NYT Games: part of my morning ritual, and I share my scores with a group of friends every day, a habit that started back during the pandemic. I like it as a way to get my mental juices flowing and a low-friction way to stay connected with several people I like.
Insight Timer: my meditation app of choice since Paramount finally took away my corporate benefit access to Headspace. I’ve completed over 100 days straight of meditating with the app. I thought I liked the consistent structure of the guided meditations Headspace produces, but Insight Timer offers more fluidity, discovery, and variety, and it clearly keeps me coming back. I’ve also enjoyed several of the multi-day courses.
Planta: I’m a plant dad, and most of my plants are truly thriving in no small part due to the scheduled upkeep, tips, and tricks this app provides.
Balatro+: the only game besides the NYT puzzles on my phone. I’ve played this on and off for years, and it remains very challenging. I just beat a new level yesterday and had by far my biggest score, and got the same thrill of accomplishment as the early days of the game, even though it didn’t unlock any new cards, decks, or other surprises.
Pocket Casts: I think I’ve written about this before, but I still haven’t found a more enjoyable podcast app. The only thing that could make it better is episode-specific recommendations based on what I actually listen to rather than just what I’m subscribed to.
But as you may have read, I’m trying to spend much less time on my phone.
