Weekly Updates: Our Editors Have Started Keeping a Journal, but on Amazon Prime Day, Everyone Is Crazy About Them.
Each week on our podcast, The Upgrade, we end up talking about small improvements we’ve made to our lives over the past week, such as cutting out sugar, tracking our (over) smartphone use, and even soundproofing upstairs neighbors.
We now take it a step further with weekly check-ins where all of our staff share what we’ve done to make life a little better during the week. Our first round of weekly updates includes an app that minimizes tab switching, Amazon shopping, and a new apartment.
Melissa Kirsch, Editor-in-Chief
“This week I’m in love with a couple of related Mac apps that make it easy to see what I’m listening to and manage my music from the comfort of the window I’m in. I came across an old post on the Spotify community where a user asked for a way to see Now Playing information in the Mac menu bar. Paul Young has kindly provided a link to a little app he wrote called Statusfy that constantly displays the song and artist you’re currently listening to at the top of the screen, no matter which app you open. “
User mborgerson built on Statusfy function TrayPlay , which also allows you to control the music from the menu bar. Then user kmikiy combined Statusfy and TrayPlay functionality into one SpotMenu application. I have both Statusfy and SpotMenu installed as Statusfy shows track and artist information without having to click anything. SpotMenu tells you what is playing and also gives you access to the Spotify user interface to rewind, rewind, or pause songs, but you have to click its icon to get information.
To fully experience the magnificence of both apps, you’ll need a large screen – if you’re using a 13-inch MacBook Air and using an app with many menus (say, Chrome), Statusfy makes room for that app’s menu bar, which I suppose is it should be so. However, on the giant monitor, song information is always visible, which saved me countless Command-Tabs this week. “
Alice Bradley, Associate Editor
“This week my husband and I signed a lease for a large apartment. We have a teenage son, and it was no longer possible to live with one bathroom. So we moved to a more spacious place with a correspondingly higher rent. This could mean we can never order takeout again, but heck, two bathrooms! It was worth any price. “
Virginia K. Smith, Managing Editor
“My month was all about big upgrades – I moved into my first apartment with no roommates on the 1st and finally got my air conditioner installed last week – but this past weekend got a lot of small improvements : these AirWedge inflatable loungers … A friend brought them to the beach this summer and I bought them right away. They are compact enough to easily fit into your beach bag while still making the beach seat more luxurious. Plus, they’re very cheap at $ 12.99 a pair (if you have Amazon Prime). “
Nick Douglas, staff writer
“It’s the dumbest thing, but I swear it works. I have a full bottle of water on my desk, but I still don’t drink much. I realized that using the small drinking hole in the lid I was taking small sips. So this week, I instead started unscrewing the entire lid and devouring like the bottle was a giant glass of water. It successfully tricked my dumb body and now I drink twice as much. “
Patrick Austin, staff writer
“I wrote in a thank you journal last week and am surprised at how this has already begun to change my point of view. I’m usually in a constant state of mild dissatisfaction, so spending time every morning and evening writing a few notes about what I’m grateful for made me feel less nihilistic and a little more cautious optimist. I’ve already written about how good it is for me to see bright blue skies, how I love spending time with my geriatric dog, and how delicious pizza and beer with friends is to start with. Combined with some meditation before bed, this helped me focus and calm the discourse in my head. ”
Michelle Wu, parenting editor
“I bought a pack of Soylent’s Coffeist on Prime Day and have been drinking one every day ever since. The taste is interesting (as if someone poured a little yoghurt drink “Yakult” in a thick latte with ice), but it’s good and interesting, and it fills me up a lot. I have one in the morning, and it’s only at about 1:30 pm or 2:00 pm that I start wandering around looking for solid food. It provides me with enough caffeine, and I love to know that I am getting 20% of my RDA for all the vitamins and minerals I need just by sitting at my table and sipping on this creamy drink. ”
Claire Lower, staff writer
“Can I drop the weekly update? I stopped using foundation, and it not only saved me time, but also received many compliments on how beautiful my skin looks. “
Lily Lou, trainee
“On Amazon Prime day, feeling obligated to buy something, I finally got a 4-month subscription to Amazon Prime Music Unlimited for $ 1. I used to use Spotify almost every day, but Amazon Music quickly replaced it. I still use Spotify because I love their Discover Weekly playlists, but it’s great that you don’t have to listen to ads anymore and Amazon Music has an amazing amount of songs (it has 4:44 on Jay Z). My favorite feature of Amazon Music is the ability to download music and listen to it without a Wi-Fi connection. This service no longer costs $ 1, but I highly recommend paying money for some type of music subscription like Spotify Premium if you listen to music regularly. “
Did you make your own update this week, big or small? Tell us.