https://joe-mccarthy.github.io/tags/productivity/Recent content in Productivity on Joe McCarthyHugoen-gbSun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://joe-mccarthy.github.io/posts/26/05/homelab-journey-part-5-core-services/Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://joe-mccarthy.github.io/posts/26/05/homelab-journey-part-5-core-services/A breakdown of the services I actually use day-to-day: document management, photo storage, automation, and development tools.https://joe-mccarthy.github.io/posts/26/05/learning-technology-without-burnout/Sun, 10 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://joe-mccarthy.github.io/posts/26/05/learning-technology-without-burnout/There’s always something new to learn—but trying to learn everything is a fast track to burnout. Here’s how I stay focused.https://joe-mccarthy.github.io/posts/26/04/over-engineering-side-projects/Sun, 26 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://joe-mccarthy.github.io/posts/26/04/over-engineering-side-projects/Side projects are supposed to be fun and useful—not production replicas of Big Tech. Here’s how over-engineering kills momentum.https://joe-mccarthy.github.io/study-with-visual-timer/Fri, 30 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://joe-mccarthy.github.io/study-with-visual-timer/How a simple 60-minute visual timer (no ticking, optional alert) helped me stick to three focused study sessions every week—without apps, phones, or faff.https://joe-mccarthy.github.io/2025-year-in-summary/Wed, 31 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://joe-mccarthy.github.io/2025-year-in-summary/A practical review of 2025 across the home lab, office climate control, automation, networking resilience, writing cadence, and where I can improve in 2026.https://joe-mccarthy.github.io/cbujo-archived-refocus/Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://joe-mccarthy.github.io/cbujo-archived-refocus/CBujo has been archived for now. My focus has shifted, and it’s been moved down the list to revisit only when I need something different to work on.https://joe-mccarthy.github.io/one-month-on-raspberry-pi-5/Mon, 05 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://joe-mccarthy.github.io/one-month-on-raspberry-pi-5/After a month using a Raspberry Pi 5 as the daily machine, general work and coding are smooth, heavy CAD and slicing stay on the desktop, and the constraints noticeably improve focus and output.https://joe-mccarthy.github.io/distraction-free-development-raspberry-pi/Sat, 29 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://joe-mccarthy.github.io/distraction-free-development-raspberry-pi/A Raspberry Pi 5 set up as a no-distraction development box, with no audio and a bit of physical friction, turned browsing time into building time.https://joe-mccarthy.github.io/fix-the-workspace-first/Fri, 07 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://joe-mccarthy.github.io/fix-the-workspace-first/Early 2025 stalled out, so the plan is simple. Clear the room, add heat, build storage, and make the desk work for typing and tinkering.https://joe-mccarthy.github.io/posts/24/07/july-24/Tue, 16 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000https://joe-mccarthy.github.io/posts/24/07/july-24/A short note on stepping back from projects and why the break helped reset and refocus.https://joe-mccarthy.github.io/what-i-learnt-today-with-terminal-clear/Wed, 22 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000https://joe-mccarthy.github.io/what-i-learnt-today-with-terminal-clear/A small but satisfying discovery: Ctrl+L clears the terminal instantly, reducing friction and keeping momentum while working.https://joe-mccarthy.github.io/using-aws-codecommit-with-github/Tue, 13 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000https://joe-mccarthy.github.io/using-aws-codecommit-with-github/Private daily commits in AWS CodeCommit, then pushing to GitHub when ready.