Hello friend,

Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to my recent newsletter survey. Your replies were thoughtful and honest, and I’ve considered them carefully.

For now, I’ve decided to keep the newsletter as it is rather than moving to Substack. There would have been benefits on both sides. A paid tier could have helped make the newsletter more sustainable for me, while offering extra content for those who wanted it. However, I completely understand that even a small monthly cost isn’t something everyone can justify at this time. Subscription fatigue is very real.

I’m exploring other ways to make my work sustainable while keeping this newsletter freely available (not least because I love writing it and your lovely feedback and replies make it so worthwhile).

I’ve paused my regular paid online events for now—they take quite a lot of time and energy—and I’m turning my focus to low-cost, masterclass-style online courses. I’m currently working on one about task management and have ideas for more. If there’s a topic you’d like me to cover, I’d love to hear from you. Thank you.

Now, on to the digest...

✏️ Doodle Essays

Here are my doodles and essays from this week:

The first is inspired by the amazing Oliver Burkeman and is about The Power of Doing Things Daily-ish.

The second introduces an incredibly accurate and descriptive research term: The 30-Minute Ick Factor. I'm unfortunately quite familiar with the Ick Factor experience, so I will be testing out this tool and will report back soon.

As it is a brand-new month, I have a Now page update for you.

And a new voice note/podcast episode: I Went to a Silent Book Club. Enjoy!

📚 Read

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

The Complete Guide to Atomic Note-Taking: This is at the top of my to-read pile for this weekend and looks like a fantastic resource from Sacha at Zettelkasten.
When Freedom Feels Heavy: I enjoyed this newsletter from Anne-Laure at Ness Labs, particularly the reference to "good enough" and the wonderful French phrase "Un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l’auras".

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

📺 Watch

I love Naomi's videos. This one is a great reminder to use the batching technique for similar types of tasks:

The irony of watching this video to escape boredom is not lost on me, but it's a worthwhile watch:

🎧 Listen

I was pleased to see a new season of the "What's My Age Again?" podcast has arrived, and this time, it includes some non-interview episodes, led by the show's resident scientist, Dr Nichola Conlon. I enjoyed this format; the Stress episode is worth a listen. Please note that this link directs you to Apple Podcasts, but the show is also available on other platforms.

If you've ever wondered what an ECG is and cannot differentiate between HRV and VO2 Max, then this episode of the Zoe podcast is for you.

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

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