Hello, fellow tinkerer 👋

Happy Wednesday. If you're a solopreneur, I am hosting a free live session next Thursday, June 25th — Your Solopreneur Tech Stack: What You Need, What You Don't. If you're not sure which tools are worth paying for, this session is for you.

1) Reflection:

I'm writing this from a hotel in San Francisco, my second trip this month (the first being New York two weeks ago). My spouse is here for a conference, and I've been enjoying kid-free days and eating my way through the city.

While on a streetcar yesterday, I was listening to David Sedaris as a guest on a podcast. In addition to being funny (as he always is), he's incredibly observant of the world around him. He notices minute details about people's behaviors, what they say, and even what they're wearing.

I love taking photos when I'm on trips, but for the remaining few days I'm here, I plan to pull out my notebook and write down some of the things I see. Of all places to do this, San Francisco has an endless supply of things to observe. It's a whole vibe.

2) Product

I am very particular about how I sleep, and used to travel with a weighted blanket. Not great when airlines have weight limits on suitcases.

Now I travel with the Hug Sleep Pod. It's a compression sleep sack. If you also like sleeping with a weighted blanket, it's a good alternative for travel. For me, the compression is enough to offset the lack of a weighted blanket.

3) Tip

I love planning trips and use Notion for this (you can read how here). As much as possible, I scope out where I want to go, what I want to do, and where I want to eat.

But I'm also flexible, like if I'm tired or something doesn't go as planned. I'd head to Google for a search like "food near me" and then figure out how to get to a new location using Google Maps.

For this trip, I have Notion connected to Claude. So instead of doing a search like "food near me" I have Claude do a search. Claude can even update Notion. It's a more personalized version of a search, since Claude can factor in my upcoming plans, my food preferences, and restaurant reviews.

Want more ideas?

→ I was a guest on the Sunlight Tax podcast. Check out the episode: Why Self-Employment May Be More Secure Than a Traditional Job.
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→ Why managers should never lose sight of what their teams do daily.

That's it for this issue of Tinkering! See you again in two weeks.

Cheers,
Anna

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