Umeboshi | 2
This is my second newsletter 🙏! It's still incubating (like an egg!). Thanks everyone for the feedback you gave me on the first one. Since then I've included one main difference: when I recommend a podcast I'm going to use pod.link which is a bit more platform agnostic. I'd love to hear suggestions about how to be more platform agnostic in the future (this means that you don't have to have an iPhone to listen to the podcast or an android phone to do...whatever it is android users do on their phones 🤗).
I'm still interested in what you think though so please keep feedback coming. Also, I'd absolutely love to get some suggestions for things to read, listen, and watch.
📚 What I've been reading
I was a big fan of Cal Newport's Deep Work so I was really excited to check out Slow Productivity. It's an enjoyable read (or listen) and it is structured with stories followed by actionable points that support Newport's hypotheses in each chapter. A particular section that stuck out to me was the section on seasonality; making your work have peaks and troughs the way that our ancestors would have had when they were hunting/gathering. It was quite similar to the main concept of Wintering. I won't spoil the book for anyone who wants to discover it themselves but I absolutely love the idea that you might craft how your work fits your life rather than make your life fit your work. This kind of thing gets me going!
I can't wait to watch the Apple TV+ series this is based on. The omnibus of almost all the novels was the first thing I bought on my new Kobo and I absolutely love it. I've torn through about 3 of the books so far. Good scifi, very easy to read, pretty fun. Highly recommend.
📺 What I've been watching
I have been absolutely loving Chef's Labo. I've cooked quite a few things from this channel. Fortunately I have mirin, sake, and kombu at home anyway so I didn't have to buy much more to make these recipes. Plus, Bluey and Gundams, how could you not like this?
After David Pierce shared the link in Installer last week I watched Eddy Burback's video on giving up his smartphone for a month. Becca Farsace's video reviewing the Light Phone 3 (my fav bit at the end here if you're short of time) is really good. I am starting to think that I (and hopefully you reading this) just don't like smartphones anymore.
I'm late to the party but Apothecary Diaries is very fun. Second season is currently airing. It's my favourite thing to watch right now.
🎧 What I’ve been listening to
The Ezra Klein show recently had a very engaging interview with Johnathan Haidt. I recommend everyone give it a bit of a listen. Something we can all agree on is that we don’t like to lose control of our own attention. Whether you like Instagram/TikTok/YouTube or not is less of an issue if you aren’t talking about the content but rather what those platforms are doing to your brain. Anyone close to me has heard me recently talk about how I’m trying to rewire my brain and avoid endless scrolling. This episode is so relevant.
I posted about this on instagram already but I'm absolutely digging Chinese American Bear's album Wah!. Every song is a banger. Give it a listen on bandcamp before buying or over on Spotify.
📓 Some recent journal prompts I've used
- How have you noticed seasonal change in your life recently?
- Which part of your life do you think is most aligned with your main values?
Thanks again for reading! See you in the next one!