A field log · est. 2015

The Examined Lifestyle

Socrates said the unexamined life is not worth living. Here's a few projects to help us experiment with noticing what we're actually doing — from your attention, your movement, your consumption — and doing it a little more deliberately.

— Julia

The Experiments
2026
EXP—20
Mental Models Weekly ↗
One mental model or cognitive bias per issue, in plain language. The newsletter at the center of all of this.
mmweekly.com
Live
EXP—21
Above Average Fitness Club ↗
Eight tests of the physical capacities that actually matter. Find out if you're above average.
aboveaveragefitnessclub.com
Live
EXP—22
Screen Rater ↗
Kids' shows and movies rated 🥦🍞🍭 across seven dimensions — because not all screen time is equal.
screenrater.com
Live
EXP—23
Finishing Books ↗
A trophy shelf for the books your kid actually finishes. Earn slots, fill bookcases, never reset.
finishingbooks.com
Live
EXP—24
The Sci-Fi Listening Ladder →
24 sci-fi audiobooks for ages 4–10 — the stories kids can hear years before they can read them.
/listen-ahead
Live
EXP—25
The Stay-Married Registry ↗
A wedding registry for the marriage, not the wedding — gifts that unlock at year one, five, ten, twenty-five.
staymarriedregistry.com
New
EXP—26
Metro Meditate ↗
Breathe with a metronome — a 15-second cycle that slows you to four breaths a minute. A 2016 experiment, back from the graveyard.
metromeditate.com
Back
EXP 01–19 · 2009–2025 · rest in peace
EXP—01†2009 EXP—02†2012 EXP—03†2013 EXP—04†2014 EXP—05†2015 EXP—06†2015 EXP—07†2015 EXP—08†2015 EXP—09†2015 EXP—10†2015 EXP—11†2015 EXP—12The Examined Lifestyle †2015 — resurrected. you're here. EXP—13Metro Meditate †2016 — resurrected as EXP—26. EXP—14†2016 EXP—15†2016 EXP—16†2017 EXP—17†2017 EXP—18†2018 EXP—19†2018
most experiments die. that's what makes them experiments.
more experiments as they survive contact with real life…