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Martine Ellis

πŸŽ’ Sometimes Less Really is More (+ Freebie)

Published about 1 month agoΒ β€’Β 3 min read

Hello friend,

Happy weekend to you.

I'm feeling particularly upbeat this weekend as, for the first time in what feels like forever, Guernsey had two consecutive days of sunshine! Forgive my Britishnessβ€”talking about the weather before anything elseβ€”but this hint of spring has boosted my mood dramatically.

My good mood is hopefully reflected in this weekend's digest. I have lots of goodies for you, including a list of book recommendations and a freebie (it's a just a spreadsheet, but I am excited about it, so I hope you are too).

Let's go!

✏️ From Me

This week I have a new doodle essay and a voice note for you exploring the idea of "less is more". We know and use the phrase, but do we actually believe it? As it is the end of February, I also have a Now page update too. I've shared the links you need under the doodle.

Here are your links:

πŸ“š Read

Next, we've got some articles from other creators you might enjoy:

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

πŸ“Ί Watch (+ Freebie)

Today I am recommending the video version of a recent episode of Cal Newport's podcast, Deep Questions. (As usual, you can also listen to the audio version and subscribe in your favourite podcast app.)
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video preview​

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The episode explains how film students are struggling to sit through entire films due to shrinking attention spans. As you know, I am interested in attention spans and second screening. The episode got me thinking about the fact that don't watch as many films as I used to. Is this about my attention span? Perhaps. This sounds like an experiment waiting to happen...

I've decided to watch the top 100 films of all time (according to IMDB ratings at the time of writing; I have used their top 250 list). I'm not setting a time limit for this experiment, but I am going to watch each film without my phone... let's see how that goes.

Obviously I have set up a spreadsheet (screenshot below). If you'd like to grab a copy, here are the links you need:

Reply to this email if you plan to join me in this experiment or a version of it. I'd love to hear from you.

And just because I am in a good mood, here's one more video that caught my eye this week: The 11 Most Important Books of 2026 according to Dan Pink.
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video preview​

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These are the books he mentions (the links are to Amazon for simplicity but please don't forget your local library):

I particularly like the sound of Set Boundaries, Find Peace and Inside the Box.

🎧 Listen

​Last week, I mentioned a new podcast called The Book Club. I am pleased to report that, two episodes in, it has officially moved to my VIP (very important podcast) "Always Listen" list. Episode 2 of the podcast led me to Kazuo Ishiguro's modern classic, Never Let Me Go. I am half way through the book and it is incredible. Top tip: if you are worried about plot spoilers (I'm generally not) read the book before listening to the podcast...

I listen to podcasts in the Snipd app, but you can find shows and episodes I recommend on your preferred podcast platform. 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

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Martine Ellis

martineellis.com

Sustainable productivity starts with wellbeing. Each weekend, I share practical strategies, short essays, doodles, and recommendations to help you live and work in a way that supports your wellbeing.

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