Becoming a better writer and Homo sapien.
An unfinished cup of coffee will never warm up on its own.
Maybe you chug it before it crosses the line from lukewarm to cold.
Or you pop it in the microwave, trying to bring some heat back at the expense of flavor.
You could always just brew another pot, and either add in a warm up or start with a fresh cup.
Whatever it is, you need to do something, or else hours later you’ll wind up finding a forgotten half a cup to pour down the drain.
When my parents finally relented and got me a Nintendo Entertainment System, it made its home in the basement. Every subsequent video game system lived there, too.
Tucked away from the rest of the family so it wouldn’t tie up the TV in the living room or disturb anybody with its chiptune bleeps and boops.
But it also meant that video games were mostly a private thing for me.
Sure, my mother and I conquered Bubble Bobble together, and there were times my dad would join as player 2. Under special circumstances a console could come upstairs, like a sick day where I got to stay on the couch playing hockey on the Genesis, or a sleepover for the release of the N64.
But there was always this sense that the games weren’t something that deserved a spot upstairs in the space with the rest of the family.
This is why I think the Nintendo Switch is the perfect family game console.
Last night I had a Powerpoint Party as a belated birthday get-together. My topic:
I based it on playing Mario Bros. with Button.
The Switch stays docked on our TV in the living room so that the primary way to play it is with the family. But if somebody wants to play on their own (like Sprout when they want to build in Minecraft), its portability allows for that.
Growing up on video games made it feel more acceptable to have them make a home in the family room. Not only did I want to share playing games with my kids, but I didn’t want to create a sense that it was something that required you to separate yourself from the rest of the family.
Finding that balance between making it so that we can easily play together, but still allowing for those individual, immersive journeys to new worlds.
In both of these, bolded emphasis is mine:
“Every man is the sum total of his reactions to experience. As your experiences differ and multiply, you become a different man, and hence your perspective changes. This goes on and on… So it would seem foolish, would it not, to adjust our lives to the demands of a goal we see from a different angle every day? How could we ever hope to accomplish anything… The answer, then, must not deal with goals at all… We do not strive to be firemen, we do not strive to be bankers, nor policemen, nor doctors. WE STRIVE TO BE OURSELVES. But don’t misunderstand me. I don’t mean that we can’t BE firemen, bankers, or doctors…but that we must make the goal conform to the individual, rather than make the individual conform to the goal… Beware of looking for goals: look for a way of life. Decide how you want to live and then see what you can do to make a living WITHIN that way of life.”
Hunter S. Thompson, (source)
The key to mitigating these losses of identity is to redefine yourself such that you get to keep important aspects of your identity even if your particular role changes.
“I’m an athlete” becomes “I’m the type of person who is mentally tough and loves a physical challenge.”
“I’m a great soldier” transforms into “I’m the type of person who is disciplined, reliable, and great on a team.
“I’m the CEO” translates to “I’m the type of person who builds and creates things.
When chosen effectively, an identity can be flexible rather than brittle. Like water flowing around an obstacle, your identity works with the changing circumstances rather than against them.
James Clear, Atomic Habits
Had the strange experience of thinking that Hunter S. Thompson and James Clear might have had a lot to talk about.
Or, at the very least, they’d agree on the idea that it’s not about goals or titles, but about knowing what you’re about.
I’ve gotten off track with my meditation practice.
I haven’t felt able to make consistent space for it.
But there was a good reminder for me today of why it’s important to make try.
I was listening to a guided meditation from the Plum Village app—A recording of Thich Nhat Hanh explaining some basic breathing exercises.
He said that taking the time to sit and breathe is a way to enjoy being alive. To enjoy having a body. To smile.
I roll my eyes a little at the Western/productivityist mindset about meditation as a tool for focus and self-improvement, even as I acknowledge that mindset was part of my journey toward mindfulness practice.
This was a necessary lesson about making space for peace for its own sake.
Not to make it easier to answer emails or get more things done or spend more focused time writing and generating new content. Not to strive toward peace like it’s some goal that needs to be checked off your to-do list.
Peace doesn’t have to be something you need to struggle to find.
It can come when you stop struggling.
It’s always on the threshold, waiting on your invitation to enter.
A Zero Time Habit is a new term I’ve been noodling on. In a nut, a Zero Time Habit is a lifestyle practice that takes ZERO time to do and, in return, it gives you back more time / energy.
Shawn Blanc, “Zero Time Habits”
This concept resonates with me. A lot of the time when I think about building habits or doing things better/more in line with my goals and values, I think about how I need to carve out more time for them.
But what if that’s not always the case?
Perfect example from the original post:
Going to bed on time — this gives you back time and energy in the mornings and throughout your day.
I’ve been struggling with this one recently. I’ll explain through a current Taylor Swift TikTok meme: I have this thing—it’s depression.
If I can get myself into bed at a reasonable hour, I can get up feeling more capable. I can focus with less effort. I can do more things without needing to figure out other strategies or using tactics.
But the thing about this is that it may be a zero time habit, but it’s not zero effort. It requires stopping the habits and cycles that lead to staying up late.
That’s the trick part. That’s where the effort comes in.
This Builds Character 
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