There are a lot of obvious ways to approach the problem: pick a major, get internships, talk to alumni, build your résumé, and see what jobs seem interesting. Those things are useful. But they don’t always answer a more basic question:

What do I actually care about, and what am I good at?

I’ve found it helpful to think about this less as “finding your passion” and more as figuring out your preferences.

What do you value?
What kind of work do you naturally gravitate toward?
What are you willing to spend a lot of time getting better at?

Start With What You Value

A simple place to start is to rate how important each of these is to you on a scale of 1–10.

Money

How important is financial success to you?

This doesn’t necessarily mean you want to be rich. Money can represent different things: security, independence, status, the ability to travel, supporting your family, or simply enjoying a certain lifestyle.

Ask yourself:

• Would I take a lower-paying job if I liked the work significantly more?

• How much does financial independence matter to me?

• Do I enjoy thinking about investing, markets, or business?

• What would I actually want more money for?

If money is a 9 or 10 for you, that’s useful information. You don’t need to apologize for it or pretend it isn’t important.

Learning

Some people mainly care about getting better at things. They like difficult problems, learning new subjects, researching, and becoming knowledgeable.

Think about:

• What do I read about without being required to?

• What classes make me curious?

• Do I enjoy becoming an expert?

• Do I prefer work that changes frequently?

If learning is high on your list, you probably want a career where you continue developing rather than doing the same thing indefinitely.

Creativity

Creativity can mean a lot more than art. It can be writing, marketing, design, storytelling, building a business, developing a strategy, creating content, or simply finding a different way to solve a problem. For me, writing has been one of the clearest examples of this. Working for The Observer, Notre Dame’s student newspaper, has given me an outlet that is very different from accounting or finance.

I don’t necessarily know if I want writing to be my entire career. But I know I want some form of creativity in my life. That’s an important distinction. Your interests don’t all have to become your job, but they could.

Helping Other People

How important is it that your work benefits other people?

This could mean directly helping someone, advising a client, mentoring someone, building something useful, or helping a team succeed.

Ask yourself:

• Do I enjoy solving other people’s problems?

• Do I like mentoring or teaching?

• Do I care about the impact of my work?

• Do I get satisfaction from making someone else’s job easier?

This can be a major part of your career without necessarily meaning you have to work in a traditionally “helping” profession.

Beauty and Experiences

Some people care more than others about their surroundings and experiences.

Travel, food, architecture, fashion, design, events, culture, and creating memorable experiences can all be part of this. If you consistently find yourself planning trips, looking for new restaurants, noticing design, or wanting to explore new places, don’t dismiss that as unrelated to your career. It tells you something about what you enjoy.

I’ve always liked traveling, trying new things, meeting people from different backgrounds, and finding interesting places. Studying abroad has probably taught me as much about what I enjoy as some of my classes have.

Leadership

How much do you enjoy taking ownership? Leadership isn’t necessarily about being the loudest person in the room. It can mean making decisions, bringing people together, taking responsibility, or making sure something actually gets done.

Ask yourself:

• Do I naturally step up when something needs to be organized?

• Do I enjoy making decisions and setting direction?

• Do I like motivating or helping a group work better?

• Am I comfortable being responsible for an outcome?

• Do I prefer having ownership over my work?

If leadership matters to you, pay attention to the situations where you naturally take responsibility. Those moments can tell you whether you actually enjoy leading.

Freedom

How much control do you want over your time? Some people are perfectly happy with structure and predictability. Others care a lot about flexibility and independence.

Ask yourself:

• How important is having control over my schedule?

• Would I rather have flexibility or a higher salary?

• Do I want to work for myself eventually?

• How much do I care about being able to travel?

This is one of the easiest things to overlook when evaluating careers. You aren’t just choosing a job. You’re choosing a lifestyle.

Relationships

How important are people to your day-to-day life? Some careers are highly social. Others involve long stretches of independent work.

Think about:

• Do I get energy from meeting new people?

• Do I enjoy networking?

• Do I like working on teams?

• Would I be happy spending most of the day working alone?

For me, meeting people and building relationships is something I consistently enjoy, which makes relationship-heavy parts of business appealing to me.

Then Look for Combinations

The point isn’t to find your highest score and build your entire life around it. Look at the combination.

For example:

Money + Learning + Leadership

Could point toward finance, consulting, investment management, entrepreneurship, or strategy.

Creativity + Relationships + Experiences

Could point toward marketing, media, hospitality, events, branding, or content.

Learning + Helping People + Relationships

Could point toward consulting, education, advising, healthcare, or other client-facing work.

Money + Freedom + Creativity

Could make entrepreneurship particularly interesting.

These aren’t formulas. They’re just ways of generating hypotheses about what might fit you. And that’s really what you’re doing: generating hypotheses and then testing them.

Don’t Only Ask What You’re Good At

There’s a problem with asking only, “What am I good at?”

You can be good at something you don’t particularly like. Maybe you’re good at spreadsheets but don’t want to spend your career in Excel. Maybe you’re good at public speaking but don’t enjoy presenting. Maybe you’re a good writer but don’t want writing to be your full-time job.

So I think there are three things worth tracking:

Ability: Am I good at this?

Interest: Do I actually like this?

Energy: Do I want to keep doing this?

The best opportunities tend to sit somewhere in the overlap.

The Point Is to Pay Attention

You probably won’t figure out exactly what you want to do from one exercise, and you don’t need to. The point is to start noticing patterns. What you value, what you’re good at, what gives you energy, and what you keep coming back to can tell you a lot about the kind of work and life that might fit you.

Subscribe now

If you’re someone who always wants to learn, here are 50 hobbies to try when you want to challenge yourself, build a skill, or simply follow your curiosity.

1. Hobbies That Make You Smarter

1. Learn a new language
Pick a language you’ve always wanted to speak and spend 15 minutes a day practicing.

2. Read nonfiction
Explore history, psychology, business, science, politics, or any subject that makes you think differently.

3. Start a book club
Turn reading into a social hobby by choosing a book each month and discussing it with friends.

4. Learn philosophy
Dive into the big questions about life, ethics, happiness, and what it means to live well.

5. Study history
Choose a time period or country that interests you and start exploring its stories.

6. Take online courses
Learn everything from economics to graphic design through online classes.

7. Learn about personal finance
Make understanding money a hobby. Learn about investing, budgeting, credit, taxes, and building wealth.

8. Learn to code
Even basic coding can teach you how to solve problems and think more systematically.

9. Explore psychology
Learn why people think, behave, communicate, and make decisions the way they do.

10. Keep a curiosity journal
Whenever you think, “I wonder why…”, write it down and research the answer.

2. Hobbies That Let You Create

11. Photography
Start noticing the world differently by learning composition, lighting, and storytelling through photos.

12. Creative writing
Write short stories, personal essays, poetry, or whatever helps you turn ideas into words.

13. Painting
You don’t need to be an artist. Experiment with watercolors, acrylics, or whatever medium looks fun.

14. Drawing
Practice sketching people, places, objects, or even random things around your room.

15. Graphic design
Learn how to create posters, presentations, social media graphics, or digital art.

16. Filmmaking
Learn the basics of storytelling, filming, editing, and visual composition.

17. Pottery
A hands-on hobby that forces you to slow down and learn through trial and error.

18. Jewelry making
Experiment with beads, wire, metals, or clay to create something completely your own.

19. Sewing
Learn to repair, alter, or create clothing instead of automatically replacing it.

20. Cooking
Turn dinner into a skill-building experiment by learning new cuisines, techniques, and recipes.

3. Hobbies That Help You Understand the World

21. Travel planning
You don’t even need to travel. Research cities, cultures, food, history, and architecture around the world.

22. Learn about geopolitics
Follow international events and learn how countries, economies, and governments interact.

23. Study maps
Explore geography, borders, cities, transportation systems, and the history behind them.

24. Learn about architecture
Start noticing the buildings around you and learn the stories behind different architectural styles.

25. Explore your city like a tourist
Visit museums, neighborhoods, historic sites, and local businesses you’ve never experienced.

26. Learn about different cuisines
Choose one country each month and explore its food, history, and traditions.

27. Go to museums
Pick an exhibit without knowing much about it and challenge yourself to learn something new.

28. Learn about art history
Understanding the context behind famous works can completely change the way you see them.

29. Attend lectures and talks
Universities, libraries, museums, and community organizations often host fascinating events.

30. Interview interesting people
Ask people about their careers, experiences, ideas, and lessons. You’ll be surprised how much you can learn from a conversation.

4. Hobbies for Personal Growth

31. Journaling
Use writing to process your thoughts, reflect on experiences, and understand yourself better.

32. Public speaking
Practice becoming more confident at communicating your ideas in front of other people.

33. Debate
Learn how to construct an argument, listen carefully, and understand perspectives you disagree with.

34. Meditation
Make learning how to focus and be present part of your routine.

35. Yoga
Explore the connection between movement, breathing, flexibility, and mindfulness.

36. Running
Set goals, track your progress, and learn what consistency can do over time.

37. Strength training
Learn about exercise, nutrition, recovery, and how your body responds to training.

38. Gardening
There’s something surprisingly educational about growing something from a tiny seed.

39. Chess
A classic hobby for developing strategy, patience, and pattern recognition.

40. Volunteering
Learn from communities, organizations, and people whose experiences may be completely different from your own.

5. Hobbies That Could Become Something More

41. Start a newsletter
Write about something you’re genuinely interested in and build a small audience around your ideas.

42. Start a podcast
Talk to interesting people and turn your curiosity into conversations.

43. Build a personal website
Create a place to showcase your projects, writing, portfolio, or interests.

44. Start a side project
Have an idea? Build a tiny version of it and see where it goes.

45. Learn entrepreneurship
Study how businesses are created, marketed, funded, and grown.

46. Learn investing
Research companies, markets, and long-term investing strategies while learning how to evaluate risk.

47. Become a mentor
Teaching someone else is one of the fastest ways to realize how much you actually know—and what you still need to learn.

48. Learn a professional skill
Try something that could help your future career: Excel, public speaking, design, data analysis, writing, or networking.

49. Build something with your hands
Try woodworking, electronics, DIY projects, or anything else that makes you figure out how things work.

50. Become a lifelong learner
Make curiosity itself the hobby. Follow questions, chase ideas, meet people, read widely, and never be afraid to be a beginner.

Final Thought

You don’t need 50 hobbies. You probably only need one that makes you curious enough to keep going.

An important takeaway from this summer was how much there is to learn outside of a classroom. As a college student, it’s easy to think learning is something that happens during lectures, exams, and office hours. But some of the most interesting lessons can come from meeting a new person, trying something you’re bad at, exploring an unfamiliar subject, or simply asking better questions.

So pick one hobby from this list, give it a month, and see where it takes you. You never know what a random interest might become.

Subscribe now

A dopamine menu offers an alternative.

Instead of trying to decide what might help in the moment, you create a personalized list of activities ahead of time. When your energy is low, you simply choose something from the menu.

The idea is straightforward: make healthy, restorative activities as easy to access as the less helpful ones.

What Is a Dopamine Menu?

A dopamine menu is a list of enjoyable activities organized by the time and energy they require. The concept is inspired by a restaurant menu, with different “courses” serving different purposes.

Typically, a dopamine menu includes:

• Appetizers: Quick activities that take 5–10 minutes.

• Main courses: Activities that require around 30 minutes and provide a deeper sense of engagement.

• Desserts: Intentional treats or rewards that help you relax and unwind.

The goal isn’t to maximize productivity. It’s to reduce decision fatigue and make it easier to choose activities that leave you feeling better afterward.

Why It Works

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter involved in motivation, learning, and reward. While it’s often described as the brain’s “feel-good” chemical, its role is more complex. Dopamine helps reinforce behaviors that the brain perceives as worthwhile and encourages us to pursue goals.

Many modern apps and digital platforms are designed to deliver frequent, immediate rewards. That doesn’t make them inherently bad, but they can become the default whenever we’re bored, stressed, or overwhelmed.

Choose what helps your future self feel better—not just what feels easiest right now.

A dopamine menu helps interrupt that pattern by offering alternatives you’ve already decided are worth your time.

Appetizers (5–10 Minutes)

These are low-effort activities that can help you reset without requiring much commitment.

Examples include:

• Drink a glass of water.

• Take a short walk.

• Stretch.

• Make a cup of tea or coffee.

• Read a few pages of a book.

• Step outside for fresh air.

• Listen to one song.

• Write in a journal.

• Water your plants.

• Tidy one small area.

• Practice five minutes of breathing exercises.

• Put your phone away for ten minutes.

• Fold a load of laundry.

• Do a quick meditation.

• Write down tomorrow’s priorities.

The point isn’t to accomplish a lot. It’s to create enough momentum to move out of autopilot.

Main Courses (About 30 Minutes)

These activities require more time but tend to provide a greater sense of satisfaction.

Ideas include:

• Go for a longer walk.

• Exercise class.

• Cook a meal.

• Read a chapter of a book.

• Work on a hobby.

• Paint or draw.

• Practice an instrument.

• Garden.

• Meal prep.

• Take a yoga class.

• Work on a puzzle.

• Declutter a room.

• Learn something new.

• Visit a coffee shop and read.

• Call a friend or family member.

Unlike quick distractions, these activities often leave you feeling more engaged and accomplished.

Dessert: An Intentional Treat

Desserts are activities you simply enjoy.

They’re not rewards you have to earn, and they don’t need to be productive. The key is choosing treats that feel restorative rather than automatic.

Some examples:

• Watch an episode of a favorite show.

• Buy a specialty coffee.

• Read fiction.

• Take a bath.

• Visit a bookstore.

• Eat your favorite dessert.

• Watch a movie.

• Spend time with a pet.

• Listen to an album from start to finish.

• Sleep in on a weekend morning.

Treats have a place in a balanced routine. The difference is choosing them intentionally rather than out of habit.

How to Build Your Own Dopamine Menu

Start by thinking about activities that consistently make you feel better afterward—not just while you’re doing them.

Ask yourself:

• What helps me feel more focused?

• What helps me relax?

• What activities leave me feeling satisfied?

• What hobbies have I been neglecting?

• What can I realistically do in five minutes? Thirty minutes?

Write your answers down and organize them into categories.

Save the list somewhere you’ll actually use it, such as your phone, planner, or notes app.

The Bottom Line

A dopamine menu isn’t about eliminating entertainment or optimizing every minute of your day. It’s simply a way to make healthy, enjoyable choices easier when your motivation is low.

By deciding in advance what helps you recharge, you spend less time wondering what to do and more time doing something that actually supports your well-being.

The next time you find yourself looking for a quick distraction, consider checking your dopamine menu first. You may find that one small activity is enough to change the direction of your day.

Subscribe now

In college, that often looks like this: you’re interested in business, history, writing, maybe starting a company, maybe running regularly enough to feel like an athlete, maybe building something creative on the side that no one else even knows about yet. You’re not indecisive—you’re genuinely engaged with the world.

But without structure, curiosity turns into fragmentation.

The goal is not to become someone with fewer interests. It’s to become someone with a system strong enough to hold all of them.

Here are five techniques that actually work when you’re managing multiple serious interests without burning out or diluting progress.

1. Build a “Portfolio Mindset” for Your Life

Instead of treating your interests like competing identities, treat them like a portfolio.

Investors don’t expect every asset to perform at the same time. Some are long-term growth. Some are short-term bets. Some are experiments.

You can structure your interests the same way:

• One “core investment” (your primary academic or career focus right now)

• One “growth track” (something like a startup, research, or writing)

• One “compounding skill” (writing, coding, speaking, etc.)

• One “energy activity” (running, yoga, dance—something that sustains you)

This removes the pressure to justify everything equally. Not all interests are meant to grow at the same speed.

2. Work in Seasons, Not Simultaneity

Trying to advance everything at once flattens progress.

Instead, rotate emphasis in 6–10 week “seasons.”

For example:

• Season 1: heavy focus on your business idea + light maintenance of writing and fitness

• Season 2: focus shifts to writing and publishing + internship performance

• Season 3: AI or technical skill-building deep dive

Everything still exists—but not everything gets equal weight at the same time.

This is how depth is protected.

3. Keep a “Parking Lot” for Ideas

Multi-interest people don’t struggle with ideas. They often fear abandonment of the ideas.

So instead of acting on every impulse, build a system where ideas are captured instantly but not executed immediately.

A simple note labeled:

• “Build Later”

• “Explore Someday”

• “Not Now, But Not Never”

This keeps curiosity alive without letting it hijack your day. Most people don’t fail because they lack ideas— they fail because they confuse urgency with importance.

4. Stack Skills Instead of Splitting Them

The mistake is thinking your interests require separate lives. They don’t and are interrelated.

Writing improves your policy work. Policy improves your business thinking. Business improves how you understand incentives in AI. Fitness improves your discipline in everything else.

Instead of asking “Which interest do I pick?” ask:

“What skill connects the most of what I care about?”

For many people, that’s writing. For others, it’s analysis. For others, it’s communication or building. You’re not dividing yourself, but rather you’re building a shared foundation.

5. Measure Output, Not Identity

One of the fastest ways to feel overwhelmed is to turn interests into identities:
“I’m a business person, a writer, a policy person, a runner…”

A better system is:

• Did I publish something?

• Did I build something?

• Did I improve something measurable this week?

Even small outputs matter more than internal labeling. Progress becomes more visible this way rather than theoretical.

A Historical Reminder

Leonardo da Vinci—one of history’s most famously multi-interested minds—was not successful because he followed every curiosity randomly, but because he structured it into relentless exploration with discipline.

He wrote:
“Learning never exhausts the mind.”

The key detail is what people may often forget: he didn’t let learning exhaust his life.

This is something I've been thinking about a lot while interning in Washington, D.C. this summer. Being surrounded by people with ambitious careers and wide-ranging interests has reinforced an idea I keep returning to: the challenge isn't having too many interests—it's building systems that allow them to coexist without competing for attention.

Closing Thought

Being someone with many interests is not a disadvantage. It’s an early signal that you’re trying to build a broad mental map of the world. The goal isn’t to narrow yourself prematurely. It’s to build systems that prevent your curiosity from collapsing under its own weight.

You don’t need fewer interests. You need fewer collisions between them. 🤍

Subscribe now

The person who journals every morning, cooks homemade meals, keeps their room clean, drinks enough water, reads before bed, answers emails on time, and somehow has their life together without looking stressed.

And then there’s real life.

You miss a workout. Your laundry sits in the dryer for three days. You buy groceries with good intentions and end up eating cereal for dinner instead.

And for the longest time, I thought becoming that person meant waking up one random Monday and suddenly transforming my entire life overnight.

Spoiler: that never happened.

Because the truth is, most of us are living in the space between who we are and who we think we “should” be. We create these hyper-idealized versions of ourselves in our heads, and then we feel guilty when we can’t perfectly maintain a five-step skincare routine, meal prep, gym schedule, social life, internship applications, and eight hours of sleep simultaneously.

We’re human. Of course we can’t do everything perfectly all the time.

But here’s the thing I’m slowly realizing as a college student trying to figure life out:

You do not need to become a completely different person to become someone who actually does things. What I’ve realized instead is that people who “do things” usually aren’t perfect. They’ve just figured out how to be consistent in small ways.

And honestly, that’s a lot more realistic.

The Problem With Trying to Reinvent Your Life

I think a lot of us make productivity way harder than it needs to be.

We create these impossible routines:

• wake up at 5 a.m.

• run six miles

• cook every meal

• read constantly

• drink a green smoothie before class

• never procrastinate and always stay focused

Then we fail at doing all of it for three days straight and decide we’re lazy.

But most habits don’t fail because people are incapable. They fail because people start too big.

You do not need to become a completely different person to improve your life.

You just need habits that are realistic enough to repeat.

Becoming Someone Who Follows Through

I used to think discipline was about forcing yourself to do hard things constantly. Now I think it’s more about building trust with yourself.

Every time you say you’re going to do something and actually do it — even if it’s tiny — you prove to yourself that you can rely on your own word.

That changes everything.

Because confidence doesn’t magically appear first. Action comes first.

You become the type of person who reads by reading one page.
You become healthier by cooking one meal.
You become organized by cleaning one corner of your room.

Your life is basically built out of tiny repeated actions.

5 Things That Actually Help You Build Better Habits

1. Start Smaller Than You Think You Need To

This is probably the biggest thing. People fail because they try to completely reinvent their lives in one day. They go from doing nothing to trying to do everything.

People underestimate how much small habits actually matter because they don’t feel impressive.

Instead:

• read for five minutes

• stretch for two minutes

• journal one paragraph

• go to the gym for twenty minutes instead of two hours

A lot of life is just momentum.

Once you start doing something consistently, it becomes part of your routine instead of this huge thing you need motivation for every single time.

This is probably the biggest thing.

People fail because they try to completely reinvent their lives in one day. They go from doing nothing to trying to do everything.

2. Stop Waiting to “Feel Like It”

Most of the time, motivation comes after starting, not before.

Nobody feels excited to do every task in their life. The difference is that some people do things anyway instead of waiting for the perfect mood to magically appear.

That doesn’t mean forcing yourself to be productive 24/7. It just means understanding that action usually creates momentum. Once you begin, your brain catches up.

The hardest part is almost always starting.

3. Learn Basic Life Skills

This sounds obvious, but genuinely learning how to take care of yourself changes your life more than people talk about.

One of the most underrated parts of becoming an adult is realizing how important basic life skills are.

Things like:

• cooking simple meals

• budgeting your money

• doing laundry before you run out of clothes

• keeping a calendar

• learning how to rest without guilt

• making appointments

• emailing professionally

• cleaning as you go

None of these are exciting, but they genuinely make life feel more manageable.

There’s something deeply grounding about knowing how to take care of yourself.

4. Rest Is Part of Being Productive

This took me forever to understand.

Burning yourself out is not proof that you’re ambitious.

You do not need to earn rest by being exhausted first.

Some days, the most productive thing you can do is sleep early, go outside, or let yourself slow down without spiraling about all the things you “should” be doing.

You can build a better life without constantly punishing yourself.

5. Strive for Consistency, Not Perfection

Perfection is exciting for like… three days.

Consistency is what actually changes your life.

Anyone can have one hyper-productive day. The goal is building routines you can realistically maintain even when life gets busy, stressful, or messy.

Honestly, some weeks your “best” will look different than others.

The Main Thing

I don’t think becoming a person who “actually does things” is about becoming perfect. I think it’s about becoming someone who keeps showing up for themselves in small ways.

Someone who:

• tries again after falling off track

• builds habits slowly

• stops chasing perfection

• learns how to take care of themselves

• understands that growth is usually quiet and repetitive

The people who actually do things are not superhuman. They just keep starting. Most people who seem disciplined are not operating on constant motivation or perfect routines.

They’ve just learned how to keep going even when things aren’t perfect.

Subscribe now

Many of us are asked to make career decisions before we’ve had the chance to slow down and reflect on what genuinely interests us and how we work best. This guide is meant to slow that process down. It’s designed to help you identify what energizes you, what matters to you, and what kinds of environments help you do your best work. This is not about finding a single perfect job title. It’s about learning how you think, work, and stay engaged.

How to Use This Guide

For each section, rate how much you relate to each statement on a scale of 1–5.

1 = Not true for me
3 = Somewhat true
5 = Very true

Add up your score for each section. At the end, you’ll review your top five areas.

1. Technology and Innovation

Consider how you feel about tools, systems, and change.

Questions:

• Do I enjoy learning new software, platforms, or technologies?
  
  

• Do I like improving systems or making processes more efficient?
  
  

• Am I interested in how things work behind the scenes?
  
  

• Do I feel curious about emerging trends and innovation?
  
  

Commonly aligned fields include technology, data, product, engineering, UX, and digital marketing.

2. Independence and Autonomy

Think about how much control you want over your work.

Questions:

• Do I prefer managing my own time and priorities?
  

• Do I work best when I am trusted to figure things out independently?
  

• Do I prefer not to be under close supervision?
  

• Do I like owning projects from start to finish?
  

This often connects with entrepreneurship, freelancing, research, consulting, and creative roles.

3. Helping Others and Service

Reflect on whether impact motivates you.

Questions:

• Do I feel fulfilled when I help others solve problems?
  

• Do I care about making a positive difference through my work?
  

• Do I find meaning in supporting people or communities?
  

• Do others often come to me for advice or guidance?
  

This aligns with fields such as healthcare, education, nonprofit work, counseling, and public service.

4. Leadership and Influence

Consider how you feel about responsibility and decision-making.

Questions:

• Do I enjoy leading group projects or initiatives?
  

• Am I comfortable making decisions that affect others?
  

• Do I like motivating or coordinating people?
  

• Do I want influence over outcomes and direction?
  

Common paths include management, law, consulting, entrepreneurship, and leadership roles.

5. Creativity and Expression

Think about how important creating is to you.

Questions:

• Do I enjoy writing, designing, or building something original?
  

• Do I prefer open-ended tasks over rigid instructions?
  

• Do I feel energized by storytelling or visual thinking?
  

• Do I get satisfaction from turning ideas into tangible results?

This shows up in marketing, design, media, writing, advertising, and creative industries.

6. Stability and Security

Reflect on your tolerance for uncertainty.

Questions:

• Do I value predictable income and structure?
  

• Do I prefer clear expectations and defined roles?
  

• Do I feel stressed in unpredictable environments?
  

• Do benefits and long-term stability matter to me?
  

This often connects to accounting, finance, operations, government, and established corporate roles.

7. Competition and Achievement

Consider how driven you are by performance and outcomes.

Questions:

• Do I enjoy setting measurable goals?
  

• Am I motivated by competition or recognition?
  

• Do I perform well under pressure?
  

• Do I like environments where results are clearly tracked?
  

Sales, finance, law, athletics, and executive paths often reflect this driver.

8. Learning and Intellectual Growth

Think about how important mental challenge is to you.

Questions:

• Do I enjoy deep thinking and problem-solving?
  

• Do I like researching or analyzing complex ideas?
  

• Do I get bored without intellectual stimulation?
  

• Do I seek opportunities to keep learning?
  

This can align with research, law, policy, strategy, academia, and analytics.

9. Structure Versus Flexibility

Consider how you function day-to-day.

Questions:

• Do I work better with routines and systems?
  

• Or do I prefer variety and frequent change?
  

• Do I want clear instructions or open-ended goals?
  

• Do I like knowing exactly how success is defined?
  

This helps determine the type of environment you will thrive in, regardless of role.

10. Values, Purpose, and Identity

Reflect on how much meaning you want your work to carry.

Questions:

• Do I want my work to align with my personal values?
  

• Do ethics or mission influence my career choices?
  

• Do I want to feel proud explaining what I do?
  

• Does work feel closely tied to who I am?
  

This often points toward mission-driven companies, advocacy, education, or social impact roles.

Final Step: Identify Your Top Five

Once you’ve scored each section:

1. Rank all ten from highest to lowest

2. Focus on your top five

3. Look for patterns rather than job titles

Ask yourself:

• Do my top areas focus more on people, ideas, or systems?

• Do I prioritize independence or stability?

• Am I more motivated by impact, achievement, or creativity?
  

Careers tend to be more sustainable when they align with these underlying drivers.

Understanding what matters to you now gives you a better framework for choosing majors, internships, and early roles with intention rather than guesswork.

This exercise is meant to support reflection, not to provide a definitive career answer. Interests and priorities change over time, and that’s normal. Use this as a starting point, not a final decision.

Subscribe now

The Person Who Kept Re-Solving the Problem

There’s a story about a math student—let’s call her Meredith—who had a strange habit.
After finishing her problem sets, she didn’t move on. Instead, she’d go back and solve the same problems again. And again. But each time, she’d force herself to do it differently.

One day she’d solve it algebraically.
Another day, visually.
Another day, starting from a different assumption.

His classmates thought this was pointless. The problem was already solved. Why waste time?

But something strange happened. When exams came around—especially the unfamiliar, twisted questions—Meredith didn’t panic. She recognized patterns others missed. The problem wasn’t new to her; it was just wearing a different outfit.

What she had been practicing wasn’t problem-solving.
It was understanding.

Understanding isn’t proven when you get the right answer once.
It’s revealed when the problem changes—and you don’t.

Intelligence vs. Habit: The Quiet Difference That Matters

We love to believe understanding is a function of intelligence. Some people “get it,” others don’t.

But in practice, understanding behaves much more like a habit than a raw ability.

Intelligence might help you climb faster, but habit decides whether you keep climbing at all.

People who understand things deeply tend to:

• Revisit ideas after they’ve “mastered” them

• Ask the same question from multiple angles

• Explain concepts out loud or in writing

• Seek friction instead of fluency

None of these require genius. They require patience—and a tolerance for feeling slow.

The myth of intelligence says: If you don’t get it immediately, it’s not for you.
The habit of understanding says: If you don’t get it yet, stay.

Why It’s So Easy to Think You Understand Something (When You Don’t)

Understanding has a dangerous impostor: familiarity.

You read an article.
You nod along.
The terms sound recognizable.
Nothing feels confusing.

So your brain concludes: I understand this.

But then someone asks you to explain it—and suddenly your mind goes blank.

This happens because recognition feels like comprehension. It’s smooth. Effortless. Pleasant. But real understanding is often the opposite: slow, uncomfortable, and full of gaps.

Psychologists call this the illusion of explanatory depth—we think we understand things far better than we actually do.

True understanding reveals itself when you:

• Try to explain the idea without jargon

• Apply it in a new context

• Rebuild it from first principles

If it collapses under pressure, you didn’t understand it—you memorized the shape of it.

Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation: Why Curiosity Wins Long-Term

Extrinsic motivation asks:
What will this get me? A grade? A job? Approval?

Intrinsic motivation asks:
Why does this work the way it does?

Extrinsic motivation is powerful—but shallow. It gets you to the finish line fast, then disappears. Intrinsic motivation is slower, but it changes how you relate to knowledge itself.

People driven by curiosity don’t stop at “correct.”
They stop at “clear.”

They keep pulling at the thread—not because they have to, but because unresolved questions bother them.

Understanding thrives when learning stops being a transaction and becomes a relationship.

What the Great Thinkers Keep Telling Us (Over and Over)

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” — Albert Einstein

This isn’t about dumbing things down. It’s about compression. When you truly understand something, you can strip away excess detail without losing meaning.

If an idea only survives inside complexity, it’s fragile.

“Study hard what interests you the most in the most undisciplined, irreverent, and original manner possible.” — Richard Feynman

Feynman wasn’t advocating chaos—he was advocating ownership. Understanding deepens when you stop treating knowledge as sacred and start poking it, bending it, playing with it.

Respect doesn’t create understanding. Interaction does.

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Application is the lie detector of understanding. The moment you try to use an idea, every hole becomes obvious.

That’s not failure. That’s feedback.

Tying It All Together: Understanding as a Way of Moving Through the World

Understanding isn’t a moment—it’s a posture.

It’s choosing depth over speed.
Habit over talent.
Curiosity over performance.

It’s returning to solved problems and asking, What else is here?
It’s noticing when something feels “easy” and getting suspicious.
It’s letting confusion linger long enough to teach you something.

In a world optimized for fast answers and surface fluency, real understanding is a quiet rebellion.

But it pays off everywhere: in learning, in work, in relationships, in thinking itself.

Because once you truly understand something, it doesn’t leave you.

It becomes part of how you see and interpret.

Subscribe now

The start of a new year carries a quiet kind of magic.

It’s not just about goals or resolutions. It’s about reflection. It’s about pausing long enough to hear yourself think. And that’s where journaling comes in.

Journaling isn’t about being a “writer.” It’s about giving your thoughts somewhere to land.

Still, a lot of people want to journal and never actually do. If that’s you, you’re not failing. You’re human.

Here’s why journaling can feel hard at first:

• You feel like you don’t have enough time
• You don’t know where to start
• You worry you’re doing it “wrong”
• You think your thoughts aren’t important enough to write down

The truth is, journaling doesn’t need to be long, poetic, or perfect. It just needs to be honest.

When you journal, you’re not trying to impress anyone. You’re creating space to understand yourself better. You’re processing the past, grounding yourself in the present, and gently shaping the future.

Studies show journaling can reduce stress, increase clarity, improve emotional regulation, and even boost confidence. But beyond research, there’s something deeply grounding about checking in with yourself regularly.

So if you’re entering the new year feeling excited, uncertain, hopeful, behind, inspired, overwhelmed, or all of the above—these prompts are for you.

You don’t have to answer all of them.
You don’t have to go in order.
You don’t even have to finish this in one sitting.

Just start where you are.

30 Journaling Prompts for the New Year

1. What moments from last year am I most grateful for?
   

2. What challenges shaped me the most this past year?
   

3. What did I learn about myself last year that surprised me?
   

4. What am I proud of, even if no one else noticed?
   

5. What habits or patterns do I want to leave behind?
   

6. What do I want more of in my life this year?
   

7. What do I want less of?
   

8. How do I want to feel on an average day this year?
   

9. What does “success” mean to me right now?
   

10. What parts of my life feel aligned? What feels off?
    

11. What am I currently afraid of, and why?
    

12. What would I try if I trusted myself more?
    

13. Who or what drains my energy? Who or what restores it?
    

14. What boundaries do I need to strengthen this year?
    

15. What brings me calm when everything feels overwhelming?
    

16. What does my ideal morning look like?
    

17. What does my ideal evening look like?
    

18. How do I want to show up in my relationships?
    

19. What does self-care realistically look like for me?
    

20. What am I avoiding that might actually help me grow?
    

21. What beliefs about myself no longer serve me?
    

22. What belief would I like to replace them with?
    

23. What am I excited about in the year ahead?
    

24. What would my best version of myself do consistently?
    

25. How do I handle failure, and how could I handle it with more compassion?
    

26. What does rest look like when I truly allow it?
    

27. What small changes could make a big difference in my life?
    

28. What does joy look like for me right now?
    

29. What do I want to remember when things get hard this year?
    

30. If I wrote a letter to myself one year from now, what would it say?
    

If you made it this far, pause for a moment.

Seriously—pause.

You showed up for yourself today, even if it was just by reading. That counts. Growth doesn’t always look loud or dramatic. Sometimes it looks like quiet reflection and choosing to be gentle with yourself.

You are not behind.
You are not late.
You are exactly where you need to be.

Here’s to a year of clarity, kindness toward yourself, and becoming, slowly, honestly, beautifully, who you already are.

Subscribe now

Most of us think life changes through big, dramatic routines.

• Waking up at 5 AM every day

• Running miles out of nowhere

• Reading a book a week

• Doing an hour-long morning routine

• Suddenly meditating for 20 minutes three times a day

They sound impressive. They look productive.
But they’re also the exact routines most people abandon within days.

Not because you’re unmotivated, but because they demand way too much energy to sustain. Big changes pull from willpower, and willpower burns out fast.

What actually changes your life?

Tiny habits that are so easy you don’t quit.
Habits that take almost no energy, almost no thought, and quietly reshape your days.

Below are the simple practices that genuinely make a big difference, with clear explanations of why they work and how to use them.

1. The 60-Second Reset

What it is: Once a day, reset just one small part of your environment—your desk, your nightstand, your bathroom counter—for 60 seconds.
Why it works: A tiny reset reduces visual clutter, which directly reduces mental stress. Clean environments naturally create a sense of control and calm. And because it only takes a minute, it’s repeatable.

2. The Half-Cup Rule

What it is: Before anything else in the morning, drink half a cup of water—not a whole bottle, not a massive goal.
Why it works: Hydration impacts energy, mood, and focus instantly. The “half-cup” version is small enough that you never resist it. The consistency matters more than the quantity.

3. The 2% Break

What it is: Every hour, take a 1-minute break: stretch, breathe, or look out a window—just one minute.
Why it works: Micro-breaks prevent burnout better than long breaks because they keep your nervous system from hitting depletion. You return with more energy, not less.

4. The Five-Line Journal

What it is: Write exactly five lines at the end of each day:
What I did
What I learned
What felt good
What didn’t
What I need tomorrow
Why it works: It’s structured enough to give clarity but short enough that you don’t avoid it. Reflection improves decision-making and reduces stress, and five lines is the sweet spot between helpful and manageable.

5. One-Thing-Away Rule

What it is: Every night, put away just one object that’s out of place.
Why it works: This builds the identity of someone who tidies, without overwhelming you. One object feels easy, but over weeks it keeps your environment far cleaner than random deep-cleaning days.

6. The 10-Second Tomorrow Setup

What it is: Before bed, set out one thing you’ll need the next day—keys, laptop, workout clothes, class materials.
Why it works: This reduces friction in the morning, which boosts your mood and lowers decision fatigue before your day even begins.

7. One-Paragraph Reading Habit

What it is: Commit to reading one paragraph a day.
Why it works: This eliminates pressure. Once you’re already reading one paragraph, you’ll often naturally read more. But even if you don’t, consistency builds the reading habit quietly.

8. 30-Second Body Wake-Up

What it is: A quick morning reset:
Shoulder rolls
Neck stretch
Arm shake-out
Two slow breaths
Why it works: This turns off “sleep mode” in your nervous system. Movement signals alertness to your brain, and you feel awake without caffeine or effort.

9. The Three-Item Daily List

What it is: Choose your top three tasks for the day—your real priorities.
Why it works: It cuts overwhelm instantly. Three tasks are achievable, and finishing them builds momentum and confidence that long chaotic to-do lists never create.

10. The 20-Second Text Rule

What it is: Send one short text a day to someone you care about—something as simple as “thinking of you.”
Why it works: Regular connection boosts happiness more than almost any other habit. And because it takes 20 seconds, it never feels like “work.”

The Bigger Picture: Why Small Habits Win

Small habits work because they fit inside your life, even on busy, chaotic, low-energy days.
They don’t rely on motivation. They don’t demand discipline. They don’t require a personality change.
They simply stack, little by little and day by day.
Until suddenly, your life feels easier, calmer, clearer, and more under your control.

Subscribe now

Lately, it feels like attention has become a scarce resource. Not because people suddenly got worse at focusing, but because the environment we live in is designed to scatter it. Between constant notifications, group chats, calendars, emails, TikToks, assignments, and the never-ending flow of information, paying attention has quietly turned into a full-time job.

As a college student navigating different pieces of life, I see this everywhere. It’s not a lack of motivation—modern life just pulls us in 20 directions at once.

Why Attention Feels Harder Today: A Quick Psychological Download

Variable reward loops

Most apps operate like slot machines: unpredictable rewards. You check “just in case,” because sometimes it’s interesting. This trains the brain to seek constant stimulation.

Working memory overload

We’re carrying too many tasks, reminders, and obligations in our heads. Working memory has limits, and modern life ignores all of them.

Cognitive overload

We absorb more information than the brain is built to handle. It’s not surprising that our mental filters get overwhelmed.

The attention economy

Companies profit when we click, swipe, and scroll. Distraction is built into the system—it’s not a personal flaw.

How Attention Works (Brief + Useful)

Attention has two main modes:

• Top-down: deliberate, intentional focus

• Bottom-up: automatic reactions to whatever is new or surprising

Modern life constantly triggers bottom-up attention, so top-down has less space to work. Rebuilding attention means giving the intentional system a chance again.

Steps to rebuild attention:

• Strengthening top-down control

• Reducing bottom-up triggers

• Training your brain to tolerate boredom again

• And building a life where you’re actually present

How to Strengthen Attention Without “Fixing” Yourself

This isn’t about discipline or willpower. It’s about adjusting your environment so your brain doesn’t have to fight so hard.

Immediate habits that actually help

1. Increase friction with your phone

Not banning it—just making it less instantly accessible.
Across the room, in your bag, notifications off. Small barriers go a long way.

2. Work in short focus windows

10–20 minutes of one task at a time. Modern attention thrives with smaller, more intentional blocks.

3. Add physical resets

Walk, stretch, refill water. Movement breaks interrupt autopilot and reset attention.

4. Read or process something out loud

It slows the brain down and re-engages deeper processing.

Long-term attention rebuilding (the things that actually change your brain)

1. Reintroduce low-stimulation moments

Standing in line without your phone.
Walking to class without headphones sometimes.
Letting your mind wander.
These moments teach your brain that it doesn’t need constant input.

2. Protect one hour of deep work a day

One task, no notifications, minimal tabs. It’s less about productivity and more about giving your brain uninterrupted space.

3. Simplify your digital environment

Unfollow noise, clear your home screen, minimize badges. Your phone doesn’t need to act like a fire alarm.

4. Do slow activities regularly

Cooking, exercising, reading, writing, dancing, long walks—anything that rewards sustained attention instead of fragmented attention.

5. Fix sleep (truly)

Attention is one of the first things to break when you’re tired. No hacks replace rest.

Why Any of This Matters

Attention shapes how we experience the world—classes, friendships, conversations, creativity, even the random small moments that make college and everyday life feel memorable.

Rebuilding attention isn’t about becoming more productive; it’s about being more present. Not perfectly. Just enough to actually register the things we care about.

Because modern life might be loud, fast, and distracting—but we still get to choose how much of it we let pull us away from the moments we want to pay attention to.

Subscribe now

My To-Do List:

• Finish the readings I promised myself I’d do last night.

• Update my résumé for the 18th time.

• Apply for internships that may or may not even exist.

• Go to that club meeting.

• Text my friend back.

• Be “productive.”

• Figure out my entire life.

I’m in college, and it feels like I’m constantly spinning — bouncing between classes, clubs, half-done projects, and existential crises disguised as LinkedIn searches. Every day, I wake up wanting to do it all: the grades, the internships, the social life, the gym, the creativity, the future.

But sometimes, I want to do so many things that I end up doing… nothing.

The Morning Rush That Never Ends

Every morning starts with a plan: I’ll be organized, balanced, composed. I’ll finally get ahead.

Then I scroll.

LinkedIn, emails, opportunities — I start thinking about all the other versions of myself I could be. The one in a big city working at some sleek firm. The one writing essays in a coffee shop. The one teaching abroad, or starting a company, or getting a law degree.

Each version of me feels real for about thirty seconds. And then none of them do.

Because how do you pick just one life, when you’re still figuring out who you are?

The Daydream Spiral

I daydream about everything.
About being a writer, a businessperson, a teacher, a researcher, a designer.
About living in different cities — New York, Paris, maybe somewhere romantic like Lisbon.
About writing books, running marathons, learning to cook something impressive, starting a podcast, getting a dog.

Then there are the smaller, quieter dreams:
Watching movies with friends.
Reading more.
Not checking my phone every ten minutes.
Actually enjoying life instead of managing it like a project.

But somehow, the more I imagine, the less I do. It’s like ambition turns into static — too many channels, no clear signal.

The Paralysis of Possibility

We’re told we can be anything, which is both inspiring and completely paralyzing.

The freedom to choose feels a lot like pressure to get it perfectly right. Every decision — what to major in, what job to apply for, what to post — starts to feel like it determines the entire trajectory of your life.

And so we hesitate. We plan. We research. We scroll.

But we don’t move.

It’s like what Albert Camus wrote about the absurd hero: someone endlessly pushing the boulder up the hill, not because they’ll succeed, but because they have to try. Except for us, the boulder is our Google Calendar — and half the time, we just sit and stare at it, wondering which mountain even matters.

The Market for Meaning

It feels like everyone’s chasing something — the perfect résumé, the dream job, the passion project. The competition is endless, and it’s not just for opportunities; it’s for identity.

Who are you, really, if you’re not doing something impressive?

But here’s the thing I’m starting to learn: the goal isn’t to do everything. It’s to do something.

To pick one thing — even a small, uncertain, imperfect thing — and start.

Because the danger isn’t failure. It’s overthinking your way into inaction.

How We Spend Our Time

Maybe the question isn’t “What should I do with my life?” but “What feels worth doing today?”

Maybe the best use of time isn’t optimizing every second, but paying attention — to what feels alive, to what pulls you in.

Even if it’s just writing a paragraph, cooking dinner, or sitting with your thoughts instead of drowning them in scrolling.

For the chronically ambitious, you may want to do everything. But maybe the real work is just choosing something, and letting that be enough for now.

Subscribe now

Who are you when no one is clapping?
It’s a confronting question—one many of us quietly avoid. From a young age, we learn to earn approval. Be the “good” kid, the overachiever, the helper. At school, we’re praised for top grades. At home, for being agreeable. In the workplace, for being the one who “goes above and beyond.” We adapt. We shape-shift. We earn love, or something that looks like it.

But what happens when the applause stops? When you’re not fixing, achieving, agreeing, or proving? Do you still feel lovable?

This is the heart of people-pleasing. And it’s not just a personality trait—it’s a deep psychological pattern rooted in how we learn to receive love and safety.

Love That Has to Be Earned Isn’t the Same as Love That’s Given Freely

Many people come to realize, often painfully, that the affection they received growing up was tightly linked to performance. Whether it was grades, compliance, emotional caretaking, or adult-like behavior, the message was clear: You are valued when you do X.

This is not the same as being loved for simply existing. And it creates a deep internal split:
The Real You becomes invisible, while the Performing You gets all the praise.

In psychology, this is known as Conditional Positive Regard—a term coined by Carl Rogers, a pioneer of humanistic psychology. It refers to the kind of love or approval that is only given when a person behaves in certain ways. Over time, this leads us to internalize the idea that we must earn love. That just being is not enough.

When Pleasing Becomes Survival: A Lens of Interpersonal Sensitivity

People-pleasing is often seen as being “nice,” but psychologically, it’s more complex. For many, it’s a form of high interpersonal sensitivity—a hyper-attunement to the moods, needs, and expectations of others. This sensitivity can be a strength, often seen in emotionally intelligent, empathic people.

But when combined with conditional love, it can morph into self-abandonment. You begin to anticipate others’ needs before your own. You scan the room for cues of disapproval. You suppress your opinions to keep the peace.

In psychology, this may fall under anxious attachment styles or self-silencing behaviors, particularly common in those who’ve experienced invalidation or emotional neglect. You become a master of reading people—but lose track of how to read yourself.

Why This Behavior Is Rewarded (And Reinforced)

Our culture tends to reward people-pleasers. They’re the dependable ones, the fixers, the “emotionally intelligent” coworkers who manage group dynamics. They rarely rock the boat. They meet deadlines. They say yes.

But here’s the irony:
This behavior is often rewarded externally, while internally, it can feel depleting, even hollow.

Psychologically, this connects to extrinsic motivation—doing things for external validation rather than intrinsic satisfaction. Over time, this erodes self-worth, because your value feels tethered to usefulness rather than selfhood.

Emotionally intelligent people are especially prone to this trap. Their ability to read others often leads to emotional labor—managing not just their own emotions, but the emotions of everyone around them. It’s exhausting. And it often goes unnoticed.

The Brain on Rejection: Why Exclusion Hurts So Much

There’s a scientific reason people-pleasing feels like survival. Studies in neuroscience show that social exclusion activates the same regions of the brain as physical pain—specifically, the anterior cingulate cortex.

This isn’t metaphorical pain. It’s the same neural circuitry that lights up when you stub your toe. The brain interprets social rejection or disapproval as a real threat—because evolutionarily, it was. Being cast out from the group once meant death.

So if you’ve ever felt an intense panic at the thought of someone being mad at you, or felt sick after a confrontation—it’s not in your head. Your brain is wired to keep you in the tribe. But in modern times, this wiring can trap us in cycles of performative connection instead of authentic belonging.

So, Who Are You When You’re Not Pleasing?

That question might feel uncomfortable. It might feel blank.
But that’s the beginning of returning to yourself.

You are not your productivity.
You are not your agreeableness.
You are not a mirror for other people’s comfort.

You are still worthy—when you’re quiet, when you’re uncertain, when you’re not holding everyone else up.

The journey back to your true self may feel vulnerable, even rebellious. But it’s also a form of healing. Of reclaiming. Of discovering what love feels like when it’s no longer earned, but received.

Subscribe now

Let’s be real: reading hard books can feel like trying to sprint through wet cement.
You start off optimistic, eyes wide, highlighter in hand... and then five pages in you’re Googling, “what does epistemology mean?” or, “why is this sentence 7 lines long??”
Yeah, I’ve been there.

But here’s the thing—I’ve learned to love difficult books. Not because I suddenly understood them (I still had to look up “bildungsroman” for the fifth time last week), but because I figured out how to approach them differently.

If you’re also someone who craves learning, wants to level up their reading game, or just wants to not completely blank out in class discussions—this one’s for you.

Step 1: Let Curiosity Lead the Way

Don’t pick a book because you think you should read it. Pick one because something about it actually interests you—even if you don’t fully understand it yet.

Maybe it’s a topic you’ve always wondered about. Maybe the title caught your eye.

You don’t need to commit to reading Kant or Marx right out of the gate. Start where your interest naturally pulls you—even if it’s just one chapter. Let the book challenge you, but don’t force yourself into something you resent.

Here’s what I learned:
Hard books aren’t meant to be skimmed. They’re meant to be explored.

Step 2: Read it Twice (On Purpose)

The first time you read a hard book? You’re not really reading so much as surfacing. You’re getting used to the language and the ideas.

So read it again.
Yes, seriously.

First read: Highlight, underline, mark pages that confuse or intrigue you. Don’t stress about understanding everything.
Second read: Slow down. Annotate. Connect ideas. Let the fog lift. You’ll be surprised how much clicks the second time around.

This isn’t extra credit. This is the work.

Step 3: Write Like You’re Explaining It to a Friend

Writing helps ideas stick. After I finish a book (or a tough chapter), I try to write a one or two-page recap. Not an essay. Just my own take. I do it in a journal, in my Notes app, sometimes even on the back page of an old homework assignment. Whatever works.

If you can’t explain it simply, it probably hasn’t fully landed yet. Writing helps you figure out what you actually understand—and where you’re still guessing.

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”
—Albert Einstein

Step 4: Go Slow

Speed isn’t the goal here. Understanding is.

Some books require patience. They’re dense by design, and rushing through them won’t make them easier. I treat these kinds of books like I treat a long hike:

• One section at a time

• Breaks are great

• Snacks help

Don’t measure your progress by pages per hour. Measure it by how well the ideas stay with you after you’ve put the book down

Step 5: Use YouTube, Podcasts, and Other Accessible Tools

Some books are hard because they explain abstract stuff with abstract language. You don’t have to suffer in silence.

Use other resources:
Watch a video summary
Listen to a podcast on the same topic
Read a review or essay about the book

These aren’t shortcuts. They’re support systems. The goal isn’t to replace the book—it’s to build context around it.

Step 6: Do a Little Background Check

Before diving into any complex book, spend five minutes learning:

• Who the author is

• When and why the book was written

• What cultural or historical context it’s responding to

This little bit of prep can make a big difference. You’ll be more grounded in what the book is trying to do—and less thrown off when it gets abstract or unexpected.

A Final Note: Difficulty ≠ Inability

If a book feels hard, that doesn’t mean you’re not smart enough. It means the material is new, unfamiliar, or intentionally challenging.

Struggling is part of the process. It means you’re stretching your thinking. You’re learning how to engage with complexity, not just consume content.

Don’t confuse difficulty with failure. You’re doing the work.

TL;DR — How to Read Difficult Books

• Start with curiosity

• Read twice: once for exposure, once for understanding

• Write a short summary in your own words

• Go slow—it’s not a race

• Use supplemental resources when needed

• Learn a bit about the author and context before starting

• Don’t let struggle make you question your ability

You Don’t Have to Be an Expert—Just Willing

Hard books demand more from you. More attention. More effort. More patience. But they also give more in return.

Read because you want to grow. Because you care about understanding things deeply. Because you’re curious.

And if you’ve made it this far, chances are that’s already true about you.

There’s a weird myth that you’re either a “routine person” or you’re not. But here’s what I’ve noticed: everyone has a routine—most people just didn’t realize they built one.

If I zoom out on my day, I can already see the pattern forming:

• Wake up → check phone → get overwhelmed.

• Rush to class → scroll between lectures → maybe grab coffee → maybe not eat at all.

• Tell myself I’ll study later → end up on YouTube or TikTok.

• Tell myself I’ll work out tomorrow → again.

• Sleep too late → start over.

I used to think I was just “bad at structure.” But it’s not that. It’s that the structure I’m living in wasn’t designed by me. I just sort of drifted into it. And the scary part? It felt…normal.

That’s what made me stop.

I Wasn’t Burned Out. I Was Bored.

There was a stretch earlier this semester where every day felt like hitting the snooze button on life. I wasn’t doing badly—I showed up, turned in assignments, saw friends—but I also wasn’t doing anything on purpose.

It was all reaction. All momentum with no direction.

And honestly? I started to feel hollow. Like I was logging into someone else’s life and just borrowing it.

So I tried something small: one hour a day. No expectations. No pressure. Just time that was mine. Not for school, not for grades, not even for productivity. Just for building something that mattered to me.

And that one hour became a kind of anchor. A lifeline. A quiet rebellion against the part of me that was drifting.

You Don’t Need a Life Overhaul—You Just Need a Pattern You Choose

Most of our lives are just loops we repeat without thinking. But the wild thing is, you can edit those loops. You can interrupt them. And that’s where real change starts—not with motivation, but with attention.

So here’s what I did—and still do. It’s simple, not flashy, and it works:

1. Make Something That Feels Like It’s Yours

This one changed everything for me.

Whether it’s a blog, a small coding project, writing, music, art, a Notion page no one will ever see—it doesn’t matter. What matters is you’re creating, not just consuming.

You’re shaping your own output, not just reacting to other people’s.

I started writing little essays just for me. Then I started sharing them. And even though I’m not “internet famous” or whatever, I feel momentum now. Like I’m building something that might outlive a grade or a GPA.

And the coolest part? After a few weeks, you start to feel proud. Not because it’s perfect, but because it’s yours.

2. Move Like You Plan on Sticking Around

I’ve started thinking of movement less as a workout and more as a reset button.

It doesn’t have to be complicated. A walk between classes. Stretching for five minutes before bed. Biking instead of Ubering. Even standing up and breathing deeper than usual between study sessions.

When I move, my mind clears. My energy shifts. I feel more like a participant in my day instead of just a brain being carried around.

3. Shut Out the Noise Long Enough to Hear Yourself Think

Silence is underrated.

I didn’t realize how rare it was to just…be alone with my own thoughts. No screen. No playlist. No input.

The first time I tried journaling without a prompt, I stared at the page for 10 minutes. Then the thoughts came. Not brilliant ones. Just real ones.

Now, I try to unplug for at least 15–20 minutes a day. Usually outside. Just walking or sitting somewhere quiet. It feels like a software reset for my brain. Every time I come back from it, I feel a little clearer. A little more me.

You Don’t Need a 10-Year Plan. You Just Need 60 Minutes.

I don’t know exactly what I’ll be doing after college. I don’t know where I’ll live, or what my “career” will look like, or how the world will shift between now and then.

But I do know this: if I give myself one honest hour a day—one hour to build, move, or think—I will not be stuck.

I will be in motion.

I will be growing.

And that’s enough.

So if you’re feeling off, or uninspired, or like you’re just kind of floating… try giving yourself one hour. Not to get ahead. Just to get aligned.

You’ll be shocked at how fast that one hour starts to change everything else.

Subscribe now

We talk a lot about the things we want to do. Plans we’ve made. Dreams we’ve sketched out in our heads.
But too often… that’s where it ends.
In our heads.

We wait for the right time.
We wait to feel ready.
We wait for a Monday, a new month, a new year.

Here’s the truth:
There is no “perfect moment.”
The only moment that has any power is now — this one, right in front of you. The future is shaped by the small, imperfect actions you take today.

Action is louder than intention.

You can plan all day. You can tell people what you’re going to do. You can romanticize your goals and imagine how it’s all going to look one day.

But if you don’t take a step — even a small one — it’s all just noise.

One real action is worth more than a thousand plans.
You don’t need a 30-day strategy.
You don’t need 3 hours of free time or a perfectly quiet space.
You just need to start.

Write the sentence.
Take the walk.
Read the page.
Send the email.
Open the file.

You don’t need to do it all. You just need to do something.

Why you're stuck (and how to break through).

If you’re constantly discouraged, chances are you're focusing way too much on the end result — the curated lifestyle, the finished book, the dream job — instead of the actual process it takes to get there.

Zooming out too far makes everything feel impossible. You’re trying to jump to the finish line without running the race.

But what if you reversed it?
What if you mapped out every step you’d realistically have to take to get there?
Yes, it will look messy. Yes, it might feel long. But now you’ve got a path. And paths are walkable.

The dream gets closer with every decision, not just with the destination.

"All or nothing" is killing your progress.

We live in a world of extremes. If we can’t give 100%, we often don’t give anything.

We tell ourselves:
If I don’t have time for a full workout, why bother moving?
If I can't write a full chapter, why even open the doc?
If I can't read the whole book, why open it at all?

That mindset will keep you stuck forever.
Because it’s not about intensity — it’s about consistency.

10 pages > 0 pages.
1 paragraph > no paragraphs.
20 minutes of movement > waiting for a perfect 90-minute block.

The small things matter. They build the muscle. They build the habit. And most importantly — they shift your identity.

Consistency is a quiet superpower.

You don’t become a writer, a runner, a leader, or an expert overnight.
You become by doing. Repeatedly.

It’s like brushing your teeth or checking your phone — you don’t think about it. You just do it.
That’s what your goal needs to become: automatic. familiar. part of who you are.

And here’s a simple rule:
Don’t let two days in a row go by without doing the thing.

If you skip one day, fine. Life happens. But skip two… and it’s way easier to skip the third. Then a week. Then a month. And before you know it, you’re back at zero.

Your environment is shaping you — more than you think.

Want to change your habits?
Look at what’s around you.

Surround yourself with creators, doers, thinkers — people who are chasing what you want to chase. Even if it's through a screen. The content you consume affects your mindset more than you realize.

Follow people who show the process, not just the polished product. Watch them struggle, edit, fail, try again.

Let that energy move through you. Let it remind you that you don’t need to wait for some magic moment.

You are the magic moment.

And as for real-life people? You don’t need to be surrounded by people with the same goals. But you do need to be around people who are moving forward. Growth is contagious.

Final thought: Catch the idea before it fades.

Ideas don’t stick around.
They flash.
They land.
Then they vanish.

When something sparks in your head, act on it. Don’t save it for “later.” Later is a trap.

Open the note. Record the voice memo. Write the sentence. Start the brainstorm.

The version of you that achieves the goal is not the one who waits for the stars to align.
It’s the version that starts now — imperfectly and urgently.

Subscribe now

When I boarded a one-way flight to Paris earlier this summer, all I packed were two suitcases, a stack of unread books, and some blurry expectations. I had no idea that in just a few weeks, the city would etch itself so deeply into me — not just through the cobblestone walks or museum days, but through flaky pastries, late night thrift finds, and quiet, river-lit moments that felt like movie scenes.

Paris wasn't just a backdrop for my study abroad and internship program — it became the main character. And now, freshly back home, I want to share the places, flavors, and feelings that made my time unforgettable. Whether you're heading to Paris for a few days or dreaming from afar, here’s my personal Paris travel guide — part reflection, part roadmap, and 100% from the heart.

Where I Ate (and Ate Again)

Carette, Place des Vosges
Elegant, timeless, and the ultimate spot to romanticize your life. Their pastries are as photogenic as they are delicious. I came for the atmosphere — I stayed for the croissants.

Ralph’s Coffee, Boulevard Saint-Germain
In the heart of the Ralph Lauren flagship. A quiet little refuge with excellent coffee and plush leather seats. Perfect for journaling or people-watching.

Café de Flore
Yes, it’s iconic. Yes, it’s touristy. And yes — it lives up to its reputation. Sitting here with a hot chocolate and watching the world go by felt like time travel in the best way.

La Baguette du Relais
Technically a baguette stand from the steak-frites institution Le Relais de l'Entrecôte, but what they do with that baguette and their signature sauce? Criminally underrated.

Angelina, Rue de Rivoli
Hot chocolate that’s basically a melted chocolate bar in a cup. Rich, decadent, and a must-try at least once.

Bouillon Chartier
For classic, no-frills French food in a Belle Époque setting — and at student-budget prices — this place hits the mark every time.

Cult Coffee
Hidden gem alert: the kind of minimalist café that feels like Brooklyn meets the Marais. Great espresso, great energy, and even better playlists.

What I Loved Doing

Musée de l’Orangerie
I’ve never felt more still than sitting in the oval rooms surrounded by Monet’s Water Lilies. Peaceful, emotional, and easily my favorite museum in Paris.

River Seine Ride at Sunset
One evening, a few friends and I did a boat ride on the Seine. As we floated past the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame, golden light spilling over the bridges — we didn’t speak. We just soaked it all in. I’ll never forget that quiet awe.

The Ferris Wheel at Place de la Concorde
Watching the Olympic Ball Balloon ascend above the Paris skyline — that was a once-in-a-lifetime moment. The kind that makes your heart slow down and speed up at the same time.

Weekend Wandering
I traveled across Europe on the weekends — from vineyards in Italy to castles in Dublin. But no matter where I went, returning to Paris always felt like slipping back into something familiar. It was a city that started to feel like home.

Where I Shopped

The “Famous Souvenir Shop” near Notre-Dame
Yes, it’s touristy. But I loved it. From mini Eiffel Towers to vintage postcards — perfect for gifts, or just reminders of magic.

Parisian Thrift Stores
Le Marais and Montmartre are full of vintage gems. I found a trench coat that felt like it had stories stitched into the seams. Affordable, sustainable, and full of fun.

What Paris Taught Me

• Slow is sacred. Long lunches, meandering walks, and watching the world without needing to comment on it.

• Beauty matters. Not in a superficial way, but in the everyday — the way a street corner can make you pause or how light can make stone blush.

• You carry your version of a city. No one else’s Paris looked like mine. And that’s what makes travel so personal.

If You’re Going to Paris Soon…

• Don’t try to see everything. Let the city surprise you.

• Wear good shoes. Cobblestones are real.

• Eat the croissant. Get on the Ferris wheel. Take too many photos.

• But also — put your phone down sometimes. Let memory be the lens.

Paris, you changed me.
And I can’t wait to go back.

Merci pour tout, and until next time. 🇫🇷✨

Every once in a while, you come across a sentence that stops you. Not because it’s profound or clever — but because it names something you’ve never quite put into words.

Some of these came from conversations, some were anonymous fragments online, and some I just heard at the right time. I don’t always know where they came from. These are the lines I’ve written down, repeated, and returned to. They didn’t just shift my thinking — they’ve become part of how I live.

I’m sharing them here in case one of them does the same for you. If any of these resonate with you, I’d love to hear your thoughts or stories!

It won’t go back to how it was — it will become something else. And that will be okay.

Many of your limits weren’t real. You just believed them long enough that they became rules.

The past can’t be changed. But your next step is always in your hands.

You’ve thought about every possible outcome. The result still hasn’t changed.

If something isn’t shifting, maybe it’s asking you to be the one who does.

What you let continue, continues.

Things may not go back to how they were — but they can still become something good.

Sometimes there’s no explanation — just a choice someone made. And that’s enough to move on.

Let the results speak for you. You don’t need to prove your growth.

Healing is possible. And often, it starts with compassion — even for people who couldn’t give it to you.

Letting go doesn’t mean giving up. It means moving forward with clarity.

Letting go isn’t a weakness. It’s the decision to stop waiting for the past to be different.

It’ll either be a great experience or a great story. Either way, it's worth it.

Sometimes you weren’t having fun — you were making it fun.

If it doesn’t help you grow, don’t let it stay.

Missing the past isn’t a weakness. It’s proof you’ve lived something worth remembering.

Everyone else is figuring it out too. You’re not behind.

Every new chapter asks for a new version of you — and you’re ready for it.

If you're the most capable person in the room, it’s time to find a bigger room.

You’re allowed to change your mind. Even if you’ve already committed. Even if it’s late.

When you have no reason to stay, that is your reason to go.

Your life is only yours when you stop performing for other people’s approval.

It’s better to admit you picked the wrong path than walk it forever just because you started.

Subscribe now

Since starting university, I’ve accidentally cultivated a habit I never planned for: self-learning. Outside of lectures, deadlines, and required readings, I’ve found myself exploring random topics—ones that have nothing to do with my degree.

Over time, this "side hobby" of mine turned into something more structured. I now have four (almost five) journals filled with notes, reflections, summaries, and scribbles from all the random things I’ve studied over the years—from psychology concepts and philosophy to tech trends and economic theories.

If you’re someone who’s naturally curious, or just want to become more intentional about learning beyond what’s taught in the classroom, this post is for you. Here's how I balance self-study alongside college life—and how you can, too.

Step 1: Focus on 1–2 Topics at a Time

You know that feeling when your brain wants to learn everything at once? That’s the trap. If you’re curious about everything all at the same time, it’s tempting to hop from one topic to another. But when I did that, nothing stuck. I’d read a bunch of random things and forget half of it a week later.

Instead, I now pick one or two topics to focus on per semester or break. This gives me time to really dig deep without burning out or losing interest. It also helps me retain what I’m learning.

Example: Last semester, I focused on cognitive biases and how they affect decision-making. This break, I’m diving into the basics of storytelling across different media.

Step 2: Carve Out Study Time (Even Just a Bit)

Unlike schoolwork, no one’s grading your self-study progress. That makes it easy to push off. What helps me stay consistent is setting small, flexible time blocks.

• During the semester: I might do 30–60 minutes a few evenings a week.

• During breaks or less busy weeks: I’ll block out longer sessions on weekends.

Even if it's just while eating breakfast or winding down at night, those pockets of time add up.

Step 3: Keep Your Learning Organized

You don’t need fancy tools, but you do need a place to store what you’re learning. Otherwise, it gets lost in the void.

Some ideas:

• A dedicated notebook or journal (I keep separate ones for different years or broad themes)

• A private Notion page or Google Doc

• A hybrid system (handwritten notes + digital storage)

I personally prefer physical notebooks for major topics and use the Notes app on my phone to quickly jot down ideas or quotes I come across throughout the day.

Step 4: Start with a Research Sprint

Before diving into a new topic, I like to spend a single session doing a quick “overview dive.”

During that session, I:

• List 5–10 subtopics I want to explore

• Identify key terms, thinkers, or movements

• Jot down recommended books, articles, or podcasts

This gives me a rough map to follow, while still leaving room for curiosity to take the lead.

Mini Example: Studying Modern Mythology

Thinkers: Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung
Concepts: Hero’s Journey, archetypes, collective unconscious
Media: Video essays on storytelling, mythology-focused podcasts, short articles

Step 5: Write It Down in Your Own Words

Writing helps me process what I’ve learned. Sometimes I summarize a chapter, sometimes I reflect on how a concept connects to something I’ve seen or read before.

This isn’t about writing an essay. It’s about solidifying your thoughts and making sure they’re not just floating around in your brain.

Step 6: Share What You’re Learning

This part is optional—but incredibly powerful.

You could:

• Create content around what you’ve learned (a blog, a short post, a TikTok video)

• Start a casual group chat or newsletter with friends to share cool findings

• Talk about it over coffee or dinner with someone curious

Explaining something out loud—or presenting it in a digestible way—forces you to understand it on a deeper level. And bonus: you might inspire someone else to learn alongside you.

Bonus Tips

• Switch up your resources: Mix books with podcasts, YouTube deep-dives, academic papers, or even TikTok explainers. Different formats activate your brain in different ways.

• Find online spaces for your topic: Reddit threads, Substack newsletters, or Discord communities can connect you with others learning the same thing.

• Carry a mini notebook or note app: If you stumble across a cool idea or fact in daily life, capture it quickly before it disappears.

• Make it enjoyable: Study at a cafe, play background music, or give yourself themed days (e.g., “Theory Thursdays” or “Science Sundays”).
  
  

Final Thoughts

We’re all constantly learning—whether we mean to or not. But making it intentional? That’s where the magic happens.

Self-learning doesn’t need a syllabus, a grade, or anyone’s permission. If something sparks your interest, chase it. You might be surprised by how much you can teach yourself—bit by bit, notebook by notebook.

If you’re doing your own self-study journey, I’d love to hear about it. What are you learning right now?

Subscribe now

There’s a kind of person who doesn’t just join conversations — they elevate them.

They ask a question that changes the tone of the room.
They reference a philosopher and a pop culture moment — and somehow it makes sense.
They seem to know a little about everything, and a lot about a few things most people have never heard of.

They’re not showing off. They’re just genuinely, relentlessly curious.

This is your guide to becoming that kind of person.
Not for appearances. Not to win arguments.
But for the deep, personal thrill of feeding your own mind.

Let’s begin.

1. Make Curiosity Your Default Setting

Train yourself to question everything — gently, consistently, and with intention.

• Why do we design cities the way we do?

• Why do historical narratives change over time?

• How does a social media algorithm affect public memory?

Don’t settle for summaries. Dig into sources. Follow footnotes. Let your browser history look like the research log of someone writing a 700-page thesis on life.

Curiosity is not a trait — it’s a habit.

2. Let Experts Into Your Ears

You don’t need to be in a lecture hall to be in a seminar.
The world’s best thinkers are publishing their thoughts — often for free — in podcast and lecture form.

Start with a few consistently thoughtful voices:

• The Ezra Klein Show – ideas meet policy, philosophy, and psychology

• Philosophize This! – accessible, rigorous introductions to major thinkers

• On Being with Krista Tippett – poetic conversations about meaning and connection

• The Dig – sharp political theory meets real-world stakes

Listen while walking. While cooking. While commuting.
Let expertise become ambient in your life.

3. Read Like It’s Your Job (But Make It a Joy)

Books are still the deepest tool for thinking. Make reading a daily ritual — even 20 minutes counts.

Rotate across genres:

• A novel that challenges your empathy

• A nonfiction book that unpacks a system

• A memoir from a voice far from your own

• A science or philosophy title that stretches your understanding of the world

And yes, it’s completely acceptable to stop reading a book that isn’t working for you. Curate your own canon.

4. Think Faster: One Article at a Time

Articles are your intellectual upkeep. They keep you current, nimble, and connected to evolving thought.

Here are a few places to start:

• The Atlantic – clear writing on culture, politics, and science

• Aeon – longform essays on deep questions

• Nautilus – where science and story intersect

• The New Yorker – cultural criticism, essays, and reported features

• The Cut – society, identity, and modern life with sharp editorial perspective

Pro tip: Read one well-researched article each Sunday morning. Let it shape your thinking for the week.

5. Build Your Own Syllabus

You don’t need a certain professor. You need a plan.

Set a monthly learning theme and follow it intentionally. Treat it like a personal seminar.

One month: The ethics of technology
Next month: Colonial history through literature
After that: The evolution of modern architecture

Build reading lists. Collect essays. Take notes. Make playlists. You’re not browsing — you’re studying, on your own terms.

6. Say “I Don’t Know” Often and Without Fear

Truly educated people admit gaps in their knowledge.
They ask, “Can you explain that to me?”
They say, “I hadn’t considered that. Tell me more.”

This isn’t false humility — it’s intellectual honesty.
It’s also the fastest way to learn more than most people ever will.

Confidence without certainty is a skill worth developing.

7. Use What You Learn

Learning shouldn’t stay in your head — it should shape your conversations, your thinking, your creativity.

• Write. Start a Substack.

• Host a book discussion.

• Ask better questions at dinner.

• Connect unrelated ideas in a way that makes people pause.

The goal isn’t to impress. It’s to express. When you begin articulating what you’ve learned, you discover what you actually understand.

And you make space for others to learn with you.

The Best News? All You Need is Persistence

You don’t need an elite study program. You could use a few tools:

• A library card

• A podcast app

• A free afternoon

• And the habit of caring more than most people think is reasonable

Being “disgustingly educated” isn’t about elitism.
It’s about being deeply engaged — with ideas, with people, with the world.

So go ahead:

Study the physics of music.
Read about medieval gender roles.
Learn the structure of a virus and how it shaped a century.

Then bring all of it into the room with you — quietly, thoughtfully, and with a mind that never stops expanding.

Pass this along to someone who wants to think more deeply. And if you’ve read, listened to, or learned something fascinating lately — share it. Learning is better when it’s collective.

Subscribe now

I’ve been thinking a lot about the kind of person I want to be.

Not in a huge “reinvent your life” way — just in the everyday stuff. The way I talk to people. The way I listen. The way I show up for the people I care about, and even the ones I barely know.

After having the opportunity to study and work in Paris and travel a bit around Europe, I noticed something. The things that stuck with me weren’t the landmarks. It was the way someone made room for me at a crowded café. A stranger who gave directions like it actually mattered. People who made me feel like I belonged, even for a second.

And I started wondering — do I do that for others?

We all want to be seen. Understood. Picked.
But maybe the better question is: am I someone I’d want to be around?

That’s what I’ve been sitting with.

I want to be someone who pays attention.
Who notices when a friend seems off and actually asks.
Who remembers what you ordered last time.
Who shows up when it’s inconvenient, not just when it’s easy.

It’s not about being the most impressive person in the room. It’s about being the one who makes others feel like they don’t have to perform.

I’m learning that it’s easy to want deep connection — but harder to practice the kind of consistency and care that creates it.

So I’m starting small.
Cooking more meals for people I love.
Reading books that make me slow down.
Spending time helping out in my community.
Trying to be better at listening — not just waiting for my turn to talk.

Some days I fall short.
Some days I make it about me when I shouldn’t.
But the point is to keep trying.

Because at the end of the day, the world doesn’t really need more people trying to be interesting — it needs more people who are interested.

And if we can be that — even just a little — then we are on the right track.

Subscribe now