The Mom Weekly Volume 57: September 10, 2024
You can read this, or any other previous Mom Weeklies, by going to the website here.
The “Good Book Best Friend” Theory of Everything
While I was mowing recently, I listened to this Cal Newport podcast episode on “intentional information.”
Newport talked about how more information/news/content is not good for people, and it is important to intentional about both the kind of information we consume, and the way we encounter information/news, akin to Marshall McLuhan’s “the medium is the message.”
“Information is not neutral” Newport says, and I couldn’t agree more.
Part of the reason “intentional information” resonates with me so much is that I have been talking about this and thinking about it for decades.
Back in 2006 I started a blogspot blog (not my first! and not the one that features in “From the Vault”) called “Good Book Best Friend” to “write specifically about books I am reading to myself and books I am reading to my children, or the audiobooks listened to by our whole family.”
As I wrote in the introduction:
“The title of this blog comes from the expression, “A good book is your best friend, and a bad book is your worst enemy.” I’m quite sure I did not always think this was the case, but the more I read I realize how true this is.”
“Not every book is all good or all bad, and I think I am fairly diverse in my reading and even what I read to my children. But knowing how much we are all influenced by what we read, see, hear, I want to be careful and teach my children to be careful, and above all to be discerning. I want my children to be able to read with a critical eye. We want to learn how to take the good from a book and leave behind what is harmful.
I think we can all be trained to do this well, but we don’t have to waste our time on junk, either. That is kind of a revelation for me, too. Until about 10 years ago or so, I always, always, finished every book I started, no matter how much I hated it. Then I realized, I don’t have to finish! That was exciting.”
Good for 2006 me! I’m really proud of what I wrote and thought about back then. Keep in mind, this was written 1. In the thick of our homeschooling days; and 2. just at the very beginning of social media as a concept.
Even the Internet was not so much a part of our world as it is now. I realized that combining Cal Newport’s ideas about “intentional information” with my principle of “a good book is your best friend,” could create a kind of “Good Book Best Friend Theory of Everything” to help people think about how they consume content, create content, and live in the world. Some of those principles:
- —a good book is your best friend, and a bad book is your worst enemy.
There is some content, a lot of content, that is actively bad for you. You probably have a good idea of what that is—some of it is bad for everyone, full stop, and other content may be bad for a person who is sensitive to certain concepts.
- —being active in the world > (is greater than) viewing or reading about people being active.
Whether it is traveling, cooking, spending time with friends, being active in a club, it’s much more satisfying to do than to watch or read about. Having said that, I’ve gotten great inspiration and motivation by seeing what others do, whether it’s a recipe emailed or texted to me by Dad, some random physical therapy exercises on Instagram, or an idea I’ve gotten from a podcast.
- —local news and connections > (is greater than) getting outraged about politics or world events.
This is self-explanatory. I find it much better for my overall well-being to reduce the amount of news I consume. At the same time, I do want to have a balanced view of things, which is why I try to seek a range of different media sources. I also should be better at keeping up with local news, and being involved in my local community. Since we are still some time away from Election Day, I am going to make a note to find out what’s on the local/state ballot, who’s running for what locally, and decide who I want to vote for locally.
- —creating content > consuming content.
Creating content, even if only for yourself or your family and friends (like The Mom Weekly, naturally!) is much more active and engaged. It may not be “fun” in the moment—though it can be— but it’s really worthwhile, and for me creates more happiness.
- —digital Sabbaths can be a great idea.
I heard on a podcast someone saying that he put his phone in a drawer at the beginning of the weekend, and it was hard but wonderful. He said he could still go on the Internet, but he needed to do so on his computer. He could still watch a show on an actual TV. But the default was not “the computer in his pocket,” and so what he did became much more varied through the weekend.
I’d love to try this, even on Sunday afternoons. I may even do it from time to time, but having a rule (“the phone goes in a different room from 1-5 p.m. on Sundays”) could be helpful for me.
What would you add to this list? The more I think about this, the more I can add, but I’d love to hear what you would add to this.
Remember how much I love you,
Mom
Interesting/Notable:
The Financially Empowered Women: FEW
This is a group run by women for women under the umbrella of the White Coat Investor. I find WCI’s information pretty solid, and they’ve gotten
In case you’re reading this the day it goes out, the FEW will be hosting a virtual presentation on Wednesday, September 11th, at 5:30 pm MT.
Christine Benz, the director of personal finance for Morningstar, will be speaking. I’ve heard her interviewed on podcasts, and I’d love to be able to join in, as when I’ve joined in previously, there’s a good chance to ask questions and learn a lot. from other women who are interested in personal finance.
The Unplugging Playbook
Related to this week’s topic, this Substack post has useful ideas for how to schedule a time of unplugging from devices and the Internet
An Action Item: Start Thinking About the Holidays
We are heading into quite a few holidays, from birthdays to Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas. Take a few minutes this week—I will too!—to look ahead at the calendar. Some ideas of what you might consider:
—things you want to do
—presents you might want to get/give
—traditions you want to continue or discontinue
—foods or treats you might want to make or have
Let me know, or others if it involves others, so that we can make sure these things happen!
What are you doing this weekend?
So, now that it’s Tuesday, what are you planning for the weekend? I’m going to suggest trying to cover four “F”s to get ideas flowing:
*faith—when are you going to Mass?
*friends—what friends will you see or connect with?
*food—any fun recipes you plan to try, or restaurants you plan to visit?
*fun—anything interesting you are going to play, watch, or do this weekend? Now’s the time to think it through, and put it on the calendar (even informally).