#intentionalliving

hey sweethearts!! mindy hereeeee, so i've realized something… like how we're all literally addicted to our phones?? and how our dream lives are sitting somewhere in the corner of our minds, pouting and wondering why we never hang out anymore??

i had this moment last week where i realized i'd spent THREE HOURS scrolling through videos of people organizing their fridges (which like… is satisfying but also?? what am i doing with my life). and then i had this thought that actually shook me: what if my future self could see how i'm spending my time right now? would she be proud or would she be like "girl… what are you DOING?"

the truth is that our phones are literally engineered to be more interesting than our real lives. they're designed by actual geniuses who understand our brain chemistry better than we do. it's not a fair fight!! and yet we blame ourselves for not having "enough willpower" which is honestly just mean??

✧ why we're all trapped in the doom-scroll cycle:

our phones deliver perfectly timed dopamine hits (the happy brain chemical!!) that make us feel momentarily good but leave us wanting more

the algorithm knows exactly what will keep us scrolling (it's literally studying us)

our brains are wired to seek novelty and our phones offer infinite novelty

real life has friction and requires effort; scrolling requires zero effort

we use our phones to escape uncomfortable emotions that actually need processing

the comparison trap makes us feel like we're "researching" our dream life rather than building it

i realized something that changed everything for me: the time i spend consuming other people's lives is time i'm not creating my own. and like… that's the whole game??

✧ how to break free (in ways that actually work):

identify your "scroll triggers" - for me it's when i feel anxious about my work, when i first wake up, and weirdly when i'm hungry?? once you know your triggers you can create little alternate pathways

create "phone-free zones" in your home - i have a little basket by my front door where my phone goes when i come home, and my bedroom is completely phone-free (i bought an actual alarm clock like it's 2005 and honestly?? life-changing)

practice the "dopamine pause" - when you feel the urge to reach for your phone, pause for 60 seconds. just sit with the discomfort. often the urge will pass, and if it doesn't, at least you're making a conscious choice

redesign your home screen to be boring af - delete all social apps from your home screen, make everything grayscale, turn off all notifications except calls/texts from actual humans who matter

schedule specific "input" and "output" times - block 30 minutes for consumption and 90 minutes for creation. your ratio should always favor creation over consumption

try "analog hour" before bed - read physical books, write with pen and paper, stare at the ceiling and let your mind wander (this is where all my best ideas come from tbh)

use the "future self" visualization - whenever you're about to fall into a scroll hole, close your eyes and visualize your future self. what would she want you to do with this precious hour of your life?

create ✧ focus-core ✧ routines - these are deeply satisfying rituals that give your brain the same dopamine hit as scrolling but actually build toward your dreams (for me it's making fancy coffee while listening to a specific playlist, then writing for 45 minutes)

practice "productive procrastination" - if you absolutely must avoid your main task, have a secondary important task ready (like if i don't want to write, i'll organize my study materials instead)

implement the "touch it once" rule - when you pick up your phone, have a specific purpose and do ONLY that thing, then put it down

the hardest truth i've had to accept is that there's no magic hack that makes this easy. creating a life that's more interesting than your phone requires actually building that life brick by brick, day by day. and the beginning is SO HARD because your brain is literally withdrawing from its favorite drug.

but i promise you something magical happens after about two weeks - you start to feel… different?? more present? more alive? and you realize that all along, the life you were searching for in your phone was waiting for you to look up.

your dream life is waiting for you to stop watching other people live theirs and start building your own. it's jealous of your phone, yes, but it's also patient. it knows that eventually, you'll come home to yourself.

xoxo, mindy 🤍

p.s. if you catch yourself scrolling after reading this, please don't feel bad!! just gently put your phone down, take a deep breath, and remember that you're breaking a literal addiction. be kind to yourself through the process, okay? tiny steps in the right direction are still steps. 💗

It’s quiet. It’s intentional. It’s choosing to build something better in small, human ways:

A garden on a rooftop.

A home repaired instead of replaced.

Solar panels catching the sun.

Rainwater collected and reused.

It’s the art of living with care, in a world that often moves too fast.

on the mat i’m not reaching for a certain size, a trend-approved look, or a mirror selfie that says “i’ve arrived. i’m showing up for myself — for strength that carries me through deadlines, dinners, workouts, and stillness.

this practice is about feeling steady, grounded, alive. the kind of reward i’m after is the one I feel when i roll-up and realize my back pain didn’t flare that day, or when i notice i can breathe deeper before i speak. it’s the glow from inside.

I honor, respect, and value myself deeply. This has been a huge shift for me because when I was younger, I didn’t. As a result, the environment I created and the quality of people I allowed in my life were not the best.

Now, I’m very intentional about who has access to me. I evaluate where they are in their own journey and if they can at least show the minimum respect for who I am today.

The peace and authenticity I experience and express are sacred. Maintaining this is a top priority for me every day. I carefully choose who enters my space, and I observe how their energy aligns with my well-being. If someone, whether family or friend, does not demonstrate understanding or respect for who I am, their access to me becomes very limited or non-existent.

I make sure to check in with myself before committing to plans, and even if I’ve said yes, I’ll change my mind if it no longer feels right. I do this respectfully.

I observe the character of others—their energy, intentions—and determine if it aligns with my highest good. This applies to both people and environments. I take my energetic capacity seriously.

Banksy’s rise from a clandestine graffiti artist to a global figure was far from accidental—it was the product of strategic intelligence and a preternatural understanding of human behavior. He recognized that true influence lies not in mere visibility but in the cultivation of mystique and narrative control.

His journey from Bristol to London is a masterclass in cultural orchestration, where each intervention was meticulously calculated to elicit maximum social and intellectual engagement. The streets became his atelier, and the public became co-curators, their reactions part of the work’s unfolding narrative.

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