At the end of every month, I share 10 new things I learned and 10 of my favorite reads from the month. A sneak peek at one of this month’s interesting facts: Self-storage facilities take up roughly 24 million square feet of space in New York City. (!!!) joannahaugen.substack.com/p/10x2-angry...

“Just because something’s serious doesn’t make it deep.” Oof. That’s from Elizabeth McCraken’s “The Long Game: Notes on Writing Fiction,” but feels like it applies to so many interactions and contexts in life.

A recipe on how to make possibilities happen from Grace Hawthorne: > SEE: Visualize the desired outcome > START: Just begin > DO: Show up and work > FINISH: Follow through I get caught up on FINISH. You?

In tourism, a huge wallet doesn’t guarantee a positive impact. In fact, it often masks high economic leakage. We need to stop measuring success by what guests spend and start measuring it by how they show up. rootedstorytelling.com/rethinking-t...

I’ve been writing about uncertainty, so I’ve been thinking about the risks I used to take. By default, I didn’t take the “safe” path just because I didn’t always know which one it was. Over time, I’ve learned safe paths are efficient, but they rarely result in my best work or greatest opportunity.

Oof. Alpha male camps? I didn’t know these existed, but also I’m not surprised. I think it’s telling that many of the young men participating are there strictly because of pressure from their fathers. @newyorker.com www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

This tracks: “With Wi-Fi, we invited the world into our homes. With smartphones, we inverted our homes into the world.” @noemamag.com www.noemamag.com/limiting-not...

Is it a good thing or bad thing that I keep reading about good writing instead of spending that time writing? In any case, here is ‘“If it sounds literary, it isn’t”: The deceptively simple rules behind good writing’ from the @bigthink.com: bigthink.com/books/good-w...

I recently attended a storytelling-related conference and one of the speakers offered this advice: Delete your last sentence. You rarely need it, and it almost always makes your work stronger. He was right.

If the business is “winning” but you’re losing your mind (or your relationships), you aren't actually winning. As the business side of my life spirals south, I’m taking stock of what “success” really looks like for myself in 2026: More curiosity, more contribution, more fun, more challenge.

Really appreciate that Spotify will start identifying AI-created content. Now, if only we could see this expand to Amazon, LinkedIn, etc. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Sharif Shameem's article on looking stupid really hit home. Essentially, the amount of stupidity you’re willing to tolerate is directly proportional to the quality of ideas you’ll eventually produce. sharif.io/looking-stupid

Life is too short not to read what you want.

Morning 🤣.

In summary... 🙄

I really appreciate (and resonate with) this perspective from Elizabeth McCracken’s “The Long Game”: Every writer knows the worry of wondering whether anybody would be interested in the work … Your own interest is what’s important. Your own interest matters, cannot be faked, is the animating spirit.

Adulthood is just cycling between "If I don't say yes to every opportunity, no new opportunities will ever be offered to me" and "Oh no, I have said yes to too many things" over and over until you die.

A reminder to be patient was very much needed this afternoon.

File under: Things that resonate deeply right now.

The palate cleanser I need here today.

Ideation, outlining, researching, and seeking inspiration are important parts of the #writing practice, but the most important part is the writing. Without that, nothing else can happen.

"A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit." —Richard Bach

Loved hearing @leaypi.bsky.social @ Power of Storytelling. I've been thinking about "authenticity." Lea's experiences w/ researching archives to find the "truth" highlights questions like who is actually a reliable narrator, and how + why is truth collected/cataloged introduced beautiful complexity.

I know New Orleans has recycling initiatives in place post-Mardi Gras, so this piece via @triplepundit.bsky.social about related initiatives in Rio post-Carnival was a fantastic read. I'm a huge second-hand thrifter, so I definitely see the appeal! triplepundit.com/2026/rio-de-...

Excellent article from @soljourno.bsky.social / The Whole Story from @nextcity.org editor Oscan Perry Abello on how sojo builds trust by giving agency back to local communities and initiatives about what works (versus all the "bad" news). thewholestory.solutionsjournalism.org/it-starts-wi...

I love the stories about the people and organizations you don't know to think about. This one, recently published in @nytimes.com, about the company that designs the display cases in museums was fascinating. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/21/s...

This piece profiling @sannebreimer.bsky.social's work around decolonizing storytelling and who does/doesn't get to speak resonates deeply with the work I do. It's refreshing to see more people talking about this in more mainstream spaces. thepowerofstorytelling.substack.com/p/who-gets-t...

In the epilogue of a novel published in April 2023: "She doesn't know she's going to get a call from the office of a certain female presidential candidate ...

Imagine if prisons generally treated people like the humans they are. This story about a women's book club at Rikers Jail is a tiny glimpse of what that could look like. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/10/n...

I'm often asked what I'm reading. Find out in my first 10x2 Substack newsletter, where I share 10 interesting things I read this month and 10 interesting facts I learned. joannahaugen.substack.com/p/10x2-molas...

My cat went viral on Threads today. I think I've reached peak social media success.

I've started dabbling in #Substack. Join me? joannahaugen.substack.com/p/were-doing...

Love this initiative from Gravity Wave, a Spain-based company that's not only removing "ghost nets" (plastic ocean pollution) from the sea but also turning it into valuable products like furniture & stadium seating - a great example of flipping the "waste" narrative. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/b...

I read 8-12 books a month -- a combo of audiobook, e-book, and good ol' fashioned physical book.

This BBC article asks, is it time to retire "Venice of the East?" Yes, yes, and more yes! This kind of language comes from a Western lens that perpetuates colonial-era thinking and expectations. Read the article here: www.bbc.com/travel/artic...

I'm leaning all in on the Heated Rivalry love these days. The world needs as much joy as possible, and this is it. It's not just the story and the characters, but the deep waves of happiness and connection the HR community and fandom share that are so beautiful. #HeatedRivalry

I'm as guilty as anyone at saying we live in a deeply divisive society, but it turns out that's not really the case. Excellent piece from @uk.theconversation.com @theconversation.com about how these myths persist and how we're more aligned than we think we are. theconversation.com/think-societ...

In the category of Things I Didn't Know Existed, the British Transplant Games warms every bit of my soul. So thankful to Positive News for reminding us that beautiful things very much still exist in this world. www.positive.news/society/a-se... #BeautifulThings #TransplantGames #PositiveNews

I've been listening to the Fleetwood Mac radio channel on Spotify today and it's been nostalgic balm for my soul.

Incredibly inspiring story about using art and lived experiences to help refugee women learn French from HURS. Language barriers are a huge challenge for immigrants, and this humanizes the process *and* the women. #SolutionsJournalism #Language #Hope hurs-official.com/home/hur-tho...

Oof. This is a punch in the gut -- and also strangely freeing.

I'm thinking of starting a #Substack newsletter in the new year but have been seeing mixed reviews about the platform's ethics. Now considering #Beehiv but would love to hear from anyone who is using the service. Pros/cons? #Newsletter #AmWriting

I wonder if the devaluation of #freelance and #contract workers began with this niggly little phrase: A penny for your thoughts.

Just when you think the world is too much, the @nytimes.com publishes this. A little bit of thoughtfulness and love can go so very far into making our world a better place. #HappyHolidays www.nytimes.com/2025/12/15/o...

Woman on the bus: What blusher do you use? Her friend: Oh, cold air, a brisk walk, alcohol or sometimes the menopause. You?

A blast from the past with this 2020 post from @thisiscolossal.com but still worth the share. You kind of can't help but to smile and feel a bit mushy inside. 💖 www.thisiscolossal.com/2020/12/newb...

I just learned what "scrollytelling" is: interactive, scroll-based storytelling. I've always liked this format but didn't know that's what this was called. Did you know this? #LearnSomethingNewEveryDay

I had a warm conversation with educated and successful friends last night about how we all have regrets to some extent about not pursuing manual/hands-on trades versus "proper" professional jobs. Our dreams? Book binding, piano repair, and calligraphy specialist. We've entered the analogue era.

Eye-opening articles recently published in @atmosmag.bsky.social about the so-called #sustainable circular, upcycled #fashion industry. A reminder that even "good" solutions may be riddled with inequities and harm. atmos.earth/fashion-and-...

Love this interview about @penguinbooksusa.bsky.social #typography on @creativeboom.com. This is so not in my professional sphere at all, but it's these little details that make my #creative heart swoon. www.creativeboom.com/insight/nine...