Make Your Damn Bed

We live in a dictatorship of capital. These "powerful" thieves have ingratiated themselves into every aspect of our existence. For us to push back, we'd need to decenter capital, but the system has set us up to be trapped in it. The key is centering community. Not ourselves. There's a "third space" between escaping completely and participating willingly with the worst parts. Co-creating stability...

As we become more disillusioned, pay attention to the ways you can push back or pivot or adapt. The reality of our current situation is darker than any of us can imagine, and we need to stop pretending like things can "return to normal" because the "normal" has revealed itself to be unreasonably evil. we must be willing to address the truth now, so we can co-create a better truth moving forward. R...

"If the machine of government is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law." - Henry David Thoreau In a world that shares none of my values, I must be willing to stand apart from it. It is uncomfortable, but less uncomfortable than assimilating to a culture that is in direct opposition to my personal morality. Ideally, our individual...

It's not healthy (or "sane") to follow the social norms of an unhealthy (or "insane") society. There is a third (secret) space available for us to boycott, sabotage, and refuse to align with what is wrong with the current "norms" but we have to be willing to look at the world differently to see it. We don't have to decide between escape and compliance. There is a middle ground that can push back a...

Contemplation and participation are not mutually exclusive. We need to create space so we can see reality more clearly and orient ourselves towards what we really want. That said, we cannot renounce the world forever, if we want to be a part of a better one. Get Jenny Odell's Books Here . Buy Jenny Odell's book here . Listen to a different podcast episode about Jenny Odell's book . Read Julie's Me...

The pull to escape is inherent in any of us living in our current hellscape, but what if we escaped-in-place by backing out of the future the ruling class is insisting upon, and instead, tapped into a future of our own creation. Utopia doesn't exist. But a better world is available to those of us who are willing to abandon the current reality that curates harm as a way of control. "Peace is an end...

The concept of a matriarchy is far more nuanced and empowering than a basic ass reversal of patriarchal roles. There is a prioritization of balance over dominance, inclusion over exclusion, communal wellbeing over individual accumulation of power, environmental stewardship over endless growth, and a holistic/inclusive approach that considers impact in all areas rather than one. THE SOURCES AND INS...

The extent of a society’s development is most clearly reflected in the freedom women enjoy, and in the extent to which they are able to express their creativity. - heide goettner-abendroth THE SOURCES AND INSPIRATION: The Main Article: Gift Economy https://pediaa.com/what-is-the-difference-between-matrilineal-and-matriarchal/ https://www.projectmatrilineal.org/resources https://nativeamerican...

In the late 60's a bunch of hippie communes popped up across the US, and the ideals were beautiful... but sadly shortlived and often filled with conflict because they focused on escapism instead of true collaboration. If we avoid politics as a way to resist tyranny, we may end up fostering a different form of tyranny. Similarly to the tolerance paradox: Governance can by tyrannical but so can non-...

“Stupidity is an attempt to iron out all differences, and not to use them or value them creatively.” “Each such cycle is a unique event; diet, choice, selection, season, weather, digestion, decomposition and regeneration differ each time it happens. Thus, it is the number of such cycles, great and small, that decide the potential for diversity. We should feel ourselves privileged to be part of suc...

My friends and I don't "keep score". We help each other when and where we can because we can. This is community. This is the village. We have to decenter "money" exchange where possible, so we can prioritize real care. "Capitalism's incentives are fundamentally backwards. Under this system, you make money by keeping people sick (pharmaceutical companies), by keeping people in debt (financial insti...

Today we're talking Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) boxes. Depending on your area, it may be a great way to get fresh food more locally and sustainably, while investing back into your community access points. THE INSPIRATION: https://www.lowimpact.org/posts/replacing-capitalism-the-why-what-how-and-who-of-growing-the-commons-economy/ http://localharvest.org/ https://newsletters.noticenews.co...

The focus is on repair. There is a necessity of missing out that allows us The focus is on self care. Self preservation. It's also a way to improve and deepen listening. Productivity isn't just producing something new. It's maintenance + sustenance work. It's care work with no "tangible" numbers to track or changes to measure. Get Jenny Odell's Books Here . Buy Jenny Odell's book here . Listen to...

The labor movement fought and died for our right to time off to just exist. To do what we will. The gig economy is taking that back with the illusion of "freedom" and I have fallen for it. Get Jenny Odell's Books Here . Buy Jenny Odell's book here . Listen to a different podcast episode about Jenny Odell's book . Read Julie's Medium Blog . Support JULIE (and the show!) Support + get some bonus stu...

Build an attention holding architecture: where it's safe to simply exist. where you can learn to attune to what matters. Get Jenny Odell's Books Here . Buy Jenny Odell's book here . Listen to a different podcast episode about Jenny Odell's book . Read Julie's Medium Blog . Support JULIE (and the show!) Support + get some bonus stuff over on PATREON . Get an occasional personal email from me: www.m...

We've been taught to view "productivity" and "worth" and "value" through a capitalistic lens. What if we change our interpretations of these things? What if we start to include "presence" and "experience" as worthwhile ways to be productive and add value to our lives? Get Jenny Odell's Books Here . Buy Jenny Odell's book here . Listen to a different podcast episode about Jenny Odell's book . Read...

The world is so make it about interaction, instead. The attention economy has spent billions making their product irresistible while convincing us it's our idea to be there. Resist your fear of being perceived. Jump timelines and do something different. Get Jenny Odell's Books Here . Buy Jenny Odell's book here . Listen to a different podcast episode about Jenny Odell's book . Read Julie's Medium...

When I act in alignment with my core values I feel more confident but what if the decisions I’m stuck with leave me with no choice but to make choices that don’t align and dont fit my desired values for the future?  The beauty of judging the choices I had rather than the decision I made, is that it opens me up to the nuanced reality.  It’s not about perfect alignment because that’s not p...

CORE INSIGHTS FROM THE BOOK, " FOUR THOUSAND WEEKS ": Embrace finitude : Your life is absurdly short (around 4,000 weeks). Stop trying to “master” time; instead, accept your fundamental limitations. Productivity is a trap : Becoming more efficient only creates more demands, leading to perpetual busyness, not freedom. Choice means sacrifice : Every decision to do one thing means sacrificing countle...

We can control our vessel, not the ocean.  Life’s default state is a little scary. A little insecure. A little worried. A little vulnerable to the elements.  The good news is, those scary vulnerable unavoidable feelings don’t have to be all encompassing and can be made less powerful through direct recognition and balance.  The future is still in progress, so I can and should be doin...

I'm slowly realizing that the key wasn't to get "more free time for myself", the key is to get "more free time together". The highlight should be: Communal rhythm. Coordinated leisure. Planned connection. Shared ritual. Access the book, Four Thousand Weeks: https://www.oliverburkeman.com/fourthousandweeks The synopsis of the book, here . Read Julie's Medium Blog . Support JULIE (and the show!) Sup...

Build your tolerance for "chill" and "ease" by scheduling it. Prioritize doing nothing productive. Seek out ways to create that don't have a "payoff" and make it anyway. My addiction to "motion" to "movement" to constant "stimulation" is normal, daily tasks feel like a physically painful burden. Consider discipline as a form of devotion, not a form of punishment. Access the book, Four Thousand Wee...

When work became “the real point of existence,” leisure's purpose became for “recovery and replenishment.” This meant the  whole of life was valued for something else, in the future, not for itself .  Accept that everything is random and impossible to predict. The only part of time that is "our business" is the present moment. Access the book, Four Thousand Weeks: https://www.oliverburke...

The human experience is finite, but that is terrifying. So we distract ourselves. We convince ourselves that if we just "do everything perfectly all the time" we can avoid the painful reality of life's limitations. But refusing to make a choice is a choice. Not committing is a commitment. Not settling is settling. There's some shit you'll never get to. There's some shit you'll never do perfectly....

“A world which increasingly consists of destinations without journeys between them, a world which values only ‘getting somewhere’ as fast as possible, becomes a world without substance. “ - Alan Watts When convenience drains an activity of its meaning, it becomes less valuable. - Oliver Burkeman Access the book, Four Thousand Weeks: https://www.oliverburkeman.com/fourthousandweeks The synopsi...