cd dozens of times a day. It works, but it is slow for deep paths and forces you to remember every directory name.
Zoxide solves this problem by learning where you go most often and letting you jump there with just a few keystrokes. After switching to Zoxide on my Mac, I navigate faster, stay focused (this is me making stuff up), and type less.
Zoxide works on Linux, macOS, and Windows. On macOS, install it with Homebrew:
brew install zoxide fzf
Then add this line to ~/.zshrc (or ~/.bashrc):
eval "$(zoxide init zsh)"
Reload your shell:
source ~/.zshrc
You now have the z command available.
At first, z behaves just like cd:
z ~/Projects/my-app # jump to directory
z # go home
z - # go back to previous directory
As you use it, Zoxide builds a memory of where you go. Each directory gets a score based on frecency which is a mix of frequency and recency. The more often and more recently you visit, the higher the score.
Instead of typing full paths, you can just type:
z dev used_up
and Zoxide will take you to ~/Downloads/dev/MyProjects/used_up.
Zoxide’s matching is simple and reliable:
z dev used_up works, z used_up dev does notThis means Zoxide gets better every day you use it.
Pair Zoxide with FZF to add fuzzy search.
zi to open a searchable list of your most visited directoriesThis is ideal when you only remember part of a directory name.
Zoxide keeps its own small database and cleans out old entries automatically. You can manage it manually:
zoxide add <dir> – add or boost a directoryzoxide query <term> – search the database, add -L to list allzoxide remove <term> – delete unwanted pathszoxide edit – open an interactive editor to adjust or remove entriescd with ZoxideTo make Zoxide completely natural, alias cd itself:
eval "$(zoxide init zsh --cmd cd)"
Now every cd you type is powered by Zoxide, and you can use cdi for interactive search.
Switching to Zoxide:
Zoxide is a small tool with a big payoff. Installing it on macOS takes minutes, but it makes navigation faster and less frustrating.
Combine it with FZF, alias it to cd, and you will not want to go back to the default command.
Boredom creates mental space to question, reflect, and reconnect. You’re stepping into something meaningful, not escaping.
Phew that took a bit of googling.
Boredom is a nebula where it sparks ideas, ambitions, and even goodwill.
Boredom restores your mental equilibrium, and can make you sharper, not duller.
Screens are the enemy of boredom’s benefits. You’ve got to resist the urge to fill every second with distraction.
Boredom isn’t passive, it’s an intentional practice. One that becomes easier and richer the more you do it.
I would like to end that boredom isn’t laziness or leisure but a fertile ground. It’s where creativity grows, meaning surfaces, and the mind finds clarity. So yes, you need to be bored. Give yourself the space just 15 minutes to start with and watch what shows up.
I absolutely loved the YouTube Videos put out by Veritasium and Johnny Harris and I would highly recommend watching those.
Modern life feels relentless, but the truth is most of us have more free time than we realise. Once I actually added up the hours outside work, commuting, and sleep, I found there were still dozens left in the week. That discovery pushed me to think about how to use that time in ways that make life richer, calmer, and more enjoyable. Here are a few ideas that can genuinely make a difference.
Reaching out to people who matter in your life can significantly boost your happiness. We often mean to keep in touch but let days slip by. A quick text, a birthday card in the post, or a phone call during your commute can brighten someone else’s day and lift your own mood too. The effort is small, but the impact is huge.
Combining walking with listening to audiobooks or podcasts is a great way to stay active and learn simultaneously. This habit has helped me read more books and enjoy my walks more.
Learning a new language not only opens up cultural doors but also offers cognitive benefits.If you’re UK-based, try FutureLearn or Duolingo to get started.
A cluttered phone can be as stressful as a messy room. Spend an hour now and then deleting duplicate photos, unsubscribing from newsletters, or reorganising your home screen. I challenged myself to reach “inbox zero” let us see how long that lasts.
Meal planning sounds dull until you realise how much money and stress it saves. After too many last-minute takeaways, I started writing down three easy weekday dinners before I did the shop. Having ingredients ready for a quick stir-fry, a curry, or pasta bake has made evenings far less chaotic. I must be honest, I still order takeaways but the number has reduced greatly.
Spreading chores out through your weekday can free up more time during the weekend. This can be a gamechanger for work-from-home professionals.
Regularly checking your finances is key to financial health. This includes comparing income to expenditure, calculating net worth, and ensuring you’re maximizing savings and investments.
Few things matter more than feeling remembered. Setting reminders for birthdays and anniversaries of friends and family ensures you never miss an opportunity to make someone feel special.
Skim the headlines, dip into a podcast, or subscribe to a newsletter you trust. Although absolutely from lately staying informed helps you remain engaged with the world around you and sparks better conversations too.
If you’ve got a skill people pay for like writing, design, coding, tutoring. Freelancing in your spare time can top up your income. I am sure there are multiple platforms you can look into. Even a single small project can boost your confidence as well as your wallet.
Online courses are a great way to learn new skills or deepen existing ones and they are everywhere. A short course gives structure to your free time and leaves you with something tangible at the end.
Not every free hour has to be productive. A couple of episodes here and there, a lazy Sunday film, or just lying on the sofa with a book or without, these moment’s matter. We really need to be bored sometimes (saw it on a Veritasium a YouTube channel). Rest is not wasted time; it’s fuel for everything else.
Free time is easy to waste but powerful when used with intention. The goal isn’t to pack every hour with productivity but it’s to strike a balance between doing, learning, connecting, and resting. Your free time isn’t just the leftover space between work; it’s where the best parts of life often happen.
]]>_posts directory. Go ahead and edit it and re-build the site to see your changes. You can rebuild the site in many different ways, but the most common way is to run jekyll serve, which launches a web server and auto-regenerates your site when a file is updated.
To add new posts, simply add a file in the _posts directory that follows the convention YYYY-MM-DD-name-of-post.ext and includes the necessary front matter. Take a look at the source for this post to get an idea about how it works.
Jekyll also offers powerful support for code snippets:
def print_hi(name)
puts "Hi, #{name}"
end
print_hi('Tom')
#=> prints 'Hi, Tom' to STDOUT.Check out the Jekyll docs for more info on how to get the most out of Jekyll. File all bugs/feature requests at Jekyll’s GitHub repo. If you have questions, you can ask them on Jekyll Talk.
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