The daily practice that rewired my brain.
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I wasted years of my life training my brain to be distracted. I used to:
There was never a moment of quiet. The only time I was alone with my thoughts was right before bed, which meant all of my anxieties would surface right when my face hit the pillow. This meant my sleep was terrible, I woke up in a reactive state, frantically racing to the next hit of dopamine, and I actively avoided any moment of solitude. This cycle had a snowball effect where the more anxious I felt the more I sought out distractions to soothe my internal discomfort. Miserable best describes how it felt. But everything changed when I started journaling. At first, it felt weird. I wasn’t sure if it was worth doing. But I started brain dumping my thoughts each morning without judgment, and slowly, I felt more at peace. When you transfer your thoughts from your head onto paper, you're able to look at them more objectively. You’re literally getting out of your head. Eventually, I started to notice patterns in my behavior which meant I could effectively make changes. I wasn't avoiding my internal discomfort anymore; I was embracing it. Where doomscrolling left me drained, journaling made me feel energized and motivated to take action. Eventually, I started publishing this newsletter, making YouTube videos, and developing my mind through the act of writing. The more I wrote, the less time I spent on my phone. I didn’t want to distract myself anymore. I didn’t need to. Writing trains your focus. It requires full engagement. You’re not multitasking. It’s just you and the page. You're present. That’s why I carry a pocket notebook with me everywhere. It’s the best purchase I’ve ever made. It gives me an alternative to distraction. When I feel the pull to reach for my phone, I grab my notebook instead. If you’re overwhelmed by the blank page, start with a prompt. I’ve put together a free bundle of prompts to help you get going. If you haven't already, grab them here. Every day is a chance to choose the creative act over distraction. |
The Creator Cycle
Self-mastery with pen-and-paper systems.
The fastest way to learn new skills is to fail fast. But you can only learn through your failures if you're aware of them and can get comfortable with pushing past those challenges. Last week, I shared that I was learning leathercraft so I can make notebook covers for my hand-made pocket notebooks. To help accelerate my learning I took notes during the entire process in a pocket notebook. I took a few seconds to jot down any mistakes I made and what I might do differently next time to fix it....
The pocket notebook changed my life forever. It was the tool that got me off my phone and thinking on paper again. It was the catalyst that started me down the path of YouTube, writing, and tech-criticism. It woke me up to the reality that the world around me is designed to keep me in autopilot and the page is where I would find myself in the cockpit again. If not for the investment in a Field Notes journal and a leather wallet cover, I might still be spending 5.5 hours a day staring at a...
Journaling every day for the last two years has completely changed my life. But most people struggle to build a consistent journaling habit and never see any of the benefits it has to offer. Today I'm sharing the exact strategies and tactics I use to make journaling an automatic part of my day so you can build a habit that sticks. This is a longer than usual newsletter but, it's packed full of tactical tools you can implement immediately. Recently, I relistened to Atomic Habits by James Clear...