Brand, thing, behavior, method, advice, mantra, etc.
I swear by Blackwing pencils.
Also, the ‘two minute rule’, which has really improved my life: “if it takes two minutes or less to do, just do it now; if it takes longer, schedule it.” I’ve got untreated attention issues and it’s very easy for me to notice something needing done, and overlook or procrastinate it because it seems inconvenient in the moment. Having a totally painless rule that forces me to acknowledge that thing I should pick up, that trash bag I should change, etc, or, to at least put on my calendar anything I mustn’t forget in the long run has been great for me.
uBlock Origin forever and always. I’ve recently reinstalled Windows within the last 30 days and thus have a fresh installation of my browser and uBlock Origin – I have already blocked 609,521 ads, wild.
https://ublockorigin.com/ (Platform links at the bottom)
Make sure you use it with Firefox. It works better.
Try leave everyone and everything better than you find it.
“You are under no obligation to be the same person you were 5 minutes ago” - Alan Watts
This one is a bit hard-won for me. You see I used to be an asshole. It was my brand. I thought “it’s just in my nature”.
Fortunately, I was also a student of religion (mostly because I was a militant atheist. Know your enemy and all that). Studying Buddhism, I began to observe the nature of self. I found enough distance from it to see its transient nature.
I realized being an asshole was a choice and I could just as easily choose otherwise. Soon I began to discover this was true of most character traits.
I’m not saying you don’t have consistent patterns of behavior. I’ll hopefully always be curious and analytical. But for the most part, the way you conduct yourself and where you focus your attention is a choice.
So, if you’re not happy with who you are maybe don’t be so attached to the idea of 'who you are". And if that seems hard, observe what you pay your attention to and try to find the distance between observation and behavior. In that gap lies the choice you make, consciously or not, to be “you”.
No offense, brother, but this is a great example of my swear-by.
Don’t write a “wall of text.” Even if a reader is interested, it’s hard to read the whole thing.
Separate your wall into smaller sections, use bullet points (esp at work) if it helps.
Use small sentences. Forget what they told you about keeping similar ideas in one paragraph. You’re not Salinger, and no one is expecting you to be.
This is a digital age, and our job as not-salinger is to convey information.
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No offense taken
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These are salient points
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I edited my post
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I hope it’s easier to digest now
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Thank you for the constructive criticism
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I too like fancy pencils. Mitsubishi’s range are my faves.
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If you wouldn’t take advice from someone, then don’t accept their criticism.
Random list but I am told I am a unpaid ambassador for:
- Vitamix
- Zero inbox for work
- Stoic mindfulness / negative visualizations / Momento Mori
- Birkenstocks , even if they went a bit downhill
- Star Trek
- Chimes peanut butter ginger candy
- Tea…in general
- Merino wool socks
- Lemmy
I see your blackwings and I raise you my mechanical contestant - the uniball kuru toga. The rotating lead gimmick actually works pretty well and the elite has just such a nice weight to it because the barrel is this nice knurled metal thing (I think the advance upgrade is also metal, but I don’t have that one to compare)
Speaking of uniball, while I’m normally a fountain pen adherent, my go to non-fountain pen is the uniball eye. Such a surprisingly nice pen for the price, and while it’s not exactly the same, because it’s a liquid ink roller ball it’s still much nicer to write with because you don’t have to apply pressure to make it write.
Oh I’ve been curious about mechanical pencils with rotating lead! The rotation mechanism activates whenever you lift the tip up off the page right? Do you think it would still benefit folks who mostly write in cursive?
They’re neat (I’ve only tried Uni’s), though imho I prefer the manual control of a regular mech/pencil when writing in cursive, because then I can choose when to rotate the lead (ie by rotating the entire pencils).
If you’re used to writing with pencils you don’t even think about it anymore. It’s as natural as dotting an
i.It behaves closer to a regular mechanical pencil for cursive, but there is some difference. Ngl I use mine for maths and numbers and diagrammes so I don’t run into that issue a lot
Don’t skimp on anything that separates you from the ground: shoes, tires, mattress, etc. Your body will thank you later
Fountain pens, good inks, and good paper.
The cost difference is so small, and the output is significantly better than anything I’ve ever written with a ballpoint.
Not to mention the enjoyment around the rituals and processes that go with.
It’s also better for your hands if you do a lot of writing! You’re not constantly applying pressure like you are with a ballpoint so your hands don’t get as tired
Sugar alternatives like allulose and monkfruit have been making my life so much better recently. A little more pricey than sugar, but so much better for you and allows me to keep enjoying a sweet cup of tea in the morning without any of the downsides
Zebra F-301 Pink Barrel / Black Ink 0.7mm
I had been using the regular F-301 pen since my early twenties. A year ago, I found a seller on Amazon that was selling the pink barrel / black ink F-301’s for what works out to be $2.10 a piece. My pens tend to go missing from time to time at work, so I bought a bunch.
Worth it.
Don’t buy cheap daily use items.
Shoes Mattress Car TV Computer
That doesn’t mean buy the most expensive thing. if you rely on this thing to get you through the day, get yourself something of quality. Do your research. Often times, buying the more expensive thing now, can be cheaper in the long run.
Secondly: Use mental health professionals. Go to a therapist, psychologist, or anyone else trained to help people mentally. For years I advocated for my employees to seek help. I built work schedules around their appointments. I could tell that it help or productivity as a team. I did this for years. Finally, this year, I went to see a therapist myself. I’ve been having depression problems for a while but I never took my own advice. Now, just 4 months later I’m doing way better. Not perfect, but I can tell I’ve made very good progress.
I disagree about the TV. Unless you are flush with cash a $300 LCD TV is perfectly good in 2023, you won’t lose any life satisfaction from not having the new $3000 OLED TV.
When it comes to food: Try everything once. You never know if you like it if you never try it.
I’m not talking get a whole plate of the food, but just try a small bite.
I had an ex who wouldn’t try anything, it was infuriating. I asked him once whether he liked a vegetable, he said no, I asked how it had been cooked when he had it as maybe he’d like it if it was done a different way, and he said he’d never tried it. The only vegetable he’d eat was broccoli. He got upset when I said he had the eating habits of a toddler but I stand by that.
The philosophy of Bill S Preston, Esquire, and Ted “Theodore” Logan:
“Be excellent to each other”
It’s really not that difficult to do the right thing, be an upstanding citizen, and contribute to a decent society.
Party on, dude
party on @dirigibleprotein and @Aurenkin!
For a moment I was wondering whether the “two minute rule” was a lower hygiene standard for the acceptable time in which you can eat things after dropping them on the floor.
The only thing I’ve found in life that I find super helpful or swear by is using dated lists to organise what needs doing in my life.
The dated lists I find helpful as well - I’ve been doing this daily for the past few months just to keep track of work tasks and personal tasks that I really shouldn’t forget about.
