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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…

Anne Pro 2 (Keyboard)

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. 

Logitech G703 Gaming Mouse

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. 

Satechi Leather Mousepad

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. 

Anker Wireless Charger

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. 

Ikea Linnmon Tabletop

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. 

Ikea Signum Rack

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.

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. 

The French press that I use is made by Bodum and it works perfectly. After checking Amazon I realized that the model I have is discontinued, however, I’ll link an updated equivalent towards the end of this post. 

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.

Reasons to Study Abroad: Why Travel Is Important

Hoxton Square in North East London

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. 

(Here is the episode we recorded together. This was an episode I recorded early on so I was a bit nervous) 

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.

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.

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. 

Notion Plans 

– Free $0
– Personal $4-5 month
– Labeling in databases
– Team $8-10 month
– Enterprise $20-25 month

 

Feedly

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.  

 

Freedom Journal

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. 

 

Field Notes

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.

New Year Commitments

Today I wanted to talk about some things to focus on going into the new year. I’m not a firm believer in New Year’s resolutions but I do believe in making changes. I don’t, however, think we should hold off those changes for another day. If the project or practice you want to start at the beginning of next year is an idea now why not start it? It’s natural to put something off for another day but when we don’t put that idea into place it becomes an excuse. We start to defend our actions and we shouldn’t. 

If we don’t do what we set out to do it’s because there is a lack of commitment to the idea involved. We either don’t truly want what we say we want or maybe we just don’t give ourselves a real fighting chance. We put off the ideas that could potentially better our lives and it’s the same trend again and again. I just like you am guilty of this as well but I think its important to track habits. Especially the ones that don’t add positive value. 

So going into this New Year I want to challenge you to take your resolutions and start them now. Go at them from day one with passion and ferocity and don’t let up. Don’t allow yourself to never begin or fall off in the first week. It all starts with fully committing at the conception of an idea. If it’s great don’t wait. 

It’s not a matter of how to make a new year’s resolution but more so take an idea and commit to it regardless of the time of year. 

If you aren’t aware already I run a podcast called The Simple Idea where I talk to people from all over the world about how they took action on the things that matter to them. The show is heavily focused on personal development and doing things that add value to your life. Click here to check it out 

For those of you following these posts for the past few months, I want to say thank you and I appreciate you sticking with me! If you’re new here thanks for stopping by and checking out this post. If you like what you see take a quick peek at a few other posts. 

I’ll see you guys next week. 

 

The post New Year Commitments appeared first on Mekhi Greene.

Tips for Starting a Podcast: What Software to Use

Recently I started my podcast back up and I’ve been feeling extremely inspired about going through the creative process. While getting back on track I was quickly reminded of when I first started a few months ago and how scared and excited I was. I didn’t know where to begin regarding what tools or services to use. There are several different software options to choose from in the podcast space and they all have different pros and cons. 

For example…

 What hosting provider should you use?

 What is the best podcast recording app or application?

 What software should you use to edit your show? 

These are significant concerns for people new to podcast production and I think they should be met with reliable feedback. That’s why I want to share with you what software services I have been using for the past year for my podcast. 

This list will have you covered from setting your show up to having it uploaded to whatever podcast directories you want! The best part about it is that I discovered these through trial and error so you get to hear about my real-world experiences using these various tools. You’ll get an idea as to why I use these tools and what makes them great. You’ll also know what to look out for as well. 

Everything I mention in this post will be linked. So without further ado let me break down this list.

(Also as a side note I’ll mention some other software options on top of the services I primarily use)

 

Libsyn

I must admit the reason I use Libsyn is actually because of a podcasting guide I found on YouTube by Pat Flynn. He’s a well respected and trusted content producer and he’s well known within the podcast community. If you’re not familiar with his work I highly recommend you get acquainted with it especially if you plan on producing a podcast. Click here to check him out. 

Anyway back to Libsyn. 

Although I didn’t go through the headache of testing multiple hosting providers I know for a fact Libsyn works and it works exceptionally well. For the year that I’ve been using their platform, I’ve been covered and I haven’t felt the need to try another service. There is the possibility that other services have different offerings but in my book, if it’s not broke don’t fix it. 

Libsyn allows you to check stats pertaining to your show, you can automatically schedule your episodes to publish at later dates, and options for monetization if your show has a sizeable audience. 

There are many other features but these are some of my favorites. You’ll get a better understanding of the platform if you decide to use it as your podcast hosting provider. If you check out Libsyn and for whatever reason end up disliking it there are other hosting providers such as Anchor, Buzzsprout, Podbean, Simplecast and more. Libsyn offers plans as low as $5 and the higher up you go the more they offer. 

With hosting covered let’s move on to how you can record your episodes.

 

Zencastr 

What if you managed to secure a dream interview only for you to come to the realization that your guest resides thousands of miles away and you don’t have the ability to interview them in person. Well, I’m glad you asked! You can use an online recording software!

Depending on your recording situation you can either record remotely using an online service or in person. In-person, you can use software such as Audacity (will revisit this soon) or a physical recording device. However, since this post is aimed at discussing software options I’ll focus on that. For my own use, I’ve found Zencastr to be my service of choice and in my opinion, it is a podcast recording app you should be using. 

Zencastr is stupidly simple to set up and use so it’s a service that is easy to get attached to. The website is also complemented by a clean user interface and navigating the website is seamless. There are many features to this software but I want to highlight one of my favorites. 

What I personally enjoy the most about Zencastr is that you can invite guests to a call by sending them a link and then all you need to do after that is hit the record button. When your done recording you have an audio file for each speaker which you are free to edit. Each episode you record is also stored in your account so you can access it at any time. Be wary because there are limitations to how much you can store depending on your plan. 

Also, Zencastr is free to use! The hobbyist plan (Free) lets you record up to 8 hours a month and have up to 2 guests at a time. If you upgrade to the professional plan which goes for $20 a month you pretty much get the same features plus some additional features on steroids

This is a service that offers high-quality audio and its made accessible to any and everyone. This website alone has dramatically changed the way I record my show. Before I transition into what software you should use to edit I want to mention another software option that you can use to record with a guest in person. 

Audacity!

I don’t normally use this to record face to face interviews because I prefer to use a recording device but it’s definitely an option. If this seems like something you would be interested in, watch a YouTube video on how to get it set up. It’s pretty straightforward and you most likely won’t need to at all. 

Now onto editing! 

 

Audacity

Editing is something that I believe comes down to preference but even with that said I still want to supply a solution. I have used a few editing programs and in the end, I always end up coming back to Audacity. The Audacity software is a podcast editing app that you can download to Windows, macOS, and Linux. The program is free to use and there are regular updates to the software. 

When you first download Audacity it can appear as very intimidating but after a few YouTube tutorials you’ll get the basics down. I’m not going to give you a full breakdown of the service just a quick review. Audacity has a wide set of editing features and after a while, it becomes second-hand nature to use. For anyone new to audio editing its a great beginner program that you can use for years to come. 

There are no real drawbacks that I can think of off the top of my head but you can be the judge of that if you decide to download. Some great alternative options consist of Garageband (Only for Apple devices), Adobe Audition, Logic Pro, and more. Some of these other programs have a more difficult barrier to entry so keep this in mind. 

Also here is a YouTube tutorial for learning Audacity.

 

Auphonic

 

If I were, to sum up, what Auphonic does in one word I would say that it is automation. Auphonic is a website that focuses on the post-production side of podcasting. I discovered it a few months ago and it’s been instrumental in increasing my podcasts sound consistency. Before finding it my audio was amateurish but now all of my audio tracks at the time of publication flow naturally.

This service creates professional-quality audio and you don’t have to do anything outside of input your audio tracks. What I like to do is edit my show in Audacity and once I finish the project I upload the file to Auphonic and it corrects any imperfections with the audio. The website establishes an ideal audio loudness (-16 LUFS), stabilizes loudness, reduces noise/hum, uses an adaptive leveler, and filters. 

What I just mentioned are what I would consider to be the selling points of Auphonic but of course, they offer more. To my knowledge, there aren’t too many other tools like this one and it’s been vital in my editing process. Unfortunately, it isn’t free (Starts at $10) but for what it does I wouldn’t expect it to be. It provides more than enough value to warrant its price and I always recommend it to anyone thinking about getting into podcasting. Save yourself time, effort, and frustration by letting Auphonic do what it’s good at. 

And that brings us to the end of this week’s post. 

The goal of this list was to show you what software will help you right out the gate as a beginner. I use each one of the services I talked about in my production process and in the same sequence. Each program has increased my workflow and simplified a tedious procedure. Do you think this has given you a better idea of how to record a podcast? 

If you have any questions about anything you read in this post ask away. You can find me on Twitter and Instagram at @greenemekhi. If you don’t have any questions and you just want to say hi, you can do that too! 

Also, tune into my podcast “The Simple Idea”. Episodes every Friday 12 PM EST.

I’ll catch you next week. 

Libsyn

Zencastr

Audacity

Auphonic 

 

The post Tips for Starting a Podcast: What Software to Use appeared first on Mekhi Greene.

My Urban EDC List

Every day we all carry a small assortment of items that come with us on our daily commutes. These tools that we use are known to some as every day carry items or EDC and its a community that has seen a ton of growth in recent years. If you’re not familiar head over to Reddit and search r/EDC or go to YouTube where you’ll find people from all over the world posting videos about some of the items that they carry.

So…

In this week’s post, I thought I would share some of the things that I carry with me and why I carry them with me in my day to day life. I put a decent amount of thought into the items I use and I even developed a system for new things that enter my carry.

There are three main components to this system and it doesn’t just apply to EDC items. It applies to every other material item I add to my home.

First.

“How will this tool improve my life?”. Will the item that I’m carrying add any additional value to my life? I am a firm believer in having a use for everything I own and I won’t hold on to something just for the sake of possessing that item. I don’t know by what definition I would be considered a minimalist but I certainly do practice intentional living. Basically whatever item I buy needs to be providing a real function, otherwise, it’s pointless to have.

Second.

“Does this thing match my style?”. In other words… Is this item aesthetically pleasing or does it bring a sense of joy and excitement to a boring day? If I’m able to pick up one of my items and feel the same type of excitement as a kid in a candy store, it meets my criteria. I’m sure you’ve heard of look good, feel good.

Lastly, I find the quality to be a major priority. Once again this is in all aspects of my life but in terms of EDC it’s definitely important. You don’t want to have crappy tools in your toolbox, you want something reliable that gets the job done time and time again. A phone with poor battery life or a pocket knife that doesn’t cut well is causing problems not solving them.

With that said… Let’s get into my everyday carry items list. I would classify my everyday carry as tech EDC or technology-focused. It’s been pretty consistent and it has stayed the same for the past few months. To keep this brief I’ll share my essentials and towards the end of this article, I’ll link all the products mentioned. Some of the links are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, my page will receive some kickback if you click through and male a purchase

Samsung Galaxy S9

The most indispensable tool in my everyday carry checklist is without a doubt my smartphone! And as you already know the smartphone I carry is the Samsung Galaxy S9! I got this phone on its initial release day and as I’m typing this it’s nearing its 2 year anniversary. Normally I would be eager to get a brand new phone after having one for 2 years but things are somewhat different this time around. As much as I love new technology I’ve realized that I don’t absolutely have to upgrade to the latest and greatest.

Of course, there is the expectation that over time it will get slower or battery life may decrease but that is normal. For the duration that I’ve had the phone, it has been a consistent performer and it hasn’t skipped a beat. The model that I have is the Midnight Black 64 GB variant. I personally prefer to keep a case on my phone to protect from drops and I like to cycle between my Spigen Liquid Crystal and Otterbox Symmetry case. Since the S9 has an external storage option, I also like to take advantage of it by using a 32 GB micro sd card.

The S9 has been a reliable daily driver and the cornerstone of my minimalist EDC list. It has a beautiful sleek design that is complimented well by its curvy display. Speaking of its display it’s large enough to view different types of content comfortably and it’s incredibly sharp. The phone has surprised me with its ability to remain quick, produce really good photos, and keep a charge.
My experience with this phone has been comfortable and with the option to customize it with a variety of launchers and icons packs it never feels stale (If you would be interested in a post on what apps I use for my phone be sure to let me know!).

For now, my Galaxy S9 continues to check all the boxes and it is just enough to get me by.

Armani Exchange Leather Cardholder

Moving on to my wallet we have the Armani Exchange Leather Cardholder. This is a wallet I bought back in May of this year and it’s been fun owning it so far. Considering that this is a wallet there isn’t a whole lot to say about it. Some of the features that I enjoy however include the quality of the material, the minimalist approach that forces you to carry less, and the professional/classy look and feel. I’m at an age where I’m transitioning into adulthood and this is a wallet that acts as a reminder of that.

My one complaint is that the metal accent on the wallet bulges out and can be somewhat distracting. Not to mention that there’s always the possibility of it falling or being ripped off since it sits on the surface of the wallet. Although I do love this wallet I am still in the market for something similar to this just not as flashy. The next wallet I end up purchasing will most likely be another leather cardholder of some kind.

Keys

As irrelevant and obvious as keys might seem they are a KEY (Please forgive me I had to) part of my EDC list. I always have my apartment key linked to my car key fob. I think keychains are cool but I prefer to keep my keys light and minimal. Talking about keys is pretty boring so I’ll make this quick. I’m a college student so I live in a tiny apartment and I love German cars so I am a proud owner of a Volkswagen Jetta. There’s not much else to say about keys because they only have one real purpose.

Kindle

Around July of this year, I started using a kindle for reading all my books. I never fully planned to use one and I guess you can say it happened by chance. As of now, I don’t plan on looking back and this eReader has changed the way I read and interact with books dramatically. I have Ali Abdaal (YouTuber and Doctor) to thank for gifting mine to me. Go check out his YouTube channel and let him know Mekhi sent you.

If you don’t already have a kindle and you are someone who reads constantly I recommend investing in one as soon as possible. The Amazon Kindle is able to hold thousands of books and the battery life is simply amazing. Some of my favorite features is being able to highlight or take notes and have all of that information sync to my Amazon account.

I have yet to find a better reading solution yet! It fits comfortably in most sized bags or slings, its plastic so it’s fairly durable and it excels at being extremely practical. If having access to thousands of books from one device isn’t a compelling enough reason to buy one of these then I don’t know what is.

Field Notes

In the everyday carry Reddit community (r/EDC) Fieldnotes is a notebook that dominates the forum. After seeing hundreds of other submissions on this subreddit curiosity got the better of me and I decided to give it a shot. At the time I was using a spiral notebook as my daily planner and it was too bulky and awkward to carry around without a bag. My goal with switching to the Fieldnotes was to find create a more feasible solution.

With 3 months of use under my belt, I can confidently say I really like Fieldnotes. It’s a cellphone size pocket notebook that you can bring with you anywhere. It’s made from durable materials, it’s relatively affordable (3 pack for under $13), super compact, and it has tasteful branding.

It’s a notebook that makes you want to write in it and when paired with a smooth pen you find yourself doing just that. No, I don’t think this is the end all be all or the holy grail of notebooks but it gets the job done and it does so in style. My only fault with fieldnotes is that there are only 48 pages per book but that makes sense because of its size.

Samsung Galaxy Buds

To be completely honest I actually just got my hands on these today so I can’t say too much about them at the moment. I always keep a pair of earbuds with me whether it’s for listening to podcasts or playing music. I originally planned to wait for the release of Google’s Pixel Buds but with an unspecified release date and black Friday sales on most tech, you can clearly see how that turned out.

And with that ladies and gentlemen is my minimalist pocket dump. These might not be everyday items you need but they fit my use perfectly and help me throughout the day.

As previously mentioned I’ll link all the products I mentioned in this post below! If you enjoyed this quick look at my EDC tweet at me @greenemekhi on twitter! Also, let me know what you’re carrying. I’ll catch you next week!

Samsung Galaxy S9
Armani Exchange CardHolder
Kindle
Fieldnotes
Samsung Galaxy Buds

The post My Urban EDC List appeared first on Mekhi Greene.

11 Tips for Beginner Photographers

As a new photographer, these are some of the ideas that have helped get me going. Update: Also check out our Digital Photography Tips for Beginners Page.

1. Don’t go crazy buying the most expensive equipment right away.

It’s possible to get very nice photos with an inexpensive point and shoot. See these examples on Flickr. The more photos you take, the more you’ll know about what kind of camera to get when it’s time to upgrade.

2. Consider a tripod.
On the other hand, an inexpensive tripod is worth getting, especially if you have shaky hands like mine. When I got a tripod, my satisfaction with my shots skyrocketed. For even more stability, use your camera’s timer function with a tripod (read our introduction to tripods).

3. Keep your camera with you all the time.

Photo ops often come when you least expect it. If you can keep your equipment relatively simple – just a small camera bag and a tripod – you might be able to take advantage of some of those unexpected opportunities. Or, if your phone has a camera, use it to take “notes” on scenes you’d like to return to with your regular camera.

4. Make a list of shots you’d like to get.

For those times you can’t carry your camera around, keep a small notebook to jot down places you’d like to come back and photograph. Make sure to note any important details, like the lighting, so you can come back at the same time of day or when the weather’s right. If you don’t want to carry a notebook, send yourself an email using your cell phone with Jott.com.

5. Don’t overlook mundane subjects for photography.

You might not see anything interesting to photograph in your living room or your backyard, but try looking at familiar surroundings with fresh eyes. You might catch an interesting trick of the light or find some unexpected wildflowers in your yard. Often a simple subject makes the best shot.

6. Enjoy the learning process.

The best part of having a hobby like photography is never running out of things to learn. Inspiration is all around you. Look at everything with the eyes of a photographer and you’ll see opportunities you never noticed before.

Read Full Article Here: 11 Tips for Beginner Photographers