When I was a child, a wee neurodivergent babe, I realized early on that I was fucked.
There was a world outside, yes–one rich in boundless complexities.
But there was also in here.
And, in a lot of ways, experiencing my own brain at home was worse. Because everyone knows the outside world is terrible. There are people there.
But home was loving and kind and so very simple. Eating, drinking, bathing, sleeping: not usually associated with anxiety-induced paralysis.
It got worse with adulthood. Suddenly, I was the one buying the groceries. Stores seemed to grow or shrink based on my level of personal resilience. Some days, fine, no problem. Other days, the idea of taking even a single step outside the produce section was like asking me to climb Nanga Parbat.
I mean, you try looking somebody dead in the eye and telling them that buying a banana is just like cave diving on a breath-hold.
Some of us are just built different, I guess.
Fast forward to right now.
Over the coming posts, I’ll lean on data, design tricks, and a dash of the absurd to hack my own brain.
I’ve had a lot of time in this meat suit, and while I’m still Me (TM) I’m making progress. I’ve found things that work and things that don’t, but don’t mistake that for expertise. This is still the early stages of reverse-engineering a human being.
I’ve got data, I’ve got theories, and I’ve got goals I’ve yet to meet, but not much else. The scope of the work ahead is immeasurable: just achieve order from chaos, no big deal.
So this is me, experimenting at the nexus of psychology, interaction design, and weird.
What does that look like in practice? Here are a few questions I want to try to answer:
Can astrology help me to remember my mortgage payments?
Is it possible to actually enjoy cleaning the apartment?
How can I simplify my life—ideally while using robots?
Wish me luck…