still sleeping with my phone in the other room and feel proud of myself for this.

mindless social usage is harder to break especially after a long day of making decisions. having no self control left in my body after 9 PM seems to be my next hurdle in this process.

progress report!

i've nailed 1-3, with the exception of using my computer past 11 because i've been preparing for my photo show in a couple of weeks. baby steps.

the notification checking though? YEAH RIGHT. working in social media makes this feel like an impossible goal right now.

wild that they misquoted him saying "bro" like this tbh. i'm not even a mr. beast fan but he straight up did not say that in the interview and nobody corrected them in the replies to the article either holy moly we are doomed

i watched this interview yesterday and he says "bro" not "broke" (timestamp 45:25ish)

i was irked by several things he said but this is a pretty blatant misquote @zackzwiezen.com

i've also been using the self care app Finch to keep track of daily habits and take care of my lil nano pet birb. very cute, very rewarding.

phase two tbd

for me, these things are:
1) moving my body / working out in general (10k steps/day!)
2) journaling / writing (omg my brain never stops and i used to write and blog endlessly)
3) cooking! i love to make food!
4) reading! i love to learn!
5) ...texting people back before opening social apps (ugh)

ALSO the one thing i've learned about breaking bad habits is that you must replace them with good ones, otherwise you're way more likely to "relapse."

social media eats so much of my time and i hate feeling braindead and manipulated by the algorithms. even when i use my laptop i make better choices, so my rules apply mostly to my phone for now.

phase one:

1) leaving my phone in the living room to charge at night
2) cutting off screen time at 11 PM
3) don't look at screens until 9:30 AM (since i have to post somewhat early and don't have the scheduling thing down yet)
4) reduce notification checking to 5x/day to start

my biggest struggle will forever be on the consumption side. i don't doomscroll a ton but whenever i post i do obsessively check metrics. it's a waste of time and brain power. must create more, consume less. if i can conquer this hurdle i'll be on a good path.

K THAT IS ALL BYE

this is all making me think i need to hire help sooner than later. if i do build an agency it will 100% be with the intention of putting qualified people in place to run the day-to-day while i stay the visionary and client acquisition person. i just need to be calculated. and let go of control.

maybe i make a new account for creative business process videos and maintain my personal brand as a music personality. that's what most of my audience is from currently and it will remain a passion forever, so why alienate that audience?

i make 95% of my income as a contracted marketing consultant and would love to talk about that part of my life and the process of building an agency too, but the success of my niche music posts makes me wonder if i should follow that thread instead. or maybe i can do both.

bluesky is still feeling like the safest place to workshop my business plans and ideas, but ultimately i want to start a mailing list and get away from relying on social media platforms. is that substack? is it straight up email? tbd.

9) stop judging other people. you will be set free. this is the only way to stop fearing the judgment of others.

10) i am very tired and don't know how i got here but it's been very helpful for scheming my video concepts so thank you, sweet void, and good night.

8) it's actually healthy to be friends with people you don't have a lot in common with. you'll have empathy for other perspectives and be a more well-rounded person. unless they're straight up hateful, then fuck them.

6) make it a priority to truly know, understand, and ACCEPT yourself. flaws and big feelings and all. this ties into #2 but i think it's the most important conceptually.

7) stop making excuses. nobody wants to hear them. look inward when you feel defensive.

5) don't overly pay attention to current events unless you're going to do something about it. it's okay to be informed, but if you're just going to consume the horrors of the earth and continue doing nothing--or worse, spread misinformation--you're better off not knowing wtf is going on.

3) cut negativity & superficial relationships. cultivate deeper friendships with people you care about. see them ~in person~ often.

4) learn basic nutrition and how to cook well. you are what you eat. most Americans eat like our healthcare is free. consistent exercise makes this step a necessity.