The End of My Newsletter
Things I've Been Enjoying - March 12, 2025
Howdy folks.
The title is not clickbait. Things I’ve Been Enjoying as you know it is coming to an end.
Here’s why.
When I started writing this weekly newsletter, my intention was twofold:
First, I wanted a way to personally share the articles, videos, and ideas that I thought my friends and followers might find interesting. In many ways, I wanted to create my own version of the weekly newsletters I receive from Austin Kleon, Tim Ferriss, and others. I love newsletters, so I thought it was only fitting that I should have my own.
Second, I wanted to have a reason to write more regularly. I consider myself to be a strong writer, but I was looking for a way to continue honing this skill while simultaneously showcasing my abilities to the world. If people were expecting something from me every week, it would force me to write something every week.
Both of these intentions are sensible and pure in theory, but here are the issues I’m having with them in practice:
“Consuming” Became A Job
The problem with sharing a list of 10 things that I enjoy every week is that I need to have 10 things that I enjoy every week.
Back when I had a lot of time in my schedule, this wasn’t an issue - I could easily consume 20+ articles in a week and feature most of them in my newsletter. But as things have gotten busier in my life, the amount of content that I consume fluctuates greatly. Now, some weeks I create much more than I consume (a state of being that I actually prefer), which has led to many late nights where I’m watching back-to-back-to-back YouTube videos and skimming a dozen articles like I’m completing a last-minute homework assignment.
I don’t like doing that. I don’t want to do that. I want to read and watch something because I want to, not because I think it could be good for the newsletter. I want to take the time to read and watch longer things—something that is difficult when you have to consume a lot of content because you need to find enough articles and videos to fill a newsletter. Before, my consumption felt natural. Now, it feels forced.
Sure I’m Writing, But Writing What?
Writing is something that I love doing, think I have a knack for, and yet consistently procrastinate. In fact, I think I could have a career as a writer if I worked really hard at it—which is part of the reason why I started this newsletter. I gave myself a reason to write, consistently, every week.
But what am I actually writing? Well, sometimes I have an insightful or witty blurb at the start of my newsletter… and sometimes I don’t. Other than that, my newsletter isn’t writing at all - it’s just a summary of the article or video I’m talking about. That’s not creative writing. That’s shit ChatGPT can do.
What I should be writing each week—what I want to be writing each week—is much more time-intensive: comedy sketches, screenplays, pilots, original scripts, novels, short stories, thought pieces, etc. All of these projects have been pushed to the side in lieu of consuming content that I can regurgiate in my newsletter. I wanted to finish two film scripts last year. Do you know how many I finished? Zero.
So here’s the deal…
I have published this newsletter for 65 weeks straight. That feels pretty good. But it’s also gnawing at the same part of my brain that Duolingo has dug itself into (“Don’t quit now! Look at that streak! Make it go higher forever!”). But that’s bullshit.
Selfishly - what’s the point of writing for 100 weeks straight if it’s making me enjoy life less and not helping me grow? And if I don’t enjoy what I’m writing every week, or how I’m writing it, it’s going to lead to a shittier product. That’s how things work. And I don’t want to send you something shitty every week. There are a billion newsletters you can subscribe to for that. The world has enough shit.
So, my plan, for now, is to stop posting Things I’ve Been Enjoying every week. I may continue to post it every two weeks, once a month, or not at all. To be determined.
However, regardless of my schedule, I do not plan on letting this Substack die. I can see a future where I write mostly about things that are important to me, in a way that takes more time and effort, and at a pace that is more sustainable. For example, I am still really proud of the piece I wrote about How To Build A Time Machine, and I can see me writing more things like that in the future.
If this disheartens you, I’m sorry. Blame Oliver Burkeman, whose book Four Thousands Weeks is radically changing my life. I will still be sending my life update emails every week over on Patreon (it’s basically a much more consdensed, much more personal Things I’ve Been Enjoying). Beyond that, you can keep up with the books I’m reading over on Goodreads, the videos I’m making on TikTok, and everything else on Instagram. No, I don’t use letterboxd. Even I can’t handle the levels of pompous self-importance produced by the bullshit that people splooge onto that app.
To everyone who has ever read one of these newsletters, especially the people who have messaged me saying that they really enjoy them, thank you. They were, at times, the most personal things I’ve ever produced, so to hear that they resonated with you makes me feel really good. I hope that I can continue making things that you enjoy for the rest of my life.
Love,
Matt
p.s. I know most of you only came to the newsletters for one thing - cool photos. So, as a parting gift, here are the winners of the 2025 Underwater Photographer of the Year contest. Enjoy!