Finding Purpose, Mental Loops & Making Realistic Plans
Reflections on crafting personal meaning in a meaningless world, breaking the mood-browsing feedback loop and planning with obstacles in mind—plus new YouTube videos, a personal blog post and June's book club pick.
Hey friends 👋
With summer rolling in and the days getting longer (and hotter), staying focused has been more challenging than usual. Still, I’m proud to share a small win: I uploaded not one but two YouTube videos this month—a first for me!
🎥 YouTube Video: The Real Reason You Never Have Enough Time
Why we always feel like we're running out of time and how to break the cycle with simple mindset shifts and strategies.
🎥 YouTube Video: How I Plan My Week In 15 Minutes
My evidence-based 4-step process for planning a focused, realistic week—no fancy tools needed.
✍️ Blog Post: Emotions Without a Map: How I Process Feelings Differently
A personal deep dive into my experience with autistic alexithymia, emotional processing and a realization of how diverse emotional experiences can be.
Reflections & Insights
What could possibly go wrong?
I ask myself this very question every time I set a goal or craft a project. Not because I'm pessimistic—I'm actually quite the opposite—but because it helps me to get a more realistic view on how things might unfold further down the line.
When we set goals, we often focus only on the ideal outcome. But reality has a way of showing up with delays, distractions and curveballs.
Asking "What could possibly go wrong?" doesn't mean expecting failure—it means preparing for it. Identifying potential obstacles in advance helps you respond instead of react. It turns surprises into scenarios you're ready for.
This small shift can make your plans more resilient. And in the long run, that's what keeps them alive.
Just because life doesn't have a meaning, doesn't mean your life can't have one
I've been reading a lot of Eastern philosophy lately—Zen, Taoism, bits of Buddhism—and I genuinely appreciate the calm that comes from accepting the world as it is: unpredictable, impermanent and ultimately without inherent meaning. There's something freeing about letting go of the need for life to justify itself.
But I also have to admit: sometimes, that idea is frustrating.
If nothing truly matters, if life has no built-in purpose, then why get up in the morning? Why try? Why care?
It took me a while to realize that the absence of cosmic meaning doesn't negate the presence of personal meaning. In fact, it creates space for it.
Your life doesn't need a grand, universal justification to be meaningful. You don't need a divine mission statement or a cosmic job title. You can simply choose what matters. You can build meaning through what you commit to: the people you love, the work you care about, the moments you pay attention to.
Purpose doesn't have to be handed to you. You can craft it, like a sculptor shaping something beautiful out of formless clay.
So yes, maybe life is inherently meaningless. But that's not the end of the story. It might actually be the beginning of your own.
What you browse is how you feel—and vice versa
A recent study in Nature Human Behaviour confirmed something many of us already sense: the relationship between mental health and web browsing is both causal and bi-directional.
That means it's not just that you scroll darker content when you're in a bad mood—it's that doing so can actually worsen your state of mind. And the more you do it, the more likely you are to stay stuck in that loop.
This creates a subtle but powerful feedback cycle: Whenever you feel low, you seek content that matches your mood which only deepens the low. It's a quiet spiral, often invisible until you're already halfway down.
This isn't a call to quit all media, but it is a reminder to be intentional with what you feed your mind. Your attention isn't neutral. What you consume online shapes you—sometimes more than you realize.
Curate your feed like you curate your diet. Not with guilt, but with care.
Because yes, your mood shapes your browsing. But your browsing also shapes your mood.
Monthly Favourites
🎶 Song: Larson Lamm - 23
Formerly known as 0l0, Larson Lamm created dozens of experimental tracks that evoke a special feeling whenever I listen to it. His music isn't widely available anymore, but this compilation includes some of his best.
📚 Book: James Islington - The Will of the Many (Hierarchy #1)
A gripping adult fantasy with a Rothfuss-like protagonist in a Sanderson-style world and plot. Highly recommended if you enjoy either of those authors.
📽️ Video: The future of first breaths
Whatever you think of Bill Gates, this little device is genius. A beautiful example of simple, life-saving innovation.
Book Club
Upcoming Book Club Discussion:
Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
Monday, 16. June 19:00 CET
Interested in joining our book club?
Then hop into my Discord and check out the #book-club channel.
Community Question
What's one small change you've made to your digital habits that improved your mood or focus?
It's something I've been thinking about a lot since reading that study on the feedback loop between mood and media. Our digital diets shape us more than we realize.
I'd love to hear what's worked for you—even the smallest habit shifts can make a big difference. Just hit 'reply' and share your thoughts. I read every message and often learn just as much from you as you (hopefully) do from me.
Thanks for checking in—see you next month!
Best,
Robin