A system you know and trust
Fall is here, time for a reset.
Hi there,
It’s been a while! I hope you’re well. I always enjoy reading what you’re up to, please do reach out if you want to share something you’re excited about.
Every so often we all need a reminder. A reminder to get back to the systems you know and trust. We went from hot summer to cool fall in the space of a week here in the Netherlands, and this is also the time where school is buzzing, the summer holidays are over and work is busier than ever. That’s a lot. And additionally, there’s so much to read, to learn and so much that I’d love to work on. I don’t know about you, but I find it nice and overwhelming at the same time. The issue is not that I don’t know how to fix it — I just need a bit of time to think, write and ruthlessly prioritize to get things back on track — it’s that I need a nudge to actually do that. If that’s you, too, here’s that ping.
That’s also why I love new seasons: they are a reset. An opportunity to start over. But you shouldn’t stop just there. This morning, Readwise reminded me of a bit Marcus Aurelius wrote in Meditations: “make yourself a gift of this present time”. This goes beyond getting your to-do list in order, because that’s just a means to an end. Aurelius triggers to do better. Not because someone requires that of you, or because someone or something will be mad if you don’t, but because we’re simply here to be good humans. You’re answering to yourself and only yourself. Raise that bar.
You may or may not know it, but since writing GRIP I’ve been working on my startup Rise. And after nearly four years of working on that, we’re at the point that I can confidently say it’s the best piece of software I’ve ever worked on.
It’s a calendar and a project manager in one. Imagine the simplicity of great tools like Trello, married with your calendar. You can seamlessly move events, tasks and projects around, while having everything connected under the hood.
I always wanted to build something that goes beyond a tool for individual enthousiasts and power users. Something so clean and simple that you confidently share with everyone at the office. A product that help make it easier for everyone to get to what is truly important and to do that ruthlessly prioritization I wrote about before.
Yesterday I finally sat down to record a little video of the current state. It takes two minutes and it gives a good overview of what Rise can do.
I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback if you try it (and also if you don’t want to or can’t). Here’s where you get started — Rise is free to use individually.
Have a fantastic Friday,
Rick