Good morning. Today is a good day to finally tackle the cleaning projects you’ve been putting off all winter.
Confronting the chaosMy house is never truly clean — I have an 8-year-old, plus three aging cats, and none of us are particularly neat. If you were to visit right now, though, you would probably think it’s fine. Because I have tricked you. The door to my office is closed for a reason. Spring cleaning, for many of us here in the 21st century, does not mean deep-scrubbing soot from the fireplace after a season of heavy use. It mostly means decluttering those spaces that have been absorbing our chaos since Thanksgiving. These chaos spaces, like my office, help maintain an illusion of order. And that can be a fine substitute for the real thing in the short term. It helps keep us sane. But there’s a pang of guilt whenever that door cracks open. Today I will open the windows and blast some music and force myself to confront those boxes of schoolwork and stray wires and already-forgotten Christmas presents that cause me to feel secret shame when guests come by. If you’re ready to tackle your own chaos room, the rest of this newsletter is for you. Tips from a proWe’ll start with some very practical advice from Christina Fallon, who owns Dream It Done Organizing:
Fallon also has some insights about why we have such a hard time letting go of stuff — especially if it’s “attached to a good memory,” like a vacation or a concert or a kid’s milestone. “Most people are sentimental,” she noted. “They worry that if they give something away, that memory will fade.” Her suggestion? “Take photos of these items and then let them go. We tend to make museums out of our lives.” Read more of Fallon’s advice in this Q&A with Alix Strauss, a Times contributor. Myths, bustedI admit that my decision to clean my office this weekend is arbitrary. It’s not as if I didn’t know the room was messy before the daffodils began to bloom. I simply had been finding excuses to spend my weekends doing other things. Dorie Chevlen, who covers home décor and design for Wirecutter and writes about real estate for The Times, wrote recently about the myths we tell ourselves about cleaning that keep us from actually doing it. She rounded up some experts to help her debunk them. Myth: I need to buy a bunch of baskets and dividers before I can organize. Actually, buying organizational accessories just makes it slower and more complicated: “You need to measure before you buy stuff, and that step in itself is a block,” said Christi Newrutzen, whose cleanup videos on TikTok get millions of views. Myth: I don’t have the time. Experts recommend starting small, and chipping away at a project rather than waiting until you have a full day to devote. Often, after completing even five minutes of cleaning, people feel motivated to do another five minutes, said Andrew Mellen, an organizing expert. Motivate yourself with the rest of the busted myths. More on cleaning
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This past week, a jury in California, in a landmark decision, found that Meta and YouTube had harmed a user with addictive design features that led to her mental health distress. A slew of similar lawsuits is expected to hinge on the central question of the case: Is social media addictive? Yes. These platforms are often compared to cigarettes, but they are, in fact, worse, Daniel Katz, a clinical psychologist, argued in The Los Angeles Times: “Willpower alone, without scientifically supported bolstering, is unlikely to be sufficient in breaking habitual social media use that has been engineered and reinforced.” No. There is a difference between “social media addiction” and a “social media habit,” Ian Anderson and Wendy Wood wrote in The Washington Post. Repeated use isn’t necessarily an addition, they said, and “habits can be beneficial (regular bedtime) or harmful (overeating). The same is true of social media.”
The war in Iran has exposed failures in both strategy and historical literacy, Yonatan Touval writes. The end of the television series “Queer Eye” is one warning signal of a diminishing acceptance of gayness in mainstream American culture, Rosa Rankin-Gee writes. Here are columns by Ezra Klein on how A.I. is changing people and David French on the social media verdicts and free speech. Morning readers: Save on the complete Times experience. Experience all of The Times, all in one subscription — all with this introductory offer. You’ll gain unlimited access to news and analysis, plus games, recipes, product reviews and more.
Baristas with degrees: Recent college graduates feel betrayed. Their anger goes beyond unemployment and A.I. Cosmic mystery: Scientists detected a startlingly energetic particle beneath the Mediterranean Sea. They aren’t sure what caused it, but one theory is that a tiny black hole exploded. MAGA merchandise: Take a look inside the retail world — diamond-studded gold watches, gilded high-tops — promoted by Trump. Devoted following: Can fandoms replace faith? In this week’s Believing newsletter, Isabella Kwai explores how secular subcultures can offer a similar sense of belonging as religious groups.
Men’s college basketball: Illinois beat Iowa and Arizona defeated Purdue to advance to the Final Four. Women’s college basketball: Michigan, South Carolina, Texas Christian and Texas won Sweet 16 matchups to reach the Elite Eight.
“Project Hail Mary,” by Andy Weir: Weir is racking up quite the big-screen record. His first novel, “The Martian,” was adapted into a blockbuster, best picture-nominated film starring Matt Damon. And his third, “Project Hail Mary,” has been turned into what is already one of the most successful original Hollywood films in years. Starring Ryan Gosling as a middle school science teacher tasked with saving Earth from extinction, it perfectly captures the wisecracking, “yay science!” vibe of Weir’s source material. Not a bad time to go back to the original or, even better, to try the award-winning audiobook version. More on books
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