Apples + Experiments
Good morning! I hope you’re well. I wanted to share an update on how things are going on my end, what I’m working on, what I’m reading, and what I’m curious about.
What I’m reading
I’m currently reading Tiny Experiments by Anne-Laure Le Cunff, which explores the idea of living freely in a goal-obsessed world. Exploring interesting things in tiny ways that are output-based rather than outcome-based. For example, ‘write 10 articles over 10 weeks’ (instead of ‘get 250 subscribers in 3 months’). Or ‘draw for 15 minutes a day for 2 weeks’ (instead of ‘learn to draw’). What’s important is that you’re showing up and putting in the work in small experiments, rather than defining your success as the achievement of a much bigger goal. It’s interesting so far. I have it checked out from the library so I can’t highlight passages like I’m used to, so I’m trying out a commonplace book (a pocket notebook) where I write down my favorite quotes and thoughts about the book. The act of writing by hand also solidifies the idea in my head, so I’m excited to try this out.
I’m also reading The Will of The Many by James Islington, however that one has been a bit slower. I’m reading the physical copy and the type is kind of small? It’s also a massive book. I’m toying with the idea of setting it aside for now to read The Alloy Of Law by Brandon Sanderson. I want to get back into the Mistborn universe.
What I’m doing
This season has me spending a lot of time out in the garden. We tried ‘three sisters’ planting this year, which is growing corn, beans, and squash together (beans climb the stalks of corn, and squash provides ground cover to prevent weeds). It worked sorta okay. The beans were a bit too excited and nearly toppled the stalks of corn. And the squash decided not to come up at all, so I’ll have to do some research as to why. Ah well. There’s always next year.
I’m also spending a lot of time baking! A couple of weeks ago we stopped at the apple orchard and picked two pecks (1 peck = 10-12 pounds) of apples, so now I have these huge bags of apples staring at me from the kitchen counter. I made an apple pie last week that blew me away, and on Sunday I threw together an apple crisp that will surely be delicious.
Otherwise, just trying to keep busy as I try to reduce my overall screen time. I’ll be honest: I’ve been averaging about 4 hours a day on my phone, which I’m not proud of. I downloaded an app called ScreenZen (free to download and use, not sponsored) without a lot of high expectations, but it’s been surprisingly helpful. Check it out if you struggle with self control and your phone.
What I’m learning about
Why Everyone Is Quitting Social Media - this video by Matt D’Avella is so good. I’m on the fence about staying on Instagram - it’s a huge timesuck for me. I have to limit myself to 5-minute increments 6 times a day (yes, 30 total minutes per day) otherwise I will spend too much time there. I may just delete it completely and see how that goes.
AI Gives Students More Reasons To Not Read Books - Well this is depressing. This stat stuck out to me: “In 2024, 35% of adults identified as lapsed readers—they once read regularly, but no longer do. Of those lapsed readers, 26% indicated they had stopped reading because of time spent on social media.” Woof.
6 Reasons You’re Overwhelmed and How to Handle Information Overload - this was an interest read from Forbes. Recommendations for handling information overload basically boils down to ‘go touch grass’ but the reasons they give for why you’re feeling overwhelmed were insightful.
In all, keeping busy and trying not to spiral on social media.
If you know anyone who would enjoy my work on mindful consumption, slow living, and analog practices, please forward this to a friend. I don’t know how much I’ll be on social media in the future, so passing this along helps immensely.