Hello friend,

My intro is short and sweet today, as I think my first (and hopefully only) dose of the autumn lurgy is on the way. It's nothing bad, just a bit of a sore throat and a few aches... BUT, if you told me you were feeling just a little off colour, I would be (very firmly) encouraging you to rest. So I am taking my own advice and doing exactly that 😄

Have a glorious weekend. Here's your digest.

✏️ Doodle Essays

I have two doodles and short essays for you this week. The first is about the importance of saying "no", but with a gentle reframe so that you consider the cost of saying yes. The second was fun to draw; it's about the power of naming things.

📚 Read

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

The Tyranny of the Tracker: When Numbers Take Over Our Lives (Ahem... I felt uncomfortably seen by this article!)
Becoming the Person Who Does the Thing (I enjoyed this thoughtful piece from Fred Rivett, and also liked his shelf idea).

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

📺 Watch

I delivered a training session on confidence building yesterday. One of our topics was managing anxiety, so we did this...

🧰 Tools

I have three tools to tell you about this week. The first two are things I am currently testing out, and the third is a reader recommendation.

AteMate: This is a food journaling app unlike others I have used before (e.g. MyFitnessPal), as you capture your meals and snacks with your camera. It encourages mindful eating rather than calorie counting and uses AI to provide gentle feedback. I've been using AteMate for a week and have found it has helped me eat more mindfully and make better choices that align with my current health goals (for example, eating more whole foods and fewer ultra-processed foods).
Brick: This tool is a physical device that temporarily removes distracting apps and notifications from your phone. It's made me realise that my mobile overuse is actually more about email than social media, as I've already removed most social apps from my phone. I will continue to experiment. If you'd like to try Brick too, you can get a discount using my referral link.
Clearspace: Thanks to newsletter reader, Rory, who recommended this app as another option for reducing your screentime.

🎧 Listen

This week, I have discovered Zoe Ball and Joe Whiley's podcast, Dig It. It's a great listen. You can watch it on YouTube or subscribe in your favourite podcast app.

As you know, I listen to podcasts in the Snipd app. They've just introduced some fantastic new features, including the ability to skip the start and end of specific episodes automatically... Use my referral link to get a month of Snipd Premium for free.

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

Best wishes,

Martine

Whenever you’re ready, here’s how I can help: