A Mug of Insights

In this episode, I traced my steps and came up with three steps that have allowed me to reclaim my life from social media & find deeper meaning in intentional hobbies. Books mentioned in this episode: Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport Stolen Focus by Johann HariIf you're enjoying this show, consider signing up for a paid subscription to my newsletter and gain access to the three-part series on rescuing your attention span from my newsletter: Part 1: https://www.amugofinsights.org/1-2-read-protocols-for-rescuing-your-attention-pt-1-willpower-isnt-enough/Part 2: https://www.amugofinsights.org/1-2-read-protocols-for-rescuing-your-attention-pt-2-reclaim-your-free-time/Part 3: https://www.amugofinsights.org/1-2-read-protocols-for-rescuing-your-attention-pt-3-join-the-attention-resistance/Want more food for thought and deeper insights for your reading life? Subscribe to my newsletter for free here for weekly bonuses and tips: https://www.amugofinsights.org/ Download the digital notebook I use to organise ideas for these episodes: https://www.rcwaldun.com/your-syntopicon My classes on rediscovering the joys of reading & writing: https://www.rcwaldun.com/classesLegal:This episode was produced and published under the imprint of © Literary. Publication. Our design consultant for the show is Victoria Aitken, and the intro/outro music, 'Armchair Expert' was composed and performed under the music project 'The Woods' by © Johnny McFadzean.Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2IG6UBvhnU3607AuOtCYFqWebsite: https://www.musicfromthewoods.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, let's talk about how to keep tabs on the world without letting the news take over our lives. Read the latest 1-2-Read issue in my newsletter for free: https://www.amugofinsights.org/1-2-read-how-to-stay-informed-without-going-insane/And if you're enjoying what you're reading/watching, consider taking out a paid subscription to the newsletter! This is a direct way to support the show so that we don't have to rely on sponsors to keep it going. Sources mentioned in the video: https://www.opensourceceo.com/p/strategism-nytimes-gamesMark Manson's article on quitting the news: https://markmanson.net/why-you-should-quit-the-newsCal Newport's episode on TikTok's algorithm: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-372-decoding-tiktoks-algorithm/id1515786216?i=1000729057142Want more food for thought and deeper insights for your reading life? Subscribe to my newsletter for free here for weekly bonuses and tips: https://www.amugofinsights.org/ Download the digital notebook I use to organise ideas for these episodes: https://www.rcwaldun.com/your-syntopicon My classes on rediscovering the joys of reading & writing: https://www.rcwaldun.com/classesLegal:This episode was produced and published under the imprint of © Literary. Publication. Our design consultant for the show is Victoria Aitken, and the intro/outro music, 'Armchair Expert' was composed and performed under the music project 'The Woods' by © Johnny McFadzean.Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2IG6UBvhnU3607AuOtCYFqWebsite: https://www.musicfromthewoods.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, let's talk about the value of an English Degree and whether you need one to become a better reader. On top of that, you'll also learn about the degree's unique history and how it still impacts our perception of literature today.Sources mentioned in the video:History of the English Degree from Peter Barry's book: Beginning Theory. https://www.jstor.org/stable/jj.28799978Professing Criticism by John Guillory https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/P/bo181442592.htmlCompanion article for this episode:https://www.amugofinsights.org/are-universities-ruining-the-pleasure-of-reading-and-how-to-get-it-back/Want more food for thought and deeper insights for your reading life? Subscribe to my newsletter for free here for weekly bonuses and tips: https://www.amugofinsights.org/Download the digital notebook I use to organise ideas for these episodes: https://www.rcwaldun.com/your-syntopiconMy classes on rediscovering the joys of reading & writing: https://www.rcwaldun.com/classesLegal:This episode was produced and published under the imprint of © Literary. Publication. Our design consultant for the show is Victoria Aitken, and the intro/outro music, 'Armchair Expert' was composed and performed under the music project 'The Woods' by © Johnny McFadzean.Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2IG6UBvhnU3607AuOtCYFqWebsite: https://www.musicfromthewoods.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, we'll address the problems with productivity systems and how they might be ruining the joy of reading, alongside a practical tip on how to slowly rebuild it in the age of content saturation. Sources mentioned in the video: Cal's newsletter on the power of email: https://calnewport.com/email-is-most-useful-when-improving-a-process-that-existed-before-email/?ref=amugofinsights.orgThe Rise and Fall of Getting Things Done: https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/the-rise-and-fall-of-getting-things-doneCompanion article for this episode: https://www.amugofinsights.org/dont-let-note-taking-get-in-the-way-of-enjoying-a-good-book/Want more food for thought and deeper insights for your reading life? Subscribe to my newsletter for free here for weekly bonuses and tips:https://www.amugofinsights.org/Download the digital notebook I use to organise ideas for these episodes:https://www.rcwaldun.com/your-syntopiconMy classes on rediscovering the joys of reading & writing:https://www.rcwaldun.com/classesThis episode was produced and published under the imprint of Literary. Publication. Our design consultant for the show is Victoria Aitken, and the intro/outro music, 'Armchair Expert' was composed and performed under the music project 'The Woods' by © Johnny McFadzean.Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2IG6UBvhnU3607AuOtCYFqWebsite: https://www.musicfromthewoods.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to season 3 of our show, and we'll resurrect a long-lost segment called Coffee Wednesday. And as the pilot episode of the season, we'll kick it off with an important question that's usually overlooked: what makes a book life-changing? Nowadays, it's difficult to look beyond the hype of 'life-changing' promises and find information that will benefit us. So, how do we go about searching for these books in the age of information overload? Join us in this episode and find out!Links and goodies: Want more food for thought and deeper insights for your reading life? Subscribe to my newsletter for free here for weekly bonuses and tips: https://www.amugofinsights.org/Download the digital notebook I use to organise ideas for these episodes: https://www.rcwaldun.com/your-syntopiconMy classes on rediscovering the joys of reading & writing: https://www.rcwaldun.com/classesThis episode was produced and published under the imprint of Literary. Publication. Our design consultant for the show is Victoria Aitken, and the intro/outro music, 'Armchair Expert' was composed and performed under the music project 'The Woods' by © Johnny McFadzean.Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2IG6UBvhnU3607AuOtCYFqWebsite: https://www.musicfromthewoods.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we sit down with YouTuber, writer and video essayist Cole Hastings to discuss the topic of personal development and self-help in our polarised world. The episode started with a deep dive into Cole's content creation philosophy. It gradually turned into a discussion on the role of social critique in personal development, begging the question: is personal development still possible when everything seems so hopeless and negative on the news? Find Cole's Work Here: Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@thehastingsharvestYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ColeHastingsSecond Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CoalHastingsSelf-Mastery School: https://cole-hastings.com/selfmastery Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this very special edition of Small Talks, I sat down with the wonderful YouTuber, writer and founder of Pumpkin Productivity: Ruby Granger in Oxford and discussed everything from the double-edged sword of Dark Academia, rare manuscripts that we've handled as bookworms and why you should never feel guilty about quitting a book when it bores you. Find Ruby Here: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6a8lp6vaCMhUVXPyynhjUAInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/_rubygranger/?hl=enWebsite: https://rubygranger.com/Pumpkin Productivity: https://pumpkinproductivity.co.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, we launch the show into season two with a brand new segment: Small Talks that attempts to capture those lightning-in-a-bottle conversations you wish you had recorded. Our first guest is my dear friend Hano Lokman who goes by @writtenanddirectedbyhano on his socials. He is a filmmaker, director and the brain behind the short film: Why Can't We Have Nice Things as well as many philosophical/cinematic dialogues on Instagram and Tiktok. Make sure to check out his work here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/writtenanddirectedbyhano/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu3DFXuHlJZJWy-VCfLQ-Qw Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.