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This should be easier, Apple!

Yesterday my father (84 years old) was writing a text message to his friends. While he composed his message, he complained that the order of the keys on the keyboard made no sense to him.

Of course, he never learned to type and never used a computer. “Why don’t they put the letters in alphabetical order?” I guess he is right. The QWERTY layout makes sense when you type with all fingers, but probably is not the most efficient layout on small screens.

Immediately a thought came up in my head: ”There’s an app for that“. And yes, you can install an alternative keyboard with all letters in alphabetical order for only 0,99€.

To save my father the hassle of purchasing an app, I thought it would be best is I gifted the app. I initiated the process, but quickly ran into a wall, since Apple does not allow me to gift app from my Spanish Apple account to a Dutch Apple account. It surprised me, since we live in a global world…

Up to plan B. I asked my father for his phone and proceeded to purchase the keyboard app. Of course, my father never purchased any app, so I had to set up a payment method for his account. Apple offers several options here:

First there is the credit card/debit card. My father does not have a credit card, but does have a credit card. However, his card number is alphanumerical and the interface only allowed me to enter numbers. So I tried my credit card, but again, Apple won’t allow a Spanish credit card be used for a Dutch account.

Then there was the option to use PayPal, which obviously my father hasn’t got either.

Next in the list was the option to pay be telephone on selected carriers (of course, no mention of which those selected carriers are). I entered my father’s phone number and pressed OK, but nothing happened. I assume that my father’s carrier is not one of the selected carriers, but there was no error message at all.

Finally on the list was iDeal, a protocol developed by the Dutch banks specially for online purchases. My father’s bank account does support iDeal, but he has never activated it. But my mother did, so the next plan is to have her purchase the app and then install it through family sharing.

I took my mother’s phone, and tried to purchase the app, but got an error message telling me that I did not have enough balance on the Apple account. What?

After looking around a little bit, I found out that Apple had not implemented iDeal as a payment method, as most online stores do, but rather as a method to top up the balance on the Apple Account.

So I proceeded to use iDeal to get money on my mother’s account. I transferred the minimum amount (1€), got passed to the banking app, accepted the transaction and got sent back to the App Store, which gave me an erro message. I tried it once more, with the same result. I checked the bank status and effectively saw that I had paid two times an euro to Apple.

5 Minutes later the balance of my mother’s account updated and I could finally purchase the keyboard app.

Now I just have to install it on my father’s phone. They have family sharing activated, but I could not see my mother’s purchases from my father’s phone. For that, I had to activate App sharing in the family sharing settings. And when I did that, I got an error message. In order to activate app sharing, you’ll need a valid payment method…

I tried, and I tried and even though my mother has Apple Pay, iDeal and a positive balance on het Apple account, according to Apple she has no payment method configured, so there is no way to transfer her purchases to my father’s phone.

What seemed a good idea, spend 0,99€ to gift an app to my father, ended up wasting almost an hour of time without being able to purchase the app.

This should not be so difficult Apple!

In the end, I spent another hour to teach my father how to send voice messages s he doesn’t have to search for the keys on the keyboard.

Imagine how your life would be without the beautiful moments from the past; this can help you feel better about how it is now

Imagine how your life would look without the beautiful moments from your past. This idea, also known as the “George Bailey effect,” can be surprisingly powerful. It involves thinking about how your life would be different without those positive events. By imagining that those special moments never happened, you realize how much they mean to you. This can help you be grateful for what you have experienced and more content with your current life.

Often, we take the beautiful things in our lives for granted. We only truly appreciate them when we are at risk of losing them. By consciously considering the possibility that certain positive events never occurred, you can reappreciate those moments. This helps you break out of the daily grind and remember the value of what you have. It can also help you avoid constantly wanting more to be happy.

Start with as little as possible and add complexity as you go

The idea is to start with something simple that works and then, if necessary, add more complex elements. This is similar to minimalism, where you try to avoid unnecessary complications. By starting with a simple system, you can better see what works well and what doesn’t, and you can make improvements step by step without disrupting the foundation.

In systems thinking, it is often said that successful complex systems usually evolve from simple systems that already worked well. This means that designing a complex system from scratch often causes problems and inefficiencies. It is smarter to start with a simple system that works and gradually expand it. This way, you can identify and improve weak spots without the risk of everything collapsing.

It is important not to overcomplicate and to avoid unnecessary organization when applying this principle. Often, it is better to just start and add extra elements later. This prevents you from getting stuck in planning and organizing, and gives you the flexibility to respond to changes and new ideas. By starting small and slowly adding more, you build a strong and flexible system that can grow and adapt to future needs.

People with a wandering mind (ADHD) are motivated by actions that captivate, create, compete, or complete

People with ADHD are often motivated by activities that captivate them, stimulate creativity, ignite competition, or provide a sense of completion. This is because traditional external motivators, such as rewards and punishments, are often less effective for people with ADHD. Their minds tend towards intrinsic motivation, where the activity itself must be attractive and stimulating to hold their attention. Actions that captivate, such as exciting or new tasks, can pique their interest and help them stay focused.

Creative activities provide another source of motivation for people with ADHD. The process of creating, whether it be art, writing, or coming up with new ideas, can help channel their thoughts and use their energy in a productive way. Creativity provides an outlet for their often overactive mind and can give them a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. Competition and completing tasks are also powerful motivators.

Competitive situations, whether it be sports, games, or work-related challenges, can hold the attention of people with ADHD through the excitement and desire to win. Similarly, completing tasks, no matter how small, can give a sense of achievement and satisfaction, motivating them to continue and set new goals. These intrinsic motivators help people with ADHD stay focused and productive, despite their tendency towards a wandering mind.

Another example of a word that has lost its original meaning.

We’ve probably lost the battle to save the word masterclass. Much like the word “decimate”, masterclass has acquired a broader and less specific meaning, becoming an adjective rather than a noun, a way to describe the qualities of a performance or teacher.

Hoy hace 5 años tuvo una videollamada para ver cómo reinventar la transformación en la efectividad personal.

Esta conversación fue el embrio de KENSO.

Before you start (a task, a work session, a project…), set a time budget

It is important to determine in advance when you want to stop a task, work session or project. This helps you stay focused and efficient. By setting a clear stop moment, you prevent yourself from overworking. If you know in advance when you want to stop, you can plan and prioritize better. This leads to more productivity and less stress. In addition, you prevent yourself from taking on too much work, which often happens when people are too optimistic about what they can do in a certain amount of time.

An important part of this approach is using time as a way to measure attention. Attention is limited and difficult to measure, but time is easy to measure. By using time as a benchmark, you can organize your work better. This idea is in line with Parkinson’s law, which states that work takes up the time available for it. By setting a clear end time, you force yourself to work more efficiently and prevent tasks from taking longer than necessary. This also helps to reduce indecision, as you spend less time constantly re-planning and prioritizing.

Finally, by scheduling a stop moment, you can better deal with interruptions and unexpected events. This helps you find a balance between work and rest, which is important for long-term productivity and well-being. It is a simple but effective way to organize your work day and ensure that you achieve your goals without overworking yourself.