A gentle close to the week

And those aren’t fires, they’re fireflies / Issue 1,176

Oh, hi friends! 

What does it actually mean to reflect on the last five days?

You can chronicle your highs and lows. Wins and losses. Miles cycled, meltdowns evaded, minutes spent in meetings.

Or you can think about the friends you saw, the art that opened your mind, the plans you made for the future. 

Quantify what you want and in whatever way feels natural to you.

But don’t forget to look back and, yes, gently close the door on the week.

“Most of the time when you rush to put out fires, they're really just fireflies. 

Real fire, smoke, blood, guns, and lawsuits are worth putting aside what you're working on this minute. Everything else can wait 15 minutes or 3 hours or until tomorrow."

Obsessed with this from my friend and certified professional organizer Julie Bestry. (We also chatted for my Do It Today podcast this week and I can’t wait to share the episode with you soon!) 

Also really appreciated her blog post on “body doubling” — working, creating, or organizing alongside another person — as a way to create an environment for focused work. 

Kara’s Read-This-Now Book Club

I hope you’ve purchased Delia Cai’s debut novel Central Places, released this week!

We talked a few months ago about her creative process, writing the book during the pandemic in two hours a week, and much more. (Listen here.)

It has been so inspiring to watch a friend achieve her dreams — there’s nothing better!!!

PS — Substack rolled out a new feature on this newsletter platform called “pledges” where readers like you can pledge to support a writer if they decide to turn on paid subscriptions. I’ve just hit my sixth anniversary of writing this newsletter with 1,176 issues behind me (behind us!). I’ve always said “no no no” when considering asking folks like you to pay for these daily newsletters, but honestly I’m not sure if that’s because I don’t believe my writing is valuable enough to warrant $$$ every month, or because I never wanted a fun “project” to turn into a “job” with deliverables. It’s an interesting question! That said, if you would like to pledge your support, I would be grateful and appreciate the boost of confidence. If you are not able to pledge, I’m also grateful for your attention and for being here. Because we still get to have this nice little cozy space together, and nothing will change that. Thanks for listening to my rambles!