MS

Hello, I’m Michael Sliwinski, founder of Nozbe - to-do app for business owners and their teams. I write essays, books, work on projects and I podcast for you using #iPadOnly in #NoOffice as I believe that work is not a place you go to, it’s a thing you do.

⭐️ Featured

My best articles or most viewed, researched and impotrant pieces of writing. In late 2023 I started the practice of writing 1-2 such articles per month and feature them on my home page. Later retroactively I’m planning to tag with this my articles from past years.

🕹️ ✈️ ⭐️ What’s in my Backpack in 2024/25?

Tuesday, November 26, 2024 /backpack/

Even though I’ve updated my travel gear list less than a year ago, I’ve upgraded a bunch of smaller and bigger (M4 iPad Pro) things this year, so I think it’s time for yet another update. Especially that this week is a Black Week with lots of good prices. Especially I’m providing Amazon links with my affiliate ID so by clicking on them not only you’ll see the deals but you’ll be also supporting this page. Thanks and enjoy!

What’s in my Backpack in 2024/25?


🙁 💼 ⭐️ I’ve stopped posting on Twitter/X indefinitely

Thursday, November 14, 2024 /twitter/

After many months of thinking, deliberating and soul-searching, I’ve decided to finally stop posting on my @MSliwinski account on X (formerly Twitter). If you want to follow me, feel free to do so on Mastodon or LinkedIn. Alternatively sign up for my Newsletter, which I’m sending every 2 weeks. If you’re curious how and why it came to this decision, here goes:

I’ve stopped posting on Twitter/X indefinitely


😎 🙁 ⭐️ Unlike you and me, billionaires are not free despite their fortunes

Monday, November 4, 2024 /freedom/

How is it possible, that two wealthiest people on the planet, with all the billions that they have, are not free to do whatever they want? Elon Musk not only destroyed the value of my beloved social media platform, Twitter (now X), but was jumping at a Trump rally. Jeff Bezos who owns Washington Post, blocked their endorsement for Kamala Harris. Billionaires, unlike us, are not free, because they have too much to lose.

Unlike you and me, billionaires are not free despite their fortunes


✔️ ✅ ✏️ ⭐️ Time is Money. Or how Nozbe is basically printing cash!

Tuesday, October 22, 2024 /money/

Last week, I had an interesting conversation with a fellow entrepreneur whose app is focused on marketing services. We talked about pricing, value and ultimately why people buy (or not) subscriptions to our apps. He pointed out that benefits of using Nozbe are not monetary unlike what he’s offering (bringing businesses leads that convert to revenue). After our conversation I was feeling confused. What about the old saying that time is money? Exactly!

Time is Money. Or how Nozbe is basically printing cash!


📲 ⌚️ ⭐️ Year later - iPhone 15 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra 2

Tuesday, September 24, 2024 /iphone15ultra/

Last Friday people were picking up their new iPhones and Watches and I wasn’t one of them (yet?) so I decided to write my thoughts on my (still) current iPhone 15 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra 2 which I got last year. How have they served me? What’s great? Good? Bad? Ugly?

Year later - iPhone 15 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra 2


✔️ ⭐️ How I plan my week? Cal Newport’s Weekly Template my way

Tuesday, September 10, 2024 /week/

I started Nozbe because I’m a disorganized person so I needed to keep studying productivity and implementing techniques to stay on track. One of these is a weekly template. I originally took this idea from Michael Hyatt and his ideal week but just recently Cal Newport explained it even better on his podcast. Below are my thoughts and additional notes from Cal’s episode:

How I plan my week? Cal Newport’s Weekly Template my way


🍿 😎 ⭐️ My thoughts have been replaced by “Hamilton” lyrics…

Friday, August 23, 2024 /hamilton/

I love musicals and I’m a huge fan of the Hamilton musical since I saw it first in London on West-end in 2019. Later it came to Disney+ with the original cast and the brilliant Lin-Manuel Miranda (see trailer below) and we’ve been having regular screenings with friends and family in our home. Later we took our entire family (including our three daughters) to see the show again on West-end in London in 2022. But that’s not all, as both my wife and me speak German, we even travelled to Hamburg in Germany, to attend a German-version of Hamilton last year. Our entire family is crazy about this show. We listen to the entire soundtrack in the car. And my eldest daughter got herself a shirt that says: “My thoughts have been replaced by Hamilton lyrics” which inspired me to write this post:


📱 ⭐️ 5G - 5 reasons for getting a cellular iPad

Thursday, July 18, 2024 /cellular/

As an iPad fan, the person who uses iPad as the main computer and who loves working on an iPad and who just happily upgraded to the M4 iPad Pro, I get asked a lot about choosing the best configured iPad for people’s needs. Recently I’ve been asked whether it’s worth it to upgrade to the “cellular” model. My answer in most cases is YES and here’s why:

5G - 5 reasons for getting a cellular iPad


📱 ⭐️ A happy month with 13” M4 iPad Pro - thinness changes the device!

Tuesday, July 9, 2024 /ipadm4/

As a devout #iPadOnly user, I’ve posted my first and second impressions of the new iPads but now that I’ve lived with one for almost a month, I can offer a better verdict… and it’s very positive! The new 13” M4 iPad Pro is something else! Here’s why:

A happy month with 13” M4 iPad Pro - thinness changes the device!


🎥 🏝 🎬 ⭐️ Impromptu coffee meetings in a remote team? Two Michaels argue!

Monday, June 17, 2024 /coffee/

After “interrupting with meetings” it’s time for the second video of Two Michaels arguing. This time we discuss a common myth that when working remotely you cannot create spontaneous or impromptu conversations. Let me know what you think:


📱 ✔️ ⭐️ How can I be so productive on the iPad?

Thursday, May 30, 2024 /ipadp/

🍿 ⭐️ “I have spoken” and “this is the way” - The Mandalorian

Tuesday, May 28, 2024 /spoken/

🎥 🎬 ⭐️ 12 new shorts: health, donating blood, core values, lego and my several takes on meetings!

Thursday, May 16, 2024 /yt1/

📲 🕹️ ⭐️ Perfect iPhone 15 Pro case is… Peak Design? Spigen? Mous? Pitaka?…

Monday, May 6, 2024 /case/

🔗 📲 ⭐️ Clipboard Manager using Shortcuts for iOS - perfect for iPhone 15 Pro Action Button

Thursday, May 2, 2024 /clipboard/

🎥 🎬 💌 ⭐️ 3 meetings per week or less?… - how two Michaels argue about managing people

Thursday, April 18, 2024 /meetings/

🎥 ✈️ 🎬 ⭐️ Productivity videos from Taiwan

Monday, April 15, 2024 /taiwan/

🕹️ ⭐️ Drone is a way to get super footage - DJI Mini 3 Pro review

Friday, April 12, 2024 /drone/

🎥 🎬 ⭐️ Subscribe to my new “Michael Team” YouTube Channel for daily productivity tips and tricks - my first 10 videos!

Tuesday, March 12, 2024 /channel/

🏝 ⭐️ Forget 9-5 and embrace modern flexible workday for everyone, not just the bosses!

Monday, March 4, 2024 /workday/

😎 ✈️ 🕹️ ⭐️ My family car turns 7 today and there are 7 things I still find awesome about it

Tuesday, February 20, 2024 /q7/

✅ 💼 ✏️ ⭐️ Nozbe - app for SMART business owners and teams - turns 17!

Tuesday, February 6, 2024 /nozbe17/

🗓 ⭐️ 2023 review - just keep iterating!

Tuesday, January 30, 2024 /2023/

🕹️ ✈️ ⭐️ What’s in my backpack and tech pouch in 2024?

Monday, January 1, 2024 /backpack24/

💼 🎬 ⭐️ Jeff Bezos and Day 1 thinking and truth seeking

Thursday, December 21, 2023 /day1/

⌚️ 📲 🔗 ⭐️ Action button Siri Shortcut for your iPhone 15 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra

Tuesday, November 28, 2023 /action/

💻 ⭐️ History of my 10 laptops - from 2000 and Compaq, Fujitsu, Toshiba, ThinkPad through 2008 with Apple MacBooks until now!

Thursday, November 23, 2023 /laptop/

✅ ⭐️ Nozbe Core Values: Passion, Simplicity, Freedom and Fairness

Monday, November 13, 2023 /nozbe-values/

🖋 📱 🔗 ⭐️ Journaling Shortcut version 3 - simplified, improved and with Apple Notes support

Monday, October 16, 2023 /journal3/

📱 ⭐️ Why I must work on the iPad - the most versatile computer ever - M1 iPad Pro 13” review after 2 years

Thursday, September 14, 2023 /ipadv/

💼 ✅ ⭐️ How we work on features and deploy Nozbe app weekly… while eating dog food?

Monday, September 11, 2023 /dogfooding/

🖋 😎 🔗 ⭐️ Practice Gratitude every day to be happy, fulfilled and calm with this Siri Shortcut

Wednesday, August 30, 2023 /gratitude/

💼 ✅ ⭐️ Evernote - why I love(d) it, how it almost acquired Nozbe and what’s next for your “external brain”?

Tuesday, July 4, 2023 /evernote/

✅ ⭐️ Nozbe - a trusted productivity system for life

Wednesday, June 28, 2023 /forlife/

💼 ✅ ⭐️ Pay-less upgrade - how to make plan changes for your SaaS customers completely effortless

Monday, June 26, 2023 /payless/

💼 ✅ ⭐️ 5 principles for designing a pricing scheme for SaaS companies - how to charge per user with savings and fairness in mind

Monday, June 19, 2023 /pricing-how/

🕹️ ✈️ 🍎 ⭐️ AirTags on cars and people - how not to lose either of them!

Friday, June 16, 2023 /airtags/

💼 ✅ ⭐️ Why choose Nozbe? Who is Nozbe for? What really is Nozbe?

Monday, June 5, 2023 /nozbe-why/

🏠 📱 ⭐️ Home Office desk rearrangement - flipping monitor position, MacBook Air placement and iPad Pro setup

Thursday, May 4, 2023 /office23flip/

😎 ⭐️ More than a decade of Internet frienship - how I finally met Augusto Pinaud in person!

Tuesday, May 2, 2023 /augusto/

📲 ✔️ ⭐️ In 2023 my iPhone Mini has just ONE home screen

Wednesday, March 8, 2023 /iphonescreen23/

🗓 ⭐️ 2022 review - wind of change

Wednesday, February 15, 2023 /2022/

✅ 💼 ⭐️ 16 years of Nozbe

Wednesday, February 1, 2023 /nozbe16/

📱 🏠 💻 ⭐️ Why I need a Mac when I’m working mostly on my iPad?

Monday, January 16, 2023 /ipadmac/

✔️ 🔗 ⭐️ Ode to Markdown. Why I love ❤️ writing everything in plain text.

Thursday, April 28, 2022 /markdown/