Monday

"I am becoming more comfortable with simplicity."

Welcome to Monday! Today, we're chatting about:

• What is career minimalism?

• An Italian-inspired hosting trick

• Your coffee may not be as fresh as you think

• 80/20 method for clean living

The New Way People Are Defining Success

Career minimalism sounds like doing the bare minimum, but it’s really more about doing work without letting work take over your whole identity. Revolutionary, apparently.

The idea is simple: choose stability, boundaries, and sustainability over nonstop ladder-climbing. That doesn’t mean people aren’t ambitious. It means they’re asking a very reasonable question: what is all this hustle actually for?

For many younger workers, career minimalism is shaped by job instability, burnout, side hustles, rising costs, and a growing desire for flexibility. Instead of chasing a title just because it looks impressive, they’re paying more attention to mental health, free time, creative projects, relationships, and the kind of life their job makes possible.

It’s not the right approach for everyone, and some people genuinely love building a big career. But there’s something refreshing about separating your worth from your job title. Work can matter without becoming everything. Sometimes success looks less like proving you can do it all, and more like building a life you actually want to be awake for.

The Italian-Inspired Hosting Trick To Try

Summer hosting doesn’t need to involve a full dinner, three side dishes, and one person quietly panicking in the kitchen. The Italian tradition of aperitivo is a much easier model: drinks, small bites, and a relaxed stretch of time before dinner. Honestly, that sounds like the whole event.

The idea is to make the gathering feel more like grazing than hosting. Set out olives, nuts, cheese, salumi, breadsticks, dips, marinated vegetables, fresh fruit, or a simple salad. Add a few heartier bites, like grilled skewers, mini sandwiches, or a platter of melon with prosciutto and burrata, and suddenly you’ve got a spread that feels thoughtful without being dramatic.

Drinks can be just as simple. A DIY spritz bar with sparkling wine, club soda, citrus slices, herbs, and a few aperitif options lets guests mix their own. You can also keep nonalcoholic options on hand so everyone has something festive to sip.

The beauty of aperitivo is that it takes the pressure off. Nobody’s waiting for the “main course,” and you’re not stuck timing everything perfectly. People can snack, sip, talk, wander, and linger. Very summer. Very civilized.

Your K-Cups Are Probably Older Than You Think

Think pod coffee can't be fresh? People often blame their Keurig for a bad cup, but the real culprit is the pods. Most store-bought K-Cups sit on shelves for 3-6 months before purchase, meaning the flavor is already dead.

Angelino's, a family-owned LA roastery, fixes this by shipping within days of roasting. Same machine. Same morning. Completely different cup. It's rich, smooth, and never bitter—starting at just 35¢ a cup with no subscription traps.

Warning: store coffee is ruined forever.

Find your fresh flavor.

Thank you to Angelino’s Coffee for sponsoring Note To Self. 

The 80/20 Approach To Clean Living

Clean living can start with good intentions and somehow turn into a full-time research project. One minute you’re buying a better hand soap, and the next you’re wondering if your cookware, candles, couch, water bottle, shampoo, and takeout container have personally betrayed you.

That’s where the 80/20 approach helps. Instead of trying to make every part of your life perfectly “toxin-free,” focus on the things you use every day. The water you drink, the air you breathe, the products you clean with, and the cookware you use most often are usually better places to start than stressing over every occasional exposure.

You don’t have to replace everything at once either. Swap slowly as things run out or wear down. Try a water filter, choose glass food storage, open windows when you can, clean with gentler products, or upgrade one pan you use constantly. Small changes are easier to keep when they actually fit your life.

The goal isn’t to create a perfect home. It’s to create a healthier-feeling one without making wellness another thing to worry about. A little more intention, a little less panic. Very much the dream.

Wellness Round-Up

Parting Thoughts

• ✅ True or False: False. Too many options can sometimes create stress.

• 🌅 Sunset Of The Day: Sunsets are more than beautiful—they’re actually good for your mood. Got a favorite one? Reply to this email with your best sunset or sunrise photo for a chance to be featured!

• 💭 Final Self-Care Thoughts for Today: When you clear away the excess, it becomes easier to see what deserves your time, energy, and attention.

Enjoying Note to Self?

Know of a great self-care tip or article you'd love to share with the community? Want to send us pictures of you completing one of your self-care rituals? Email us at [email protected]!