Standing On Giants

Looking to Stand on the Shoulders of Giants

In the good ole days I had a pretty good memory.
The good ole days were before iPhone’s, Moleskins, and any other cool thing I could use to write things on.
Today, in my older age I have to write things down. In fact if I don’t write it down it likely will never happen.

On the left is a picture of my iPhone home screen. I have been on a hunt over the last 3 months trying to find a nice blend of productivity/calendar apps that help me remember as well as execute ideas, commitments and meetings. Here are the three that are making it work.

Continue reading…

1. Tempo

This by far is the best Calendar app I have used yet. What do car guys say, you should see under the hood? Well you should see under this apps hood. It is not only beautifully designed but under the hood is where it really shines. It is one of the most intelligent apps I have on my phone (yes even smarter then Siri). As I enter in information about when, where, what and why it stats to search my emails, contacts and texts and pulls them together inside this app to alert me to all the info I would need for upcoming meetings, appointments and events. I have found myself checking it often to be reminded of different things I have going throughout the day. It has kept me on task and organized. A must have for anyone looking for an upgrade in calendar.

2. Any.do

This app is my one stop shop for any task I need to get done in the day. Whether it be a reminder to pay a bill, make a phone call or smile more, Any.do keeps these task simple and right in front of me. Another beautiful designed app the home screen doesn’t overwhelm you with options but instead ask you what you need to do and when you need to do get it done. And a great bonus, it has a Chrome Extension that makes it even easier to use. Here is a great review written up about it as well that walks you through each function.

3. Thinglist

This is an app I wish I had about 4 years ago. I am a big resource type of guy. I love to share things I have found with other as well as I love to discover new things. But I have never had the ability to actually capture these resources in a nice easy way. I have tried evernote, notepad, emails to myself, and other productivity apps and they never seem to stick. This app has been my go to for remembering all the things I want to check out.
Whether it is a book, song, restaurant, drink or countless other things, Thinglist presents a home screen that allows you to choose the category you are want to remember, enter in the information and store it away for future reference. This is another must have app for anyone looking to remember that band your friend told you to check out, or the book you have been hearing everyone talk about.

Anderson Design Company

Kyle Reed // @kylereed

Love these posters created by Anderson Design Company located here in Nashville, TN.

In Design, Social Media

A Letter To My Mom on Mother’s Day

Kyle Reed // @kylereed

Mom, today is your day.
Today is your day because 364 days you make it our day. You selflessly care for each of us in ways that only a mother could.
And as the wold looks to the women in their lives that have meant so much to them, I look to you Mom and see someone who is worthy of celebrating.

For all the times that I have called and you have answered…thank you!
For all the times you have sent me encouraging letters and emails…thank you!
For all the sporting events you have sat through and always had something encouraging to yell…thank you!
For all the times you came home after working 8 plus hours to cook us dinner…thank you!
For all the ways you have shown me what a woman of God looks like…thank you!
For the many times you have given me grace..thank you!
For making me hamburger helper…thank you!

Today the celebration of you does not stop, in fact it serves as a reminder for all the amazing things you do for us each and every day. Yes today is mothers day, but truthfully every day is mothers day. Because every day you deserve to hear thank you and I love you.

Mom, thank you and I love you.

In Life

When Does Opinion Matter

Kyle Reed // @kylereed

Tuesday I was working on a video piece for my job.
Now to clarify, I do not edit video, my job is to stick to websites and design, but I found myself completely a video mashup of a message (seen herehttp://youtu.be/yZTQA4TRhSA) and found myself with 8 minutes of footage and needing to cut it down to 2:30 minutes of footage.

As I was dialoguing with our video editor about cutting the project down he said something interesting.

“The job of the editor is to be unemotionally about the footage, but emotionally attached to the story,”

I had never thought of it that way before. I was trying to cram all the footage into one story, instead of letting editing the story into the paramaters that were in front of me.

Read the rest over on @medium here

In 20 Somethings, Life, Story

Playing It Safe

Kyle Reed // @kylereed

There is a temptation to play it safe.
I struggle with this every single day.

The temptation is to stick with what you know, talk more then actually doing things and provides opinions rather then solutions.

Safety is a value we are taught from a very young age. Things like looking both ways before you cross, not touching the stove or talking to strangers are all things that keep us safe. But inside this safety that protects us we start to get so comfortable with this place that we confuse what we are suppose to not play safe.

Life is not meant to be safe.
There is no hall of fame for those that play it safe.

We don’t celebrate safe decisions, we celebrate those that take risk.
We don’t mimic those that never stepped out, we mimic those that jumped without the safety net.

The temptation every day is to play it safe, but the only way to truly live is to step out from safety, embrace the unknown and live where safety cannot be found.