Sort Your Signals from the Noise
In a culture that seems bent on having us live like machines, I write about how we can live like persons.
The question that drives my writing is, “How can we create a well-lived life?”
I’m inspired by the systems intentional communities use to make time for important, time-consuming personal pursuits like contemplation, learning, and making art. I write about how ancient traditions and modern thinking about making decisions and putting things in order, can help us make time for the things that matter most.
Check out the categories below to browse some of my articles.
Articles
Browse essays by topic
Find Your Values
What is your vision for a well-lived life? Here are some ways to hone your insights on that.
Inner Trolls, and Better Angels: Being a Person, Online
7 Ways to Identify Your Core Values
A Powerful Way to Motivate Yourself: Meet Your Possible Selves
Organize Your Things and Environment
Simple, but for artificially organized people like me, not intuitive or easy.
The Souls of Things: Decluttering and Disposal as Sacred Acts
Your Second Brain Needs A Second Body
To Organize Your Things, Decide How Much is Enough
The Magic of Index Cards: How to Know When Something Is Done
Restorative Rest and Recreation
Because you are a person, not a machine.
Rest is What Makes You A Person
Preventing Burnout Means Planning Your Time Off
Create A Personal Framework
Want a personal GPS for creating your well-lived life?
Write down your roles, your values, and the routines that sustain you, and review it regularly. Get clear on these basics, and the rest will follow.
How a Personal Framework Helps You Get the Right Things Done
Make Your Own Personal Framework
Organize Your Time and Information
Paradoxically, planning allows you to be more spontaneous. You can switch gears with a peaceful mind.
When Work Is Love Made Visible (and, when it’s not…)
Preventing Burnout Means Planning Your Time Off
A Simple Dashboard to Balance Work and Personal Time
Setting Boundaries for Your Time: You Are a Person, Not a Machine