Clearspace. I used to check my Gmail app multiple times a day on my phone. I did it so often my kids noticed and gave me a hard time about it. I tried iPhone’s screentime feature, but I always just ignored its “you’ve reached your limit” notifications. The thing that finally got me to quit the habit was the Clearspace app. It adds a brief delay between when you tap an app icon and when it opens. That little pause has been transformative in curbing my phone use. My iPhone screentime has plummeted. It’s amazing what adding just a bit of friction to our digital habits can do. The delay gives you just enough space to ask yourself, “Do I really need to check my email right now?” Usually, the answer is no. Clearspace recently added a “Push-Up Mode” where you have to do push-ups before the app opens — it uses your phone’s camera and AI to verify you’ve actually done them. Pretty cool!
In the Quarter-Zip Era, These Coaches Still Wear Suits. While most basketball coaches have gone casual and don athleisure for games, a few college-level holdouts are sticking with the old-school practice of wearing suits. Scott Cacciola at the NYT talked to these throwback dressers to find out what’s behind their sartorial decision. Some of them did it as a homage to the game’s coaching greats like John Wooden and found that wearing a suit gave them greater confidence, authority, and gravitas. It was a way to signal the stakes of the game to themselves and their players. Colorado’s Tad Boyle put it this way, “If you’re not going to dress up for the 30 most important nights of your year, when will you?” These suit holdouts are a reminder that sometimes dressing up isn’t just about looking good — it’s about honoring tradition and setting off life’s significant moments. Dress well for others!
Vitamin String Quartet. I love a good string quartet. While they’re associated with classical music, the Vitamin String Quartet covers pop and rock, making instrumental songs that are enjoyable to listen to while you’re working. VSQ has covered everyone from Taylor Swift to Coldplay. My favorite of their offerings is their Killers tribute album (of course!). It’s weirdly soothing to hear “Mr. Brightside” reimagined for the violin and cello. Makes for perfect background music when I’m writing, as there are no lyrics to distract me, but the familiar melodies keep me engaged.
The Pocket Oracle and Art of Prudence by Baltasar Gracián. Back in high school, a mentor gifted me this little book that I still return to periodically. Jesuit priest Baltasar Gracián wrote The Pocket Oracle as a guide to surviving the shark tank of 17th-century Spanish court life. Its 300 pithy maxims offer a roadmap for succeeding in a competitive world while keeping your honor intact. Think of it as a manual for being “cunning as serpents and innocent as doves.” The book has drawn admirers from Schopenhauer to Nietzsche, who recognized Gracián as a keen observer of human nature. Whether dealing with office politics or character building, its insights on practical wisdom remain as sharp as ever. If you’re looking to develop both strategic smarts and personal nobility, pick up a copy. And if you want a taste of Baltasar Gracián, read my favorite maxims from his book here.
Over on our Dying Breed newsletter, we published “Sunday Firesides: Bear Witness to Your Own Vitality” and “Why I Hate Making (and Watching) Online Videos.”
Quote of the Week
One of man’s finest qualities is described by the simple word ‘guts’ — the ability to take it. If you have the discipline to stand fast when your body wants to run, if you can control your temper and remain cheerful in the face of monotony or disappointment, you have ‘guts’ in the soldiering sense. The ability to take it must be trained — the training is hard, mental as well as physical. But once ingrained, you can face and flail the enemy as a soldier, and enjoy the challenges of life as a civilian.
—Col. John S. Roosma
