> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.cjchilvers.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Solitude Deprivation
- URL: https://www.cjchilvers.com/blog/solitude-deprivation/
- Published: 2023-05-03T13:42:27.000Z
- Updated: 2023-05-03T13:42:27.000Z
- Author: CJ Chilvers
- Tags: leisure, Productivity, organization, seo, marketing, newsletters, blogging

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/93/30/933059b9-0a90-40a6-8ecc-04cdf152178d/content/images/2023/05/Pasted-Graphic.jpg)

Life goals (via [Need](https://twitter.com/neee%5Feeed/status/1650340738163523585?s=61&t=a0SmqAhWo0YTBRk0DC9zzg&ref=cjchilvers.com))

Since I’m doing some editing and cleaning on my site, I figured it might be fun to do another link love issue. Enjoy! — CJ

**1**

Author Cal Newport explains the collected research on [whether smartphones are bad for kids or just another moral panic](https://youtu.be/7h7anorDy9A?ref=cjchilvers.com). This was more even-handed than I expected, and it re-introduced me to the concept of “solitude deprivation.” It pairs well with this Adam Grant post on [the importance of reflecting and relaxing](https://twitter.com/adammgrant/status/1651962599674724353?s=61&t=w%5Fhmb3Z4b31hVIsHPxy29g&ref=cjchilvers.com).

**2**

The CEO of Herman Miller is a pain in the ass. Literally. I had just discovered my wife had an Aeron chair from decades ago. She let me borrow it. I was immediately hooked and went shopping for my own on the used market (remote work has made them affordable). That’s when [this tone-deaf CEO](https://www.chicagobusiness.com/workplace/millerknoll-ceos-pity-city-bonus-rant-put-execs-multi-million-pay-focus?ref=cjchilvers.com) made me proud I wasn’t paying them directly. This is what happens when CEOs don’t believe they need writers anymore. Herman Miller also just bought Fully, which sucks because they made [my whiteboard desk](https://www.cjchilvers.com/blog/whiteboard-desk/), who — I’m guessing — will end their stellar tech support now. Nevertheless, the genius contained within [this photo](https://www.hermanmiller.com/content/dam/hmicom/page%5Fassets/products/aeron%5Fstool/202106/ig%5Fprd%5Fovw%5Faeron%5Fstool%5F01.jpg?ref=cjchilvers.com) on their site cannot be overstated. I could write an entire book about the disruptive storage strategies on display here (nerds only, please).

**3**

Speaking of storage, [MacSparky went full Han-fired-first nerd on his tech gear](https://www.macsparky.com/blog/2023/01/why-i-love-kaizen-foam/?ref=cjchilvers.com) with a mountain of Kaizen Foam. Everyone now knows what I want for Father’s Day. And since we’re talking about upcoming holidays, [the illustrated history of the picnic table](https://placesjournal.org/article/an-illustrated-history-of-the-picnic-table/?ref=cjchilvers.com) was a fun find for Memorial Day.

**4**

Here’s how to do [a little spring cleaning on your website](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqZVENGJlo4&ref=cjchilvers.com) without getting in trouble with Google. While you’re at it, [clean the inputs as well](https://www.cjchilvers.com/blog/the-smartest-dumb-tech/). What’s in your RSS, social feeds, and podcasts that doesn’t absolutely need to be there? What can be moved to RSS only?

**5**

Hubspot and Litmus have released their [2023 State of Marketing Report](https://www.hubspot.com/state-of-marketing?ref=cjchilvers.com), which claims that video is “the most popular and effective media format for the fourth year in a row.” Also, the “#1 highest ROI of any marketing channel are blogs, social media shopping tools, and influencer marketing.” So…content is good I guess? Conflicting info abounds in this report, though. Litmus steps in later in the report to add, “Email marketing is an unmatched investment…brands get back $36 for every $1 spent on the channel on average.” OK, so email must still be the best for ROI then, right? Not blogs and social? $36 really is news to me. Very impressive, if true. I guess email just isn’t trendy enough for those surveyed? I'd rather have the money than be trendy.