GRANT DANIELS

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10 Things That Added Value to My Year

Grant Daniels

It’s that time of year again (well, actually the first year but we can pretend this is annual list for fun). I’d like to take just a second to share with you the top 10 things that I’ve noticed adding significant value to my 2020. I had ~30 things, but decided to trim it down to my top 10.

I’ve made some pretty significant personal changes my year in health/lifestyle categories. Most notably, I decided to finally deal with my gut issued plaguing my health for years. At the direction of my doctor I cut out all gluten, dairy, soy, corn, peanuts, coffee, and chicken. You’re probably asking yourself; “so what do you…eat?”. Since making these dietary changes my overall quality of life has skyrocketed. I’ve lost weight, sleep better, deal with stress in a healthier way, and feel more stable.

Additionally, COVID has influenced what made the list this year. There’s a few things below that helped get me through the year. Read on!

  1. AirPods Pro: This was an impulse buy, but one I didn’t know I needed until I got them. I use AirPods all day, every day. The ability to switch back and further between music + calls is great. Noise cancellation is better than you’d expect. Portability for travel is essential. I upgraded from the original AirPods and I can say with certainly the upgrade is worth it if you’re on the fence. I also have this nifty case from Peel.

  2. Hydro Flask: It’s easy to forget to drink water throughout my day, so having this hydro flask to actually measure how much I’m drinking is helpful. I also bring it to wedding days with me.

  3. Supply Single Edge 2.0: If you follow my work on Instagram you’ll see me post about Supply from time to time. I shoot all the visuals for Supply, which you can see here. Patrick + Jenn are some of my dearest friends, but also happen to have created to best single edge razor on earth. If you are looking for the closest shave for you or you man head over here and pick one up. Ladies, they also have amazing face wash + moisturizer.

  4. Ugmonk face mask: This washable cloth mask is essential. Fits your face (or mine at least) like a glove and made in the U S of A.

  5. MacBook Pro 16”: I made the plunge and upgraded to the 16” MBP in June. My older ‘17 MBP was slowing down and I needed something to deal with the larger files I was creating with my Sony A7RIV. Time = money = freedom. My import/export and overall efficiency increased significantly with this (pricey) upgrade. Here’s what I purchased.

    2.4GHz 8‑core 9th‑generation Intel Core i9 processor, Turbo Boost up to 5.0GHz

    64GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory

    AMD Radeon Pro 5600M with 8GB of HBM2 memory

    4TB SSD storage

  6. Moleskin Notebooks: This year was one of lists. I love these large unlined moleskins to draw out my ideas and keep my thoughts on track. I carry it pretty much everywhere and always have a back stock of a few on my shelf.

  7. Vitamix Professional Series 750 Blender: I make myself a fruit/smoothie bowl every morning. This Vitamix blender has made my breakfast creation easy + enjoyable. I especially love that you can also make hot soups in just 6 minutes with just a few whole food ingredients. I scored this one during a flash sale on Amazon for 40% off.

  8. Polymail + Later: I use Polymail as my email client. It serves me a unified inbox, allows email tracking, and has a great mobile app experience. Later is used for scheduling Instagram posts weeks in advance, which gives me one less thing to think about during my workday. I typically sit down once a month and schedule the entire month out.

  9. Sonos Arc: I purchased this sound bar right when it came out. Yes, the price tag is steeeeep. However, I think the value it adds to my living room is worth it. I can sync it up with my other Sonos Play:5 the next room over when entertaining, or use it by itself for watching a movie. The low end of the system is not as I would have hoped, although I think that’s Sonos’ play to get you to invest in the sub (which I won’t be purchasing). Overall, I’m really happy with the Arc and would recommend it if you are looking for a fully immersive sound experience with a single speaker.

  10. Autonomous Standing Desk: I purchased this standing desk a few years back. The value it has added to my workday has been sustained year after year. I bought this Ikea countertop and mounted it on the DIY frame from Autonomous.

Until next year!