Volume 5

My Guide to Getting Less Done

There’s nothing like the high of optimism that comes from writing a to-do list at 8am, aaand nothing like the crushing blow that comes at 5pm when most of it is still unchecked.

I used to be obsessed with productivity. Okay, let me rephrase that. I used to be obsessed with feeling guilty for not being productive enough (self-deprecation is one of my greatest strengths, and I come from a long line of self-deprecationists).

I wanted so badly to be efficient. Now, I was never one of those “wake up at 5am” or “zero inbox” guys, but I did create a wildly ridiculous to-do list everyday that I had almost no chance of ever completing. Then I’d get to the end of the day and think I wasted it, because I didn’t accomplish forty-three things in eight hours. I measured myself only in check boxes.

What changed? Well, a lot (except for some of the self-deprecation). Ultimately though, I found freedom in embracing my limitations, and I’m happier for it.

The lie I believed was that my fulfillment lived somewhere in the future, waiting for the day I got everything done. But the truth is, I’ll never finish it all (toddlers don’t help with efficiency), and turns out I can’t live in the future anyway.

So I started rearranging my values. I began looking for ways to enjoy life before the list is complete. And I discovered that’s where the good stuff is. It’s where life gets better by slowing down.

Easier said than done of course, and is admittedly a strange way to live in 2025 (have you ever heard of AI?).

So, for what’s it worth, here are three ways I’ve been fighting back my own impulse to accomplish more for the sake of accomplishing more, and how I’ve been embracing my mortality for the better.

I started listening to podcasts and audiobooks at 1.0x speed. Was that anti-climatic? Sorry… But it’s true.

Rather than rush through three or four of them at 1.5x (or 2.0x for you maniacs) with a scarcity mindset, I listen thoughtfully to one or two of them. Can AI do that? Actually, it probably can.

I canceled my Blinkist subscription. Okay, this was mostly financially motivated (who has an extra $100 these days??), but the principal is the same.

if you’re unfamiliar, Blinkist is a service that boils books down to 15-20 minute chunks by just giving you the main ideas.

They know that there are too many books to read in your lifetime, so they entice you to pay for a platform that helps you consume a shorter and worse version of more of them.

I’ve decided instead to engage with fewer entire books. Turns out its just called “reading.” I am surprisingly happier and less anxious for it.

I absolutely refuse to watch the split screens in sports. My MLB TV and Youtube TV subscriptions always try to get me to watch four games at once.

First of all, that is bananas. Second of all, its the same problem as the first two. More content, less ability to appreciate it. Quantity without quality.

Now I choose one game that interests me and watch it until I decide to watch a different one. Because, did you know, humans can’t actually watch four games at once? It’s very freeing to actually embrace that reality.

So if you’re anxious or overwhelmed or unhappy, this my advice: just do less. Listen to podcasts and audiobooks at the pace at which people actually talk, read books instead of summaries that rob them of their heart and soul, and watch one game at a freaking time.

It might make you weird, but it also might make you enjoy your life more.

Pencil of the Week

It’s back to school season, which means one thing in the pencil world: yellow. Or, maybe more of a golden hue. I like pencils in all shapes, sizes, and colors, but when everyone is heading back to the classroom, I get an itch to pull out something predictable and classic.

I’ve been using this incredible Japanese pencil by Tombow called the 2558. I chose the B core, which is my favorite. Smooth, dark lines on a clean, simple pencil. Zero complaints.

Pairs well with a yellow notepad and backpack.

Featured Haiku

Kobayashi Issa (1763–1828) was a haiku poet with a gentle, playful eye for the world. He loved seeing humor and beauty in moments most people wouldn’t even think twice about.

Here is one of my favorites.

Don’t worry, spiders,
I keep house
casually.

Spoiler: I too keep a “casual” house that spiders (and other creatures) feel quite welcome in. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Thanks for reading ANA(B)LOG. As always, I’d love to hear your feedback about what you enjoyed, what you loathed, and what suggestions you have for further volumes.

Cheers.