Writing & Thoughts
Deep dives into psychology, habit formation, and building a better second brain.
2026-04-29
Why I Can't Stick to One Hobby (And the Habit Tracker I Built Without Streaks)
I'm a CS student with too many hobbies and not enough focus. Every streak-based habit app I tried made it worse. Here's what I learned, and the no-streaks habit tracker I built for myself.
2026-05-14
Feeling Scattered and Overwhelmed When Everything Is Actually Important
I have client deadlines, four subjects, family financial pressure, and my own app to build. The problem isn't that I have too many things — it's that none of them are optional. Here's what I've learned about why the brain breaks down when real obligations pile up at the same time.
2026-04-29
The Football Trial I Didn't Make — and the Small App That Got Me Closer
I tried out for my university football team today. I didn't make it. But three months ago I was much worse, and the difference between the two trials is a small story I want to tell honestly.
2026-05-14
Why I Feel Guilty for Resting (Even When I've Earned It)
I finished my work. I should be resting. Instead I'm lying in bed feeling like a fraud, watching the minutes pass, calculating how much I could have done with this time. Here's what I've learned about why guilt ruins rest — and why trying harder to rest doesn't fix it.
2026-05-08
What a High Functioning Burnout Day Actually Looks Like
I pushed myself for weeks. Then yesterday hit. Lost a client, lay in bed until 5pm, couldn't open my own app. Here's what high functioning burnout actually looks like from the inside, and the small things that pulled me out by evening.
2026-05-03
How I Unfroze From Analysis Paralysis (And the Sprint Feature That Got Me Moving)
I had a free Sunday, four subjects to study, an app to work on, and a blog post to write. So I froze, scrolled, napped, and woke up feeling worse. Here's the small thing that finally got me moving.
2026-04-28
Why Do I Feel Like I Have No Purpose? The Psychology of Anticipation
If you are struggling to figure out what you want in life, the problem might be a lack of documented aspirations. Here is how to get your drive back.
2026-05-16
How to Slow Down (When Every Slowing-Down Technique You've Tried Has Failed)
I've tried breathing exercises, mindful noticing, meditation. None of them stuck. This is a post for people who've already failed at slowing down the conventional way, and the small thing that's actually worked for me where the techniques didn't.
2026-04-29
How to Stop Impulsive Behavior: The Science of the 15-Second Buffer
Why do you lose all self-control when a craving hits? Science says your logical brain is just asleep. Here is how to wake it up.
2026-05-15
I Believed in Hustle Culture. Here's What It Actually Did to Me.
I didn't pick up hustle culture from Instagram influencers. I picked it up because I had real stakes — family pressure, my own app, things that genuinely needed to get done. For a while it worked. Then it didn't. Here's what I found when I looked at it honestly.
2026-05-05
Why I Wake Up With Morning Dread (And What's Actually Happening to My Brain)
I'm productive every day, sleep late, finish my tasks, and still wake up feeling morning dread — heavy body, guilty brain, like I'm wasting my life. Here's what I learned about the burnout pattern behind it.
2026-05-15
I'm Overworking Myself and I Don't Know How to Stop
My eyes hurt. They've hurt for hours. I keep working anyway. This is a post about the specific texture of overworking yourself — what it actually feels like in the body, why we ignore the signals, and the small thing that's helping me, on the days it helps.
2026-05-09
Why I Self-Sabotage When I'm Stressed (And Why My Brain Does the Worst Possible Thing on the Worst Possible Days)
When I'm most stressed, I do the exact things that make the stress worse. Lay in bed. Skip meals. Scroll. Then wake up tomorrow with yesterday's problem plus shame. Here's what I've learned about why this happens, and why discipline isn't the answer.
2026-04-27
How to Stop Falling Back Into Old Habits: The Power of the 'Anti-To-Do' List
Why is it so hard to stop bad habits? Science shows it's not a lack of willpower—it's a memory problem. Here is how to break the cycle.
2026-04-26
How to Stop Racing Thoughts at Night: The Science of 'Brain Dumping'
When your brain won't shut off to sleep, the problem isn't insomnia—it's unarchived mental data. Here is how to clear a cluttered mind.
2026-04-28
How I Stopped Morning Doomscrolling: The Priming Trick That Worked
I used to lose the first hour of my day to morning doomscrolling. Here's how priming and nudge theory helped me stop — and the simple system I built around them.
2026-05-14
Why I Can't Stop Working (And What I'm Slowly Learning About Toxic Productivity)
I learned to associate rest with danger before I was old enough to know what either of those words really meant. This is what toxic productivity looks like from the inside — the late nights, the broken energy, the math that runs underneath every moment of supposed rest.
2026-04-25
Why Can't I Stick to a Daily Routine? How to Organize a Disorganized Mind
Feeling overwhelmed isn't laziness; it's a biological response to cognitive overload. Here is the science behind breaking task paralysis.