And just like that, the first quarter of the year is over, and spring is here!

In my last life update I admitted I had a relapse. I re-downloaded the Facebook app on my phone while on vacation and fell prey to endless scrolling.

Almost 3 months into attempting to do more things to make me forget about my phone, I’m starting to see some progress.

Whenever I unlock my phone, I’ve finally stopped looking for the Facebook app. There are even some days when I forget to check it on desktop. To me, this is a step in the right direction!

While I still maintain active social media profiles, I’ve slowly cut down my time spent on each platform.

And, given Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica scandal, I’ve stopped relying on Facebook and Twitter to stay updated on the news.

What have I done instead?

Subscribe… to newsletters

This may sound counter-intuitive as I am a recent Inbox Zero convert.

However, now that I’ve unsubscribed from lists that I don’t care about, I’ve decided it’s time to subscribe to those I should.

I’ve started subscribing to newsletters that either:

• Aggregate the latest news stories
• Keep me updated on lifestyle, digital, and AI trends
• Cover eCommerce, retail, content marketing, and SEO (so I can stay updated, professionally)

My current favorites include:

• NextDraft by Dave Pell
• The Exponential View by Azeem Azhar
• No Mercy / No Malice by Scott Galloway
• Brit + Co
• Lean Luxe

I’m still reading books

I’ve fallen into a habit of reading books every other year. I either get comfortable with my life and have time to read, or life gets chaotic and reading gets pushed aside.

After finishing Goodbye to All That (and writing my own version), I also finished Dan Rather’s “What Unites Us“.

I really enjoyed What Unites Us, especially essays “The Press” and “Empathy”. I didn’t realize Mr. Rather was a fellow Houstonian, so it was also neat to hear what my hometown was like during World War II.

I’m about 100 pages into Scott Galloway’s “The Four“, which I’m finding eye-opening during this Facebook fiasco. Next, I’m hoping to get my hands on a copy of Ray Dalio’s “Principles” or Jimmy Yang’s “How To American”. (Speaking of which, anyone excited for the next season of Silicon Valley?!)

A Simple Year

To continue my practice of unplugging from my phone and investing in myself, I decided to join A Simple Year. It’s a year-round, online program that covers a different topic each month, with the goal to simplify your life throughout the year.

I didn’t join at the beginning of the year because I was unsure if I’d have time to participate in it, but once I got news that they re-opened registration for a short time in March, I figured I’d take the leap.

I’m catching up on the first 3 modules, which tackles decluttering, boycotting “busy-ness”, and managing your relationship with technology.

I’m really liking the content so far, and super excited to share my progress!

Small win

Lastly, I’m happy to announce that I haven’t had a cup of coffee in 3 months!

At the end of last year, I quietly made a promise to myself that I need to avoid coffee. Don’t get me wrong, I love the taste of it, and like any hipster millennial, I enjoy a good Instagram-worthy cafe.

However, coffee doesn’t agree with me. It gives me bad acid reflux, and if it’s too strong, I get the jitters and headaches.

Since I don’t need it to wake up in the morning, I figured I should just cut it out of my life.

Even though I pass by many lovely cafes on my way to work, I’ve resisted going inside and grabbing a cup of black gold.

Overall, I’ve felt a lot better and I don’t miss it at all.

Wish I could say the same for alcohol! (I mean, I might be able to give up cocktails but don’t you dare take my wine away.)

‘Til next time!