Ratika Deshpande

Trying to bring back good ol' blogs

  • I’m thinking all wrong about all of this

    Here’s the thing: I made a pact with myself a long time ago that I will not write or talk about the things I do not like. Yet my recent readings have all focused on how bad the current online landscape is. I’m continuously saving articles that describe the various shades of Bad Internet, so… Continue reading

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  • Let us forget that the internet exists.

    This is what I am saying: Let us all quit social media. Let us all look up from our phones and ask our loved ones how they are. Let us start our days by looking out the window if we can. Let us start our days with hugs and kisses and a good cup of… Continue reading

  • Some gentle form of magic

    From the drafts: I am typing this essay slowly. There is no reason to do so other than the fact that I want to. These words are going nowhere. I am, after all, making them up as I write. This laptop isn’t going anywhere. I am not going anywhere. There is no rush. I can… Continue reading

  • I have lived, actually.

    All the rest of yesterday and this morning, I’ve been thinking about living. How do you live? How do you know you’ve lived? What does it even mean to “live” versus to simply exist? Things like “by finding meaning or purpose” are true answers, but they’re not actionable answers. And they also take a long… Continue reading

  • Notes from November the Twenty-Eighth

    Feeling frustrated. For about a month now I’ve wondered what system to use for my diaries and notebooks. All I know is that I don’t want to keep too many of them. I’ve never given so much thought to having a system before. Maybe wanting to have a system is the problem in the first… Continue reading

  • Notes from November the Twenty-Seventh

    I used to blog; I haven’t in a while. I miss it. So this is trying something new, without the daily pressure of a capital B Blog, or the content pressure of a the capital E Essay. Start a new draft post on Monday, dump things in it over the week, rewrite and cull along… Continue reading

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  • Blog like no one’s reading

    I’ve not been blogging regularly. Midway through the year I decided to blog every day for the next 2 years, inspired by a suggestion made by Danny Gregory, the creator of Sketchbook Skool. After around 70 days, I stopped and didn’t resume the streak. At this moment, as I’m writing this, I don’t remember why… Continue reading

  • My process for The Metronome

    My process for The Metronome

    UPDATE: The guide is complete. – 16 November 2023 I’d started publishing a series of blog posts detailing how I created and continue to publish The Metronome, a magazine for people who want to study psychology and make a career in the field. My plan was to publish one post at a time, but then… Continue reading

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  • #80 – Random notes from my recent mini-crisis in my notebook

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  • #79 – Rabbit hole: The Awl

    Received a newsletter in my inbox yesterday, which linked to an article I had to read: “Why the Internet Isn’t Fun Anymore” by Kyle Chayka (The New Yorker). It mentioned The Awl, and my deep dive began. Here’s a list of the stuff I’ve read, in case you want to go down the (small) rabbit… Continue reading