5 Quick Things #206 đ§ș
clean with oil, declutter in community, & read outside the dryer
Hi there,
Iâve been thinking about what it means to stay focused on only the 1-3 things that matter each day â I donât know about you, but that practice is simple to understand but incredibly tough to master. Iâve got a project Iâve been working on for years, and Iâve been wracking my brain lately why I donât make more traction on it â because it is super important to me. Why donât I cross the finish line?
As always, an epiphany came in the shower last night: I think in order for me to finally finish the thing, I need to cultivate the habit of not needing immediate feedback or instant gratification. Our âeasy everywhereâ culture has trained my brain to want dopamine hits all day long, and yet long projects donât see their reward for a long time until after theyâre completed. I need to relearn what it means to find satisfaction in the dayâs work being done, and thatâs it. Iâm accidentally addicted to the dopamine treat of approval after the tiniest of daily dog tricks. Iâve become a puppy in my need of a reward.
The work that lasts is usually the work that takes its time.

5 Quick Things âïž
1. đ New episode of A Drink With a Friend! đ When you grow up hearing that this world will one day fade away, itâs hard to reconcile why, then, thereâs so much astounding beauty everywhere. Seth and I unpack why our invisible souls arenât the only things that matter.
2. This essay posits a really good idea for handling that âbackground hum of stress, but is just sustainable enough that you can keep it up for years.â 20% less might be my goal next year.
3. Iâve never heard of the term âskinimalism,â but I definitely love my years-long, almost-nothing skincare routine and Iâm routinely asked what I do because my skin looks healthy. (The answer is disappointingly easy.) Why do we do so much to ourselves?
4. How do you know when your work is ready? I like these three questions.
5. And finally, here are ten photography tips that are simple to remember but hard to implement. (I definitely do #10 the best.)
Currently Reading, Watching, Listening đș
Supernatural (because apparently this showâs been around forever with 300+ episodes and Iâm only just now checking it out)
Quotable đŹ
âDonât just do something, sit there.â
â Sylvia Boorstein #
Inside The Commonplace đĄ
The above quote was from Commonplace subscriber Rachel, in answer to my request for timeless wisdom this week. As always, you guys did not disappoint:
You Might Like To Know⊠đ
Whenever people want me to talk more about practical tips for living simply with less, I point them instead to my friend Joshua â in particular, his workshop thatâs open only three times a year. Itâs called Uncluttered, and itâs a 12-week course to help you systematically declutter your home.
It happens to be open right now, and it sounds like the price is going up after this year. Nowâs the time to get it if youâre hankering to declutter your home + recenter your mindset in time for the holidays! Uncluttered has my seal of approval.
Elsewhere đ

Question For You to Ponder⊠đ€
What was the best thing that happened this week?
Have a good weekend!
xo, Tsh
p.s. Some big news on the podcast next week â you wonât want to miss it! Stay tuned.