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• Post #4372096

  #3GoodThings Morning tea with a group of ladies older than me, all unapologetically wearing their interesting lives and experiences as a queen wears her robes and still being present with each other Video call with my overseas son who I miss, and who regularly shares the antics of his sweet little dog to help brighten my day Seeing sunshine, blue sky, and wispy clouds while driving along the Woy Woy waterfront

• Post #4195263

  @saxicola Do you replace the battery yourself? And the waterproofing gasket?

• Post #4195262

  They say that when you have a project idea you’re excited about, you shouldn’t share it in public because the dopamine from getting people’s oh-wow-that-sounds-great reaction is what can deflate your interest and stop you getting to the end of it. Well, I have this personal design project I’m really excited about. I started it this week, have to have it finished by next week, and delivered the week after. It’s fun! And it’s going well. The end.

• Post #4195261

  This time last year I took my first break from publishing a weekly newsletter for 3 years straight due to a traumatic family event. One year on and lightning has struck our family twice. Plain text productivity isn’t too important right now. We are pulling through, together, once again.

• Post #3467924

  This week: Progress bars. Little graphics that illustrate your current position on a pre-defined journey. Track goals with typewriter-style plain text progress bars, then join a new off-algorithm space for plain text enthusiasts. Two goodies, no plugins. Medium (includes blog post link) https://medium.com/@miscellaneplans/ptpl-214-hand-typed-progress-bars-plus-a-new-plain-text-discussion-zone-70b3756988dd Blog https://ellanew.com/2026/06/29/ptpl-214-text-progress-bars-dfos-discussion-zone #pt...

• Post #3454925

  HUMAN•KIND be both

• Post #3436481

  RE: https://aus.social/@slevelt/116773568852822363 Do you know the Nutbush dance? It’s true—it really is an Australian icon! Everyone under the age of 65 or so did this at school as a kid and knows it still. #Australia #music #dance

• Post #3436480

  EDIT: I went with Herbin’s Bleu Myosotis, which I will mix with Poussière de Lune when I want it a little darker. Thanks, all! - - - I'm looking for an everyday #fountainpen ink colour for my Hobonichi. It needs to be dark enough to be easily legible, and light enough to not ghost on Tomoe River paper as much as black and deep navy do. No yellows, oranges, or dull greys, please. Subtle shades only. I'm thinking something in the blues or dusky purples would be nice. I'...

• Post #3436479

  No matter what past-you instructed your task manager to put in front of you today, only today's you knows what is going to work for them. I'm talking about giving yourself permission to view your task lists as a menu rather than a mandate. Because task management is ultimately about making sense of what's in front of you so that you can do more of what matters. Medium (includes blog post link) https://medium.com/@miscellaneplans/ptpl-213-the-day-i-realised-my-task-lis...

• Post #3436478

  RE: https://mastodon.social/@jimniels/116805325258466647 And sometimes writing a blog can be like “If I write this down maybe it will start to make more sense in my mind”, or “No one I know IRL is interested in this stuff so I’m going to write about it and pretend I’m talking to someone who loves the topic as much as I do” #blogging #blog #writing

• Post #3436477

  Friends in the UK and Europe, I am so very sorry you are going through this horrible heatwave! And I’m sorry I ever thought you were even a little bit wimpy just because we regularly get weather like that and manage ok. Forgive my ignorance. I didn’t realise just how unprepared you are to survive this kind of weather due to things you can’t instantly control, like buildings designed for cold weather, no air conditioners. Wishing you all the best getting through this xx #heatwave #weather

• Post #2939112

  Our family had the news we were hoping and praying for this week: my son and his wife, who lost their firstborn 11 days after his birth, safely delivered their second little son. So grateful! He is beyond precious.

• Post #2939111

  This week: How to reclaim focus for your distractible brain with a one-page weekly planner. I love that it is light enough to always carry, flexible enough for both planning and freeform notes, and simple enough that I am consistently using it, week after week. Best of all, it's screen-free! Medium (includes blog post link) https://medium.com/@miscellaneplans/ptpl-209-how-to-design-a-screen-free-one-page-weekly-planner-f9104672f0c6 Blog https://ellanew.com/2026/05/25/ptpl-209-screen-...

• Post #2939110

  I am late to the party that announced Gumroad now has a payout minimum of $100 for my country. What were they thinking?? My Gumroad store is extremely modest. I've never reached $100 in a single month. Time to look elsewhere. Payhip only takes 5%, half what Gumroad takes. Any other suggestions for small-time indie creator downloads, please do let me know. #ecommerce

• Post #2939109

  These are my shortcuts to the Obsidian files that organise my daily life. Projects, to do list, calendar, OBTF (now called 1-N, or one note), plain text planner. Labels are in Shavian. This folder sits in my dock. And that is why we have the internet! The chances of meeting anyone in my neighbourhood who thinks this is anything other than strange nerdish behaviour is practically nil. #productivity #obsidian #obtf #plainTextPlanner #shavian

• Post #2737011

  Boy did I feel petty when visiting the graveyard with fellow mourners and had to explain why I involuntarily said "that's embarrassing" out loud on seeing "it's" where there should have been "its" on a neighbouring headstone… #englishLanguage #grammar

• Post #2737010

  You know that advice that if you enjoyed someone’s work, you should take a moment to tell them? Well someone just sent me this and I am smiling so wide that now I want to send happy stuff to everyone : “ HELLO! I like your stuff. Keep doing your stuff. I do similar stuff to your stuff. But this email isn’t about about my stuff. It's about me taking 45 seconds out of my day to hopefully make your day a little better. With admiration, - fellow plain-text enthusiast from across the wo...

• Post #2737009

  This week I share three cool tech finds, no affiliates: plain text capture, a Bauhaus obsession, and the keyboard that finally fits my EDC: - Capture for Obsidian @hiro - Bauhaus Clock for iOS - Nillkin foldable keyboard with trackpad. Medium members https://medium.com/@miscellaneplans/ptpl-208-3-cool-plain-text-app-and-tech-finds-0fff212aaff6 Blog https://ellanew.com/2026/05/18/ptpl-208-capture-obsidian-bauhaus-clock-nillkin-keyboard Next week: All about my new ​templates​ for planning yo...

• Post #2737008

  Complete this sentence: "Nothing would surprise me more than to look into the future and see that in 5 years I am…" My turn: - a dedicated Emacs user Your turn:

• Post #2737007

  Today I learned that while English speakers call those super toxic sea dwellers “jellyfish”, the French have chosen the poetically deadly name of “Medusa box”! #TIL #EnglishLanguage #french

• Post #2489380

  What if your calendar was just a text file? This week I show you how to build a todo.txt-format calendar — which is of practical use all on its own — and optionally view today's events in your Obsidian daily note. It is inspired by calendar.txt, but it's not that. Yes, I know Emacs can do it all. It's not that, either, by design. Medium (includes blog post link) https://miscellaneplans.medium.com/how-to-create-a-plain-text-calendar-with-the-todo-txt-format-41f0ce6f093...

• Post #2132275

  RE: https://eldritch.cafe/@Dykecyclette/116494622044400239 When people insist on helping after politely being told you don't want them to 🤣 Sometimes the kindest thing you can do is let people do things their own way, and not assume your way is better. #accessibility #people #life #kindness

• Post #2132274

  Envelope budgeting: planning ahead for known expenses by regularly putting money into pre-determined categories, or envelopes. This week I show how I’m doing that in plain text accounting, specifically, Beancount. Medium (includes blog link) https://medium.com/@miscellaneplans/ptpl-206-plain-text-accounting-envelope-budgeting-in-beancount-8a5b49b3281b Blog https://ellanew.com/2026/05/04/ptpl-206-beancount-envelope-budgeting #plainTextAccounting #budgeting #plainText

• Post #2132273

  Bone conducting headphones are the bomb!! I've tried Apple Airpods Pro and various other in and over ear head/earphones, and these are better than them all. Not because of sound quality; because of feel. I can't bear things covering my ears (or inserted into them) for long. FYI they are the Shokz OpenRun, first version. Looked at Brain.fm briefly and liked it, but not at that price. Currently giving Lo-fi Girl a go. #technology #headphones #adhd #study #music

• Post #1935361

  And now, a visual representation of a circular definition #humor #clock #time #academicchatter #writing

• Post #1805061

  Golden hour in autumn 🧡 #Australia #NewSouthWales #GoldenHour #nature #naturePhotography #trees

• Post #1805060

  This week: Productivity finds worth your time including new Mac and iOS apps, Apple tips, a cool name for plain text notes, and more. Medium (includes blog link): https://medium.com/@miscellaneplans/ptpl-205-apple-shortcuts-handrolled-notes-and-apps-worth-your-attention-70e7b88c945d Blog: https://ellanew.com/2026/04/27/ptpl-205-productivity-picks-apple-apps-tips #ptpl #technology #MacOS #iOS #iPhone #PKM

• Post #1805059

  Looking for a 4-5 outlet powerboard with USB A and C charging ports, I came across this gem. Beware the fluffy pants! Still looking (for a reputable powerboard in Australia).

• Post #1805058

  Two love languages close to my heart: - Providing good food with no expectation someone eat it in front of you (a thank you text is appreciated and enough) - Listening to someone with the unquestioning assumption that they have interesting and worthwhile things to say (no judgement, asking thoughtful follow-up questions related to what they’ve just said, not thinking of what you want to say next while they’re still speaking) #kindness #social #food #family #friends

• Post #1781472

  If this is true … “Does the thought of handling every item in your home sound daunting? I hate to say it, but if it does, that’s an indication in itself that you own too much.” —Joshua Becker, The More of Less #minimalism #simplify #quote …then I most definitely own too much. Time to let go of things I don’t need or treasure. “I keep the things we need and love, guilt free, because I’ve accepted the size of the container that is my house…