On curiosity, risk aversion, and nature vs. nurture, among other things — “I’m just curious,” I said on a Google Hangout a few weeks ago, “and I don’t know if that’s a good enough reason?” The calendar event read “we’re adopted lol.” I’d set it up after a mutual friend connected us (“You’re both adopted!”) so it was sort of like a…

“My goal is to help people live more grounded, connected, and fulfilled lives.” — Kaki Okumura is a writer and illustrator whose Medium essays on Japan’s approach to health and wellness have reached over a million readers worldwide. Kaki Okumura - Medium Read writing from Kaki Okumura on Medium. Born in Dallas, raised in New York and Tokyo. I care about helping others…kokumura.medium.com After growing up in Tokyo and moving to the U.S. post-college, Okumura started using Medium to explore some of the cultural differences she couldn’t help noticing…

On April 12, we’re saying goodbye to custom colors and fonts on Medium profiles — here’s why — Update as of April 12, 2023: We’ve ended support for custom background colors, accent colors, and fonts on all profiles. If you notice any issues or want to share feedback, please leave a response here — and check our blog for more updates. Three years ago, we introduced new tools…

I’ve highlighted so many things… so I wrote this. — [I originally published this on Hatch — our internal Medium staff blog — a few years ago. We’re not using Hatch as much anymore, so I’m reposting it publicly because I don’t want to lose it. And weirdly, I still like it!] I highlight… a lot? All the time, it…

An interview with the author of “Laziness Does Not Exist,” the essay that started a conversation about the psychology of procrastination — Dr. Devon Price is a psychology professor whose 2018 Medium essay, “Laziness Does Not Exist,” was shared by over 3.6 million people around the world. In it, Price unpacks the “laziness lie” — the belief that productivity is inherently more valuable than relaxation. He advocates for a more nuanced, curious…

And how some writers are already reflecting on the year — Somehow, we’ve (almost) reached the end of the year. Whether you’ve just posted on Medium for the first time or have been around these parts for a while, thank you. Your stories, perspectives, ideas, questions, and suggestions continue to shape what we’re building for readers and writers. “Years” are constructs…

On time, seasons, San Francisco, fog, and changing your life — I. On Small Seasons and Long Calendars I recently moved to San Francisco. A friend visited last month. We grew up together in a suburb of Philadelphia, and in most of my high-school memories, it’s freezing cold. I assume this is how everyone who grew up on the east coast remembers high school, because the “school” part…

On premature nostalgia — “I was so busy setting up my life I didn’t realize… those were the good years! Those were the years when I should have been paying attention.” A fifty-something-year-old friend said this to me yesterday. We were talking on the phone. I was pacing my living room, obsessing over all…

Presented without a ton of context — I don’t know if I’ll do this again (I reserve the right to not), but I did stumble upon a few interesting things on the internet recently and thought I’d share them. And by “interesting” I mean: enlightening, entertaining, revealing, a little weird, sometimes totally normal and not at all…