|
 |
Do we all want less noise and clutter in 2026?
Recs #115: Things to read, listen to, watch, think about this week
|
| |||||||||||||||
Happy Friday and happy New Year! I’m popping into your inboxes a bit later than usual. I’ve been fully in “catch-up mode” since Monday. It seems that’s the general vibe across the internet this week: everyone’s finding their sea legs after a long-ish break. One of my personal goals this year is to extend myself more grace - especially around my own editorial calendar - as I think this will make me less stressed and produce better work for you. So…onward!
What did I do during my holiday “break”? (Not really a break for parents of little people, I am learning.) A whole lot of cleaning, organizing, and purging. The third-trimester nesting instinct has arrived with force. Yesterday, I had to stop myself from wiping down every shelf in our garage. I’ve cleared out nearly 20% of my closet, an astonishing amount stuffed into donation bags. I am chucking things left and right, donating, giving away, and trashing. Nothing in sight in our home is currently safe.
 |
I feel this more strongly at the start of this new year than ever before: that I need a clutter-free space in order to think more clearly. I think it’s something we could all use: less noise, fewer things, a bit more room to breathe.
Above the paywall today includes a mini-essay (or vent?) about Instagram and AI, thoughts on Wuthering Heights, and some other fun culture recs.
Under the paywall today: Judging a book by its cover, what I’m reading + watching right now, some thoughts on the “skinny apocalypse” and how women’s bodies are under scrutiny again, a few useful and good new-year-energy Substack newsletters I enjoyed this week, and two small (and free) things that have improved my life immensely so far in 2026.
 |
A DOWNTIME APPETIZER
Three fun things…
Bookmarked: This charming matchbox featuring a vintage illustration of cherries.
Found: An Etsy shop that sells beautiful, tapestry-inspired silk drawstring bags, made to order. It’s giving Sophie Buhai, but not $1k.
Using: A brand spankin’ new planner. Name a better feeling than cracking open a fresh planner in January! I added a little pen clip to mine, and it sparks immediate, utilitarian joy.
A housekeeping note: I’m moving most of my lifestyle-y recs out of these weekly letters and into its own column, which will be less frequent moving forward. There’s always my ShopMy page in case you’re ever curious what I’m bookmarking, purchasing, or wishlisting, etc. My hope for 2026 is you won’t see loads of stuff on that purchasing list…