Welcome to The Quiet Rich, your weekly guide to a quiet mind and rich life. Today, I’m sharing 7 old-fashioned things I think we should bring back.
CONTEXT
What if our grandparents had it right all along?
They started their mornings with the newspaper and coffee—not scrolling. They cooked Sunday dinners from scratch. They walked to the store and actually talked to their neighbors along the way.
Fast forward to today. We've got every convenience imaginable, yet we're more anxious, distracted, and lonely than ever. Why?
Because our dopamine has gotten cheap: social media notifications, breaking news alerts, stock prices, dating app swipes. The happiest people I know have figured out what our grandparents knew instinctively: offline is the new luxury.
Here are 7 old-fashioned habits that will make life feel richer:
THE 7 HABITS
1. Start your day with paper (not screens)
The first hour of your morning sets your mindset for the rest of the day. Charge your phone outside your bedroom and keep a really good book ☺️ on your nightstand. Every morning, read 10 pages. By the end of one year, you’ll have finished 3,650 pages (about 12 books!) while everyone else scrolled through brain rot.
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2. Elevate ordinary dinners
Buy a cookbook you're genuinely excited about. Every Sunday for the next month, cook one new meal from it. Better yet, invite someone to cook it with you! You may be surprised by how much you enjoy making something new with your hands.
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3. Keep a "free library" in your home
Buy a few extra copies of your favorite books. When friends come over and something relevant comes up in conversation, give them a copy. No strings attached. Books are meant to be shared, not just displayed on a shelf.
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4. The "little things" list
Buy a small notebook. Every night before bed, jot down one good thing that happened. Just one. An interesting podcast you listened to. A nice email you got from a client. A delicious dinner you ate. A hilarious moment you had with a friend.
Re-read the whole list on New Year's Eve. You'll be shocked by how many beautiful moments you would've forgotten otherwise.
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5. The white-space walk
Every week, take a 20-minute walk with no phone, no music, no podcast. Just you and your thoughts. We treat boredom like an enemy, but it’s actually where your best ideas live. They just need a little white space.
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6. Vinyl nights
Remember when music was more than just background noise? Every month, spend an hour listening to an album from start to finish. No skipping, no multitasking. Just sipping an evening beverage and appreciating each song. No turn table? Good speakers and dim lighting absolutely counts.
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7. The 1-min voice memo
Whenever someone crosses your mind, send them a voice memo to let them know. Not a text. Not a DM. A voice memo carries your warmth: your laugh, your pauses, the way you say their name. And they can replay it whenever they need it.
If your grandparents or parents are still here, start with them. And then ask them to send one back. Someday, their voice will be the most valuable thing on your phone.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
The phone was invented to bring us closer. Somehow it’s made us feel further apart.
Try one of these habits every week for the next 7 weeks to bring some magic into your life. And for these final months of 2026, give yourself permission to slow down a little. To spend less time on screens. To stop multitasking all the time. To do fewer things that matter more, with the people who matter most. 🤍
☕️ Forward this email to someone you want to slow down with this fall.
All my love,
Jade
P.S. I just want to say a big congratulations to Ben. He wrapped up his book launch in New York this morning with an incredible live TV appearance on The Today Show! I’m so proud of him. 🥹
If you’re interested in writing a book, Ben’s going to teach all the secrets to his launch in our November 16th Archimedes cohort. And let me tell you—it’s the smartest way I’ve seen anyone write and publish a book in a long, long time.
Learn more about Archimedes and apply here. We’re offering a discount until this Friday, October 16th, and I wouldn’t want you to miss out on it.
