I've wanted a stainless steel tumbler for a long time. I've owned several vacuum-insulated tumblers in the past, but they are all plastic and break over time (especially if accidentally dropped). I looked for alternatives, and found several brands: Yeti, Rtic, and many more that are all about the same. All of them were anywhere from $15-40 for a single tumbler.
On a recent trip to Costco, however, I found a 2-pack of the Reduce Cold-1 30oz tumblers for $20. I thought I would give them a shot. And I'm a big believer in them now. The day I brought them home (at about 2pm) I washed them, and put ice in my tumbler. I refilled the water several times for the remainder of the day. I placed the cup next to my bedside and fell asleep. When I woke in the morning, I grabbed my tumbler and to my surprise - there was still ice in there!
I highly recommend these if you get the chance to pick them up. I included the Amazon link, but if you live near a Costco, you can save some cash by picking them up there.
Rinfit Silicone Wedding Bands
My wife and I have never had our rings re-dipped since we've been married, and I thought this year would be a good year to do it. Additionally, there have been times at work that I have been messing with electrical equipment, and my wife's rings don't quite fit her.
So I started looking for alternatives to wear while we get our wedding bands all fixed up. I stumbled upon the Rinfit line of silicone wedding bands. I was able to pick up a simple men's band in black, and picked up a multi-color pack of women's bands for my wife. We are both really please with how well they fit and how they can adapt as our hands expand/contract with heat and cold. As an added benefit, I won't get electrical shocks from this at work. Maybe I won't miss that metallic taste in my mouth after all…
All too often, I realize the paths I take in my daily life have problems. And it makes me realize how broken I can be, often times at very basic level. But when I have these moments, I'm able to overcome them through creative methods, past experiences, and most of all friends, and build it back up again. And sharing the problem makes me feel that I'm not alone.
Seth Clifford and I met as all modern-day bromances do: on the internet. Over time, our internet acquaintance has turned into a solid foundation for a friendship. And now, he is one of my closest friends. Through some time, patience, and a lot of some badgering, we are finally taking the next step: a podcast.
A special thanks to the amazing Satchell Drakes for the incredible artwork. I couldn't be happier with how well it turned out. He is the best!
In the first episode, we talk about the reasoning for the show, and what we want Fundamentally Broken to be. For now, this is going to be monthly-ish: it could be sooner, it could be longer. We are busy with work and family, and sometimes our available time is slim. So it's just going to be a surprise when you see it pop up in your feed.
There are two certain things in this world: death and taxes. And since I'm not dead yet, I'll have to do some adulting on a yearly basis and do my taxes. I'm not upset about paying taxes; in fact, I'm one of those people that likes knowing how my taxes work and figuring it out myself, because it's my money. And sometimes, doing some tedious tasks bring me joy. It's a sickness really. But I digress…
Let me get this out of the way: there is nothing wrong if you want to pay someone else to do your taxes.1 It might save you time, you can deduct the fees on the next year's taxes, and you have piece of mind that things [hopefully] didn't get screwed up to avoid an audit; if something does happen, at least there's some recourse in getting it taken care of without cost to you. You may have more complex taxes because you run your own business or whatever. And there is zero wrong with paying someone who is well-versed in tax filing to do this work for you.
But rather than pay $150 (or more) a year, I fill out my own forms. For my adult life, I have done my own taxes almost every year, save two: the year we bought a house and got married, and the year right after that. The years prior to us getting married, I was able to fill out the EZ forms, which are just as they sound: easy. The tricky couple of years, especially the second, laid the foundation for me to be able to handle more complexity with taxes with a house and family. The only other big life event that influenced our taxes was the birth of our youngest son, which from a tax perspective, only adds another dependent. We've had miscellaneous forms here and there to fill out for credits when we've purchased energy efficient windows or new appliances, but nothing has been so complicated that I can't figure it out.
For the last few years, I have downloaded the documentation and forms that I needed, filled out everything, and printed it all from iOS. I usually make a checklist in my task management app for the things I need. But this year, because I've been using Reminders.app for the last several months and it is limited in structure, I needed a different way to keep track of my taxes.
In general terms, I need to do the following:
Make a checklist of personal information and documentation to gather like W2s, taxes paid, etc.
Make a list of forms and instructions to file.
Store gathered documents in a single place, so I know right where to go.
Fill out the forms and store the completed, signed versions for my records.
File my taxes.
This year, I'm going to use Notes.app for getting my taxes done. There are a lot of benefits now that Notes.app has been improved starting with iOS 9, and is flexible enough to handle this. My taxes are relatively simple, and I can follow along with the information I needed from the year prior to see what I need to gather. I entered everything into a new note, capturing everything as plain text; then I formatted a note like this:
Now that I know what I need, I can start gathering the information into the note. I can include images of my license plate fees, and store them directly into the note. I can download the other documentation and forms as PDFs, so that everything is in one convenient place.2 And, I can also lock the note, so that my personal information won't be easily accessible.
For completing my tax forms, I use PDF Expert to fill out all my forms. I also use the wonderful PCalc for my calculator, especially in the widget: utilizing the copy/paste functionality there helps me as I go line-by-line when I'm filling out the forms. I always fill the forms out at least twice: the first time to fill it out, the second time to double check that I'm right. If there is a discrepancy, I'll fill it out another time to reconcile the other two. Repeat as needed. Again, my taxes are relatively simple, so doing this work just takes a bit of my time. But if I have everything I need right there in a note, it's a breeze to go through.
When I know that I'm done and it's ready to send out, my wife and I will digitally sign the forms in PDF Expert, and I'll save a flattened PDF into the note. I'll print it out, and send it in. Yes, I'm one of those people also. I could e-File my taxes, but I have envelopes, so I might as well just print it out and mail it in. If you do mail it in, send it in USPS certified mail. It will cost you a minimum of $7.54 total for both Federal and State taxes,3 but it means that if it gets lost in the mail, you won't be assessed late fees on your taxes.4
I already made a note template so that next year, I can copy it, and then easily change the tax year; I can also save things in there as the year progresses, which will be super helpful for me. Doing your own taxes can be tricky, and it's not for everyone. But it's made that much easier when I have one place to look for everything, and it's even easier when the tool I need is natively there in iOS. Notes.app has really come a long way, and I'm hopeful that it keeps improving.
Note: this is for the US tax system. So if you're outside the US and reading this, I have no idea if this is done in the same way. ↩
I would, however, love the ability to edit the PDFs in place in Notes. If I can fill out forms and sign them right from Notes.app, that would be amazing. ↩
Depending on how thick the stack of paper is to mail, your postage may be more. ↩
Just make sure you keep a copy of your receipt(s) for this. Pro tip: take a picture or scan, and add that to your note. ↩
Normally when I have an idea, I'll write about it. This past time, I decided to do something a bit different, and write more about how I felt rather than explain it. But, I also realize that this new-to-me idea might need a bit of help and guidance for those that aren't well versed in the subject, like me. So I'll do my best here to explain.
Full disclosure: I'm not a programmer, I'm not a developer, I'm not an expert. So don't rely on this post for complex methods.
Dictionaries
In simple terms, dictionaries are a place to store information in a tabular-like format, similar to a database or an array.1 The difference with dictionaries is that they use key/value pairs: using "keys", you can call specific "values" for each item. An example of something you might want to put into a plain-text dictionary would be a rating system:
Rating
Number
Poor
1
Marginal
2
Acceptable
3
Good
4
Best
5
If you are given a descriptor of "Acceptable", you can understand this numerically on a 1-5 scale. Using a table is great for viewing. But if you want to actually use that data, then changing the table to a plain-text dictionary will allow you to pull information out of it based on a search string.
Entering Dictionaries
Plain-text dictionaries follow the following format:
For every line, you'll need to follow the quotes, colons, and commas exactly as above for it to work.2 So for the example Markdown table above, I can write that in plain text like so:
Once you have everything in that format, you can place this simple dictionary either as a text block or a .txt file that you can call out of iCloud Drive or Dropbox in Workflow.
Workflow also has the capability of entering in a dictionary. Workflow asks for different types of values; it can get complex, and I'm not going to cover that here. But to enter this simple dictionary, we can use the Dictionary step as follows:
Once completed for any of the methods — TextGet File or Dictionary action blocks — be sure to include a Set Variable step so that you can call it later.
Personally, while Workflow is very powerful for this type of thing, I would prefer to enter my dictionaries in plain-text form. This allows me to duplicate workflows more easily while calling a different directory. It also means that I can edit them quickly in a text editor like Drafts and save them. What I do for files in Drafts is use the [[title]] for the name of the file and [[body]] for the dictionary, like so:
Pulling Out Information
Now that the dictionary is set, we can pull out specific information. For example, you can call out a list of the keys you have stored in the dictionary. Once the dictionary is called using the Get Dictionary From Input step, place a Get Dictionary Value block with All Keys selected. What this will do is provide a list of the keys, which you can call using a Choose From List block. One thing that calling dictionaries doesn't do well is give you the values the way you have them stored. For example, the stored rating list is presented like so:
The list is out of order. Unfortunately this is an inherent thing with dictionaries, and slightly aggravating to someone like myself who likes things orderly. However, there is a small thing that can be done: using a Filter Files block after the Get Dictionary Values, you can sort by Name and select A → Z; this sorts the list alphabetically, which is more helpful to find what you're looking for instead of a random list.
Then, set that chosen value as a variable. This will become the variable that you look up in the dictionary. Use the Get Variable and Get Dictionary From Input blocks to call it again, along with a Get Dictionary Value. This time, however, use Value and put in your search variable in the Key field. This will search the dictionary for the given key, and give you the value associated with it. What you do with that value is up to you.
Say I switch companies and start using a different rating scale that goes from 1 - 10, along with a change in descriptors. I can simply go to my draft, edit the plain text, save the file, and I'm all set; there's nothing to change in the workflow.
Reminders Example
I've been using Reminders a lot more lately for tasks. The Siri input is really great from the iPhone and the Watch. But there are times that I need to be silent, and can't say "Siri, remind me to [do something] when I get [home/work/etc]." I've been using this workflow for a while to do just that.
However, I can have one master contact file for frequent addresses I might need, and use it for two purposes:
While these workflows are different in what they produce, at the core, they call the same information to be used in different ways.
Advantages
Through the Reminders example, you can start to realize the big benefit of using the plain-text dictionaries stored in your file system: using one file in multiple workflows.3 I can change the text file one time, and my workflows will pull in the updated information when it runs. Did one of the frequent addresses change? Edit in one place, use in multiple workflows, all with minimal effort. For automation, a write-once-use-anywhere mentality is ideal.
If I move or change roles at work, things that I regularly access are easily modified by typing, instead of duplicating the work again in another workflow. Need to add or change an address? An email address? Or maybe add or change [phone number](https://workflow.is/workflows/2563ac9600dc4ba5b474f3e7f80f545a ""Call…" Workflow")? Type in the change to your text file, save the file to your system of choice, and you're done.4
When I worked with Seth on creating some workflows, I didn't realize that it would allow me to expand what I'm doing with Workflow. I plan to explore further, perhaps going deeper into more complex dictionaries. But that time will come. For now, using these simple dictionaries to give me the flexibility to create has been fun. I hope you enjoy them as well. If you come up with something cool, hit me up.
One thing that tripped me up was putting a comma at the end of the last line. If you do that, nothing gets passed into the dictionary, and your workflow will crap out. If you experience that error, check it out. ↩
I do wish, however, that I could copy a block of commands from one workflow to another. Looking at you, Workflow 2.0… ↩
Just make sure you follow the syntax from above. It does require a bit of caution, after all… ↩
There are a lot of times where I seem to create good workflows or actions. They sometimes come out of nowhere, and really elevate some of my productive life. And sometimes I create them for friends based on their original ideas.
Recently, I was helping Seth work through an idea, and it turned into an awesome evolution clipboard management. There's a lot of useful tips in there and new ways of using Drafts and Workflow, so go read it. Now. I'll be here when you get back…
Being that Seth and I talk often — OK, a LOT — and we often bounce these things back and forth, I helped to create some actions and workflows to make those ideas become a reality. One of the important parts I came up with in the article he posted was the use of a dictionary to produce a list, which is helpful in so many things and a "damned creative" way of doing it, as he put in. Using this same idea, I improved a workflow that I had made for my frequent contacts, pulling from a plain-text dictionary of names and numbers instead of listing out a menu and contacts, while also leaving the option to input a number to call. I made an additional one for the doctors and pharmacies we use. And I plan on creating more.
I was really pleased with myself for coming up with this idea. But here's the thing: I have done this kind of list lookup before, however, it was used for a completely different purpose. I had previously posted about a Today workflow that helps me see my daily agenda ok my Apple Watch. In that workflow, I had a part that used a dictionary which formatted the time of events or reminders: it would change a give time of 12:00 AM to 12⁰⁰a. I did this because, well, that's just how I like to see the times. As I was working the idea of these clipboard snippet workflows out in my head, it dawned on me to try the same method to replace text with a link. After trying some different things, I ended up creating something that was even better than I had hoped. I had taken something from before, changed it up, and made it work for me in a new way. Keeping text files that I can change and pull from in iCloud Drive isn't a new concept, but using it in this way has elevated what I'm doing and made it more powerful for many other productivity workflows.
When I was a kid, I thought my dad was the smartest technical person I knew. He had such a breadth of knowledge about a lot of things: cars, home repair, gardening, etc. And while I know my dad is incredibly smart, what I've come to learn as I've gotten older is that he has the intelligence as well as the experience. Having the experience from previous situations or obstacles and knowing how those were solved before can make all the difference in the world. He could look at anything like a puzzle, break it down to its parts, and then work to build it up and make it a functioning whole. And I feel like I have learned a lot from him in this regard, and still often learn now that I'm older.
Now, I have a wonderful community of like-minded nerds who challenge me and help me to learn new things or new methods of working. And some of them have become great friends - even best friends — that foster the creativity within me to use the tools that I already have or learn new ones to apply in different ways, create new methods, and solve other problems. The reality of my circle of friends and the greater productivity world I poke around in: I'm not the smartest person when it comes to this stuff, nor will I ever claim to be. There are otherhighly-capable, intelligentindividuals who have more experience than me at putting the pieces together to create amazing workflows. But I'm always gaining the experience necessary to improve, put things together into something new, and be able to create some useful workflows of my own. I started out not knowing what I could do with Drafts and Workflow to using it daily, unsure of how I'd live without them. They really have taken my personal productivity to another level.
As Seth said:
I realize it seems circuitous and somewhat silly, but the whole point of all of this is to play and learn. … these small excursions also allow me to think through problems and find new ways to solve them. … These are the little puzzles I like to solve.
Personal growth can come from a lot of different places. And in my life thus far, nothing has made me grow more as a person than gaining experience. It has allowed me to learn as I go and further my personal and professional lives in positive ways. It allows me to have new insight into different puzzles that need to be solved, and I can't wait to see what my experience helps me do for the next one.
