Subtitle: Omnivore Closing: Inherent Risk of Open Source Software
Earlier this year I fell victim to the allure of switching from a paid tool to free, open source tool. I switched from Readwise Reader (herein, Reader) to Omnivore.
I figured they were similar enough (though I always maintained Reader is better and I’d just “get used to” Omnivore), and the truth is I don’t make heavy use of my RSS reader.
While they say they remain committed to the “Developer community” and Omnivore will remain 100% open source, this exposes a considerable risk for anyone who doesn’t want to fork (copy) and maintain their own version of all of their favorite software: Free, Open Source Software is risky business.
Sure there are some successful projects — though one of the biggest is currently embroiled in a lot of drama at the hands of a capricious and litigious leader — but most can’t answer a simple but crucial question.
If you’re new around these parts, over the summer we decided not to do summer camp to spend more time with our kids (and literally save thousands of dollars).
And in my retro about the summer, I talk the good, the bad, and the ugly (spoiler: it was largely good).
But there was one long-lasting effect I didn’t notice until recently: I made my schedule pretty open for anyone who wanted to meet.
I didn’t want them to be limited to my limited availability, so I tried to be as open as possible.
But over the last few weeks —really since my episode with Conny, I realized that I’ve let everyone else control my calendar.
The day I recorded with Conny, I was all over the place, stressed, and exhausted because I had meetings basically all day — and it ended with a podcast recording where I had to be “on.”
I decided to take a meeting with almost anyone bc I feel they are the best way to form relationships, but I’m not vetting those people.
I wasn’t creating boundaries for my meetings either. I even have a calendar that’s totally open for friends — but I’ve sent it to more than friends.
If you’re a busy solopreneur — especially a parent or someone with other obligations, like a podcast, how do you make sure you don’t cede your entire schedule to everyone else?
In Streamlined Solopreneur this week, I present a couple of solutions, and a tool to help.
Here’s the gist.
The first thing you should do is ask yourself these 4 questions:
What times are non-negotiable for meetings? When are times where you absolutely won’t meet? Can you create blocks of time here?
How many meetings can I realistically handle in a day?
Which meetings are essential, and which can be handled asynchronously?
How will I handle exceptions or conflicts?
I do my best work in the morning, so most morning are off limits for me — I do have a recurring meeting on Tuesdays, so I built-in some time after that.
I also have at least one 3-hour block each day that’s totally off limits, plus no meetings Mondays or Fridays.
I think I can realistically do 3-4 meetings per day, and I’ve determined that podcast recordings and sales calls for high ticket items are the most essential “must have” meetings. Others will happen, but might be able to happen asynchronously.
Write down these rules, and maybe block off a calendar. Here’s what mine looks like:
Then it’s time to put this into practice. I use Cal.com for my scheduling, and you can create working hours, as well as limit meetings per-calendar.
The only feature Cal.com (and I think most schedulers) is missing is the ability to globally limit the number of meetings per day, so I’ll have to keep an eye on that — but that’s not a huge issue right now, and probably won’t be, given the limit and buffers across the rest of the app.
Doing this will create the space you need in your schedule to get deep, meaningful work done — and it means that you’re not at the mercy of everyone else’s schedule.
Combine this with a few good processes, and you’ll be focusing on your most important work — or be able to show up for loved one better — in no time.
If you want to learn even more about how I’m guarding my time, check out the latest episode of Streamlined Solopreneur.
The summer had one lasting effect I didn’t notice until recently: I made my schedule pretty open for anyone who wanted to meet. I didn’t want them to be limited to my limited availability, so I tried to be as open as possible. But over the last 2 weeks —really since my episode with Conny, I realized that I’ve let everyone else control my calendar.
I’ll take a meeting with almost anyone bc I feel they are the best way to form relationships, but I’m not vetting those people. I’m not creating boundaries for my meetings either. I even have a calendar that’s totally open for friends — but I’ve sent it to more than friends.
If you’re a busy solopreneur — especially a parent or someone with other obligations — this can kill productivity.
So how do we fix it? That’s what we’re talking about today.
After celebrating a fantastic birthday on Sunday, I took a trip to New York, where my brothers and I moved our parents out of our childhood home.
We had a lot of good times in the 32+ years we spent there.
It was the lynchpin of family parties. Some of my fondest memories are from Christmas. Both sides would come over for a full day of food and festivities.
There was one Christmas — I was probably 9 — where my brother Phil and I slept in the Living Room, next to the tree. Whoever put the gifts under it did it without waking us up.
We have life-long friends in our neighbors. People I still think about today.
We used to play baseball in the front yard. As we got older, our next door neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Davis*, would let us extend the field into their yard. They didn’t care that we pelted the side of their house with tennis balls.
I remember that every time I see kids playing in our neighborhood.
My friend Matt introduced me to Star Wars. My brothers and all of the kids our age would play manhunt throughout the entire neighborhood. We’d go back into the woods and play paintball.
That house has seen so much fun, joy, sorrow, and everything in between.
I don’t often post things like this, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t say anything about the house I grew up in.
My brothers and I had an incredible childhood. That house and our parents gave it to us. ??
I’m going to miss it dearly. I hope the next family loves it just as much as we did.
Our last family photo there. Sadly my brother Mikey couldn’t make the trip.
My love-hate[but mostly hate] relationship with social media is well documented. It feels like a time-suck where you get into arguments with people who don’t care about anything you say. People tell me it’s great to grow your business…I just don’t see it.
But Katie Brinkley has changed that for me. She elevates CEOs to become thought leaders and disruptors in their industries. And she does it mostly through social media.
By the end of this episode, she’ll give you strategies for choosing the right social networks, posting (3-4 times per week max), as well as how to waste less time and make more sales.
Want to hear a longer, ad-free version of this episode where Katie and I talk about brand social media vs. personal social media? Become a member of Streamlined Solopreneur Accelerated.
A lot of my friends would describe me as a die hard Yankee fan. I try to watch every single pitch of the 162 game season, and I live for the playoffs.
Growing up in the 1990s, I got spoiled. They won the World Series 4 times during my most formative years.
It’s been 15 years since the Yankees made it the World Series — and a lot has happened. I:
Started a left the 2 jobs I had where I wasn’t self-employed
Met, started dating, and married Erin (Erin was floored that the Yankees have never made it to the WS since we met each other)
Moved 5 times
Bought our first house
Had 3 kids
Started all of my podcasts
Stopped doing web development and coach people now
Watched the Giants win their most recent Super Bowl
Ran* 2 half marathons and a 10K
Wrote 5 books
Started smoking cigars
…and my parents sold our childhood home. Before the World Series start, my brothers and I are helping them move out, and into their new house in upstate NY.
I try to be honest with myself in these posts — and if I’m being honest, it’s been a tough couple of months.
One of the reasons I love baseball is that it’s an escape. And while I don’t think anyone who’s seen my watch baseball would say it relaxes me, it’s something I can really get into for 3-4 hours.
I’m so excited to see this team in the World Series. Whether it’s against the Mets, in Subway Series 2.0**, or the Dodgers, whom they’ve seen 11 times in the World Series but not since 1981*** — I can’t wait for some incredible, late October baseball.
*Ran is generous. I participated in and completed 2 half marathons and a 10K **The Yankees won the last time, in 2000. ***They lost that one, and it started the last 15 year WS drought
Raise your hand if you’ve ever thought: If I can just find the right tool, it will fix everything.
But here’s the thing—it won’t.
Don’t get me wrong. The right tool can solve a lot. But if you always grab a screwdriver because your drill is never charged, it doesn’t matter how fancy the drill is.
In other words, you actually need to use the tool for it to help you.
I’ve never been much of a CRM guy; everything I tried was either too complicated or just didn’t suit my needs. But there are three tools I use every day:
Notion
Cal.com
Make.com / Zapier
Using these, I built a simple CRM that does exactly what I need it to.
Here’s how it works.
First, I created a new database in Notion called “CRM.” This is one of the few things that can be manipulated externally.
Then, I set up Make.com to access that database. (Unfortunately, you can’t grant workspace-wide access in Notion, so I had to do this per database.)
Finally, I created a “Discovery Call” event type in Cal.com.
In Notion, I have a CRM database that looks something like this:
I track a lot of information in it, but what I love about using Notion is that I can hide most of that data in views and take notes directly on each entry.
The key fields for me are the stage, last contact date, and next follow-up. I’ll explain more about this in a minute.
Here’s the automation I use:
I call it my “Scheduling Router.” Different actions are triggered depending on the event name—including a complete workflow for my podcast guest bookings. The branch of interest here, though, is for the “Discovery Call” event.
When someone books a Discovery Call, they’re added to Notion as a “Lead.” If there’s interest after our call, I move them to the “Prospect” stage.
Any other information from the booking form is mapped to fields in Notion.
This simple CRM has been clutch for me. It’s helped me land work and strengthened my client relationships. I’ve become so much better at following up.
But as I always say, systems and processes are iterative. I already have a few improvements in mind:
Automated Follow-Ups: I missed follow-ups last week because I was sick, and that’s a solvable problem with automation.
Automatic Entry Updates: If there’s an existing entry for a person (identified by email address), I want the entry to update with the next meeting time. This way, I can preload information before a client books—which is something my VA will handle now that she’s doing more research.
Tracking Lead Sources: I want to track where leads come from better. I already have a field for this, but I’d like custom calendars or a hidden field that passes information to Notion, so I’m not left guessing.
Why does a system like this matter?
For one, client work is still my core focus, so a better system is better for business. But I also use it to manage potential podcast partnerships.
This CRM also frees up mental energy, letting me focus on:
New and better podcast episodes
Course development
Planning VIP days
…or just being sick without feeling like my business is falling apart.
And hey — if this sounds like something you could use help with, get in touch.
It’s easy for people who live unconstrained lives to give advice. “Just meditate for 2 hours each morning.” “Hustle.” “Get rid of anything that doesn’t bring you joy.”
The truth is that most people have some constraints to live by. Whether it’s kids, work, or other obligations, we can’t just drop everything to follow the latest guru.
That’s why I like Conny Graf’s approach. Conny has many credentials, but the one I like best is “certified clutter-clearing practitioner.” And today, she’s going to tell you how you can reasonably declutter your life to turn chaos into peace.
Want to hear a longer, ad-free version of this episode where I talk about the chaotic day leading up to this interview? Become a member of Streamlined Solopreneur Accelerated.
Top Takeaways
Chaos is when you have too many things going on, a cluttered environment, and a packed calendar that leads to stress and lack of focus. Recognize the early warning signs that you’re slipping into chaos, like feeling agitated or nervous.
Be intentional about your priorities and learn to say no more often. Not everything is equally important – focus on the “glass balls” in life like family and relationships. Give yourself grace when you can’t be at your best.
Declutter your physical spaces a little bit each day. Create designated spots for things like shoes and papers. Optimize your environment to support your daily activities and prevent stuff from piling up.
Finding peace is an ongoing journey, not a destination. Make small adjustments over time, reflect on what’s working and what’s not, and continuously optimize your life and business. Focus on progress, not perfection.
Sometimes we know the first step for something is an absolutely huge deal.
We know the first signer of the Declaration of Independence was John Hancock because the Second Continental Congress knew how important it was.
We know Neil Armstrong was the first person to step foot on the moon, which he marked with the eternal words, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
There are other times where we don’t know the impact of that first step until later.
We don’t really know the text of the first email. It was some keyboard-mashed thing sent by a computer engineer in 1971.
None of the guys who threw a Perfect Game knew from the first pitch how huge and rare that game would be (there have only been 24 perfect games in the approx. 235,000 games played).
When I created my first automation, I didn’t know how transformative automation would be for me.
In fact, when I decided to put an appreciable amount of time into automation back in 2018, it was well after the first time I created an automation.
I automated parts of my home
I had notifications on my phone
I set up auto-responders and automatic bill-pay
I used to be a programmer, and wrote lots of code to help me automate things
I’ve been automating in some way, shape, or form for over 20 years.
The point being this: automation doesn’t need to be a huge deal when you start (or at all).
It’s about simplifying your life…not more complicated.
And it can be a slow burn. It doesn’t need to be a complicated mess.
It doesn’t even need to be for multiple tools. Here’s a 2-step automation I have for Notion:
Here’s what it does:
When a Lead is marked as “won” in my CRM database in Notion, add that Lead to my Clients database.
So now it’s your turn: what’s one thing you can simplify?
Comment and let me know. And if you’re struggling, let me know that too.
Do you hate social media as much as I do? Some experts will tell you that you need social media to market, but that’s increasingly not true. Gone are the heady days of Twitter, where you can tweet a link and people would actually see it.
That’s why I brought on Emily Aborn, a Content Copywriter, Speaker, and Podcast Host. She’s also a wealth of information on how to market by making sure you have a great product, and much like her, a ton of personality.
Want to hear a longer, ad-free version of this episode where Emily and I discuss the importance of a strong personal brand? Become a member of Streamlined Solopreneur Accelerated.
