Welcome to Walker Weekly, a regularly scheduled newsletter where I share things that I find interesting, useful, inspiring, or thought-provoking. If you have anything of your own that falls into these categories, please let me know in the comments! I’m always looking for new inspiration.
Quote I’m pondering
Is this the best way to use technology to support my values?
ParkNotes (Youtube)
“Digital minimalism” has been a recurring theme in my thoughts over the past few weeks. The above video by ParkNotes elucidates on this concept. He outlines a very prescribed method for using a pocket notebook system in place of pulling out your phone to capture a thought, which often results in distraction, as we know all too well. Next time you pull out your phone to do anything other than send a text or make a phone call, try asking this question.
I like this quote because of the emphasis on values. Implicitly it begs the question – what are my values? – which is an exercise worth struggling through. I recently wrote down a hazy understanding of my values for the first time ever and found the process very insightful. More on that later.
I’ve had Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World on my reading list for a good while now. Perhaps it’s time to give it a go.
Journaling method I’m trying
The Life Tracker System (YouTube). I’ve kept a journal for 4 years now, which is absolutely not to say that I’ve journaled every day for 4 years. Sometimes I journal for two weeks straight, sometimes I skip an entire month. This video outlines a low barrier to entry method for ensuring that you get something down each day that I’ve been finding immensely satisfying.
The key is that each day requires only one abridged line of writing, a brief summary. Mentally this is quite approachable and can even be easily filled out on future days if you forget. Contrast it with the typical “diary-style” writing, where you write the date and then stare at an empty page, waiting for some spark of inspiration to hit as you wonder what to write about. The Life Tracker System makes room for both methods.
That’s all for this week, thanks a lot for reading.
Stay curious,
Walker
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