
A journal of my ongoing recovery from over-functional to just functional enough.
| Platform | Pricing | Freemium | Publishes | Weekly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issues | 104 | Founded | 3 years ago | Last Issue | 6 days ago |
| Active | |||||

I’m on a lake.
Hi from Up North.
I’m reunited with our daughter (almost 8), who thought she wanted to spend a little time in Michigan alone with her grandparents but then FaceTimed me sobbing every day because she’s never been away from...
(and so can you)
I’ve been meaning to share this for so long, but then have thought is a post really useful when the picture above sort of tells the whole story? The drawing on the left is a self-portrait we were asked to draw the night be...
practicing surrender
Some lifetimes ago, when I was a Hollywood talent agent (or just before?), the actor Jason Schwartzman came in for a meeting and stopped by my desk before it started. This was just before he left for France to shoot So...
OK fine!
I am in the middle of a heavy nonfiction reading tear, which perhaps explains why I’m on here wanting to share the most frivolous things. If you bump into me in person I will opine at length on the disappearance of the American mi...
cheap, useful things
Previous $20ish items here. I need to start doing this (self-linking, but also sharing objects I like) more.
Subscribers, engagement, traffic and sponsorship for How to be Less Useful.
| Subscribers | Engagement | 78 | Monthly Web Visits | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accepts Sponsors | Estimated Cost per Ad | ||||
The writers behind this newsletter.
Author of the upcoming HOW TO BE LESS USEFUL: THE JOY OF INEFFICIENCY (Knopf Nov ‘26), BIRD MILK & MOSQUITO BONES: A MEMOIR (Knopf ‘24). Former talent agent and producer, current author/screenwriter/parent.
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