My great big digital purge
Oh, hi friends!
When I’m really frazzled, I look at my physical environment and usually it’s a reflection of my inner brain-workings. Piles of papers to sort, revises to make, half-read books in every corner of the room. Dishes, always dirty dishes. So I clean up everything and feel better.
I wanted to extend that feeling into my digital life, but curbing my social media usage is, quite frankly, exhausting. So I thought, What if I at least…curated it? What if everything crossing my screen was something I was inherently interested in or would help me grow as a creative person?
I spent an hour unsubscribing from hundreds of newsletters and listservs through Unroll.me. I unfollowed a couple hundred people on Twitter. And I achieved Inbox Zero. (*squeals*)
Now, a lot of these newsletters were good! And the people I followed are smart and interesting! But most of them were not aligned with my future goals or what I feel like consuming right now.
When I woke up today I noticed my entire digital life was quieter. Every tweet or email seemed purposeful.
Now my digital life feels made for me, not just the present me, but the one looking forward to the future.
I can’t wait to see the documentary Love, Gilda about the life of original Saturday Night Live cast member Gilda Radner! (h/t Randa Karambelas)
This woman anonymously gave $5.5 million to female artists over two decades. Incredible. (h/t Brother Eric)
The secrets to collaborating, crowdfunding, and creative partnership. (Written by my friend Mattie Johnson!)
How three brothers brought Bolivian cuisine to Brooklyn. (Written by my friend Angelica Frey!)
This story by Steve Jobs’s daughter, Lisa, is devastating and incredibly compelling.
Kristina Roth is amazing! She bought an entire island near Finland and turned it into a women’s-only retreat. I had the chance to meet her last year and am so happy for her success.
The one question we forget to ask in the face of change. (My latest story for Shine!)
Adam JK on why perfectionism is a myth and much, much more.
And why toxic perfectionism is on the rise. (h/t Vishal Katariya)
Amazing gems of advice for working journalists.
What I learned from 100 days of rejection. (h/t Graham Hawkes)
What I learned writing 750 words of fiction every day for 100 days. (h/t Sara Lieberman’s excellent newsletter Overthinking It)
Beautiful story about where I grew up—the Central Valley in California—and the Portuguese immigrants who left the Azores to farm there. (h/t Sarah Begley)
Do you like these daily emails? Please share with a friend!
Thanks, as always, for reading.
Love, Kara