Yury Molodtsov

COO and Partner @ MA Family where we help tech companies make news

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Writing

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communications
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productivity
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July 7, 2023
Why Privacy Is Overrated

I’m not against privacy, and I understand why people might not want someone to track web pages or apps they use. But it’s important to remember that there’s a trade-off and be prepared for the outcome.


July 5, 2023
The PR Flywheel: What It Can And Can’t Do For Your Business

People often think that PR and communications alone can help them achieve their goals and end up surprised when it doesn’t move the needle as much as they wanted. In fact, it’s a bit more complicated. PR is only a part of the virtuous circle.


June 20, 2023
You Can't Work On An iPad

Modern iPads are marvelous machines. But their software is too limited and unrealiable for them to replace your computer despite over a decade of innovation.


May 18, 2023
Why Algorithmic Feeds Can Be Good

People like to say they prefer chronological feeds to algorithmic ones. The actual problem is we rarely see good algorithms built to help us and not drive engagement. But I’d love to see a social network giving me tools to catch up on the people I care about.


May 1, 2023
Why Micropayments Don’t Work And People Hate Paywalls

Customers want micropayments but they're a bad option for news organizations. What they should do instead is provide us with better paywalls.


April 24, 2023
Touch the Glass: Finding a Better Home for Your Photos

The painful journey of photographers looking to find the best avenue to post their photos online and the lock-in exacerbated by subscriptions.


April 20, 2023
How to Use Virtual Backgrounds for Meetings in a Non-Cringe Way

Virtual backgrounds might look goofy but if you use them right you can definitely improve your picture without spending $5000 on a DSLR and a shelf full of books to be your background.


March 26, 2023
Raindrop Review: Better Bookmarks For Twitter And YouTube

Twitter, YouTube, and many other services have built-in bookmarks and playlists encouraging you to save content for later. I encourage you to try using a third-party service instead of them. Raindrop is a great alternative.


March 25, 2023
How to Read Newsletters In An App

Your email app isn't the best way to read newsletters. Especially if you're subscribed to dozens of them. Try a separate app for this.


March 23, 2023
Some Controversial Things I Believe

Just a few things I believe that a lot of people seemingly find controversial.


February 19, 2023
How to Start Your Blog in 2023

Running your own blog helps you keep an online journal of your life and thoughts that doesn't depend on unreliable tech platforms like Facebook or Twitter. But this process is still needlessly complicated and certainly not user-friendly for regular people.


January 17, 2023
A Better Way to Keep Organize Your Tasks

Sharing my approach to categorizing tasks inside your task manager so you will not forget anything and will understand what you have to work on at any moment.


January 7, 2023
How to Run A Remote Team

I’ve been working remotely for 8+ years and now running a team distributed at least across 5 countries. It’s challenging but it’s also very likely the best work environment that can help you attract talented people no matter where they live.


January 6, 2023
The PARA Method To Organize Your Work And Life

The PARA method is the most universal productivity technic. It’s very flexible and can be recreated in any app, whether it’s Notion, Workflowy, Apple Notes, Things 3, Roam Research, Evernote, or Todoist.


December 20, 2022
How to Work Remotely and Stay Sane

I’ve been working remotely for nine years now. I wouldn’t say it’s everyone’s future. There are pros and cons. For me personally, the advantages far outweigh the problems. If you ended up in a remote work arrangement, you might find these tips helpful.


December 14, 2022
Switch to a Modern Read-Later App Already

Read–later apps are simultaneously popular and outdated. A lot of people use them. They’re now embedded right in our browsers and there's a couple of age-old names, but if you’re still using any of these options you should reconsider.


August 2, 2022
How Would Anti-Instagram Look Like?

Reading all those discussions about the updates to Instagram and how people are becoming disillusioned with the app, I began thinking: what would an ideal anti-Instagram service look like?


July 30, 2022
Crypto Preachers vs Crypto Skeptics

Social networks incentivize people to take on radical positions as that brings engagement and followers. Yet in most areas, a reasonable centrist take is usually the right one (there are exceptions of course). Crypto is certainly one of the most divisive topics both on Twitter and in real life.


June 6, 2022
How to Get Media to Cover Your Fundraising

Five years ago announcing your funding round was quite a reliable option to get coverage in the press but it all changed. We ran dozens of announcements in recent months, so I wanted to give you a step-by-step tutorial on how to secure placements for your fundraising in the media.


June 4, 2022
Workflowy is the Platform to Build Your Ideal Notes System

Time and time again, I'm getting back to WorkFlowy as my primary system for notes and knowledge storage. It is truly a bicycle for the mind that helps you structure your thoughts while providing unparalleled flexibility.


May 28, 2022
Your Inner Voice and the Value of Silence

Recently I've been feeling that constantly putting on AirPods and pumping spoken words into my ears might be too much. There's nothing wrong with being bored and enjoying the silence for a bit. But most importantly, it feels like both music and podcasts tune out your inner voice, that intra-cranial conversation people have which generates ideas and inspiration.


May 23, 2022
The Updated Guide to Workflowy

I've updated my guide to Workflowy, the king of outliners, which I wrote almost two years ago. Since then, Workflowy has added many great features, including rich media support and backlinks, so the previous iteration felt incomplete.


May 19, 2022
All the Ways to Keep Tasks

There are so many task managers because people have drastically different views on how to keep their tasks. I went over all primary ways that I've seen.


January 12, 2022
Why I Dropped Apple Watch for a Mechanical Watch

I’ve always been into watches and for the last 5 years, since Series 2, I’ve been almost exclusively wearing an Apple Watch. Recently I pulled a trigger on a mechanical timepiece I wanted a long time ago and have been enjoying it since.


March 16, 2021
Mailbrew Review: Get Personalized Email Digests of News and Content

Mailbrew is the only app that allows you to receive news and content from the web in the form of regular digests. The idea behind it is to avoid the anxiety and guilt caused by endless feeds in social apps by doing bulk delivery of content at a pre-defined time throughout the day.


March 3, 2021
Why You've Dropped Your Todo List

I’ve always been one of the people who religiously lives by their task manager – I can’t survive without one. That’s why I’m always surprised when I talk to people who actually get by. For some, task managers only cause anxiety and end up abandoned and forgotten. What if I told you that you were just using it wrong?


February 19, 2021
Feedbin Review: One App to Consume All News

It’s one thing to read a lot of content, it’s another to spend hours jumping between apps trying to get a dopamine hit and then getting caught in them. Feedbin is the best RSS service which collects RSS feeds, email newsletters, Twitter feeds, and YouTube videos.


February 8, 2021
Why Apple Has to Allow Sideloading

I think the lack of sideloading has been a tremendous advantage for iOS and Apple’s ecosystem. I also think Apple should give it already.


December 13, 2020
Browsers Are Outdated And Somebody Has To Do Something

Our browsers are astoundingly outdated and their developers seem to be oblivious to that. We went from basic HTML pages sprinkled with a little bit of Javascript to running full-scale applications like Figma or Descript yet browsers have practically the same UI as they had ten years ago.


December 8, 2020
A Controversial Opinion: Online Ads Are Good

One of my most controversial opinions is that online ads are actually great for the society and the public narrative shifting to paid subscription software, services and content might prevent a lot of people from accessing them in the first place.