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Wednesday, July 15, 2020
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
What’s On My Desk + Give Away
This is something that I’ve wanted to share for a while and I thought now would be a great time to do it. I find desk setups to be very fascinating and I’m always curious to see why people use the technology they use.
Each person’s desk is unique and specially catered to their needs, style, occupation and so on. I figured why not share what I use.
Also if you read the title of this post you’ll know I’m doing a giveaway. I’ll be giving away a new Logitech G703 gaming mouse.
If you’re interested in how you can enter the giveaway check out the end of this post.
Anyway, enough rambling, let me walk you through what’s on my desk.
ASUS ROG Zephyrus S (GTX 1070)
For the past few years, I’ve cycled through several computers because I couldn’t find the right solution for my needs. Towards the end of 2019, I bought the Asus Rog Zephyrus S and it’s been my main computing device since.
It’s the powerhouse of my setup and it gives me power and portability in a very sleek frame. The Zephrus S is a laptop I can travel with and when I return home, I’m able to connect it to my monitor for a better viewing experience.
I use it for school/work, producing my podcast, light gaming, and even occasional video editing.
LG – 27UL600-W 27″ LED 4K Monitor
I decided to go with this monitor because I intended to use it for photo and video editing. To be completely honest I haven’t edited many videos in recent months but I still get some use out of this monitor.
The size of the screen is just the right size and it fits fairly well on my Ikea Linnmon tabletop. I’m also a huge fan of the color, although it’s silver/white and everything else on my desk is black.
At times I wish I had more screen real estate but for now, this monitor gets the job done. Let’s just hope I eventually start editing more videos…
The Anne Pro 2 is a keyboard that I had my eye on for a long time and I recently got my hands on it. My desk is on the smaller side so moving to a 60% keyboard is life-changing because of the compact size.
The version I have is the black with gateron brown switches (For my keyboard enthusiasts). I appreciate having a wireless keyboard and it’s nice to have RGB lighting.
So far I’m loving this board and the goal is to eventually customize it with custom keycaps. That’s a project for another day though.
This mouse has been nothing but amazing and I’ve had it for a few years now. I never quite understood people who buy a mouse for gaming and a separate mouse for work.
For me, this mouse does it all. It’s super light, fits my hand like a glove, it has programmable keys, and I could go on.
My point is this mouse has been my go-to and I’ll most likely hold onto it until it stops working.
There is nothing I hate more in this world than a mousepad that frays. That’s an exaggeration but it seriously annoys me.
I thought the best solution to this problem would be to get a mousepad that isn’t made out of a cloth material, so I settled on this Satetchi pad. There isn’t much to say about this thing outside of the fact that it functions as advertised.
Keeping a wireless charging pad on my desk has been way more convenient than I initially imagined. It allows me to keep my phone close to me and check it frequently without the hassle of having to plug and unplug.
Anker makes reliable charging products and this pad was very affordable so if you’re thinking about buying one I can recommend this. Wireless charging isn’t a necessity, but it definitely is nice to have.
HooToo USB C Hub, 8-in-1 USB C Adapter
I originally bought this USB C adapter with the intention of pairing it with a MacBook pro that I had at the time. Since then I’ve sold the MacBook but the laptop I currently use has two USB C ports so this adapter is still useful.
Right now I use the adapter to house the USB dongle for my mouse, my external hard drive, and keyboard. When I need to transfer files via SD card I use the SD card reader too.
This adapter has its drawbacks and one of them being its limitation to support 4k at 60HZ. It irritates me slightly because I can’t directly connect my monitor to the adapter but I’ve gotten over it.
Western Digital 2TB Hard Drive
Once again there isn’t a whole lot I can say about this item. It’s 2 terabytes and it holds some of my larger files.
I haven’t had any issues with it but eventually, It would be cool to upgrade to an SSD.
My desk is pretty bare and simple! It’s the popular Linnmon tabletop with Advil legs.
I think it looks great and it’s relatively inexpensive on top of that. I want to buy 1 set of Alex drawers to increase my storage but that’s something I’ve been putting off for months now.
This is a cable management rack meant to help clean up stray and wild cables. I’ve experimented with using other options but this one works with so little thought.
And that’s what’s on my desk! What do you think of my setup? Do you think there are better solutions?
Now…
Let’s talk about the giveaway!
To enter all you need to do is retweet my original tweet and click here to enter.
I’ll be contacting the winner through email. I’ll also be tagging the winner on Twitter so make sure you’re following me!
The winner will be announced next Wednesday after 1 PM EST so be on the lookout.
Starting now I’ll be doing 1 give away a month centered around what content I publish. To stay up to date with my post and those giveaways, join my weekly review.
This is essentially a weekly email where I’ll share whatever post I published that week and I’ll share any interesting insights I’ve come across. The emails won’t be long or spammy and you can always unsubscribe at any time!
Thanks for reading this week’s post! Be sure to let me know what’s on your desk by tweeting at me @greenemekhi.
Links to everything I mentioned can be found by clicking on the heading of each item!
(Some of the above links are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, my page will receive some kickback if you click through and make a purchase)
The post What’s On My Desk + Give Away appeared first on Mekhi Greene.
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
A Healthy Iced Coffee Recipe
Thanks for checking out this week’s post. If you’re new here I write articles every Wednesday so stay up to date by joining my weekly newsletter!
Anyway today I wanted to share a healthy iced coffee recipe with you. This is a recipe that I use almost every morning and it’s extremely simple to make so you should be able to replicate it easily.
I should have titled this post, “How to Make French Press Coffee” because you’re going to need a french press for the recipe. I know you’re probably thinking I’m some self-righteous coffee critic who thinks I’m superior because I own a french press.
The truth is I just enjoy the manual process of making coffee and It’s something that I grew up watching my dad do, so it hits pretty close to home.
Back to the recipe. (Click Below if you would rather watch a video on the recipe)
The first step is to take 5 tablespoons of ground coffee and put it in your french press. I prefer medium roast more often than not.
Next, take a pot or tea kettle and fill it up with enough water to fill your French press.
Wait for it to boil and once it’s done, you’re going to want to pour the boiling water into your French press.
Wait 5 minutes and finally press your coffee.
At this point, your coffee is done but what I like to do is place my coffee in my fridge overnight so I can drink it in the morning.
I love iced coffee so each morning I’ll pour a cup with a little bit of almond milk and 2 ice cubes. This is one of a few healthy ways to sweeten coffee.
For breakfast, I normally pair my iced coffee with toast, an egg and a piece of fruit which makes for a light morning meal.
And that wraps up today’s post. This was meant to be a really quick post showing you another way as to how to make coffee.
Follow me on Instagram and Twitter at @greenemekhi and let me know what you think of my coffee recipe.
See you next week 
Things I talked about in this post
– Bodum French Press
– Starbucks Dessert Blend, Medium-Roast Ground Coffee
The post A Healthy Iced Coffee Recipe appeared first on Mekhi Greene.
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Reasons to Study Abroad: Why Travel Is Important
Before I get into why I think it’s important for students to travel abroad, I want to share my experience studying photography at The University of Westminster in England (July of 2019).
Without a doubt, my trip changed who I am in all areas of life and it’s been responsible for a large amount of my growth within the past year. I want to thank The Rowan University Education Abroad Office for all the amazing resources and for making my experience trouble-free.
Their staff wholeheartedly cares for every student and they go above and beyond when they really don’t need to.
My Travel Abroad Experience
At the end of 2018, I was mid-way through my junior year of college and I wasn’t in the best of places in my personal life. I felt like time was passing me by and I was letting it.
This was a feeling that went on for months and it came to a point where I wanted to rid myself of this invisible weight.
I wanted to learn more about myself as a person so I decided to seek out new experiences and change things up.
Around this time I made the decision to study abroad on a whim. Originally It was just a thought but the more research I did I realized that it would be an opportunity I shouldn’t pass up.
The intention to study abroad was influenced by several reasons. I felt trapped in my everyday environment, I was too comfortable, I needed to challenge myself to grow, and lastly, I’ve always wanted to travel.
Before it became official I attempted to talk myself out of going. I didn’t know what country to visit and outside of traveling with my family I never traveled alone.
Once the nerves settled I came to my senses and determined that I would study abroad in London, England.
I figured that this would be the best destination for me because the most common language in the United Kingdom is English and that is the only language I currently speak.
I wanted to be able to take myself outside of my comfort zone while not completely dissociating from my environment because I was in a country where I didn’t speak the language.
To make a long story short my trip lasted the majority of July and I regret that I ever had second thoughts about not going. During my stay in London, I met other students from across the U.S. through isa study abroad (Study abroad organization) and even other students from around the world.
I traveled around various parts of the city with total strangers and turned those relationships into friendships that I’ll treasure for life.
Shout out to Khem, Sierra, Muhsin, Danny, Ali, Blake, and everyone else I got the chance to meet.
Eventually, I was comfortable enough to travel outside of London by myself and I met doctor and YouTuber Ali Abdaal when I went to Cambridge, England. A few days prior I reached out to him about coming onto my podcast and he agreed to come on.
Ali gave me a ton of useful advice during our conversation and I couldn’t be any more appreciative of his generosity. Go check him out on YouTube, he’s a fantastic creator.
Nearing the end of my time abroad I spontaneously took a last-minute trip to The Netherlands for 2 days. A few months prior I would have never expected to find myself here but the timing was right.
I’m content with how I spent my time although I wish I took advantage of visiting a few other countries in Europe. Perhaps those trips are meant for future dates.
I know it sounds dramatic but just by following through on what at the time seemed like a farfetched idea, I created memories that I can hold onto forever.
With my story aside I think this would be a perfect time to pivot into why more students should prioritize going abroad.
Reasons To Travel
This list could be endless but for starters…
– It gives you the chance to travel
– You experience a new culture and environment
– Personal development
– It could open career opportunities
– You can develop new relationships
– Looks great on a resume
My personal favorite is the academic benefits of studying abroad. Most universities offer you college credit which counts towards graduation. Reach out to your school’s education abroad office and seek out more information on this.
They’ll be able to walk you through the entire process and help you learn about available programs and study abroad organizations.
It’s almost like taking an extended field trip to another country.
Oh, wait… It is!
By now you probably get the idea. There are many reasons to travel while in college but I believe that your reasons should be specific to you.
If it’s something you have thought about in the past but you’ve struggled to make that decision you should try to identify why that might be. If you’ve given it thought at one point it could be safe to suspect you have an interest.
Layout what your concerns are and measure them against what makes a trip seem appealing. I’m no expert in giving advice but this is what I did to figure out if I wanted to go to England.
Of course, there are more moving parts that go into making the decision such as finances, your schedule, family situations and more. Assuming things line up after analyzing your situation it comes down to where you want to visit.
“Where Should I Travel?”
With this topic, I can share my opinion but unfortunately, this is for you to decide. I know what I like but everyone gets different enjoyment out of life.
For example, maybe you like a slow and calm environment where life isn’t as hectic. Or maybe you want a fast-paced urban environment where there is an emerging creative scene.
Whatever it is that you have an interest in, visiting a country that can enhance your knowledge, skills, or apply to your major more often than not will have a positive return on investment.
Wrapping Up
At the end of the day if you think traveling isn’t for you, don’t force it. As much as I believe that education abroad is a life-changing experience, I also understand that it isn’t for everyone.
I would like to say that in my own experience the benefits far outweigh the negatives, but you be the judge.
That brings me to the end of this post. If you enjoyed it or got any value out of it, reach out to me on Twitter or Instagram at @greenemekhi and let me know!
Also, if you’re a college student and you have questions about studying abroad I would love to help you out and share some resources with you.
Anyway, I’ll catch you next week!
Things I talked about in this post
– Rowan Study Abroad
– University of Westminster
– Ali’s YouTube Channel
– My Podcast
Follow My Friends!
@blakemhaynes, @khemistry121, @aguerrra, @muhsinyc, @just_waite_for_it, @dannymetz0
The post Reasons to Study Abroad: Why Travel Is Important appeared first on Mekhi Greene.
Monday, December 30, 2019
My Top 3 Books of 2019
The next two weeks I want to reflect on this past year and what better way to do so than to share some of my favorite books from 2019. Some of these books were not published this year but I just so happened to get around to reading them at this time.
Each book I go over will have a link just in case you’re interested in reading it for yourself. It was tough narrowing this list down to a top three but these are the ones that I believe have impacted me the most in 2019.
I Will Teach You To Be Rich (Ramit Sethi)
This is the first book I’ve ever read on finance and It made the topic seem more approachable than I ever could have imagined. It’s even motivated me to continue to seek out more books that will help me become more financially literate.
I Will Teach You To Be Rich is meant for those of us who have little to no experience with handling money. You don’t need to be an expert and the author doesn’t expect you to be.
Ramit Sethi introduces creating a plan to tackle debt and save for retirement. In between, he shares several tips and tricks and most importantly he shows you how to automate your money so that it works for you.
The best part about this book to me is that even if you don’t practice each piece of advice you can still pull away practical tips that will improve how you interact with money.
My biggest takeaways from this book were to invest in an index fund/target-date fund, be more aware of the banks that you use, and to start saving while you’re young. Also, you don’t need to penny-pinch and stop buying coffee to improve your finances.
Ramit said it best, “The fastest way to stop caring about the cost of lattes, designer clothes, etc. is to nail your big wins: Automation, investing, picking the right accounts, negotiation, earning more, planning ahead.”.
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less (Greg Mckeown)
I had a very good feeling that I was going to love this book even before I read it. For the past 3 years, I’ve been practicing minimalism so the concept of this book felt like it was right up my alley.
With that said Essentialism doesn’t necessarily look at the material aspect of simple living but more so how to track your priorities and be more productive in your work/routines. The end goal is sustained fulfillment once you eliminate the extra noise.
This book helped me at a crucial time this past year. For a while, I struggled to find a footing for what I wanted to be creating and this put a lot of things into perspective.
I realized that I love talking to new people so I continued producing my podcast (The Simple Idea). I know its important to own a piece of the internet so I decided to start blogging more frequently and that’s given me the chance to openly express myself.
Essentialism has managed to cover another aspect of simple living that I never really put much thought into. If you find yourself struggling with what you need to be doing with your life this book can be a guide.
Alternatively, if you find yourself in the position of not knowing when to continue or quit a line of work or project, a great book to read is “The Dip” by Self Godin.
The Third Door: The Wild Quest to Uncover How the World’s Most Successful People Launched Their Careers (Alex Banayan)
The final book in this list is The Third Door. This book might be the most meaningful to me because of how I came across it.
For any budding entrepreneur or person who has a dream, they are chasing the story of Alex Banayan is nothing short of inspiring. Throughout the book, you follow Alex on his journey to uncover how the world’s most successful people started their careers.
This book is an impressive story with unique life advice attached. I was able to heavily connect with it and it is my favorite book on this list.
I won’t reveal what exactly The Third Door is, you’ll just have to read for yourself. I promise it’s worth it.
Thanks for checking out this week’s post. If you’re new here I write new articles every Wednesday so if you liked what you read stick around and check out the rest of my website.
Also, I’m experimenting with a new format for the blog where I keep the post sweet, simple, and informative. As important as blogging techniques can be I want to use this platform as a place to share who I am without added stress.
I want people to gravitate towards my content naturally because they resonate with it. So we’ll see where it goes.
Let me know how you feel about it by tweeting at me @greenemekhi. Until next week!
Books mentioned
– I Will Teach You To Be Rich
– Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
– The Third Door: The Wild Quest to Uncover How the World’s Most Successful People Launched Their Careers
– The Dip
*These links are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, my page will receive some kickback if you click through and make a purchase*
The post My Top 3 Books of 2019 appeared first on Mekhi Greene.
Wednesday, December 25, 2019
Free Productivity Apps For Students
The past few blog post I’ve written have been tech-inspired and to continue with the trend I figured I would go over some of my favorite and most used productivity apps. These tools are directed towards students but anyone can use them.
By no means do I consider any of these tools to be “the best”, these are just apps that happened to be introduced to me at some point in time and they compliment my workflow.
Although I don’t use these apps every day (I probably should) I know the ins and outs and can give you a clear summary of each tool. Each has its pros and cons and by the end of this blog post, my goal is to pitch to you as to why you should use these apps too!
For clarification, this is not a sponsored post and I’m not being paid, so my opinions are my own. I truly love these tools and they bring a ton of value to my everyday life. I’m just excited to be sharing them with you.
I want to note that these are free productivity tools so you don’t have to spend any money!
Who doesn’t like free?!
I also forgot to mention, all of these tools are available as web and mobile applications. And on top of that, they also sync across different platforms so if you type something on your phone it’ll appear on your desktop and vice versa.
All the productivity tools I talk about will be linked throughout the post as well as towards the end.
So getting into this list…
Google Keep
In all honesty, I couldn’t tell you when I started using Google Keep but that should give you an idea as to how reliable it is. The primary purpose that this app serves is for taking random notes throughout the day and overtime its evolved into a tool that has done that and more.
If you’ve read my blog post on my everyday carry you know that I prefer to use a field notes notebook for day to day note taking however there are times when you need to go digital. If you haven’t read my everyday carry post you can check it out by clicking here.
Keep Notes is a very functional and user-friendly note-taking app with some pretty sweet features. This is a tool with many features but I want to cover the most appealing details. As I mentioned before ^ this software is great because of its ability to sync your work across all devices.
It also saves your work so you don’t need to worry about doing that either. I personally only use keep for the absolute minimum which is typing out quick thoughts and ideas but here are some components you might enjoy exploring.
Unique Features
– Share notes and add collaborators
– Take photos and upload images
– Drawing (This is awesome if you use a Galaxy Note)
– Voice Recording
– Add Reminders
– Label notes
– Change the color of notes
At any given time I can find myself using any of these features but the one I use most often is adding reminders. I’m sure if you decide to download Google Keep you’ll figure out what things are practical and what isn’t. I enjoy using keep and over the years it’s become the go-to in regards to my best productivity tools.
It’s hard to point out the flaws of this application because its something that I’ve used extensively for 5+ years. You would think that with that much usage time I would grow to dislike even the tiniest of details but truthfully I can’t say that I do.
I’ve used Keep for as long as I have because it’s been nothing but functional. In my opinion, this is an app that just works and it’s hard to look past that. Regardless of what device you use this is an application that has real value if your someone that likes to take notes.
In case my very brief micro review wasn’t enough, click here to learn more about Google Keep.
Moving onto the next productivity application we have…
Notion
To explain what Notion is in as few words as possible, it’s an all in one workspace where you can collaborate projects, plan tasks, and take notes. This software is capable of so much more and that description doesn’t do it justice. I discovered Notion over the Summer when I was Studying Abroad in London.
Ali Abdaal who is a YouTube creator from Cambridge, England introduced it to me at that time and I quickly realized how powerful a tool it is. Ali loves Notion and would probably consider it to be one of the best productivity software tools out right now.
He’s created a few informative videos on the application and I highly recommend them to anyone looking to use Notion for the first time.
Ali’s Notion Videos
– Tour with Ali Abdaal (+Free Template for Students)
– How I use Notion as a Resonance Calendar (This is a collaboration video)
– My Favourite Productivity App for Students – Notion (2019)
If you end up finding these videos helpful stick around and watch a few more videos on his channel!
Notion is a very useful tool that anyone can take advantage of whether you’re a student or a business professional. It acts as a database, note-taking app, and content management system. The best part about it is that your experience with Notion can be unique to you.
You’re able to fully customize and dictate what you interacting with. If I were to go over every feature this tool contains we might be here for a while so instead I’ll list some of my favorites once again.
My favorite Notion features
– Templates (Prebuilt databases)
– Endless customization options for databases
– Labeling in databases
– Import and export files
– Available on all devices
When I use this tool I use it intending to dump my thoughts and develop an unstructured todo list. I know that I haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of what this tool can do and because of that I’ve made it a goal to start using it more often. I notice that when I use it consistently I’m at my most productive and I move with a sense of urgency with creating new content.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve begun to use Noition more and I’ve created several databases. I now have tabs for school, managing content creation, tracking daily habits, personal notes, and for saving inspiring ideas. I fully expect to add onto this list and make this application my all in one hub for most things in my life.
I think the next thing I’ll start to do is track my expenses! Notion has something for everyone.
There is a lot to love about this application and I believe it’s one of the best productivity applications out there. My main complaint about Notion is that the barrier to entry can seem intimidating at first.
When I first signed up for an account I thought the layout was somewhat complicated and I wasn’t sure where to begin. There is a lot to learn and understand as a newbie to the software but once you mess around with it or watch a tutorial video it’s easy to feel comfortable navigating the app.
My last criticism with this software is that although it is available on all devices, mobile performance is significantly worse in comparison to desktop. I usually find myself getting annoyed and slightly frustrated when it comes to doing most things in the mobile app outside of viewing text I already published.
I typically only publish new content when I’m on my laptop at this point just to avoid a possible headache. This is just my experience however so definitely try for yourself.
Notion is a free application with an option to upgrade to a paid plan.
– Free $0
– Personal $4-5 month
– Labeling in databases
– Team $8-10 month
– Enterprise $20-25 month
This is a news aggregator app that pulls together articles and news sources from all over the web. I open up Feedly every so often to catch up on news and occasionally it’s responsible for content ideas.
This isn’t an application or software tool but it’s a treasure in my productivity system. The Freedom Journal is an organization notebook that looks to tackle a larger goal by breaking it up into smaller goals. This book has been life-changing for me.
This is an item that I carry with me every day because every single thought, task, or idea I have gets written down in this thing. It’s just an ordinary compact notebook with impressive design cues but to me it’s irreplaceable.
If you’ve made it to the end, I want to thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed the review. This is a list of apps to increase productivity and if you get around to trying them out, I think you’ll find that they do just that!
Be sure to follow me on Instagram and Twitter @greenemekhi for more posts like this one. I post every Wednesday so don’t miss out!
The post Free Productivity Apps For Students appeared first on Mekhi Greene.
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