A few days ago, my sister sent me a reel where a girl was sharing some life advice her grandmother had given her over the years. One of them was to say nice things to yourself before falling asleep. So, obviously, I had to try it that same night.

And honestly? As I fell asleep, I felt so happy.

I had listened to way too many of those “wish fulfilled” meditation videos before bed, I can’t say they didn’t work, but none of them had ever felt this fun. It was such an instant mood booster.

It’s slightly different from repeating affirmations. You’re not necessarily saying anything out loud or repeating one sentence over and over. It’s more like letting your inner voice (the one that is already talking to you all day long) go on a little complimenting spree.

“I’m so lucky. I’m so thoughtful. I’m so successful. My outfit today was so cute. I am so loving...” Whatever you want. And please, don’t be humble. This is your time to be completely obsessed with yourself. If you think you’re exaggerating, you probably aren’t exaggerating enough. You can even tell yourself things that aren’t true yet, things you’re hoping will become true one day.

As someone whose thoughts tend to wander everywhere during meditation, I’ve found it surprisingly fun and simple to just sit there and make a list of nice things to say. No trying to empty my mind, no getting frustrated when a random thought pops up. It felt just like I was complimenting a friend.

And then I started thinking about how something this tiny can actually make your life feel a little better.

So, I decided to write this piece as a list of all the little things that have been making my life better lately. Some are my rituals, some are simple everyday objects, some are ideas I’ve come across, and some are things I’ve simply learned along the way.

And I am sharing with you all in case all you actually need to do is say a few nice things to yourself before you fall asleep.

So here are the things I do that make my life better.

The rest of this piece lives behind the paywall for my paid subscribers. If you’re curious what being a paid member looks like, here’s a little look at what’s waiting for you:

• Mondays (Free/Paid): Essays about life skills, anti-rot ideas, romanticizing life and thoughtful ways to make everyday life feel fuller and more intentional

• Wednesdays (Paid): How-to guides about the life skills I wish we learned in school: from social skills and creativity to building rituals, hobbies, and a life you genuinely enjoy

• Fridays (Free): Essays, life hacks, and chic anti-rot ideas about making life feel a little more elegant, cozy, and fun

• 1st of each month (Paid):A monthly anti-rot guidebook built around themed missions, rituals, and a monthly curriculum to help your days feel less repetitive and more alive

• 15th of each month (Paid):A cozy life inspiration series filled with reflections, articles, journaling prompts, hobbies, rituals, and creative projects designed to help you enjoy your life more and create moments you don’t just scroll past.

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Thankfully, there’s such a thing as stationery shopping, and nothing is stopping me from buying new journals as if I were getting ready for school. After all, I’ve been trying to learn something new every month for the past nine months, and I do deserve a fun stationery shopping day. But this feeling isn’t the only thing that makes me love September.

I mean, we’ve officially entered the season of cinnamon rolls, walks in the rain, yellowing leaves, homemade apple tea, and, of course, Halloween.

This season, I decided that in each month’s anti-rot guidebook, I’ll make a wish for all of us and for all the beautiful things that month might bring. After all, we’ve become a big group of 20,000 friends, and lately, I’ve started to believe more and more that good energy grows when we share it with each other.

So here is my wish for you all for this month: whatever dream you’ve been waiting a long time to come true, I hope it does, as long as it’s something that will truly make you happy. (Those of you who, like me, think that if something you really wanted doesn’t happen, it probably means that not getting it will be better for you in the long run will know what I mean.) And I’d love for all of us to send our good wishes to one another, too.

But let’s not forget that the days we spend waiting for our dreams to come true are our lives, too. We don’t have to put our lives on hold until everything falls into place. We can still make these days beautiful, find little things to look forward to, and enjoy the life we have while we’re on our way to the one we want.

So, let’s do exactly that this month and get into our anti-rot guidebook.

Here’s what you’ll find inside:

• My monthly anti-rot missions (and some extra ideas you can choose from)

• My monthly curriculum

• My rituals for this month (and some extra ritual ideas you can choose from)

My monthly anti-rot curriculum posts like this one are exclusive to paid subscribers. If this felt like the kind of thing you want more of, you can upgrade here.

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Exactly nine months ago, in December 2025, I made a decision. For the next year, I was going to reduce the rot in my life, especially bed rot. I immediately got to work. I started by setting some ground rules. They were basically these:

• Think of every season and every month as a fresh beginning

• Plan things you actually want to do

• Create a new ritual system each month

• Build your own monthly curriculum

• A small reward each week if I stay true to my anti-rot journey

And since creating journals in Canva was sort of my hobby back then, I decided to create a journal where I could put this whole system into practice. I even added it to my Etsy shop, thinking that maybe other people could benefit from this journey too. (If you want to take a look, you can find it here. But if you’re a paid subscriber, I’ve shared an article below that includes the download link for the journal after the paywall, so you can simply download it from there.)

If what you’re reading sounds familiar, you’ve probably been around here for a while (and I’m so glad you are) and you probably read my original post about it. Who knows, maybe you even joined me on my anti-rot journey and took part in the challenges I organized from time to time. (Thank you again. Those challenges are always so much more fun with friends.)

Now you might be wondering why I’m telling you all of this again. I have a very good reason.

With the end of August, I’ve officially entered the final season of my anti-rot year.

In exactly three months, I’ll have completed a full year of having less rot in my life, learning more about my interests, creating new routines every month, and designing new things I look forward to according to the seasons.

So I thought I’d sit down and tell you how it actually went, what I got out of this anti-rot year so far, and whether I think it really worked.

1. First of all, I’m really happy that I tried something for this long. I think it helped me so much with building the habit of consistency.

2. But I don’t want you to think that I followed the rules perfectly every single day throughout this period. Because I didn’t. Not even close, honestly. I think the important thing is that, somehow, every time I fell off, I came back to it. And I think that’s something worth remembering in general: you can always keep trying and start over.

3. As you know, throughout the year I shared that month’s anti-rot plans with you. And honestly, this helped me a lot with keeping up with it regularly. Writing letters to you instead of scrolling on my phone was also very, very good for me.

4. So, if you’re thinking about having your own anti-rot year, my biggest piece of advice is this: when you find something better to do, it becomes so much easier to choose that instead of your phone. Finding something better to do is the golden rule.

5. And I followed that rule, which led me to become a Substack bestseller, which is still huge for me. So who knows what finding something better to do instead of bed-rotting could look like for you?

6. Creating new rituals every month was really helped break the monotony that comes from constantly doing the same things. And when a ritual starts feeling difficult, thinking I only have to do this for this month anyway somehow makes it easier to keep going. So, if you’re someone who gets bored easily when doing the same things over and over again, I really recommend giving this a try.

7. I think this was probably one of the years when I made the most new plans, spent the most time with myself, and reached out to my friends the most.

8. So it didn’t just help me create some distance from my phone. It also helped me live my life more fully. And I think that was actually one of the nicest parts of this whole experiment.

9. The small reward each week plan was the most fun part. A little dessert, a hair clip, a comb, a sheet mask, a new espresso cup… Since I’m already someone who loves buying little gifts for myself, this was naturally the part I struggled with the least. But don’t think this means that every week I followed my anti-rot plan and bought myself a gift. There were definitely weeks when I lost my gifts to bed rot, too.

10. I really, really love my monthly curriculums. Learning about something new every month and discovering new interests was very good for me. But that doesn’t mean I researched every topic equally. Sometimes I’d look into something a little and realize that it didn’t interest me that much. Other times, I’d realize that something was incredibly interesting and spend the whole month researching it.

11. What matters is finding those things that I genuinely love learning about.

12. I’m reading so much more than I used to, and honestly, this alone would have made the whole anti-rot year worth it for me.

13. Following the year according to the seasons strangely changed my perception of time. I swear this year went by more slowly, but I can’t prove it. I think spending my days in a more mindful way had a lot to do with it.

I’m very happy that I’ll continue my anti-rot journey for the next three months, but what makes me happiest is that I decided to do something that turned out to be so good for me, and that I continued doing it for this long even though there were some setbacks along the way.

And if you’ve been feeling like you’re stuck in a little bit of a rot lately, I really think you should try something like this too. It doesn’t have to be a whole year, and you don’t have to follow my anti-rot rules or use the journal. You can decide what your own anti-rot year could look like.

Whatever you decide, I’m sure it will be a good one. Because you’ll be doing something for yourself, and you know best what will be good for you and what you need more of.

Still, for a little inspiration, I’m adding everything I’ve written about anti-rot below.

What you’ll get if you upgrade:

weekly articles— about ideas and life skills I wish we learned at school to help you build a life full of memories and less rot

a monthly anti-rot curriculum — built around monthly missions, a monthly curriculum, and rituals to help you reconnect with your life and make your days feel less repetitive

a monthly cozy life inspiration series — inspiring ideas, reflections, articles, and little guides (from journaling prompts to hobbies, rituals, and creative projects) designed to help you enjoy your life more and create moments you don’t just scroll past.

If you’re curious about joining, you can do so here.And if you already are here, thank you. It genuinely means the world to me, this little space wouldn’t exist without you.

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You know how some people are just so fun to talk to? They always seem to have something to tell you. A new trip they’re planning, thoughts about a restaurant they recently ate at, a book they’ve read, a funny story, some random piece of knowledge about an interesting topic…

I think one of the biggest reasons for this is the sense of curiosity these people seem to have about life. They consciously decide how they want to spend their days, and they add little adventures to their lives. And honestly, I think this is a life skill we can all get better at.

Because, really, you don’t need to go out and do wildly interesting things to become a more interesting person. You just need to become more interested in your own life.

I mean… what are you going to talk about if you spend your entire evening bed-rotting and scrolling? Listen, I love a funny video as much as the next girl. But if you spend your whole evening scrolling, you’re probably not going toremember most of those videos tomorrow anyway.

And I think we could learn a lot from children on this topic. Especially from the children we used to be. Because I bet you did this when you were a kid, you knew how to approach life with a sincere, childlike sense of wonder and curiosity. But you simply forgot.

So today, we’re going to talk about how to become a more interesting person, with a little help from our inner children and learn what can we do to become more interested in our own lives.

Here are some ideas:

The rest of this piece lives behind the paywall for my paid subscribers. If you’re curious what being a paid member looks like, here’s a little look at what’s waiting for you:

• Mondays (Free/Paid): Essays about life skills, anti-rot ideas, romanticizing life and thoughtful ways to make everyday life feel fuller and more intentional

• Wednesdays (Paid): How-to guides about the life skills I wish we learned in school: from social skills and creativity to building rituals, hobbies, and a life you genuinely enjoy

• Fridays (Free): Essays, life hacks, and chic anti-rot ideas about making life feel a little more elegant, cozy, and fun

• 1st of each month (Paid):A monthly anti-rot guidebook built around themed missions, rituals, and a monthly curriculum to help your days feel less repetitive and more alive

• 15th of each month (Paid):A cozy life inspiration series filled with reflections, articles, journaling prompts, hobbies, rituals, and creative projects designed to help you enjoy your life more and create moments you don’t just scroll past.

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I think I’ve mentioned this before, but there’s a book I really love called Humankind: A Hopeful History. The book basically argues that humans are good, and it gives lots of examples from history and research done by sociologists.

I don’t remember the exact details, but, the author suggests that one of the main reasons humans were able to survive in the early days was our ability to learn from each other and support one another.

Not only this but also research on Blue Zones shows that especially as we get older, having strong social connections can help us stay much healthier.

So, it’s pretty obvious that we need each other and quality social connections. But building those relationships and finding the best friends for you isn’t always that easy.

First, I want to say this: everyone’s life has a different timeline. So if you feel like you’re missing social connections or deep friendships in your life right now, please don’t feel bad about it. I’m sure your village is out there, waiting for you to find it.

And you’re probably not alone in this. Somewhere between leaving school, moving cities, starting jobs, getting into relationships, and becoming adults with way too many things to do every day, so many of us have grown apart from some of our friends. Or maybe you simply haven’t met your bestest friends yet.

And that’s okay.

It doesn’t mean you can’t build yourself a little village. It might just mean that, as adults, we have to be a little more intentional about our social connections than we were when we were younger.

And building yourself a village is a life skill worth learning. So today, let’s talk about how to do it.

The rest of this piece lives behind the paywall for my paid subscribers. If you’re curious what being a paid member looks like, here’s a little look at what’s waiting for you:

• Mondays (Free/Paid): Essays about life skills, anti-rot ideas, romanticizing life and thoughtful ways to make everyday life feel fuller and more intentional

• Wednesdays (Paid): How-to guides about the life skills I wish we learned in school: from social skills and creativity to building rituals, hobbies, and a life you genuinely enjoy

• Fridays (Free): Essays, life hacks, and chic anti-rot ideas about making life feel a little more elegant, cozy, and fun

• 1st of each month (Paid):A monthly anti-rot guidebook built around themed missions, rituals, and a monthly curriculum to help your days feel less repetitive and more alive

• 15th of each month (Paid):A cozy life inspiration series filled with reflections, articles, journaling prompts, hobbies, rituals, and creative projects designed to help you enjoy your life more and create moments you don’t just scroll past.

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I know, I know. I haven’t been posting on schedule this week. As I mentioned before, I took on too many projects in my other jobs, and I was a bit too busy to write for Evermuse. But they all end this Monday, and I’ll finally be able to focus more on Evermuse and my writing. So you’ll be getting more regular letters from me starting this Monday. And I couldn’t be happier about it.

So, if you’re ready, today we’re talking about attention spans and ways to protect ours. Because everyone seems to want our attention.

All the apps we use are designed to make us spend more and more time behind screens, and if we’re not careful, this can lead us to forget about our own lives that exist beyond the screens. The life where we build real connections. Where we can add sprinkles to our morning coffee just for fun. Or meet strangers and learn about their life stories while travelling. Spend time with our loved ones. Eat delicious food. Swim as much as we can before the summer ends. Come up with new ritual ideas for September. Make wishes without needing a birthday cake, just because we feel like it. And enjoy our days.

But the thing is, there are so many fun and good ideas online as well. Where do you think I got the idea for putting snacks into a tin box? (Thanks again, Pinterest.) And don’t tell me you’re not also loving the gemstone sticker trend. Just like a few weeks ago, when we were all happily learning about what’s kind of chic for everyone around us. But I guess it’s not kind of chic anymore to share what’s chic anymore? Yes, trends fade, but that doesn’t mean learning about them isn’t still fun.

That being said, there is still a fine line between using social media for connection and letting it steal our attention away instead of making us feel inspired.

This is where I am at: I love learning about new fun internet trends, finding ideas that I might enjoy, learning skincare tips, and finding outfit inspiration. But I hate it when the time I spend online turns into hours of scrolling and consuming content that I didn’t even want to learn about in the first place. And sadly, scrolling endlessly doesn’t only steal our time, but it can also steal our attention span.

How do you ask?

When we scroll through an endless feed, we never know what the next video will be. That unpredictability keeps our brain engaged because unexpected rewards are particularly good at grabbing our attention and reinforcing the behaviour. So we keep swiping, not necessarily because we want to see more, but because there might be something interesting waiting for us in the next swipe.

Over time, constantly jumping between short pieces of content can make it harder for us to focus on things that require a little more time and attention, like reading a book or listening to someone without reaching for our phones.

So, I think we all need to get better at protecting our attention span without depriving ourselves of the fun and inspiring side of social media. After all, if I’m being completely honest, I’ve been creating content here for almost a year now. And I think it would be hypocritical to declare all social media apps evil while writing on one.

So here are some of the things I do to protect my attention span.

The rest of this piece lives behind the paywall for my paid subscribers. If you’re curious what being a paid member looks like, here’s a little look at what’s waiting for you:

• Essays about life skills, anti-rot ideas, romanticizing life and thoughtful ways to make everyday life feel fuller and more intentional

• How-to guides about the life skills I wish we learned in school: from social skills and creativity to building rituals, hobbies, and a life you genuinely enjoy

• Essays, life hacks, and chic anti-rot ideas about making life feel a little more elegant, cozy, and fun

• A monthly anti-rot guidebook built around themed missions, rituals, and a monthly curriculum to help your days feel less repetitive and more alive

• A cozy life inspiration series filled with reflections, articles, journaling prompts, hobbies, rituals, and creative projects designed to help you enjoy your life more and create moments you don’t just scroll past.

Read more

Welcome to the last lesson of Evermuse Summer School. Today, we are talking about how to be more consistent, and I feel like this topic covers so much that we don’t actually need another piece on it for Wednesday. Which means this is officially our last Summer School class. But of course, there is still a workbook, and I hope you’ll like it.

Today, we are talking about consistency. So, let me start by asking you: what do you think being consistent actually means?

Does it mean setting a goal and never, ever skipping a day? Showing up for it every single day, no matter what?

Of course, there are people who are capable of this, but I don’t think that’s the case for most of us. We humans set goals, write down our to-do lists, get excited about our new plans… and then skip half the list a few days later.

And honestly, I don’t think that’s necessarily the problem. What matters is our willingness to try again.

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This is why I am almost certain that even if you don’t see yourself as someone who is consistent, you still have at least one habit that you are actually very consistent with.

Think about it. And if you can’t think of anything, let me help you. You probably brush your teeth every single day.

And even if you skip a day for some reason, the next morning you probably brush them anyway. You don’t think to yourself, “I didn’t brush my teeth yesterday, that means I can’t do this every day. Let me just stop brushing my teeth completely.”

See?

You are actually consistent.

But if you are reading this, you probably don’t feel like you are consistent enough when it comes to the bigger things that matter to you. And the good news is, there are a few things we can do about this.

Let’s start by understanding the problem.

Do you have a consistency problem or a dopamine problem?

Most of us actually don’t have a consistency problem. We have a dopamine problem.

And once you understand this, staying consistent starts to make a lot more sense. Because becoming someone who doesn’t constantly postpone things, who works on her dreams and follows through on the things that matter to her, is partly about learning to choose quality dopamine over cheap dopamine.

What does this mean?

Well, dopamine is heavily involved in motivation, learning, reward, and anticipating something we want. And this is important because our brains are constantly asking:

“What can I do right now that will feel good?”

And most of the time, we are caught between working toward something we actually care about and opening Instagram for “just five minutes.” (Those five minutes are never actually just five minutes.)

Unfortunately, Instagram usually wins.

Because there is a big difference between immediate reward and delayed reward. Watching a video gives you something immediately. Just like eating junk food does.

But working out, reading a book, studying a language, building your business, writing, learning an instrument, or working toward almost any meaningful goal usually asks you to wait. You have to do the thing first. The reward comes later.And our brains are not always particularly patient.

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This is why consistency can feel so difficult, even when you genuinely care about what you’re trying to achieve.

So, what can we do about it?

We’ve already talked about how we need to find our goal, find our why, find a way to remind ourselves of that why, and start living a tiny part of the life we want to achieve, even if that part is really small.

We also talked about a few mindset changes we needed to make along the way, like making peace with changing plans, romanticizing the process, and building little rituals around our goals.

So, if you’ve been following Evermuse Summer School, you already know a lot of the things you could do.

But there is one more thing we need to talk about. Because knowing what to do is one thing. Believing that you can actually do it is another. And I think this might be the part we’ve been missing.

You need to believe that you can become consistent

I know, I know. It is said easier than it is done. But hear me out. Think about what happens when you skip a day and that little voice appears:

“See? I knew I wouldn’t stick to it.”

Now you’re not just dealing with the missed day. You are collecting evidence for a belief you already had about yourself. And it’s not exactly the best way to use neuroplasticity, our brain’s superpower that we are actually pretty lucky to have, if we learn how to use it right.

Here is the thing, every time you choose the immediate reward over the thing you said you cared about, your brain gets a little more familiar with that pattern.

But the good news is that this works both ways. If you choose the thing that matters to you, you could also teach your brain that you are consistent and you are someone who can follow through.

This is where I want to bring back something we talked about earlier this summer, which is self-efficacy.

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Self-efficacy is basically our belief in ourselves that we can handle challenges and figure things out. It’s about believing that even if you do fail, you’ll eventually find a way through.

And I think we can use self-efficacy to help us become more consistent.

Because at the end of the day, consistency isn’t about never missing a day or never losing motivation. It’s about our willingness to keep going and not give up every time we skip a day or life gets in the way.

So, here are a few ways we can use self-efficacy to become more consistent.

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• Change your understanding of consistency: This is probably the biggest mindset shift you could make. If you believe that being consistent means never missing a day, every mistake becomes proof that you are not capable of doing it.

• But if consistency means returning, then missing a day is simply part of the process. So, instead of making a promise like: “I will work on my business every single day for the next six months.” Try: “When I miss a day, I will come back the next day.”

  This is a much more believable promise. And every time you keep it, you are giving your brain another reason to trust you.

• Make consistency visible: Sometimes we just need a little evidence because apparently our brains have selective memory. So, give yourself some receipts. Use the little tracker in the workbook, make a note on your phone, put a tiny tick on your calendar, whatever you like.

• Borrow belief from other people: When you are trying to become someone new, sometimes you don’t have enough evidence yet to believe in yourself. But you could always borrow it.

  Find someone who is doing the thing you want to do. Someone who makes you think: “Oh. Maybe this is actually possible.”, someone who can inspire you to be more consistent. If you want to start a business, this could look like following people who show what building one actually looks like. If you want to learn a skill, you could find someone documenting themselves learning it from the beginning.

  But please don’t only consume their finished results. Look for their beginnings, early attempts, the mistakes, the things they didn’t know yet.

• Make a “restart ritual”: When you’ve been away from something for a few days, returning to work can feel harder than starting in the first place. So, create a little ritual for returning. Make your favourite drink, put on a playlist, clean your desk, open your notebook, make a “restart” ritual out of it.

• Try the “future me” test: The next time you’re stuck between something that feels good right now and something that will make you feel good later, ask yourself: “What would future me thank me for?” Maybe it’s doing 20 minutes of work before opening Instagram. Maybe it’s going to bed instead of watching just one more episode (we both know where that ends). Maybe it’s preparing something tonight that will make tomorrow morning easier.

• Give yourself a “done list”: try ending the day by writing down what you did do instead. It can be tiny: “I read five pages.” “I worked on my project for 15 minutes.” “I came back after skipping yesterday.” It might feel silly at first, but you are basically teaching your brain to notice the evidence instead of only collecting reasons why you’re behind. And I think we could all use a little more of that.

  ---

That’s it for our last Summer School lesson. 🥹

But of course just like the last two weeks, there is a little workbook to help you actually put all of this into practice. It includes templates and exercises to help you be more consistent with your goals and build evidence that you are actually someone who does things.

You can download it by clicking here.

• The Consistency Workbook - A4

• The Consistency Workbook- Letter Size

Thank you for spending three weeks of your summer with me at Evermuse Summer School. I hope these little lessons gave you something to take with you, something to try, or maybe just a new way of looking at your everyday life.

I’m rooting for you, always.

See you on Wednesday 💌

What you’ll get if you upgrade:

weekly articles— about ideas and life skills I wish we learned at school to help you build a life full of memories and less rot

a monthly anti-rot curriculum — built around monthly missions, a monthly curriculum, and rituals to help you reconnect with your life and make your days feel less repetitive

a monthly cozy life inspiration series — inspiring ideas, reflections, articles, and little guides (from journaling prompts to hobbies, rituals, and creative projects) designed to help you enjoy your life more and create moments you don’t just scroll past.

If you’re curious about joining, you can do so here.And if you already are here, thank you. It genuinely means the world to me, this little space wouldn’t exist without you.

Subscribe now

Lately, I’ve been finding it a little harder to create content. Coming up with new ideas for Evermuse every week hasn’t been feeling as effortless as it usually does, and I think it’s because I’ve taken on a little too much work with my other projects. Naturally, my creative side has been the first thing to feel the exhaustion.

So, I hope you’ll understand if I keep this issue a little shorter than usual.

That being said, this month’s theme actually came from that exact feeling. Because sometimes, when you’re feeling tired and a little disconnected from your creative spark, you just need a small reset. And this issue is all about that.

I wanted to use the last two weeks of summer as a reset before the new season begins. Even though I’m not actually in one, I plan to act as if I am on a wellness retreat these two weeks, before I welcome September and start working on my other projects.

This is why this issue is all about resting before the new season, using journaling to shake off some of that summer tiredness, giving your skin and hair a little extra love because they probably need it the most after summer, and finding things to do on those cozy nights in when the best plan is to stay home.

Here’s what’s on the menu for this month’s issue:

• This month’s must haves

• My current obsessions

• My two-week glow-up to do list

• Using journaling to rest your mind

• Hosting ideas for a cozy night in with friends

• What’s on my September wishlist

• Life lesson of the month

A little note: my monthly cozy life inspiration issues are exclusive to paid subscribers. If this felt like exactly the kind of thing you want to read more of, you can upgrade here.

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This morning, while I was eating my breakfast, I watched a Youtube video that I wanted to share with you. It’s called “How to Break Your Phone Addiction.” As you can probably tell from the title, it’s all about how our phones and social media use affect our brains, focus, and attention span.

I really enjoyed it, and thought you might too. Here is the link to the video.

On Monday, for the second week of our Evermuse Summer School, we talked about how to start messy and accept that there is no such thing as a perfect plan. But that doesn’t mean we should stop making plans or stop working towards the things we want.

Instead, I think we should get a little better at enjoying the process without letting every little thing that goes wrong along the way ruin our days. Because our lives aren’t made up only of the goals we eventually reach. So much of life happens in between.

And today, we’re going to put that idea into practice.

How, you might ask?

Let me introduce you to The Life-in-Progress Workbook (yes, I changed the name of the workbook), designed to help you make peace with perfectionism and create a little vision board for the last few months of the year, the Evermuse way.

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Last week, we talked about taking the first step before you feel ready, finding your why, imagining the life you want to build, and starting to live tiny pieces of that life today.

But there’s something we don’t talk about enough after that first step.

What happens when things don’t go according to plan?

This week is all about letting go of perfection and learning how to start messy. Because your dream is probably not going to unfold exactly the way you imagined it.

No matter how much you plan, how much you prepare, or how many possible problems you try to think of beforehand, something will probably go wrong along the way.

And I think we have to get a little better at being okay with that.

Because there is no such thing as a perfect plan. There is no perfect career, perfect relationship, perfect body, perfect business, or perfect version of your life waiting for you somewhere in the future.

There is only a life that you are constantly figuring out as you go.

So this week, I want us to stop trying to make everything perfect before we allow ourselves to enjoy it. Instead, I want us to learn how to romanticize the process.

The rest of this piece lives behind the paywall for my paid subscribers. If you’re curious what being a paid member looks like, here’s a little look at what’s waiting for you:

• Mondays (Free/Paid): Essays about life skills, anti-rot ideas, romanticizing life and thoughtful ways to make everyday life feel fuller and more intentional

• Wednesdays (Paid): How-to guides about the life skills I wish we learned in school: from social skills and creativity to building rituals, hobbies, and a life you genuinely enjoy

• Fridays (Free): Essays, life hacks, and chic anti-rot ideas about making life feel a little more elegant, cozy, and fun

• 1st of each month (Paid): A monthly anti-rot guidebook built around themed missions, rituals, and a monthly curriculum to help your days feel less repetitive and more alive

• 15th of each month (Paid): A cozy life inspiration series filled with reflections, articles, journaling prompts, hobbies, rituals, and creative projects designed to help you enjoy your life more and create moments you don’t just scroll past.

Read more

Did you enjoy Summer School? I hope you did. 🤍

Today we’re taking a little break from Summer School and going back to romanticizing life. Let’s talk about how to make your life feel a little more like a story.

Because the truth is, all of us are living our own stories, and every single one of us is the main character in them. We can spend our days behind our screens watching how everyone else is living theirs, or we can figure out what makes our lives feel exciting, meaningful, and beautiful, and fill our days with more of those things.

So, if your journal entries have started sounding exactly the same lately, or you've noticed you never have a fun story to tell after someone asks, "So, what have you been up to?", here are a few ideas to make your life feel like a story worth telling.

Keep a favourites journal

I know I mention this all the time, but I genuinely believe that knowing what you love also means knowing what you want more of in your life. Maybe it’s knowing which flowers you love seeing in your living room. Maybe it’s perfecting your favorite recipe.

If you want your life to feel more like a story, I think this is the first step. So ask yourself, “What do I want more of?” Then start finding little ways to bring those things into your everyday life.

You become interesting when you become interested

Have interests. Choose hobbies because they genuinely make you curious. Learn about things simply because you want to know more. Find projects you can’t wait to work on after a long workday. I promise, once you start filling your life with things that genuinely interest you, your life naturally becomes more interesting too. But the best part is that you won’t be doing any of it to become an “interesting person.” You’ll be doing it because you actually enjoy it. And honestly, there are very few things more main character than that.

Learn to notice the stories happening around you

I have a friend, and I honestly can’t remember the last time we met without me saying, “Something like this could only happen to you”. She meets strangers on planes, somehow becomes friends with her Uber drivers and ends up getting burgers with them, random people start telling her their life stories, and she always has something unforgettable to share. I think there are two reasons for this.

First, she’s incredibly aware of what’s happening around her. Second, she’s really good at turning ordinary moments into stories. Once you start looking at your own life through that lens, you’ll realize there are stories happening around you all the time.

Create more than you consume

I'm not saying you have to stop bonding with your friends over the latest reality show, debating who your favorite character is, or sending each other funny reels. You don't have to give up any of those little things. Those little shared moments are fun.

But it's easy to forget that we're supposed to be the main character of our own story when we pick up our phones the second we wake up, spend hours scrolling before the day has even begun, or keep watching tiny glimpses of strangers' lives instead of living our own.

So, instead of spending all of that time scrolling or binge-watching, try spending some of it making something instead.

Join a workshop, journal at your favorite café, host your friends for dinner.

Trust me, your stories will find you.

Document your life

One of the nicest things about documenting your life is realizing your days aren’t nearly as ordinary as you thought they were.

“I woke up, worked, and ate dinner.”

Suddenly becomes...

“I woke up to the sunlight, remembered the strange dream I had and immediately wrote it in my dream journal, called my sister so we could look up what it meant together, stopped by my favorite bakery for a little treat, saw the sweetest cat on my walk, ran into an old school friend while waiting in line at a café, and spent half an hour talking about old memories.”

Most of us don’t need bigger stories. Because most of our lives are made up of little ones. The real skill is learning to notice them, appreciate them, and make your ordinary days feel just a little more beautiful.That’s what turns them into stories worth telling.

I’d love to know, what would you add to this list?

And if you missed Summer School, you can catch up on all of Week One right here.

See you on Monday.

What you’ll get if you upgrade:

weekly articles— about ideas and life skills I wish we learned at school to help you build a life full of memories and less rot

a monthly anti-rot curriculum — built around monthly missions, a monthly curriculum, and rituals to help you reconnect with your life and make your days feel less repetitive

a monthly cozy life inspiration series — inspiring ideas, reflections, articles, and little guides (from journaling prompts to hobbies, rituals, and creative projects) designed to help you enjoy your life more and create moments you don’t just scroll past.

If you’re curious about joining, you can do so here.And if you already are here, thank you. It genuinely means the world to me, this little space wouldn’t exist without you.

Subscribe now

We dream about different versions of our lives. We want things for ourselves. We make plans and imagine what’s possible. But even when we know what we want to do, we can’t always find the motivation to turn those dreams into reality.

Over the next three weeks in Evermuse Summer School, we’re going to work on becoming the version of ourselves who actually does things.

Our first lesson was How to Start Chasing Your Dreams Before You Feel Ready. If you haven’t read it yet, you can read it here.

But if you’re thinking, “Okay, I get the theory. Now I want to create a roadmap for my own life,” then you’re in the right place.

Before we begin, let’s hand out the workbooks.

The rest of this piece and the link to the workbook live behind the paywall for my paid subscribers.

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I know this because I did it too.

When I was thinking about changing careers, I spent so much time imagining what could go wrong, whether it would work, whether I was making the right decision, and whether I was ready. Looking back, almost none of that thinking helped me. The only thing that changed my life was finally making a decision and starting.

Ever since then, I’ve started noticing how often we mistake preparation for progress.

We tell ourselves we’re still researching, still planning, still waiting for the right moment. Sometimes that’s true. But sometimes “getting ready” becomes a way of postponing the uncomfortable part: beginning. So many of the lives we dream about only become possible once we’re willing to take the first imperfect step.

Welcome to Lesson One of Evermuse Summer School.

Today we’ll be talking about a few things we can do to start working on our dreams and goals, even when we feel like postponing them. And on Wednesday, I’ll share a workbook issue filled with reflection questions and a roadmap to help you apply everything we’ll talk about today to your own life.

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I’m going to start with something a little emotional. When I looked at my Substack overview page today, I knew I had to write this. One year ago today, I had only 2 subscribers here. And now we are a community of more than 17,700 people.

So, I just want to say thank you for being here and for making me feel like I achieved my childhood dream. Doing all of this without using another social media platform or sharing my personal life online sounded impossible to me a year ago. But it became real, because I tried and believed there is always room to grow.

And the first step was very simple. I simply started trying.

Now, I want us to try together.

I often introduce a skill, share some ideas, and then move on to the next topic. And while there are so many things we need to learn about building a beautiful life, some lessons deserve more than just one article.

So I thought this month we could spend a little more time on my most-read Substack essay, “How to Be Someone Who Actually Does Things.”

Because simply reading about something isn’t always enough. Real change happens when we take action.

So I created this little Summer School. It’s going to last three weeks and include cute workbooks.

I’m not talking about the kind of school where you secretly hope the classes get canceled so you can spend the day at the mall with your friends... I’m talking about the kind of school you actually look forward to going to because you leave feeling inspired, understood, and excited to try something new. (At least, that’s the goal!)

Here’s what I have in mind.

Throughout the first three weeks of August, we will focus on “How to Be Someone Who Actually Does Things” but each week will focus on a different step.

Here’s the curriculum:

Lesson 1- How to Start Chasing Your Dreams Before You Feel Ready (week 1)

• Monday: How to Start Chasing Your Dreams Before You Feel Ready

• Wednesday: The Finding Your Why Workbook

Lesson 2-Let Go of Perfect (week 2)

• Monday: How to Start Messy

• Wednesday: The Imperfect Workbook

Lesson 3-Keep Showing Up (week 3)

• Monday: How to Stay Consistent

• Wednesday: The Consistency Reset Workbook

So, if you've ever felt like you know what to do but can't seem to actually do it, I hope these next three weeks help.

This Summer School will be exclusively for paid subscribers and will last for three weeks. But during this time, the free Friday essays will continue as usual.

If you’ve been thinking about becoming a paid subscriber, I think this is the perfect time.

Subscribe now

And since this is the first time I’m trying something like this, I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions along the way. 💛

We’ve officially entered the last month of summer.

The last month of every season always feels a bit like the month of missing the season that's about to come. I can be in the middle of the sea, making my inner child happy by pretending to be a mermaid, and suddenly find myself thinking about the delicious soups I'll be drinking in autumn or wondering what condition my rain boots are in, trying to convince myself that I need a new pair.

But I’m in absolutely no rush for summer to end either. After all, I still haven’t eaten nearly enough figs, and I definitely wouldn’t say no to collecting a few more seashells for my seashell DIY projects.

So this month, I have two goals.

First, I want to do every little summer thing I’ve been meaning to do before the season ends. And second, I want to prepare for autumn by going through my wardrobe, planning homemade spa days with my friends mostly to help my hair and skin recover from summer.

That’s exactly how I chose this month’s seasonal missions.

Before we start, here's a quick explanation for any new Evermuse readers who might be wondering what this guidebook is about.

On the first day of every month, I choose seasonal missions to help me spend my month with less scrolling and less rot. I also create a curriculum to learn more about the topics that interest me that month, along with my rituals for the month.

Because I believe the opposite of rot is more living. This guidebook is simply me sharing that monthly plan in the hope that it inspires you when you are planning your own month. (I use my anti-rot year journal to create my anti-rot system, you can get one by clicking here.)

Now, if you’ve found a cozy reading spot, let me start this month’s guidebook.

Here’s what you’ll find inside:

• My monthly anti-rot missions (and some extra ideas you can choose from)

• My monthly curriculum

• My rituals for this month (and some extra ritual ideas you can choose from)

My monthly anti-rot curriculum posts like this one are exclusive to paid subscribers. If this felt like the kind of thing you want more of, you can upgrade here.

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First, a quick announcement. Since the 1st of this month falls on a Saturday, the August Anti-Rot Guidebook will be published on Saturday, and there won’t be a new post this Friday. For that reason, this week’s free post that everyone can read is being published today instead of Friday. I hope you enjoy it.

Today, we’re talking about the tiny traditions we can create for ourselves that bring more joy into our lives, and before the new month begins, I highly recommend picking your favorites and giving them a try.

So, if your iced drink is ready (I chose homemade lemonade) and you’ve put on a cheerful summer playlist, let’s begin.

Why do we need tiny traditions anyway?

First of all, I think there are very few things as chic as tiny traditions when it comes to making you feel like the main character. It’s something you do because you want to and because it makes you feel good. It becomes part of your life, people start associating you with it, and one day even your children may continue these traditions.

And if none of that is enough for you, think about it this way. You’re creating something to look forward to, an activity you wait for with joy and excitement.

Also, I don’t think consistency always has to come from difficult things. Yes, working out every day is wonderful, and if you keep doing it regularly, I’m sure you’ll improve not only your body but also your ability to stay consistent. But if that ability can be developed by doing anything regularly, then maybe creating traditions can also help us develop that skill. What do you think?

So, if you’re looking for a little more joy, and main character energy in your everyday life, here are a few tiny traditions you might want to steal.

1-The first day of the month breakfast

This one combines two of my favorite things: new beginnings and breakfast.

At the beginning of every month, treat yourself to a beautiful breakfast, whether it’s at your favorite bakery or at home with all your favorite breakfast foods and pastries.

Bonus points if your table also has fresh flowers and fresh juice.

2-The seasonal candle

Every year, if I don’t buy Zara Home’s gingerbread candle, it feels like the new year simply isn’t coming. Buying a candle to mark the beginning of winter is one of my favorite traditions.

Here are my recommendations for other seasons.

Spring- Linen

Summer- Citrus

Autumn -Pumpkin

If you needed another excuse to buy a candle, you just found one.

3-The birthday week

As you know, this month was my birthday month. And I celebrated it for as long as I possibly could.

There were candles on my breakfast pancakes, a celebration while paddle boarding on the sea, and another celebration over dinner. Throughout my birthday week, I spoiled myself as much as I could.

I even put candles on my ice cream. Just because it made the whole week more fun. Highly recommend.

4- The first swim of summer

Turn your first swim of the summer into a little celebration. Your favorite playlist, a cold watermelon, a beach sandwich, and a disposable camera will be enough for a real celebration.

5-The first rainy day soup

Every year, on the first rainy day of autumn, make your favorite soup. You can even put on a cozy nostalgic autumn movie and invite your friends over for a soup party.

6-The fancy grocery trip

How about turning one grocery trip every month into a luxurious one? Especially if you’re anything like me and love appetizers even more than the main course, I’m sure you’ll love this tradition.

• Good olive oil

• Fresh basil

• Nice cheese

• Fancy butter

• And a good wine

A perfect girl dinner is waiting for you.

Sometimes all it takes is deciding that the first rainy day deserves your favorite soup, that the first day of the month deserves a beautiful breakfast, or that your birthday deserves to last a little longer than just one day.

Have the loveliest rest of your week, and I’ll see you on Saturday with the August anti-rot guidebook.

What you’ll get if you upgrade:

weekly articles— about ideas and life skills I wish we learned at school to help you build a life full of memories and less rot

a monthly anti-rot curriculum — built around monthly missions, a monthly curriculum, and rituals to help you reconnect with your life and make your days feel less repetitive

a monthly cozy life inspiration series — inspiring ideas, reflections, articles, and little guides (from journaling prompts to hobbies, rituals, and creative projects) designed to help you enjoy your life more and create moments you don’t just scroll past.

If you’re curious about joining, you can do so here.And if you already are here, thank you. It genuinely means the world to me, this little space wouldn’t exist without you.

Subscribe now

When I asked whether this week’s Life Skill should be about detachment, almost everyone voted yes. Which tells me two things. We all care deeply and we all dream big. 

And I hope you never stop doing either. 

You never become people who stop falling in love with ideas, stop getting excited about the future, or stop caring about the people around you. But I’ve also realized that caring deeply can become exhausting when you start attaching your happiness to things you can’t completely control.

So, this article is for anyone who’s tired of waiting for life to finally begin. For anyone who’s checking their inbox every ten minutes, hoping for an email, waiting for a text back, waiting for the opportunity, waiting for life to finally feel like it’s moving again.

And it’s for any girl who’s holding on to her dream so tightly that it is actually stealing her peace. There’s a very fine line between caring about something... and becoming attached to it.

And the moment your happiness starts depending on one particular outcome, life suddenly feels much heavier.

So today I want to share everything I’ve learned about detachment.

Read more

I’ll simply never believe that life is meant for scrolling endlessly, worrying about the future, or replaying old memories in your head before you fall asleep.

We’re supposed to be enjoying it.

I know that sounds a little too simple and some seasons of life won’t feel that fun. There will be difficult days, heartbreaking moments, and things completely outside of our control.

And joy won’t magically remove the difficult parts of life, but it can help. It can change how we move through life. It can give us more energy, more hope, and more reasons to keep going. Difficult days won’t disappear, but they can become easier to carry. Hard work can feel lighter. Challenges can feel less overwhelming.

I’m not saying being more joyful will solve every problem you have. But I do think it can make you stronger while you’re solving them.

The more we prioritize joy, the more resilient we become. Life will still be messy sometimes. Hard things will still happen. But they’re a little easier to carry when your days are already filled with moments that make you smile.

And honestly, what’s the downside of trying to be a little more joyful? If nothing else, you’ll have added a little more joy to your life.

So here are a few ideas for joymaxxing, because I genuinely think it should be all of our life strategy.

1. Whenever life starts feeling boring, ask yourself: “What can I do about it?”

   I’m obviously not talking about scrolling here. I actually think boredom is something we all need. It’s a necessary part of creating things and becoming more creative. In fact, I think we can even use boredom as creative fuel.

   What I’m talking about is that week when you realize all your days have started to look the same. That slightly depressing feeling that you get when you notice every day is the same, and there’s nothing you’re genuinely excited about.

   The first rule of joymaxxing is to ask yourself in those moments:

   “This week has been really boring. My days have all blurred into each other. So what can I do about it?” Maybe it’s taking yourself to a workshop. Maybe it’s finally starting that novel you’ve been wanting to write. Or maybe it’s buying a bag of cat food so you can feed the cats on your street.

   What is important is to find something that adds a little more joy to your day. Bonus points if it’s a mission from your Anti-Rot Journal.

2. Practice detachment

   For a very long time I didn’t understand the importance of detachment. I used to think life was something you were supposed to take a little more seriously. But when practiced the right way, I think detachment is incredible life advice. It reminds us that most of our problems are actually much smaller than they seem, and that many of them are outside our control anyway.

   Sometimes the best thing we can do is realize that small inconveniences aren’t defining moments in our lives, they’re just temporary moments in our day. We can notice them, choose not to let them ruin our mood, and simply continue with our day.

   After all, just as much as we need to create joyful moments, we also need to learn how to protect our joy.

   (What do you think? Should this Monday’s Life Skill be about detachment?)

3. Ask yourself, “How can I make this more fun?”

   There will always be boring tasks. Maybe it’s part of working a 9-to-5. Maybe it’s the responsibilities that come with running your own business. Or maybe it’s just the responsibilities that come with being an adult. But I think one of the best life hacks is trying to make even those moments a little more enjoyable. Don’t feel like tackling the paperwork sitting on your desk? Try doing it while eating your homemade ice cream. Better yet, create a favorite ice cream recipe that you’re only allowed to make when you’re doing boring tasks. Congratulations!! You’ve officially tricked your brain into looking forward to paperwork.

4. Add more whimsy to your life

   One of my favorite answers to the question, “How can I make this more fun?” is adding more whimsy to my life. I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s worth mentioning again. Some of my favorites are keeping a little tin of sprinkles so I can add them to my morning coffee, blowing bubbles every now and then just to watch my dog try to catch them, and wearing a tiara while doing boring chores around the house.

5. Have hobbies you never try to optimize

   Don’t you think it’s time we stopped trying to optimize every hobby?

   Sometimes it’s enough to do something simply because it makes you feel good and adds a little more joy to your life. Not everything has to become something you’re the best at. Not every hour of your time has to turn into money or help you reach a goal. Sometimes it’s enough to have hobbies that exist for no reason other than helping you have a good time. You could start by doing the same puzzle every winter, taking it apart instead of framing it, and putting it back in the box so you can do it again the following year. It’s surprisingly fun, especially in winter. (I can’t believe I’m saying this in the middle of summer, but I might already be entering my annual “I miss winter” era.)

6. Replace gratitude lists with joy lists every now and then

   I love gratitude lists, and I don’t think I’ll ever stop making them.

   But if our goal is to bring more joy into our lives, I think joy lists deserve a place in our rituals too. Before going to bed, try writing down the things that brought you joy that day. It can help you to notice joyful moments more often. But even more importantly, it can give you more ideas for creating them. After all, it’s much easier to add more joy to your life when you know what actually brings you joy.

   Thank you for being here. See you on Monday!

Before we enter the last month of summer, I thought it would be fun to do one more challenge together.

Starting this Monday, I’m thinking of sharing one fun little summer side quest every day for a week in the group.

Think of them as tiny pieces of homework you’re absolutely not required to do but if you do, you can come back and tell everyone in the group about it.

What do you think?🍉

What you’ll get if you upgrade:

weekly articles— about ideas and life skills I wish we learned at school to help you build a life full of memories and less rot

a monthly anti-rot curriculum — built around monthly missions, a monthly curriculum, and rituals to help you reconnect with your life and make your days feel less repetitive

a monthly cozy life inspiration series — inspiring ideas, reflections, articles, and little guides (from journaling prompts to hobbies, rituals, and creative projects) designed to help you enjoy your life more and create moments you don’t just scroll past.

If you’re curious about joining, you can do so here.And if you already are here, thank you. It genuinely means the world to me, this little space wouldn’t exist without you.

Subscribe now

But I also know that isn’t the reality for most of us. For most people, your twenties aren’t the decade where you have all your finances figured out.

They’re the decade where you slowly figure out how you want money to fit into your life. You learn what feels worth spending on. What isn’t. How much security you need to feel at peace. What kind of future you’re trying to build.

And somewhere along the way, you realize that learning to manage money isn’t just about numbers. It’s about learning how to build a life that feels both exciting today and sustainable tomorrow.

That starts by learning the difference between spending because something makes your life better and spending because you’re bored, stressed, or influenced.

Little by little, you create your own philosophy around money.

And I actually think the people who end up with the healthiest relationship with money are the ones who have money habits that make money feel less stressful, less confusing, and a little more intentional.

So here are the financial skills that I think make the biggest difference.

The rest of this piece lives behind the paywall for my paid subscribers. If you’re curious what being a paid member looks like, here’s a little look at what’s waiting for you:

• Mondays (Free/Paid): Essays about life skills, anti-rot ideas, romanticizing life and thoughtful ways to make everyday life feel fuller and more intentional

• Wednesdays (Paid): How-to guides about the life skills I wish we learned in school: from social skills and creativity to building rituals, hobbies, and a life you genuinely enjoy

• Fridays (Free): Essays, life hacks, and chic anti-rot ideas about making life feel a little more elegant, cozy, and fun

• 1st of each month (Paid): A monthly anti-rot guidebook built around themed missions, rituals, and a monthly curriculum to help your days feel less repetitive and more alive

• 15th of each month (Paid): A cozy life inspiration series filled with reflections, articles, journaling prompts, hobbies, rituals, and creative projects designed to help you enjoy your life more and create moments you don’t just scroll past.

Read more

This week’s life skill is all about creating a life you’ll love waking up to, I’m talking about those mornings when you wake up before your alarm and can’t wait to get out of bed because you already know the day ahead is going to be a good one. (If nothing comes to mind, think about how you usually feel on vacation.)

I don’t think building a life like that happens through one big decision. I think it happens when your days contain enough little things that make you genuinely excited to wake up, even while everything else is still a little messy.

And I know this from experience. When I used to work 9–5, I hated my daily schedule. It felt like my days did not belong to me.

Looking back, the biggest changes in my own life didn’t come from one dramatic change. Yes, I changed careers, and I have so much more control over my days, which is the greatest luxury I’ve ever had, but I started doing something about it before that. I started changing small things about my days.

I changed the way I thought about success, I started making room for things I enjoyed, I started eating better, spending more time with people I love, and realizing that purpose doesn’t always have to arrive in the form of a dream job.

So today I want to talk about exactly that: how we can build a life we’ll love waking up to. And I have a recipe for it, one that I think might work for you, too.

Here’s how it goes.

1-Stop taking life so seriously

I know that sounds strange because we often associate taking life seriously with being responsible. But I don’t think they’re the same thing. You can care deeply about your goals, your work, and the life you’re building without believing that every decision has to be perfect.

I also find it interesting that almost everyone who talks about manifestation talks about detachment too. At first, it sounded completely backwards to me. If you really want something, shouldn’t you hold onto it as tightly as possible?

But maybe that’s exactly why detachment matters.

The tighter we hold onto one particular outcome, the more pressure we put on ourselves. We stop enjoying where we are because we’re so focused on where we’re trying to get. We tell ourselves we’ll finally relax after we get the job, move to the city, or meet the right person. Before we know it, happiness has quietly become something that only exists in the future.

I think life becomes a lot more enjoyable when we stop treating every decision as if it’s going to define the rest of our lives. Sometimes things work out exactly as planned, sometimes they don’t, and surprisingly often, the unexpected version turns out to be even better.

So dream big, make plans, work hard... but leave a little room for life to surprise you too.

The rest of this piece lives behind the paywall for my paid subscribers. If you’re curious what being a paid member looks like, here’s a little look at what’s waiting for you:

• Mondays (Free/Paid): Essays about life skills, anti-rot ideas, romanticizing life and thoughtful ways to make everyday life feel fuller and more intentional

• Wednesdays (Paid): How-to guides about the life skills I wish we learned in school: from social skills and creativity to building rituals, hobbies, and a life you genuinely enjoy

• Fridays (Free): Essays, life hacks, and chic anti-rot ideas about making life feel a little more elegant, cozy, and fun

• 1st of each month (Paid): A monthly anti-rot guidebook built around themed missions, rituals, and a monthly curriculum to help your days feel less repetitive and more alive

• 15th of each month (Paid): A cozy life inspiration series filled with reflections, articles, journaling prompts, hobbies, rituals, and creative projects designed to help you enjoy your life more and create moments you don’t just scroll past.

Read more