{HMW} The Activities That Make You Lose Track of Time (And Why They Matter)

Dear Reader,

Lately, I've been creating lists of "5 new things I learned this week." These can be unfamiliar terms, new concepts in my field, or just fun words I discover (#wordnerd).

Last week, I learned about the term autotelic experiences.

Coined by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, autotelic experiences refer to the things we do merely for their own sake - not to produce, create or become more skilled at it, but rather for the pure enjoyment of engaging in it.

I'm sure you can think of many things you enjoy participating in but that also happen to have many positive outcomes and side effects: hiking in nature, volunteering, gardening, learning pickleball etc.

How can you be sure that any activity you participate in is coming from pure internal motivation and not tilted towards the perceived benefits?

Here are some clues:

✔️ You're not competitive with yourself or other people about the activity

✔️You derive genuine pleasure from doing this activity and often don't need to share about it with others. It becomes your own private treasure trove of fun.

✔️You seek this activity out as much as possible and rarely get bored or tired of it - even when you're doing it sloppily, or downright suck at it.

✔️You immediately get into a flow state when doing this activity and lose track of time.

There is tremendous satisfaction in creating something and cherishing the physical outcome of it, like a painting. But autotelic experiences disregard the product or outcome of the activity, in favor of the experience itself.

A study conducted in 2020 showed that people who seek out autotelic experiences or have autotelic personalities predicted higher life satisfaction, happiness and show greater stress resilience.

>>>>What's something you do just for the pure joy of doing it? Not for money, not to impress anyone, not even to get better at it - just because it feels good in the moment?

Have it:

Interesting Article Alert: How to Escape the "dopamine crash loop" and rewire your curiosity

This app will help you focus and complete projects and help grow real trees all at the same time!

Made it:

5-Senses Sunday

🌽 Remember that viral "It's Corn" kid? We're diving deep into corn love (plus solving a family eating debate!). Then we're exploring scratch-and-sniff stamps, the science of screaming for stress relief, intimate forehead touches, and virtual forest therapy that actually works.

No-Fuss Summer Recipes Bundle.... and step-by-step prep guide

Want it:

Brilliant idea for any young woman and especially if you have a high school or collage aged child.

Every 6-months or so I convince myself I'm gonna join one of these....will this be the one that sticks?

Ingredient Spotlight:

Star Fruit

Here's what I wish someone told me about star fruit. You literally just wash it and slice it. That's it.

It tastes like if an apple and a grape had a baby. It's mild, crisp and slightly sweet

Those perfect star shapes happen automatically and it keeps in your fridge for like two weeks

The first one I bought was kind of sour because I picked it too early. Get the yellow ones, not the green ones. Learn from my mistakes.

Now I throw star fruit slices into my water bottle or toss them on salads when I want to feel fancy.

Sometimes the ingredients that intimidate you the most are the ones that end up being the easiest. Star fruit proved that to me.

>>>> 24 star fuit recipes

Announcements & Upcoming:

The Learn it Summit is coming up. Here's a sneak peek of my interview where Jessyka and I discuss how parents can help get their college aged kids to learn about self-care, nutrition and nourishment, especially if its their first time away from home.