jilleduffy

jilleduffy, 2 days ago to random

Why is the plural
paper towels
but
toilet paper
?

I demand "toilet papers"

jilleduffy, 6 days ago to random

Did you see that Pinterest's stock price surged last week? I wrote a quick article about 5 uses cases when it is a fantastic tool. What I didn't say is this:

Pinterest is repeatedly overlooked as a social network because its user base is overwhelmingly female. Gen Z has been picking it up more and more the last year. Do not discount women, especially young women, and their spending power

https://www.pcmag.com/articles/pinterest-surprisingly-good-for-these-things

jilleduffy, 7 days ago to random

I call this one

MISTAKES WERE GLAZED

(My pottery names are getting to be a little too much like Bob's Burger of the Day.)

A handmade mug turned so you can see its bottom; there is an ugly excess of glaze from the mug that has pooled and dried around its base, causing sharp messy bottom that makes the mug unusable unless ground away with special tools. You can see air pocket and bubbles in the excess
A handmade mug in a shimmering opalescent glaze on a window still with potted house plants in the background.

jilleduffy, 10 days ago to random

Every. Single. Day. This. Week,
I said,
"Wait. What day is it?"

jilleduffy, 11 days ago to random

My real secret to being organized with digital stuff is this:

I delete ruthlessly

I delete emails, including sent mail, and my browser history, and photos in my messaging apps, and contacts, and files I'm not using—everything. Many people WANT to be organized, but they don't want to delete anything, and I will tell you that you can't have it both ways. You can deny it, but it's true.

jilleduffy, 12 days ago to random

Back to pottery content!

I've been wanting to develop a maker's mark, aka potter's mark, but I was lost for a while on my style. What should it look like? Should I use both J and D initials since the Duffy name is so important to me? Some of my mates at the pottery studio got a stamp with their initials 3D printed from Etsy sellers, but I didn't want to have handmade ceramics with a machine-made signature. This weekend I finally decided on mine and have begun crafting them and testing them.

A freeform piece of light gray clay on a granite table top with a J in a square stamped into it
In the foreground, a freeform piece of light gray clay on a granite table top with a J in a square stamped into it; and in the background, three rectangular pieces of clay with a backward J shape carved into them. The J has right angles instead of a soft curve and is very wide at the bottom

jilleduffy, 13 days ago to random

Timeboxing really isn't a bad productivity method, but it has such limited use case for normal people that you have to understand when it doesn't work

https://www.pcmag.com/articles/timeboxing-works-but-watch-pitfalls

jilleduffy, 15 days ago to random

Nice to be quoted in Wirecutter this week!
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/clean-organize-store-phone-photos/

jilleduffy, 16 days ago to random

Sometimes James Clear has insightful things to say, but other times it's so misguided.

Take for example this post about focusing on one goal at a time. https://jamesclear.com/buffett-focus

The premise is "Warren Buffet is successful because he gained more than $50 billion by ruthlessly pursuing his goal of getting money."

To accept that premise blindly shows a total loss of critical thinking.

"If a man pursues money above all else and then gets it, he's successful"

Wow

jilleduffy, 17 days ago to random

No, I hope this email finds YOU well

jilleduffy, 20 days ago (edited 20 days ago) to random

Is LinkedIn the new cesspit of social media? I'm years removed from FB and Twitter, still on Insta, and only peek in on TikTok from time to time, but LinkedIn has some CRAZIES!

jilleduffy, 20 days ago to random

3 rules of real estate success:
location, location, location

3 rules to being organized and productive:
simplicity, simplicity, simplicity

If it is not simple, you will not do it
If it is not simple, you will not do it well
If it is not simple, you will not be consistent with it

https://www.pcmag.com/explainers/get-organized-5-productive-habits-to-start-your-day

jilleduffy, 27 days ago to random

Sometimes a deep understanding of the simplest advice is what ultimately clicks
https://www.pcmag.com/explainers/look-at-your-to-do-list-daily-to-be-productive

jilleduffy, 1 month ago to random

I do think there are times when a business or organizations needs to inject a sense of urgency and importance in their workers, but it can't be to get out of a hole, which is what Samsung is doing.

If it's a race to a meaningful innovation, such as a medical treatment/cure or an environmental discovery, then I can see motivating staff and asking them to work overtime.

But to mandate it from leadership to get out of a hole? No

jilleduffy, 1 month ago to random

Would you like your workers to feel burned out, like they don't matter and that only capitalism matters? Then try enforcing a six-day workweek on your leadership team! The effects will trickle down!

https://www.pcmag.com/news/samsung-imposes-6-day-workweeks-for-execs-to-combat-crisis

jilleduffy, 1 month ago to random

The absolute joy of making a spring haircut appointment

jilleduffy, 1 month ago to random

The tool I use the most when I would otherwise have writer's block is this: I write down everything I DO know about the project or assignment. Sometimes it's merely my name, the idea or pitch, and placeholders for hed and dek. As soon as I have something on the page, more follows. It's a super effective trick at getting started when I'm stuck.

I have 5 more tricks similar to that one.
https://www.pcmag.com/explainers/how-to-start-tasks-when-stuck