Adrian Hetman
A personal journal on writing, analog living, and the pursuit of fulfillment

Latest

22
Mar
Why I Wear a Mechanical Watch in a World of Smartwatches

Why I Wear a Mechanical Watch in a World of Smartwatches

Midnight notifications for Slack threads and emails you'll never read again. Last year I switched to a mechanical watch. It tells me the time. Here's why that turned out to be enough.
5 min read
21
Mar
What a Career in Security Taught Me About Paying Attention

What a Career in Security Taught Me About Paying Attention

Security work is slow. You're looking for the thing that's slightly off, the word used in an unusual way, the pattern that doesn't match. Clifford Stoll followed a 75-cent thread for ten months. What that kind of attention looks like outside the job.
5 min read
20
Mar
The Courage to Stop Caring What Your Setup Looks Like

The Courage to Stop Caring What Your Setup Looks Like

Eight years of journaling and the setup is still unglamorous. A scratched notebook cover, migrated tasks, half-empty pages. It works because it gets used. On doing things for yourself rather than for the imaginary observer.
5 min read
19
Mar
How to Journal When You Don't Know What to Write

How to Journal When You Don't Know What to Write

The blank page isn't the problem. Waiting for something worth writing before you open the notebook is. Eight years in, it still shows up. Here's what actually helps.
4 min read
18
Mar
Why I Still Write Everything by Hand in 2026. On Slowing Down When Everything Else Speeds Up

Why I Still Write Everything by Hand in 2026. On Slowing Down When Everything Else Speeds Up

Eight years of journaling, and the pen still wins. Not because it's nostalgic or aesthetic, but because it's the only thing that actually slows the noise down. Why I still write everything by hand, and why I don't think I'll stop.
5 min read
17
Mar
You Will Never Get Everything Done: How Journaling Helps You Choose What Actually Matters

You Will Never Get Everything Done: How Journaling Helps You Choose What Actually Matters

The to-do list is infinite. Your time isn't. How journaling teaches you to stop managing tasks and start choosing what actually deserves your attention.
5 min read
16
Mar
The Analog Setup That Replaced My Phone for Most Things: EDC 2026

The Analog Setup That Replaced My Phone for Most Things: EDC 2026

Good EDC isn't curated. It's earned. A look at what's actually in my pockets in 2026 — and what got cut along the way.
5 min read
15
Mar
The Sunday Dread Is Real: A Journaling Practice to Stop Dreading Monday

The Sunday Dread Is Real: A Journaling Practice to Stop Dreading Monday

That familiar 6pm weight on Sundays has a name — and a fix. If anxiety about Monday is stealing your weekend, one 15-minute journaling practice can change that. No productivity system. No to-do lists. Just five prompts that finally give your thoughts somewhere to land
5 min read
14
Mar
Reclaiming the Spark. On Burnout, Passion, and the Longer Road Back

Reclaiming the Spark. On Burnout, Passion, and the Longer Road Back

I'm writing this from the middle of it, not from the other side. The spark that used to fire automatically now takes effort to find. This is what I've learned so far.
9 min read
11
Oct
My Journaling EDC

My Journaling EDC

I decided to share what I use on a daily basis outside of work. For a long time, I didn’
4 min read