Notes from February
This essay originally appeared in the Monday morning newsletter on 3/8/21.
To help me better remember little things that happen throughout the year, I vowed to “write a monthly recap” as part of my 21 in 2021 List. The quick and informal recap catalogs all kinds of memories (big and small, good and bad, funny and serious) that happen throughout the span of a month, and so far, I’ve found the exercise to be really fun!
My favorite way to curate the list is to jot down a quick list of memories on the last day of the month. It helps me to look at my calendar and photos on my phone and ask myself questions like: What were some of my favorite moments from the month? What did I learn? What content (books, podcasts, shows) really resonated with me? Did anything hard happen this month?
If you’re interested, you can read previous monthly recaps here or read on below for my notes from February. If you try this out and like it too, I would love to hear about it!
February’s 10 Notes
- I read two new-to-me fiction authors in February: Yaa Gyasi, author of Homegoing, and Amy Poeppel, author of Musical Chairs. Homegoing is definitely going to be one of my top book picks for this whole year, and for something light and fun, I also loved Musical Chairs.
- For non-fiction, my favorite read from the past month was Adam Grant’s Think Again (loved the last two chapters). I also loved listening to podcast interviews with him about this book. Linking my favorites here and here.
- One of my most fun discoveries from February was the Moms Don’t Have Time To Read Books podcast. Even as someone who is not a mom, I can’t get enough of this podcast! I just love being able to listen to authors talk about their books. I’ve listened to Amy Poeppel talk about Musical Chairs, Adam Grant talk about Think Again, Brit Bennett talk about Vanishing Half, Ingrid Fettel Lee talk about Joyful… and more!
- I mentioned on my 21 in 2021 List that I wanted to purchase a light that attaches to my laptop for better lighting in video calls. I’ve been using this one from Amazon for a few weeks now and am liking it! It’s easy to clip on and off and I liked that you can use it on your computer or phone.
- Also mentioned on my 21 in 2021 List, I wanted to start a note-taking method for the nonfiction books I read. One of the reasons I love reading on my Kindle is because it’s incredibly easy to highlight and make notes as you read. The only problem is that I borrow most of my e-books from the library, so once I return, I’m not able to access these notations. What’s working for me right now is a very basic method of transcribing all my notes and highlights in one Google Doc. No fancy organization to keep it simple, although I did add a Table of Contents so that I can remember which books I have notes for.
- I love my end-of-day ritual of taking a moment to write in my one-line-a-day journal that a friend gifted me with in December. As an added bonus, the floral decorative cover also looks so pretty on my nightstand!
- I’ve also been printing a handful of photos each month and putting them into a photo album. I haven’t printed photos in so long, so at first it felt funny to print just some normal, everyday pics, but my plan is to continue doing this every month so that I have a full 2021 photo album by the end of the year.
- I’m so glad my mom decided to buy an air fryer before I left Florida – we are obsessed! I can’t believe how fast it cooks food like roasted vegetables, chicken and more. I like it so much that I’m currently trying to determine how I could fit this adorable pink one into my apartment’s very limited counter space.
- Speaking of my mom, she also introduced me to these Yeti coffee mugs that keep your coffee warm for so long. I had used a Yeti tumbler before for coffee, but my mom has the ones with handles and they are a game changer. No more microwaving coffee because it gets cold! Before I returned to Chicago, my mom surprised me with one that says “Megan” on one side and “Monday Motivation” and I LOVE it. Makes me smile every morning!
- I also recently heard of a company called MyIntent Project, which offers the perfect product for people who love having a “word of the year.” The company makes custom bracelets and necklaces with your word printed on it. Perfect for remembering your intention throughout the year!
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