Top 5 Useful Purchases I’ve Made In the Last 6 Months
I’m obsessed tools that help me be more efficient and productive.
For example, investing in a Mac custom gestures app to shave off milliseconds while switching tabs in my browser is one of the smartest things I’ve ever done.
A simple task like switching between tabs on a chrome browser could be done three ways:
- Using a Mouse: 2.4 seconds.
- Keyboard shortcut : 1.4 seconds
- Gesture: 0.4 seconds
I’m saving between 1 and 2 seconds every time I switch a tab in Chrome by using a simple gesture. I’m switching tabs all day long so I’m shaving off quite a bit of time. In fact, if I’m working with tabs just .5% of the time in a 40-hour workweek, I’m shaving off 12 minutes. Couple that with my other gestures and productivity shortcuts and you’re looking at good chunk of time dedicated to helping me think faster.
The time saved is great, but what’s even better is letting my mind think faster.
This obsession with efficiency and productivity exists in every area of my life, and translates to me purchasing things that I know will improve my life in ways more than just saving time.
Some ways I’ve improved areas of health, well-being, and creativity are outlined below in different products I’ve purchased and tried. There are a number of products I haven’t listed, because they weren’t worth the money spent.
Without further ado here is a list of the top 5 tools I’ve purchased over the last 6 months that have significantly improved my life.
Disclaimer: None of the links below are affiliate links. My business isn’t affiliate marketing. I just want to make people’s lives better.
Chemex Coffee Maker (+ Accessories)
Good coffee is high on my list of priorities. Bad coffee hurts productivity overtime so I pay the extra dollar or two for good coffee. This high-end coffee habit was costing me $150+ a month, so I decided to invest in a coffee maker to brew my own beans at home.
The Chemex forces me to use grams and ratios when I measure out my coffee, giving me a mentally stimulating effect before I even have my coffee. The measured, scientific creation of coffee is part of the magic; it puts me in a mentally-stimulated mode before I even have a cup, a sort of revving of my engines.
Cost: $43
Primary Benefits: Less $ spent on cups of coffee (approx. $4/ cup vs $1). Better brew quality = less toxicity = more calm focus. Getting scientific in the morning
Phillips Sunrise Alarm
Our primitive ancestors woke up to a sunrise in the morning. The times they were startled awake was likely when danger was nearby (visualize: saber-toothed tiger). Millions of years of waking up to gradual sunlight stimulation has got to be healthier than the jarring feeling of waking up to a blaring alarm.
Alarms are unnatural and set the wrong tone for the day.
This realization encouraged me to get a Phillips Sunrise Alarm. 30 minutes before my scheduled wake-up time, the light slowly increases in intensity, mimicking a real sunrise, with the option of light piano or bird sounds. This is my latest purchase, and a week into using it, I’m waking up at 6am easier than I ever have before. Highly recommend investing in one of these. It will allow you to wake up easier, have happier thoughts and spend more time with your loved one before starting the day.
Cost: $98
Primary benefits: Earlier, easier wake-up. Noticeable mood improvement.
A fiction book (vs. non-fiction)
I’m a nonfiction book addict. Though I love to learn, I oftentimes find myself consuming multiple books on multiple topics in multiple formats, usually on-the-go. I don’t have the time to apply everything I learn, so knowledge goes unused. Advice and facts are actually useless without a story to apply them to.
So I recently decided to put a pause on non-fiction reading, and instead consume something that activated my imagination. The benefit of fiction is that it stimulates your mind in ways that advice and facts cannot. When listening to a good story, I find myself visualizing the story and characters in vivid detail. Stark contract to the usual advice and facts coming from non-fiction.
I’m also working on becoming a better storyteller, so listening to good stories will help that. If you made it this far down this article, I think I’m doing a good job so far 😉.
Just finished reading: Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
Cost: $15 audible credit. $11 paperback.
Primary Benefit: Stronger imagination / visualization skills, lessons I learn through stories. Better storytelling abilities.
Apple AirPods
I can write an entire separate blog post about the beauty and innovation that are the Apple AirPods. Instead I’ll shorten it with a haiku:
Tangled plug-in life.
Efficient ear buddies: hi.
Effortless magic.
Cost: $145
Primary Benefit: Siri in your ear. Never worry about cords again. Impressive battery life. Perfect for exercising. Sexy.
Free Tuft & Needle Mattress Topper
Do you own a Tuft & Needle Mattress? If you do, this little hack is going to help you sleep better.
If you own a Tuft & Needle Mattress, you can request a mattress topper to be delivered to your door for free. All you have to do is email support and let them know your mattress is too firm. My topper arrived within a week and I’ve been sleeping better since.
Cost: Free.
Primary Benefits: Deeper sleep.
Now go live a better life.
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