Hello friend,

Happy weekend to you.

I don't know about you, but my energy has been low this week. I think it is probably a combination of upping my weekly mileage for half-marathon training, and having a few things on my mind, resulting in a few nights of disrupted sleep. I am going to make some time for recovery this weekend and encourage you to do this same if you are feeling similar. So often my doodle essays (and the titles of these newsletters) are a "note to self".

I've got some fun things to share with you in this week's digest, so let's get to it.

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✏️ Doodle Essays

In this week's doodle essay I confess that I nearly purchased a waterproof speaker for my shower. Admittedly, it is not a huge confession, but it got me thinking about why I felt the need to deny myself those few minutes of quiet time.

(By the way, if you do enjoy listening to podcasts in the shower, I'm not judging you: this one was all about me!)

In other news, did you know I share a list of all the tech and analogue tools I use to run my life and business on my website? You can find the links in the footer, but I share them below for convenience. The "Tools" page is mostly tech and the "Office" page is physical stuff.

• ​Tools
• ​Office

Finally, if you subscribe to my voice notes podcast, you'll see a new message dropped this week, but I will explain it in more detail in next week's newsletter, as it links to next week's doodle and essay... stay tuned.

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📚 Read

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

• ​This was a thought-provoking read from Mike Fisher (Fish Food For Thought) about how great mentors can show you your hidden strengths and offer a new identity. It reminded me that we all need a mentor.
• ​This article from Sahil Bloom explains how he is working on breaking his phone addiction. I'm not sure about the grayscale option (I am curious to hear if it has worked for you), but no-phone zones are an excellent idea.

If you're curious about the books I'm reading, you can see my library in Tana here: Library. I am particularly enjoying Careless People on my Kindle, even though I left Facebook years ago. Thanks to Mark for the recommendation.

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📺 Watch

This video might appear a little off-topic, but it links with the idea of "quiet time is not wasted time" and definitely has a positive wellbeing vibe.

One of my goals this year is to make more space for creative activities. I've always fancied having a go at block printing. Imagine my delight when I found out you can print with LEGO bricks...
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🎧 Listen

Here are a two podcast episodes I enjoyed this week:

• ​7 Gut-Friendly Snacks for a Longer, Healthier Life with Professor Sarah Berry (Zoe Science and Nutrition): I am working on my gut health this year, so science + snacks sounds good to me. This is a great watch or listen.
• ​The Traitors' Harriet: I Couldn't Ever Have Just One Drink! (Life of Bryony): This one won't be for everyone, but if you are sober-curious and happened to watch the last Traitors OR enjoy Harriet's books (or all three) it's a good watch or listen.

I also noticed that there's a new Goalhanger podcast that has just launched called The Book Club. I'll definitely be checking that one out as I enjoy one of their other shows, The Rest is Entertainment.

I've shared YouTube links to this week's podcast recommendations, but you can find the audio versions by just searching the titles in your favourite podcast app.

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

Best wishes,

Martine

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