Things I've done to maintain a happier life.
I've learned these slowly over the past 10 years of my career, my favorite outage story ever, and more.
Happy Friday! Welcome back to Jimi Filipovski’s weekly newsletter where I give you high-quality insights and learnings on building a creative business.
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Now let’s dive into this week’s post.
Things I've done to maintain a happier life.
Here are some unconventional things I’ve done that have made me a lot happier. Over the years I have aquired these. Pick a couple to try next week for yourself. Let me know which ones you found helpful or interesting too.
Don’t setup voicemail on your phone
This one is huge. When you get a new phone, don’t setup your voicemail. If you know the person they’ll text you or find a way to get a hold of you. The unfortunate part about this is you cannot delete your voicemail or deactivate it once you set it up.
Unsubscribe from every newsletter
Simple but not easy. This takes a while but it can be done. Just slowly start unsubscribing to all those marketing emails that pop up. Keep a few that bring you joy and you find helpful. For example I love Teenage Engineering’s emails. They don’t berate you like most ecommerce brands.
Silence calls not in your contacts
I just learned this one. There’s a toggle in your iPhone settings that will automatically silence calls from numbers not in your contacts.
Keep your phone on “Do Not Disturb”
Now days when I’m working I do my best to stay in a flow and the more interuptions that happen the more my work suffers. We check our phones on average 96 times a day. How often do you glance at your phone then forget what time it was and check it again?
Our phones are killing our attention spans and thought process. Turn it on DND or go the extra mile and put it in this badass faraday cage from Stolp while you work.
Don’t check your email or social media in the morning
There is nothing worse than starting your day with FOMO. You watch Instagram & TikTok reels watching everyone else travel the world or get rich and you languish.
As for email, checking your email first thing in the morning puts you in a reactive state. You don’t want to live your life constantly reacting to things it will feel like you’re never in control.
Don’t read/watch the news
I know most millenials don’t watch the news but between the election and COVID the past few years I’ve found myself checking the NYT multiple times a day and I’m none the wiser for it.
News runs on fear. Fear of things outside our control. I find it best for my mental health to simple stay away.
Exercise everyday
No, you don’t need to hit the gym 7 days a week. This just simply means don’t sit on the couch all day. Walk the dog, play pickleball, do some yoga. I feel so much better when I start my day with some form of movement.
Write everyday
Pick your poison. Journal, Twitter, a newsletter. It doesn’t matter. I’ve always loved writing and when I was young I wanted to write books like Goosebumps. Writing helps you clarify your thoughts and get things out of your head.
Here’s a good one to try: Before you go to bed tonight, write down everything on your mind and all of your worry’s. Doesn’t matter how small or stupid just get it all our of your brain and onto the page. Watch how it makes you feel.
Don’t meal prep, food prep
I’ve never liked the idea of every healthy meal I eat during the week is in tupperware I need to reheat. Meal prep has never been appealing to me.
Food prep on the other hand is when you prepare a few things but you don’t build your meal until it’s time to eat. For example if you’re plant based you can make a batch of quinoa, rice, beans on Sunday and store them all seperately. Then when it’s time for lunch on Monday you simple pick when you want and eat. It’s a small distinction but something about it makes it more eating at home more enjoyable.
❤️ Bookmarks
Our client Hestia was featured in the New York Times. Branding & packaging done by Shirakaba Studio.
A great article on how to pay yourself. This is a nice follow up from last week’s post if you want to dive deeper.
Square is down nationwide right now. Here’s my favorite outage story ever: Don’t Push That Button
👋 Ways to work together?
Are you looking for a brand or website for your new idea? Well, my agency Shirakaba Studio is the leader in the model. We help design and your favorite brands & websites with this approach. Learn more here and fill out the form to get in touch.
Work with me directly. I advise & mentor companies to solve problems and help them lay the correct foundation for growth, see around corners, avoid expensive mistakes, and assemble world-class teams. I provide advice on the most effective and efficient way to grow top-line revenue with design. My area of expertise is in UX, accessibility, digital product design, and hiring great talent. To inquire simply reply to this email.
I’m working on some tools to help creatives make the leap to full-time business owners and I need your input. Tell me what problems you struggle with, maybe you’re just starting out or wanting to take the first step. The more I know the better I can make these tools.
Have a great weekend,
-Jimi