Did anyone else read the excellent essay in the Sunday Times about procrastination? Writer Anna Della Subin recounts a conference she attended on the topic, noting: Humans will never stop procrastinating, and it might do us good to remember that the guilt and shame of the do-it-tomorrow cycle are not necessarily inescapable. The French philosopher […]
Author: Leah Hoffmann
Friday review: A garden journal
I’ve perpetually got big plans for my garden, but given how little time I have to actually work in the garden, I find myself having to jot down notes, plans, and priorities so I don’t lose track of what I should do when. Enter the ME journal. I wish I’d had this idea sooner, and […]
Tools of the trade: Mechanical pencils
As with many things I first put to serious use in math class (protractors, compasses), my fondness for mechanical pencils is more remembered than real. I don’t particularly like writing with a mechanical pencil, but I keep one around the house in rare case of need — a super-precise line that my traditional pencils, whose […]
Writing Wednesdays: Lend me your ears
In general, I’m a selfish pragmatist when it comes to lending books to friends, which means that I don’t often do it. Life and good intentions being what they are, you can’t expect to get them back, and you certainly can’t expect your friends to understand or remember the levels of your relative need — […]
Time management Mondays: Family planning
I’m old enough, or perhaps stodgy enough, to be a little nervous putting too many personal details up online. Nonetheless, it’s happened before, and it’s about to happen again: we’re expecting another baby in a few weeks. Last time, I was a bit unrealistic about how quickly I would be able to reclaim my wits […]
Friday roundup
Lots of reviews this Friday! Let’s get right to ’em, shall we? “I really could come up with endless ideas for using this journal, so even with the few shortcomings I think that this journal is a wonderful idea and will prove itself very useful.” Okami reviews the ME journal. “A brilliant red with some […]
Tools of the trade: Keychain notebook
This is a variation of the “too good to actually use” problem, which is odd, because if you’ve ever purchased a Muji notebook, you know that the paper is terrible — coarse, thin, and utilitarian, the sort of paper that struggles to hold up to a competent rollerball without bleedthrough. Still, a cute, little 1×3-inch […]
Writing Wednesdays: The best tool for the task
I’ve said before that I’m none too proficient at composing long passages of prose on anything other than my laptop. I also can’t imagine fleshing out ideas on anything other than a notebook. At work, I have a very clear set of notebooks and calendars for specific tasks and to-do lists. For my personal writing, […]
Time management Mondays: Knowing you need a break
It’s one thing to recognize, intellectually, the benefits of taking a break. It’s another thing to know when you actually need one. Aside from the self-enforced breaks that my weekends now represent, I tend to be bad at gauging the times when I should just step away from my desk and take twenty minutes or […]
Friday roundup
How about this lovely fall weather, New York? Here’s our weekly assortment of reviews and other things of interest. Why are some classics as read as they are talked about, while others gather dust on the shelf? The Paris Review explores the tricky question of universality. This week, La Plume Etoile takes on the Quo […]
