Kitcher’s Cafe is a monthly newsletter where I share a hybrid of personal and business updates. If you’d like to be the first to receive this monthly update, join the list here.
Here are a few things going on in my brain and world this August.
Unplug
Elliott and I have committed to a "no show" August, which means we are not allowed to watch any TV or digital series, including YouTube and other streaming shows.
For just over a week, we were on the road and weren't much affected by the change, but once we returned home it had a big impact on our habits. For example, I've gotten through a greater number of books and writing exercises this month. I've started writing letters again and am (finally) making my way through a large stack of "to do" items that have been sitting on my desk for a year.
What would you have time to do if you eliminated TV or streaming shows for one month?
Distractions
I also recently published a blog post about how to eliminate distractions - the cell phone edition. Although it’s not a problem for everyone, I suspect it’s a problem for many. If this sounds like you, some other resources that I found helpful were Cal Newport's book, Digital Minimalism, or Oliver Burkeman's Four Thousand Weeks.
Austin Kleon
As I mentioned last month, I recently worked my way through three Austin Kleon books. They are short and to the point. Even if you're not interested in art or being an artist, I thought the main themes could apply to entrepreneurship as well.
Inspiration
Beth Kempton is one of my inspirations. She is also a JET Program alum, and I took a free course she was offering while I was still in Japan called “Do What You Love.” Since then, she has produced countless other courses and several books. If you’re stuck in a rut, need a creative muse, or just need a gentle kick in the pants I highly recommend her. My Unplug, Live Slow course (still in the works) is inspired by Beth and her work. Now I just need a little more of a kick in my own pants to get the content finished and to put it out into the world…
12-Week Group Writing Workshop?
Speaking of Beth, I have access to a 12-Week Writing Group curriculum, which corresponds to her most recent book, The Way of the Fearless Writer. If anyone is interested in doing this together, please reach out. The sessions would be community-led and free to participants aside from the cost of the book.
Social Hangover
There are two terms I’ve been floating around recently. “Social
Hangover” and “Relax Guilt.” A social hangover is when you’ve had one or more social engagements and afterward feel drained. As an introvert - according to Susan Cain’s definition - I need to recharge with solitary activities after being around other people.
If you also suffer from this, review your schedule ahead of time to see if A) you have too many social engagements in a row and B) that you have built in enough time to recuperate before your next commitment. This can help guide you to say yes or no to certain activities in your week.
Relax Guilt
“Relax Guilt” happens to me when I’ve intentionally built time into the day to relax but as soon as the time comes to sit down, I feel guilty. Can someone see me relaxing? Are they judging me? Have I done enough work today to "deserve" this rest?
I've been inadvertently taught to believe that relaxing is lazy, and lazy is bad.
I have to reteach myself that relaxing is necessary. Life is to be lived but somewhere along the way we were told that life is to be worked. When did this happen and how can we fix it?
Shop Local
I’m doing my best to reduce Amazon usage, and one of the ways I’ve been able to support independent booksellers is through bookshop.org - you can choose to support me or another local participating bookstore, such as Hudson Valley Books for Humanity, with your future book purchases. Another program I recommend is libro.fm for audiobooks.
That's what's going on over here. Let me know what you've been up to and what your goals are for this fall. A new quarter can be great time to review your business and your goals.
Catch you soon,
Any book links will bring you to bookshop.org which may result in kickbacks to me or local independent booksellers. Thank you for supporting the little guys!