the more recent ones:
HEALTH

I need to do this more, but alternating COLD with HEAT on sore muscles has proven to me over and over again that I need to make the time to do this. SO HARD TO DO! But worth the time.

I have been experimenting since the beginning of November with intermittent fasting. Basically I only eat between 12 noon and 8 p.m. It has really worked well for me from a couple of standpoints: (1) no negative impacts; (2) I feel better overall; and (3) I think the long-term benefits are promising. The one interesting thing that I can't really explain is that even though I'm eating less I did before intermittent fasting that I have not lost any weight. My weight has stayed steady. More info about the topic:
- This Is Your Body On Intermittent Fasting
- Podcast with Kevin Rhodes and Dr. David Sinclair
All is basically good with my Bulged Disc. My solution – daily Pilates-based stretching, using a roller (legs, back, & shoulders), heat then cold, and alternating workouts (run, swim, bike, repeat).

TECHNOLOGY AND TIPS

If you are new to Getting Things Done (GTD) or someone who would benefit from a refresher, then here is my recommendation.

My Zoom audio recorder was having a screen issue (the LCD was getting blurry and hard to read). I contacted their tech support and they replaced the unit for $165 since it was out of warranty. I thought that was a fair transaction.

I love using the OODA Loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act). Fascinating history.

FUTURE STUFF THAT I AM EXCITED ABOUT
- Happy New Year 2020! Don't forget that 2019 was the "future" year of Blade Runner.
- Christy and I are heading to Yuma at the end of January to see one of my favorite 80's cover bands – Checker'd Past.
- Family vacation planning for 2020.
QUOTE I'M THINKING ABOUT

"People do not decide their futures, they decide their habits and their habits decide their futures" – F.M. Alexander
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Recommended Refreshers On Getting Things Done (GTD)

December 31, 2019

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Let’s say you just read David Allen’s Getting Things Done (GTD) book (Kindle, Paperback, or Audible) and you wanted a good summary of the overall methodology.

Or maybe you read the book a while back, and you want a refresher.

Here is my #1 recommendation — listen to the following podcasts (in English) from GTD Nordic in the following order:

(1) What is GTD, and how will you benefit from it? (23m49s)

(2) Step 1 in GTD: Capture (23m00s)

(3) Step 2 in GTD: Clarify (27m43s)

(4) Step 3 in GTD: Organize (25m11s)

(5) Step 4 in GTD: Reflect (29m11s)

(6) Step 5 in GTD: Engage (24m32s)

For more information about these podcasts, click on this link!

My #2 recommendation is to consider the new workbook: “The Getting Things Done Workbook: 10 Moves to Stress-Free Productivity” (Paperback or Kindle) by David Allen & Brandon Hall. It is easy to read, has great exercises, and is well-thought-out.

You can also ping me via email if you want to discuss anything related to GTD, productivity, or related topics. Or check out all my posts tagged GTD.

UPDATED: 11/2/2025

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Thoughts & Tips For November & December

December 1, 2019

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Photo by Joel & Jasmin Førestbird on Unsplash

REFLECTIONS
- The 2019 Baseball Playoffs in October were awesome. Congrats to Washington Nationals for winning the World Series.
- October 31 was a very sad day for me and my family. It was one year ago that my Mom passed away. I really miss her a lot.
- Christy had a teacher's conference in Palm Spring the weekend before Thanksgiving and I was able to tag along. It was very relaxing and we had some great food.
- Thanksgiving this year was excellent. It rained a lot so we did not play our annual Thanksgiving Two-Hand Touch game. Hopefully we will get to play on Christmas.
CHVRCHES

My favorite band was in town in early November. It was a great concert. Some thoughts on the show at CHVRCHES FAN PODCAST.

TECHNOLOGY AND TIPS

Two big conferences I have attended in 2019 — GTD Summit & M Conference — have stressed the need for quite and solitude in our daily lives. Doing so increases effectiveness and productivity. This article on "Solitude and Leadership" is definitely worth reading or listening to the audio version.

Some tips on how to make your iPhone more productive.

Looking for some a secure phone option that isn't mainstream?

Some other tips:
- Inbox Zero Is Doable
- My Travel Folders
FUTURE STUFF THAT I AM EXCITED ABOUT
- Christmas!
QUOTE I'M THINKING ABOUT

"No man steps in the same river twice" – Heraclitus

I also found all these great quotes from the start of each Star Wars: The Clone War Series.
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Early Computer Programmers

November 22, 2019

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While flying back from Germany this summer, this picture was in the Lufthansa magazine:

Here is more details about these women pioneers in programming.

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CHVRCHES 3bits for 2019-11-11

November 11, 2019

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Today's CHVRCHES Fan Podcast was recorded & published today (Monday, November 11, 2019). It covers "three tidbits" (aka 3bits) of CHVRHCES news you should know [full show notes] from episode #4:
1. CHVRCHES have released a new song called “Death Stranding.”
2. CHVRCHES recent show in San Diego and upcoming shows.
3. CHVRCHES merchandise on sale!
The goal of 3bits releases is that they will come in a more frequent publication cycle and in a shorter format. All content produced by CHVRCHES Fan Podcast will come down the same subscription link so no need to make any changes. Long podcasts (like those in the past) are coming but slowly.

Please consider donating to the The Girls Home. [Lauren Mayberry, Rachel Collingwood]

Feedback options: leave a comment on this post, connect on Facebook, email, or @chvrchespodcast.

Listen! (Size: 4.0-MB, Time: 4m22s)
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Rabbit Hole Of “Secure” Phones

October 26, 2019

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This article from Recode by Kara Swisher called "Former Trump economic adviser Gary Cohn’s next move: investing in a phone secure enough for the president: In a Recode Decode interview, he explains why he’s working to launch a new secure mobile phone aimed at government and corporate customers" got me wondering where the state of the possible was right now on secure phones.

I am pretty much following the recommendations for how to bring a phone to DEF CON — like this one. I use to bring a burner phone, but I've found it less and less practical for me. DEF CON is in theory about as hostile of a Cyber environment as you can summit yourself, but getting targeted by a dedicated adversary is probably worse.

Some links I looked into:
- Who is Hector Hoyos via Tech Crunch
- Hovos Integrity main site
- Hovos Integrity phone site
- Green Hills Integrity Real Time OS (RTOS)
- Green Hills Integrity 179 safety-critical RTOS
- SecureOS
- Samsung's Business Security pages
- A list of "secure phones" (not sure how accurate this is but it seems detailed)
- Blackberry's offerings on secure phones
- Ano-phone
- Cipher phone
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Notes From Manager Tools M Conference 2019

October 20, 2019

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Here are my PDF notes from the Manager Tools M Conference held in Dallas, TX from October 9-10, 2019.

I think the notes speak for themselves. This was an amazingly effective use of my time.

I will be getting a return on investment throughout the rest of my professional career, and then probably even more once I retire.

If you are interested in attending in 2020 then Manager Tools wants to hear from you!

I didn't take enough photos, but here are what I got via Google Photos.

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My Travel Folders

October 14, 2019

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Back in the day the David Allen Company would sell physical products like planners, file folder systems, inboxes, etc. One of the last things I bought from them before they stopped selling physical products was their ORANGE mesh travel folder system.

It consists of the following folders:
- IN – Your mobile inbox just like in your office at home and work.
- TO OFFICE – Items that need to get back to your office.
- TO HOME – Items that need to get back to your home.
- ACTION SUPPORT – Anything that you currently physically need to complete PROJECTS or NEXT ACTIONS.
- WAITING FOR SUPPORT – Physical items or reminder notes of items you are waiting for someone else to complete.
- READ/REVIEW – Items you want to read or review while being mobile.
Based on my needs, I have added two additional folders:
- REFERENCES – Key references I want to have with me while mobile. For instance physical copies of the GTD Mastering Workflow Series Methodology Guides.
- CALENDARS/CONTRACTS – Print out of key yearly work and family/school calendars. And then a select list of phone numbers and emails I might need to reference if I don't have my phone.
These could be duplicated today with a good label printer and quality plastic file folders.

You can still get a good amount of GTD material in electronic format like planner templates, methodology guides, workflow map, etc…
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Fires In California #ambientinfo

October 12, 2019

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This site (recommended by Daniel Suarez) is a pretty good view of the status of fires burning in the State of California:
- https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents
I'm going to add this to my list of sites that are being cycled through on my two ambient displays (one at home and one at work).

I am recommending the extension Revolver – Tabs on Chrome as the method to move through tabs every 60 seconds.
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