利器是浅见上一个公开征稿的系列文章。CUHK 里有关注、爱好甚至专长于不同领域的人，有着不同的 lifestyle 让自己的生活充满意义的人…… 他们都离不开一个称心如意的利器。利器予个体以力量，创造出更多可能性。利器系列欢迎大家投稿， 请参见这里的公开征稿启事 。
Who are you, and what do you do?
– My name is Alan Zhang. I major in Global Supply Chain Management and minor in Entrepreneurship at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen . I am the founder of Outing Travel , co-founder of Qianjian in charge of marketing, and founder of English Animator Society of CUHK(SZ).
What hardware do you use?
– MacBook Pro Retina 13′ (early 2014) I use it for almost everything related to my study and work. It's also my powerhouse of creativity and inspiration, and my tool to take down everything in my life. It's a gift for my university life from my grandma, and has therefore stayed with me for more than 2 years.
– iPhone6 Most apps I use on Mac also have iOS clients, so that I can continue my work on mobile. However, the best thing is that it enables me to capture great and beautiful moments in life well and fast.
– iPad Air 2 With a touch pen (cheap on Taobao), I can use my iPad to annotate on any course slides or reading materials, and this has greatly helped me to be an efficient learner in class. I also use iPad to read all textbooks (haven't purchased a single paper textbook since I got an iPad). It simply saves you the cost and weight of paper textbooks for your 4 years in university. IPad is also a great tool for mobile learning, as you can learn coding, read global news or course slides on an iPad even during an Uber ride.
– Mi Band 2 It's the alarm clock on my wrist, the step tracker and a good-looking watch. It's cheap. I only have to charge it once a month.
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– Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 (over-ear) & Audio-tech E50 (in-ear) headphones: As I listen to music all the time during my work or study, having good ear-phones becomes necessary. I would use E50 outdoors as it has perfect physical isolation, and Momentum to appreciate music in a silent environment.
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And what software?
I tend to use a lot of softwares for different aspects, and they have greatly helped me to increase my working and study efficiency. Some people think that apps are rather distracting, while I think as long as you know how to use the core functions of select products, they will benefit you much more in turn.
I mainly use apps in following categories:
Efficiency and Communication
– Fantastical( Mac & iOS ) a perfect combination of Apple reminder and calendar, to manage my schedule
– Apple Stickies(Mac) to take down and sort out my daily tasks and memos(convenient on desktop)
– Teambition(Mac&iOS) for team cooperation(Native in China)
– Telegram(Mac&iOS) for team communication (keep your communications efficient and in order)
– Cloudmagic( Mac & iOS ) for e-mails (minimalism interface)
Writing & Learning
– MWeb(Mac) for Markdown writing (Minimalism interface)
– Day One( Mac & iOS ) to take down journals and long notes (Markdown support, excellent UI)
– Mindnode 2( Mac & iOS ) to make mindmap for all kinds of planning, including essay writing
– Notability( Mac & iOS-iPad ) to synchronise my class slides and make annotations on iPad
Others
– Sketch(Mac) for UI, poster, icon design(best design tool ever)
– Principle( Mac & iOS ) for User Experience design
– 1 Password( Mac & iOS ) to record all account passwords and credit cards,
– F.lux(Mac) to adjust screen temperature and protect my eyes;
– Snapseed(iOS) to edit pictures on iPhone (mobile editing tool developed by Google)
What is your ideal work environment?
– I can work almost everywhere, while working efficiency peaks when I am in public areas – canteen, open area in library, and coffee shops of course. It's a bit counter-intuitive – as most people think only the silent environment can help people concentrate, but for me it's the dynamics of the environment, like background music or conversations, that makes me more self-conscious, and therefore more focused. I actually consider it a necessary ability to keep oneself free from external interference, and make use of the environment to concentrate instead.
– For coffee shops nearby our universities, I recommend the Pacific Coffee in Vanke Plaza. They have better Americano and seats than Starbucks. I used to go there often every weekend, sit in its cozy sofa and do my own things listening to their music selections.
Where does your work inspiration come from?
– Talk to people with different backgrounds
– Notice the details in life
– Stay curious about new things and ask good questions
– Watch classical Movies and series/shows. (I watch them all the time. The best thing about watching those masterpieces is that you get to know different walks of life in a fairly short time, and are whereby able to obtain a wide range of knowledge. At least they make you a much more interesting person to talk to.)
Recommend a useful tool for daily life.
– Meditation. Watch the Ted talk by Andy Puddicombe and you will find out why I recommend it. I don't do it often, but every time I feel stressed out, having a meditation for several minutes does help calm me down and gives me a clear picture of my current life and future.
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