Hedonic treadmills, design processes, first impressions, ending social media, and the pathless path.

Each week I post a summary of five articles that I've written (or podcast episodes depending on the week).

Because this newsletter is now available as a subscription, I'll reference the free article, and link the paid ones below. As always feedback is welcome. Thank you!

Free

• Adapting to the hedonic treadmill - Life is freaking hard, but we find ways to adapt and grow. Recently I got a sore throat, and that was a tiny way of testing whether to let it be a show stopper for the weekend, or whether I could adapt.

Paid

• Capture, sort, and share - Designers often talk about diverging and converging on thoughts, but I rarely hear discussion on how to move through the process of design. I share the process that's working for me, and how it morphs to fit any project where you have to work with other people.
• The myth of first impressions - We think that first impressions are all that matters. Instead let's lean into longer, lasting, impressions, where we get a chance to see the real people behind the facade.
• Algorithm malaise: notes from the other side - Inspired by a friend, I wrote about growing increasingly frustrated with social media, and how stepping away has brought unexpected beauty and creativity into my life.
• Rethinking life on the pathless path - A new book has got me questioning all parts of my life, and I'm loving it. What if instead of going down a pre-determined path till the end of our days, we tried something different.