I had a lovely vacation last week, and while I was away, I committed to putting my phone away pretty much all day. Not surprisingly, I felt much more attentive and relaxed. I read four books and spent better quality time with many members of my family (there were 16 of us!). I am trying to carry over some of that phone-away behavior now that I'm home.
I also want to commit more fully to the things I want to commit to. So instead of having, say 15 people on Substack, all of whom I am trying to follow but usually reading quickly or not at all, I want to commit to reading well maybe seven.
I just decided, after at least a year of reading and immensely enjoying The Biblioracle (for free) that I am going to pay for it.
And finally: Like a lot of us here, I cannot wait for your book, John! Wishing you and the book a mighty successful and gratifying launch.
Yes, do less that matters more, is one of my personal mantras in thinking about how to react to generative AI in teaching writing. Slowing down, deciding what matters, trading loose connectivity for deeper, more meaningful engagement are routes to happier students learning more. We'll see how things play out, though.
I appreciate your work, John. The part about Netflix reminds me of a conversation I had with my daughter earlier this week. We were standing in line at Lululemon, and I observed that you would need truly disposable income in order to think it was a good idea to buy a tiny replica of a Lululemon bag to hang like a charm on your Lululemon bag or keychain. My daughter (she's 13) had never heard of "disposable income," so we talked about that phrase. If "Netflix is in the business of delivering content that people will not pay attention to," it must be operating on the premise that its viewers have disposable attention. My attention is not disposable; I want all my attention to be valuable and necessary. To reclaim our capacity for attention seems like an increasingly subversive position in this economy.
Very interesting connections. I've used the phrase "disposable income" many times, but never really considered the implications of saying the money is disposable, like I'm giving myself permission to spend on something meaningless, but why would I want to do that.
It'd not like I expect myself to by 100% mindful all the time, but it's so easy to lapse into patterns of literal thoughtlessness if we don't pause every so often and consider what we're doing and why.
Coincidentally, I just happened to read that Netflix article yesterday. I found the business model is incredibly cynical and the idea of producing “stuff no one wants to watch” completely baffling. Maybe that’s because I’ve never been a TV as background noise kind of person. I guess this is (one of the many reasons) why I’ll never be a billionaire. I did have to laugh at the part where they put up billboards for some of the dreck they produce, so that the local creators would think they (Netflix) was actually marketing their projects.
Thanks for all that you do, John. I look forward to reading your book and hope you have a lovely new year.
I share your bafflement. I suppose making gobs of money is a solace, but why would I enjoy spending time doing something I know has no value or concern for quality? It seems like a very grim existence.
Your work has been a great help over the years in the ongoing evolution of my Composition class (and, yes, I've pre-ordered your new book).
This might just be my cloudy day cloudy mind musings after a particularly taxing semester, but so much of education also feels like it's designed for delivering content that people will not be paying attention to.
I sometimes caught myself engaging in a kind of roleplaying of school, rather than doing the thing itself. It was usually when I was overtaxed or felt disengaged from what I was asking students to do. Over time I came to trust that feeling as a sign to look at what I was doing and ask if it was truly worthwhile for any of us.
Isn't it kind of like having music or talk radio on in the background while you're doing things? A little bit of company in a quiet house? Or "easy-listening tv" - I think there are a lot of homes where the tv runs all day - something that's been going on for years. Maybe not necessarily negative, but maybe a matter of degree. I'll go read the article now...
In a similar vein, I have taken steps to limit podcast listening, especially when out walking in local parks. It became a bit of a crutch during the pandemic, and although it's ok sometimes when there's something in particular I want to listen to, I am trying to walk without accompaniment more frequently. I'm trying to consciously be more present - rather than fleetingly attending to minute after minute after minute. I appreciate seeing you spell this phenomena out.
I really do enjoy your substack - I'm still not a paid subscriber but getting closer. Happy New Year! Thanks for all the great reading recommendations! (I just finished Blood Test by Charles Baxter and really enjoyed it - I think that rec came from you.)
There's certainly degrees of attention in all things. Like sometimes while I'm "working" I'll be listening to a sports podcast where I'm not paying attention at all to the podcast, but I'm also not doing anything that requires real concentration work-wise. When I have to really get down to business and think I have to clear the decks and truly pay attention.
What I want to achieve is a kind of mindfulness around what I'm choosing to do when I choose to do it. If I want to fold laundry and watch a mediocre TV show, that's fine, but if I want to experience a TV show, I should do that, rather than reaching for "the second screen" in the midst of it.
I have the same occasional struggle about when I'm walking outside and I'll instinctually reach for the earbuds so I can have some companionship, but I try to make sure I'm capable of doing it with just me and my senses at least sometimes.
I enjoy reading this, but as a widow on a fixed income, do you know how much I would have to pay for all the good substack posts there are? I am a poet, I have a memoir trying to get published before I die- and I was one of the first women to be ordained. My memoir, "Rabbi, Your Cleavage is Showing" is languishing and I may have to self publish. Two agents thought it was good but not something to be shopped around now (too Jewish!) Well, yeah, I was a volunteer in 1967 and in the IDF in 1968-9. Your writing makes an impact, but finances are still tough for many of us and I don't see any change for myself. Keep writing. I'll let the younger ones be patrons and will still read this wonderful work!
Your situation is hugely common, and I think one of the shortcomings of the platform. We're all "unbundled" which means there's inevitably going to be a cutoff in terms of the audience's resources. I don't like that ultimately we're in a kind of competition for the reader's dollar, and in some cases, where the writer relies on the newsletter as their main source of income, the stakes are incredibly high.
That's one of the reasons I don't mind the level I'm at. It's a nice extra bit of money, but if Substack vanished, I wouldn't be in trouble financially in terms of the big picture.
I like your point on attention. I do think it’s acceptable to eat a meal while watching a TV show. You’re pretty much paying attention. But I wouldn’t be able to also check the news at the same time. That sounds stressful! I basically can do two things at the same time if one of those things is automatic or fairly mindless. Like walking while listening to a podcast. I have heard of “folding laundry TV”. I personally can’t do it because I really like to look at the TV screen while watching. I like to see how it’s filmed, the expressions on the actors’ faces and so on. And yes, I think it’s worth paying attention to even blue sky USA shows like White Collar. But if that doesn’t pass muster there a long list of great shows out there.
From one J(J)W to another JW, thank you for this newsletter. I always learn something from it and get so many good book recommendations.
On the substack angle: I moved off because of the whole monetising Nazi thing. I’ve seen a growth in subscribers and it feels slightly better having a bit more control. I think substack is a nifty bit of tech. Sadly certain New Zealand born co founders seem to be being held hostage by VC funders. Blink twice Hamish. Keith, me, and the rest of the ASPA-mafia will come rescue you.
The platform as a whole has reached where podcasts got to with Patreon about 10 years ago. Money flowed to a small number of big pod casts, some smaller ones ticked along, and the rest were toiling away in the content mines for sweet FA.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Substack’s next move is an ad serving platform which inserts ads into newsletters to help monetise even further. Because in this boring dystopian novel we’re all living in, all roads lead to ads.
There simply aren’t enough dollars to extract from my wallet to be able to subscribe to all the substacks/newsletters I want to. In the same way I wouldn’t subscribe to 30 magazines/newspapers. I just don’t have enough cash.
Is there some other war to support you, John? I’m going to buy the book (sadly cannot preorder from Australia), but a one off tip jar type situation would be good, because as I said, I always get something out of your newsletters and I would like to give *something* back.
Anyways, happy new year thank you thank you thank you.
You raise some very salient points about the possible trajectory of this platform. I think lots of people want to believe that this is somehow something new, but it's at best a kind of remix of other elements and the numbers don't add up in terms of what the VCs have invested against the revenue it brings in.
Things like Patreon and Kickstarter pledged to be THE future for creators, but as you note, the long tail wasn't all that long for individuals trying to make a go. Maybe some of this is just the inevitable sorting of the market, and it's inescapable. As you say, individuals can't support an indefinite number of individual writers/artists/musicians.
I appreciate the offer of some other way to support me, but reading and commenting are more than enough support.
Great post. Especially the dissection of Substack, which I use for my newsletter and continues to befuddle me. I come from the print era when there was a fairly reliable model for attracting readers to newsletters then converting them to paid subscribers. Substack seems to indicate that its model is similar. As you made clear, it isn't.
Yes, a great post.
I've upgraded to paid. And look forward to your book.
Thank you for a year of writing that I always relish reading! Your words in another comment thread, "doing less that matters more" are a more coherent way of saying my new year's resolution which is to "embrace finitude."
Just pre-ordered your book! Can't wait to read it.
Happy New Year to you and yours, John. I'm a loyal subscriber from the before time when you were looking nervously over your shoulder at the goings on at the Tribune, hem hem. I get the folding laundry TV thing, but don't get involved, as I like to put 100% attention to whomever or whatever is in front of me at the moment. Being retired means I have pretty much free choice about it. I deeply appreciate you and what you do. Incidentally, I'm trying to get my own Substack off the ground, which is not going very fast because I'm not working on it very hard. Imagine. Anyway, The Wedding People was my first official book of 2025, and I enjoyed it greatly, so thanks for your recommendation.
I had a lovely vacation last week, and while I was away, I committed to putting my phone away pretty much all day. Not surprisingly, I felt much more attentive and relaxed. I read four books and spent better quality time with many members of my family (there were 16 of us!). I am trying to carry over some of that phone-away behavior now that I'm home.
I also want to commit more fully to the things I want to commit to. So instead of having, say 15 people on Substack, all of whom I am trying to follow but usually reading quickly or not at all, I want to commit to reading well maybe seven.
I just decided, after at least a year of reading and immensely enjoying The Biblioracle (for free) that I am going to pay for it.
And finally: Like a lot of us here, I cannot wait for your book, John! Wishing you and the book a mighty successful and gratifying launch.
Yes, do less that matters more, is one of my personal mantras in thinking about how to react to generative AI in teaching writing. Slowing down, deciding what matters, trading loose connectivity for deeper, more meaningful engagement are routes to happier students learning more. We'll see how things play out, though.
I appreciate your work, John. The part about Netflix reminds me of a conversation I had with my daughter earlier this week. We were standing in line at Lululemon, and I observed that you would need truly disposable income in order to think it was a good idea to buy a tiny replica of a Lululemon bag to hang like a charm on your Lululemon bag or keychain. My daughter (she's 13) had never heard of "disposable income," so we talked about that phrase. If "Netflix is in the business of delivering content that people will not pay attention to," it must be operating on the premise that its viewers have disposable attention. My attention is not disposable; I want all my attention to be valuable and necessary. To reclaim our capacity for attention seems like an increasingly subversive position in this economy.
Very interesting connections. I've used the phrase "disposable income" many times, but never really considered the implications of saying the money is disposable, like I'm giving myself permission to spend on something meaningless, but why would I want to do that.
It'd not like I expect myself to by 100% mindful all the time, but it's so easy to lapse into patterns of literal thoughtlessness if we don't pause every so often and consider what we're doing and why.
Coincidentally, I just happened to read that Netflix article yesterday. I found the business model is incredibly cynical and the idea of producing “stuff no one wants to watch” completely baffling. Maybe that’s because I’ve never been a TV as background noise kind of person. I guess this is (one of the many reasons) why I’ll never be a billionaire. I did have to laugh at the part where they put up billboards for some of the dreck they produce, so that the local creators would think they (Netflix) was actually marketing their projects.
Thanks for all that you do, John. I look forward to reading your book and hope you have a lovely new year.
*were actually (sigh)
I share your bafflement. I suppose making gobs of money is a solace, but why would I enjoy spending time doing something I know has no value or concern for quality? It seems like a very grim existence.
Your work has been a great help over the years in the ongoing evolution of my Composition class (and, yes, I've pre-ordered your new book).
This might just be my cloudy day cloudy mind musings after a particularly taxing semester, but so much of education also feels like it's designed for delivering content that people will not be paying attention to.
I sometimes caught myself engaging in a kind of roleplaying of school, rather than doing the thing itself. It was usually when I was overtaxed or felt disengaged from what I was asking students to do. Over time I came to trust that feeling as a sign to look at what I was doing and ask if it was truly worthwhile for any of us.
Just discovered your stack. Loved the post. Preordered your book. 2025: The Revenge of Attention
Isn't it kind of like having music or talk radio on in the background while you're doing things? A little bit of company in a quiet house? Or "easy-listening tv" - I think there are a lot of homes where the tv runs all day - something that's been going on for years. Maybe not necessarily negative, but maybe a matter of degree. I'll go read the article now...
In a similar vein, I have taken steps to limit podcast listening, especially when out walking in local parks. It became a bit of a crutch during the pandemic, and although it's ok sometimes when there's something in particular I want to listen to, I am trying to walk without accompaniment more frequently. I'm trying to consciously be more present - rather than fleetingly attending to minute after minute after minute. I appreciate seeing you spell this phenomena out.
I really do enjoy your substack - I'm still not a paid subscriber but getting closer. Happy New Year! Thanks for all the great reading recommendations! (I just finished Blood Test by Charles Baxter and really enjoyed it - I think that rec came from you.)
There's certainly degrees of attention in all things. Like sometimes while I'm "working" I'll be listening to a sports podcast where I'm not paying attention at all to the podcast, but I'm also not doing anything that requires real concentration work-wise. When I have to really get down to business and think I have to clear the decks and truly pay attention.
What I want to achieve is a kind of mindfulness around what I'm choosing to do when I choose to do it. If I want to fold laundry and watch a mediocre TV show, that's fine, but if I want to experience a TV show, I should do that, rather than reaching for "the second screen" in the midst of it.
I have the same occasional struggle about when I'm walking outside and I'll instinctually reach for the earbuds so I can have some companionship, but I try to make sure I'm capable of doing it with just me and my senses at least sometimes.
I enjoy reading this, but as a widow on a fixed income, do you know how much I would have to pay for all the good substack posts there are? I am a poet, I have a memoir trying to get published before I die- and I was one of the first women to be ordained. My memoir, "Rabbi, Your Cleavage is Showing" is languishing and I may have to self publish. Two agents thought it was good but not something to be shopped around now (too Jewish!) Well, yeah, I was a volunteer in 1967 and in the IDF in 1968-9. Your writing makes an impact, but finances are still tough for many of us and I don't see any change for myself. Keep writing. I'll let the younger ones be patrons and will still read this wonderful work!
Your situation is hugely common, and I think one of the shortcomings of the platform. We're all "unbundled" which means there's inevitably going to be a cutoff in terms of the audience's resources. I don't like that ultimately we're in a kind of competition for the reader's dollar, and in some cases, where the writer relies on the newsletter as their main source of income, the stakes are incredibly high.
That's one of the reasons I don't mind the level I'm at. It's a nice extra bit of money, but if Substack vanished, I wouldn't be in trouble financially in terms of the big picture.
I like your point on attention. I do think it’s acceptable to eat a meal while watching a TV show. You’re pretty much paying attention. But I wouldn’t be able to also check the news at the same time. That sounds stressful! I basically can do two things at the same time if one of those things is automatic or fairly mindless. Like walking while listening to a podcast. I have heard of “folding laundry TV”. I personally can’t do it because I really like to look at the TV screen while watching. I like to see how it’s filmed, the expressions on the actors’ faces and so on. And yes, I think it’s worth paying attention to even blue sky USA shows like White Collar. But if that doesn’t pass muster there a long list of great shows out there.
From one J(J)W to another JW, thank you for this newsletter. I always learn something from it and get so many good book recommendations.
On the substack angle: I moved off because of the whole monetising Nazi thing. I’ve seen a growth in subscribers and it feels slightly better having a bit more control. I think substack is a nifty bit of tech. Sadly certain New Zealand born co founders seem to be being held hostage by VC funders. Blink twice Hamish. Keith, me, and the rest of the ASPA-mafia will come rescue you.
The platform as a whole has reached where podcasts got to with Patreon about 10 years ago. Money flowed to a small number of big pod casts, some smaller ones ticked along, and the rest were toiling away in the content mines for sweet FA.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Substack’s next move is an ad serving platform which inserts ads into newsletters to help monetise even further. Because in this boring dystopian novel we’re all living in, all roads lead to ads.
There simply aren’t enough dollars to extract from my wallet to be able to subscribe to all the substacks/newsletters I want to. In the same way I wouldn’t subscribe to 30 magazines/newspapers. I just don’t have enough cash.
Is there some other war to support you, John? I’m going to buy the book (sadly cannot preorder from Australia), but a one off tip jar type situation would be good, because as I said, I always get something out of your newsletters and I would like to give *something* back.
Anyways, happy new year thank you thank you thank you.
You raise some very salient points about the possible trajectory of this platform. I think lots of people want to believe that this is somehow something new, but it's at best a kind of remix of other elements and the numbers don't add up in terms of what the VCs have invested against the revenue it brings in.
Things like Patreon and Kickstarter pledged to be THE future for creators, but as you note, the long tail wasn't all that long for individuals trying to make a go. Maybe some of this is just the inevitable sorting of the market, and it's inescapable. As you say, individuals can't support an indefinite number of individual writers/artists/musicians.
I appreciate the offer of some other way to support me, but reading and commenting are more than enough support.
Great post. Especially the dissection of Substack, which I use for my newsletter and continues to befuddle me. I come from the print era when there was a fairly reliable model for attracting readers to newsletters then converting them to paid subscribers. Substack seems to indicate that its model is similar. As you made clear, it isn't.
Yes, a great post.
I've upgraded to paid. And look forward to your book.
Thank you for a year of writing that I always relish reading! Your words in another comment thread, "doing less that matters more" are a more coherent way of saying my new year's resolution which is to "embrace finitude."
Just pre-ordered your book! Can't wait to read it.
Happy New Year to you and yours, John. I'm a loyal subscriber from the before time when you were looking nervously over your shoulder at the goings on at the Tribune, hem hem. I get the folding laundry TV thing, but don't get involved, as I like to put 100% attention to whomever or whatever is in front of me at the moment. Being retired means I have pretty much free choice about it. I deeply appreciate you and what you do. Incidentally, I'm trying to get my own Substack off the ground, which is not going very fast because I'm not working on it very hard. Imagine. Anyway, The Wedding People was my first official book of 2025, and I enjoyed it greatly, so thanks for your recommendation.