Hello friend,

I hope you've had a good week.

First, some housekeeping: Next weekend, I'm running the London Landmarks Half Marathon (just typing those words made me feel a bit nervous 😬). I'll be travelling to the UK around the time I would normally be writing this newsletter, so I've decided to take the weekend off. This means you won't receive an email from me on Saturday 11th April, but I'll be back in your inbox on the 18th. The race is on the 12th, so please send good vibes 💛

If you're looking for something to read next weekend, don't forget that I have a huge archive of articles and doodles on my website, as well as a number of podcast episodes for you to enjoy.

Now, onto today's digest...

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✏️ Doodle Essays

Often, my doodles are a note to self, and as a recovering perfectionist, this one feels particularly personal. I regularly have to remind myself that not everything needs 100% of my effort. Our time and energy are limited, so choosing when to deliver B+ work rather than A+ is a strategic decision; it's also an essential boundary.

I have a Now page update for you for the end of March. I love reading other people's Now pages, so if you have one, please reply to this email with a link. Thank you.

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📚 Read

Here are two articles from other creators I thought you might enjoy:

• More great advice from Wes Kao, this time, on how to speak up as an introvert.
• I loved this article in Rolling Stone from Rochelle Ratkaj about the power of artist dates in a burnout culture. While the article is aimed at people working in creative industries, I think the idea of artist dates can apply to anyone and is a fantastic way to prevent burnout. One of my next experiments will involve artist dates*.

*If you aren't familiar with artist dates, the idea comes from Julia Cameron's book, The Artist's Way. While I didn't love the book, I liked the two main practical ideas of morning pages and artist dates. This article shares 75 nice ideas for artist dates and will give you an idea of what they are.

If you're curious about the books I'm reading, you can see my library in Notion here: Martine's Library.

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📺 Watch

I liked this video from Charlie Samways about using your Kindle to read more.

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And here's a great idea for indexing your (physical) notebook:

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I've been watching lots of Vinh Giang's YouTube Shorts while I research my new public speaking course. If you're working on your communication, his content is fantastic.

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🧰 Tools

I spotted a tool called NameDrop recently; it let's you audio record the pronunciation of your name and add a link to the recording to your email signature, social media, or website. I love tools that make communication easier and more inclusive. NameDrop is free for one user and has paid options after that.

I've also been enjoying Mob app for healthy recipes lately. It's a paid app but at around £35 a year, it felt quite reasonable. There's a free trial available and they often run special offers (follow their Instagram here).

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That's all from me today. Have a great week, and I will be in touch again in two weeks' time.

Best wishes,

Martine

P.S. If you enjoy my newsletter and want to support my work, take a look at my growing collection of digital products (there are free and paid options).

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