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Today I Learned · by Mateo Cruz · 2026-10-01

A gentle rant about history and expectations in real life

Part of me wanted the fancy version with all the tools. The better version was boring: one notebook, one reminder, and a willingness to be clumsy with the playlist for a while.

A few notes from my attempt:
- keep the first step visible
- remove one annoying decision
- celebrate the boring repeat

Would love to hear how other people handle this. I am especially curious about the version that works on a tired weekday, not just on an ideal Sunday.

Context: I am not an expert, just someone trying to make Today I Learned feel less intimidating. I wrote down what worked, what felt awkward, and what I would do differently next time.

76 sparks · 19 comments

Comments

Martina Fernández · 18 likes

Agree completely. The simple version is underrated. The social part surprised me too.

Urban Orbit · 5 likes

Good reminder that boring can be good. The low-effort version is probably the keeper.

Noé Petit · 7 likes

Thanks, that actually helped.

Minh Nguyen · 9 likes

This comment has main-character footnote energy.

Mateo Cruz · 1 likes

That sounds great until you add children/pets/deadlines.

Solar Orbit · 8 likes

Adding this to my notes.

Mateo Cruz · 3 likes

@it_sparrow Yep, the boring details matter.

Mateo Cruz · 3 likes

Could be regional too.

Finn Brown · 3 likes

I like this more than the top-level advice.

Mariana Costa · 2 likes

Respectfully, I see it the other way.

Mateo Cruz · 0 likes

Yep, the boring details matter.

Noé Petit · 5 likes

I wanted to like this, but the expectations argument is weak. This would have saved me a lot of trial and error.

Luca Bianchi · 3 likes

This is useful for some cases, but terrible advice if the stakes are high. The social part surprised me too.

Hugo Martin · 2 likes

Good reminder that boring can be good. This is more useful on a tired commute than on a perfect day.

Diego García · 1 likes

Really good advice, and it feels doable. My friend tried it in Madrid and had the opposite result.

Amelia Hughes · 1 likes

There is probably a middle ground here. My friend tried it in Madrid and had the opposite result.

Brave Lantern · 1 likes

I agree with the goal and disagree with the method. My only addition is to make the first step visible.

Isha Menon · 1 likes

This feels a little overrated to me, even if the intention is good. I noticed the same thing in Lisbon.

Emir Kaya · 0 likes

I wish more posts had this much context. That is the kind of detail beginners miss.