Paperless Productivity - Tick Tick

I hadn't actually heard of Tick Tick before doing this but after finding it on Google Play Store I decided to keep it a try.  It actually turned out to be a much better piece of software than I was expecting.  

This is a piece of software that you can download onto multiple devices which then sync between each other, allowing you to keep an eye on your tasks wherever you are.  You can also sync your calendar to this app, allowing you to plan out your day much more easily and realistically.  There is also a premium version that you can get (which costs $27.99 a year), but as I'm just testing this software I decided to not register and just use the free option on my phone only.  I'm not sure if I would get the premium version even if I did decide to use Tick Tick long term as I don't think it necessarily has any additional features that I would use, at least not for now.

As you're setting up the app it gives you a number of lists that you can pick, I just picked work and personal here, and these can be added later on as well if you need to.

There is a general inbox for any miscellaneous tasks you don't want to add to a specific list or haven't decided which list to add the task to at the start.  

One of the good things about this app is the number of pre-made tasks which take you through how to use the software (just like Teux Deux and Todoist).  After your all set up adding tasks is pretty much the same as all the previous apps I've tried up till now.  First, you click on the cross at the bottom of the page (this can be done on pretty much any of the pages you might be on).

Next type in the name you want to give the task.  From this point, you can click on the calendar to add the date.

This is also where you can put in the time of the task, add a reminder, and put if the task repeats.  This can also be added to the task by typing it into the task name (similar to Todoist) which is then translated by the software for you.  You can also add the duration that you think the task should take, but only if you've brought the premium package.

If you have added a reminder to your task it helpfully appears on your lock screen with a little chime.  I found this quite a helpful little addition.

You can also click on the flag to add how important the task is and add a tag (by clicking on the tag) to the tasks, which is good if you're wanting to work on a project in which you've split into smaller tasks.  These can also be added to the task title just like the date and time by typing a number of ! for importance and a # for the tag.

You can see all the project's tasks together in the tag pages.  The tags can be added as you set up each task, however, you can just set up the project (tag) first and add each task from this page, meaning that each task will automatically be given the tag. 

When setting up the task you can also add it to a specific list (as before this can also be typed in using ~).  Then you just press the arrow to add the task.  All tasks can be edited later just by double-clicking on them.

The menu allows you to jump through and manage all these different tags and lists, as well as going back to what tasks you have specifically for that day.

Clicking on the calendar tab allows you to look at the tasks you've allocated to each day.  This is another part of this app that I like as its layout is similar to a physical calendar, just as in Teux Deux, and this allows you to get a proper look at how you've laid out your tasks throughout the week or even month.  As with the previous app I've been using the size of the screen as a limiter of how many tasks I put on each day.

Back in the tasks tab, if there is a lot of tasks to get through that day and you're feeling a little overwhelmed you can just click on the two circles on the top right.  This then brings up one task at a time, allowing you to concentrate on only that.  From here you can just work on it till it's complete, delete it if you realise it's not needed, change when you do it that day (by clicking on today), or leave it to later and start work on another task.  If you don't have the premium package you only get to use this a certain number of times in a week, so you need to use it very wisely.

When playing around in the settings section I found some extra tabs I could add, habits and a Pomo timer.  I did have habits added to the previous apps I've been testing, but these were just added like another task.  However, it turns out I actually quite like having them added to my day in this more distinctive way, separate from my general tasks.  It also keeps a tally of them, which acts as a little incentive to keep going once you've started. 

As with the tasks, you can add a habit by clicking on the cross at the bottom.  If you don't have the premium package you can only add five habits.  However, I find that if I add too many habits to track I tend to not get them all done and get a little disheartened so this actually suits me.

You can also only create a new habit if you have the premium, but you can edit habits that are already there so I find it doesn't matter too much.  So I just picked one of the habits and clicked on it.

Here you can change the name and picture, or just leave it as is, and click next.

And this is where you can add how often you want to do this task, what days you want to do them on, how many units there are per habit (such as 8 glasses of water), and if you want to have a reminder.  Then save it.

As with the tasks, if you've put a reminder for the habit it will appear on your lock screen.

I love having the Pomo timer integrated into this app instead of having to have a completely separate app.  This can just be started as a normal Pomo timer, but perhaps the best part is that if you click on 'Focus' you can then pick which task or even habit you specifically want to work on.

Once you've completed the task or habitat you can tick it from this tab by clicking on the tasks name at any point in the Pomo timer and mark it completed.  You can then pick the next task to work on.

I do really like this app, and it's probably taken the top spot as the favourite task app so far.  For me, the layout of the app definitely works with the way my brain works and it does come across as a good initiative way of keeping everything organised and in one place.  Having the habits in this more colourful way also somehow makes more of an incentive to complete them.  Also, being able to save everything to the cloud means you don't have to worry about losing anything if you lose one of your devices.  I would definitely recommend using this software, or at least give it a proper go.

Next up for testing, Journal It.

Mini Film Review: Planet of the Humans

Planet of the Humans is an American environmental documentary written, directed, and produced by Jeff Gibbs, and supported and promoted by Michael Moore.  First released in 2019 in was then released onto YouTube by Moore in April 2020 as part of Earth Day's 50th Anniversary, before being promptly taken down again in May due to claims of copyright infringement.  Due to this removal, I wasn't sure if it would be worth making a review about this film, but as it could be made available again in the future (after editing) I thought I would still write about my thoughts on it.

Looking at the renewable energy industry, the documentary questions whether it can actually solve the issue of our ever-increasing resources consumption and in fact argues that green energy is not actually sustainable at all.  It is this and its attack on some of the most famous environmental campaigners, such as Al Gore, that has made this movie so controversial and sparked a backlash in the climate change community.

There are some glaring issues with the movie, mainly the number of out of date facts and footage used to make their point.  These include stating that solar panels only convert 8% of the energy they receive into electricity when, with modern panels, it's actually now 15 to 20%.  These newer panels are also a lot cheaper to produce and buy and are therefore much more available to people than before.  Then there's the claim that renewable energy still needs to be backed up by fossil fuels to ensure there is a constant supply of electricity.  This may be the case in some countries, but you only have to look at somewhere like Iceland to see what is actually possible when using a variety of renewable resources.  It also stated that the carbon footprint of renewables is either similar or in fact worse than fossil fuels, but there is a wealth of research that shows that this is just not the case especially with the most modern systems.  These are just a few of the inaccuracies found in the movie, but I didn't want to spend this whole post listing them.

However, it would be inaccurate to say that there weren't some truths in this documentary as well.  Firstly, we can't just rely on technology to get us out of this climate change hole without having to make any changes at all to our lifestyles.  We will need to change how we do things and reduce the amount of energy and resources we use on a daily basis.  You can not sustainably live an infinite lifestyle on a finite planet.  Secondly, solar and wind technologies do need to use rare minerals to produce them, pretty much everything technological does, and collecting these as virgin materials is very destructive to the ecosystems they are found in.  However, there are ways around this and this is definitely an area where we need to get better at recycling the precious resources we use.  Thirdly, that destroying woodlands to produce biomass energy is definitely not a good thing and not only takes away one of our best carbon dioxide absorbers but also damages the surrounding soil health and has a negative impact on water retention.  We definitely shouldn't be using that type of biomass, however, there are many other forms quick are much more sustainable and can be used effectively. 

Perhaps the biggest point they make, though it's more of a side statement which isn't given much air time, is that large elephant in the environmental room of population size.  I know people baulk at the idea of talking about it and even see it as a form of eugenics, but it is one of the most fundamental ways in which we can reduce the impact we are and will have on our planet.  Of course, it has to voluntary and the most effective way of doing it is actually empowering women - something not talked about in this documentary.

Filling your documentary with lots of out of date inaccuracies is probably not the best way of getting your point across and I can see why a lot of climate sceptics have felt that this film has given them something to cheers about, whilst climate activists have gone against it.  However, perhaps the good thing about this film is it opens up an important conversation we need to have about our consumption habits and lifestyle choices.  It's very unlikely that we can just carry on with the status quo and get away with it.  Oh, and of course, checking facts that are presented to you.

One other thing I just wanted to add was that it did make me wonder a little bit about supporting 350.org based on the interviews they had with Bill McKibben.  Obviously, there was editing involved, but he didn't come across particularly well in this.  I don't want to judge the organisation entirely on this film, but I do think I'm going to do a little bit more research on 350.org before I start donating to them.

I would say that, if you can find it, do watch the movie.  Just make sure you have a search engine open beside you so you can do some fact-checking when you do.

Makeup: What's Left & What I'm Aiming For

As some of you who have been following my blog for a while will know, I used to have quite a lot of makeup.  Not in the vicinity of beauty bloggers, but still a lot for the fact that I only really needed it for my office work - they just looked so pretty.  Over the last few years I've been slowly working my way through these items and am now down to just 10 pieces (not including makeup brushes).  I thought I'd write a quick blog about what these items are and what I intend to do with them in the future.

Firstly, let's start with the eyeshadow.  I am now down to just one palette, the Urban Decay x Gwen Stefani palette, and one eyeshadow, also Urban Decay in Solstice.  Solstice I will always keep as it's just so beautiful and I enjoy putting it on, but the palette I either want to use up or maybe get rid of in the future. I do love Steady and Baby as shadows with a bit of shimmer, Punk to darken up a look, and I use Anaheim, Zone, and Blackout every time I wear makeup.  However, I'm not sure that's enough to keep the whole palette for, especially as I'm getting to the point where I enjoy not putting eyeshadow on at all.  Maybe I'll remove just those eyeshadows at the end of the year, but for now, I'm just going to keep working through it as part of my project pan.

The next two items are items that I will always have in my cosmetics bag and that's mascara and concealer.  Even if I owned absolutely nothing else I would have these two just to use now and then if I was wanting to look a little more polished.  At the moment they're the Wet n Wild's Mega Volume Mascara in Very Black and Essence's Cover Stick in Matt Sand.  They're both budget-friendly, cruelty-free, and work pretty well, though the concealer sometimes looks cakey on my dry skin if I'm not careful. I haven't found my golden products yet so I'll keep testing, but these will carry on being a part of what I use when I use makeup.  I'm also still pondering about whether or not I should get another mineral foundation, though I have to admit I'm enjoying just using the concealer at the moment as it's giving me the amount of coverage I'm wanting right now.  So, for now, that's just going to stay a decision I make in the future.

Next are face products and I still have all four of my Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blushes in Vibrant, Pop, Royal, and Genius.  Ideally, I would have only one blush, but I can't decide which one I would choose over the other three and so I'll just keep using these all until they are gone.  I'm also planning on using them as eyeshadows as well once the palette is gone.  However, even with that additional use, I don't think I'm going to need to buy a new blush for the rest of my life.

The next face products are ones I probably don't need but am keeping for now. They are the NYX Blusher in Taupe that I use for contouring (when I bother contouring, which isn't that often) and The Balm's Highlighter in Mary-Lou Mainzer.  The highlighter is falling apart a little bit and when I get back to the UK I'll probably need to put some alcohol onto it and press it back into the pan, but it's working for now and I'll only do that when I really need to.  The reason I'm keeping these two products on is that I do like using them when I choose to do a little bit extra with my makeup and because I intend to also use them as eye products once I've gotten rid of the palette, making them double duty items with the blushes.

Lastly, the brushes.  They always seem quite a lot when I'm looking at them, but I do actually use them all at the moment, bar the foundation brush which I'm keeping until I've made a decision on whether or not I'm going to buy another mineral foundation.  They're going to stay for now, but if I ever find I've stopped using one of them they'll be donated.

In the future, this is what I want my makeup to look like, with possibly a black eyeshadow or eye pencil for eyeliner and maybe a foundation and a lipstick.  Ideally, there would only be one blush item, but we know that's not going to happen.  It's still pretty big and I'll probably downsize it again in the future, but this is at least my makeup goal for the end of 2021.  As for the rest of my beauty products, they've now been paired right down and I'll write a blog on them in the future.

Walking in New Zealand during Lockdown

Here in New Zealand, we've spent the last few weeks working out way through levels 3 and 2 and, with each move, we've had a little bit more freedom allowing us to walk further away from home.  We obviously wanted to carry on doing our bit to keep Covid-19 at bay so we didn't go too mad, but we did drive a little bit to remind ourselves what the outdoors actually looked like and I thought I'd write a little bit about it here to remind everyone else.

Duder Regional Park.

This is a pretty nice park on the Whakakiawhara Peninsula with paths that take you by the coast, through a working farm, and along to the Whakakaiwhara Pa located right the very end of the peninsula.  There are actually remains of houses and pits at this Pa, but you can't see these when you're standing on the site, though there are really obvious terraces found in most Pas.

We were lucky to have a really beautiful, sunny day (a little bit strange for the fact it was actually autumn) with just the right amount of cool wind to make walking actually enjoyable.  We also took a picnic to eat by the water's edge knowing that we would have no trouble in keeping a good distance from anyone else there and enjoyed watching the birds and little fish swimming in shoals along the water's edge.  

I'm not necessarily a big fan of walking through farmland as they tend to be quite samey, but the undulation of the land was pretty unique here and the views were beautiful, including a good view of the Hanua Ranges.

Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill and Cornwall Park.

Based in the centre of Auckland, this gives you a really good view of the city - if you like that sort of thing.  The paths that head around the park are lovely gentle walks surrounded by a lot of oak trees.  One Tree Hill itself is actually the peak of a volcano, so the walk up there is a little steeper, but still pretty doable for just a casual walk.  Interestingly the hill did use to be a Pa, but it was left in the 1700s and all that remains, visually, are the terraces you can see at every angle.

The tree which gave One Tree Hill its European name (and possibly the Maori name as Maungakiekie translates as 'mountain of the kiekie vine') was cut down by one of the white settlers (it isn't sure if it was vandalism or just for firewood) and the remaining tree of those Sir John Logan Campbell (Major of Auckland in the late 1800s) tried to grow on top of the hill was attacked by Maori activists to highlight the treatment of Maori people by the New Zealand Government.  Both are a real same, purely because the trees are lovely living things, but a few years ago the Tupuna Maunga Authority held a ceremony which included the planting of young totara and pohutukawa trees (grown from parent trees on the hill) and later a kiekie tree.  

There's also a memorial obelisk to the Maori at the top and beneath this the grave of Sir John Campbell, who gave a substantial sum of money to the building of this memorial in the belief that the Maori would soon die out.  Not surprisingly this has led to some objections to it being called a memorial and suggestions that it should instead be called a centennial tower to mark the signing of the Waitangi Treaty. There's also some really cringy writing on the memorial which talks about the Maori signing the Waitangi Treaty and that they were basically happy to accept the sovereignty of the Queen and all that entailed, completely ignoring all the issues like the mistranslation of the treaty into Maori and the treatment of them after the signing.  Just as well the views are pleasant from that spot.

As before, the weather was really good for autumn and, probably because of the location, the fact it was a Sunday afternoon, and the fact that it was the first weekend in level 2, there were quite a few people there enjoying being outside again.

Hunua Ranges Regional Park.

Found to the south-east of Auckland, this range is quite a large area of native forest.  There are quite a few walks that you can do, but we stuck to the Cossey-Massey Loop and then the Hunua Falls Loop.  They're not particularly long walks, we basically took an afternoon to do both, but we did get a really good workout as the Cossey-Massey Loop takes you up quite a steep track before it flattens out into a high loop before dipping down to the Cossey dam and back round.

As with most native forests in New Zealand, the vegetation is quite dense so you don't really get much of a view of the surrounding area.  This is more about experiencing a walk through the woods and the wildlife that's there.  The only problem here was, there didn't seem to be much wildlife when we were here.  We heard a few calls and got to see a fantail up very, very close, but mostly there was a very eerie silence as we walked around.

The Hunua Falls Loop was a very easy walk and the one that most people do.  We decided to add a bit of excitement to our day (sarcasm) by crossing over the water at the falls to meet up with the path that takes you directly back to the car park.  The falls might be small, but they were still beautiful and it would be a really nice place to have a picnic before carrying having an afternoon walk. Perhaps something to do in the future.

The weather was a little bit cooler when we did this walk and much drier then it should have been, but the air was still pretty heavy within the forest, so we ended up getting quite warm despite the coolness.

Kariotahi Beach.

There's not really a whole lot to say about this one, you literally just walk up and down the beach.  However, it was so beautiful that I just wanted to add it in.  These are located to the south-west of Auckland and were probably the further we drove to go somewhere to walk, about a 45-minute drive.

It was really interesting seeing the black sand sandwiched between the ocean and what looks like sand cliffs on the land side.  There's usually quite a lot of activities that can be done here, including driving your car on it, but when we went it was pretty empty with only a few people here and there.  To me, that made spending time here all the more special.

It was quite a bit colder on this walk than others as the wind was blowing off the ocean, but the clear blue skies were amazing and really added to the views of the beach.

As things begin to open up more and more in New Zealand we're hoping to get much more further afield in our walking outings, including some walks in the South Island, before I need to head back to the UK.  However, these were lovely little walks that kept us going and sane whilst still mostly being stuck indoors during this pandemic.  The weather has really held out for us here and, I have to admit, I've really appreciated it and how it's made these walks all the more enjoyable.