30 Lessons, Ideas, Thoughts

I turned 30 in April, and since then I've had "write 30 things post" on my to-do list. Inspired by Kevin Kelly's 68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice I got to work. I suppose before the calendar year is up I should publish them and get that pesky to-do sorted, so here goes.

Most of these are things I'm ever reminding myself of, but a few are things I feel proud of figuring out. Either way, here they are in no particular order, though I do think #11 might be my favourite.

1. Grudges are a waste of your energy. Move on.
2. Indulge in a sleep ritual. It could be a bedtime tea, a meditation, journalling, whatever. Let something be the barrier between your day and your rest.
3. Find and enthusiastically patronise a trusted barber, physio, doctor, barista and bartender. Bonus points for walking distance. You've won the game if they're all the same person.
4. Affirm your friends' hobbies and interests. Unless it's hard drugs or a multi-level marketing scheme.
5. Rest and recovery is part of any good long term plan.
6. If your tools (literal or of trade) can't be located and implemented quickly when an urgent job arises... fix that.
7. There are probably countless possessions you can let go of piled up in storage, or otherwise out of sight.
8. Nothing accelerates culinary learning like cooking for friends and loved ones.
9. Keep a notebook. Keep many - personal, academic, whimsical.
10. Never accept face value, think further.
11. Find your favourite pen (it's probably a rollerball), saucepan and brand of underwear. Stick by them and you'll have boundless confidence in the core human endeavours.
12. Maintain at least one tactile, hands-on interest. Tinkering, gardening, creating. Mono-task, unplugged!
13. A physical pursuit is necessary at all times. Walk further, lift more, reach.
14. Take creatine.
15. Invoke a self reflection method regularly. Walk and be with your own thoughts, and/or journal, and/or free write, talk with your partner, confer with friends and family.
16. Further to 15, if you can't talk at length with your partner about personal growth, life plans and aspirations, the writing is on the wall.
17. Pay attention. Seek trustworthy sources on current affairs, question motives and listen before you speak.
18. Before you speak, ask yourself if you're adding anything or just making noise. (Feel free to interpret this one as a thinly veiled self-burn)
19. Learn the coffee orders of your friends and loved ones. In-laws too...
20. Thrift frequently. Everyone has the same Temu trash, go find something interesting. My favourite jeans are 10 years older than me! Perhaps I should ask them for 40 further wisdoms...
21. Further to 20, high quality goods are harder to find than ever. If you're making a major purchase, research and buy for life whenever possible.
22. Don't be wilfully politically illiterate. When elections roll around, research candidates and vote for someone whose priorities align with the change you want to see in your community. Don't buy into NewsCorp's opinion on the matter - form your own. Actually, that should stand alone...
23. Don't listen to Rupert Murdoch, or any other billionaires. Especially Taylor Swift's new album.
24. Strive to be savvy and capable. Surveillance capitalism is upon us, how much are you comfortable sharing? Use a VPN, understand how your router works and consider changing your default DNS. Use a password manager.
25. Of course romantic relationships take time and effort, but so do friendships. Make efforts to stay in touch.
26. Play games. It's much healthier than doomscrolling, can be social, can be a narrative wonder like any great film, and/or can be hilarious trite nonsense like my current unhealthy obsession: Power Wash Simulator.
27. An imagined future with someone unwilling to grow will never eventuate.
28. Ideas > clarification > action. Essentially, GTD.
29. Expect little.
30. You won't 'find time' for it. Make time or discard.