What Has My Attention

Good news! The low period that I’ve been struggling with for weeks and wrote about in the last issue has officially lifted. I feel re-engaged with my work and the world around me. The eclectic checklist I shared last time certainly helped, but I definitely cannot point to one action that can claim the bulk of the credit.

Part of what helped, I think, has been a completely over-the-top and draconian personal experiment that I’ve been calling The Hard Reset.

Inspired by Cal Newport’s “Digital Minimalism” and my minimalism blogging idols from the early 2010’s (Leo Babauta, Patrick Rhone, and a couple others) I’ve radically reduced... well, nearly everything... that I had going on in my life.

You can see the whole list here.

As I write in the article where I explore this a bit deeper, the idea is not to carry on in this fashion forever. The idea is to do something radical (all the stuff on that list) at a non-radical scale (a couple weeks). I want to see what is actually sacred to my well-being and creative process and what just feels like it’s sacred. What gnaws at me after going without for a few weeks? What do I kind of forget I used to even do/have?

The early returns on this experiment are telling me that there’s something truly calming about eliminating or holding constant as many variables as possible for awhile. When you remove the inessential what remains? When there’s less battling for your attention where does it seem to go? When there’s less movement around you what can you notice within?

Links Worth Your Attention

Before we get into stuff from others, here’s twos from me. First, the article I mention above about “exploring the Hard Reset.” Next, the article that led to the Tweets that I think led to many of you finding this newsletter, “Trying to understand my resistance to second brains, digital gardens, and other interesting note-taking concepts.”
If there’s one tiny upside to the the tragedy that is this pandemic, it’s that I’ve become reacquainted with the power and comfort of strong routines.
I love the mundane and I love reading about people who love the mundane but are able to incorporate it into art that is anything but mundane.
A touch of absurdity can help to wrap your mind around reality.

Closing Round

Reading: Have been utterly engrossed by “Barbarian Days” by William Finnegan. Prior to this I had never strung together two thoughts about surfing. Today I watched a 20 minute YouTube video of someone explaining the finer points of surfing technique.
Watching: Other than the aforementioned surfing videos, I caught up on the special episode of Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet (Apple TV+). Shot entirely on iPhones with the cast in self-isolation, it was surprisingly funny and touching. Watch the episode and then check out this article about the logistics it required to pull off.
Trying: Finishing up week 2 of my Hard Reset experiment as well as the final week of my first Month of Read for 2020. Still figuring out the plan for next week and June. Thinking about doing something related to simplicity/space as opposed to getting intense about any sort of habit. We’ll see...

Your friend,
Sam