As the year ends, I’ve been reflecting on lessons learned along the way, especially pertaining to one of life's ultimate treasures: productivity. We tend to look at productivity as how much we got done in any quantity of time, measuring speed against output. This isn't wrong, but it isn't always the most helpful perspective.
This year, I learned to reframe productivity. I still measure results, but now the outcome is a natural outflow of the process. I've learned to measure my successes as quality first, rather than pursuing an absolute quantity. And you know what that is? Growth.
That brings me to my insight for this edition…
Insight: Productivity is an expression of agency
Agency is not a vibe. It’s practical.
It’s being able to move between systems without losing your workflow.
It’s having tools that don’t punish you for the way you think.
It’s choosing software that respects your time, your data, and your future self.
That’s why I keep returning to things like portability, standards, and “lock-in resistance”. The technical details matter, but what matters more is the human result: fewer fragile setups, fewer forced compromises, and more room to do good work consistently.
And that’s where dedication and determination stop being motivational words and start being a real strategy. Dedication is returning to the work. Determination is returning when the work resists you. Over time, that becomes growth.
Practical tip: Make one small change for yourself
Reclaiming your agency isn't always easy, especially in a world that's mostly out of our control. So to that end, I'm not telling you to drop everything and go life off the grid (though, if that's you, I'm not judging, I just... wasn't the one who told you to do it).
All fun aside, my encouragement this coming year is to find ways to solve the small hurdles that get in your way. It might be as simple as trying another app on your phone, or getting up at a more consistent time, or making a small change in your diet so you have more energy. Whatever it is you need to make life flow more freely for you - choose it, and if it works over time, stick to it.
A cool moment
A nice surprise this week: one of my It’s FOSS pieces got referenced in a weekly Linux news video by The Linux Experiment. Things like this remind me why I keep writing, because you never know who it’ll reach. It quietly resets your motivation, and it’s a good feeling seeing the work land in the wider Linux community.
Here’s what I’ve published recently:
It’s FOSS
- 9 New Linux Distros That Could Grow Big in 2026
A look at newer and revamped distros from 2024 and later that have a real shot at breaking out, if they keep smoothing out the rough edges.
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Catch you in the next Roll Out!
— Roland L. Taylor
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