Berlant & Novak Remix: ADHD Culture

12:24Kate Berlant:I mean, I guess if you're really choosing your underwear in a meaningful way each day. Yeah. For me, it's. Okay. I'm just happy.

12:32Jacqueline Novak:I'm being much in a huge underwear. It's like reaching into a. If Alpha or some closet. By the way, they have to do it in the next seven days. I'm not kidding. So when this airs, get it out now. You literally learned.

12:43Kate Berlant:But here's the thing. Today that not to fold your underwear. I know. You are in no condition to make. To buy a closet. like to go yeah a couple of drawer cubbies those will work for me you have no reason to believe

12:55Jacqueline Novak:they will okay but also here's what i'm realizing i know you can relate to this yeah the endless research i'll do it i'll do it so now i'm going action because this has been the theme of the year for me just do it really yeah all right well here's what i'll say okay here's what i'll say

13:14Kate Berlant:well you know what you know maybe i can you know invent it okay because it doesn't exist right now the open front non-plastic okay bin what goes in there everything shirts yeah well i mean this woman would say maybe not okay i mean folded within reason like what are you folding kate let's take a minute with this shirts what kind of shirt like that no this hangs out exactly t-shirt so why does a t-shirt need to be folded beyond just sort of beyond one of these i'm not saying military i'm not saying militarized like but just here's a question if it's in a drawer not be right and one's on top are you selecting one off the top or are you choosing if so choosing then why are they folded vertically like that okay they need to be full they need to be like books stuff them vertically so you can see what each is right now i personally think i have to go more extreme and build the solution to work for me in my actual life which is i went for a little while i was like everything's on hooks on the wall everything's visual i remember nothing's behind anything yeah you're not gonna want to hear it but the biggest tip well reduce

14:35Jacqueline Novak:inventory you think i haven't done a huge closet purge i have a lot of clothes okay i'm not gonna do you like all of them that's really so here's what i want to do yeah but i've done some major purges right now i think i like everything that's in there pretty much i tried to do a limit to the t-shirts in your mind is there a limit yeah this is what so this happened the other day i go i'm sick of this shit i can't live like this anymore i i get to have five shirts right because i go in

15:08Kate Berlant:there i start pulling them out oh this shirt yeah not being able to see it not knowing it's there haven't worn it see this is the thing i only wear the stuff on top so the stuff on top gets washed let's say yeah and then it's worn again so i'm actually working with like a near microscopic

15:25Jacqueline Novak:collection i'm already living capsule collection yeah yeah four shirts yeah totally and then the other is just something making my drawers stuffed full oh i have a i have a unit right now that i can't wait to throw you know what i'm thinking of doing what going to dress you what the fuck

15:40Kate Berlant:is that because i get stopped when something's like what's dress you you you remember you were like the the whores uh you were like those sluts closets or whatever you were like well it was on

15:51Jacqueline Novak:a horse on a on a hanger no when did i say that what do you mean okay there's a place you go in there's a rack of clothing a woman a woman here's my clove Cindy

16:10Kate Berlant:and there's something creepy a little bit about you know it blocks me like do i gotta wash it first yeah they don't because honestly why do they trust us i don't mean straight off the crotch okay i mean like a t-shirt you know like basically i mean it depends i think i think it's on the business to do it keep meaning go in and go hey if i just bring a pile of clothes on hangers you deal with it yeah how easy is it to get set up

16:40Kate Berlant:and then i now have my crazy towels what's that mean i told you this new system implemented i got navy towels just for me and like you know my partner doesn't have to suffer wondering what the fuck is going on like that was on the floor one second ago now it's like you're sitting on it now it's our hand towel like what's going on i'm like those are my crazy towels i just i just know what i'm doing with them yeah that's for like i have a towel that's basically for like sitting on the edge of the tub steaming i love that towel that's how it's my good friend you know i'm a friend like time to steam don't want to put my like ass on the on the cold side of the tub

17:19Kate Berlant:you know i've got going now i've told you so obviously i have a labeler now that's huge i have like these two baskets labeled one says like into the office one says like upstairs closet one and downstairs i throw shit in there that needs to go to those places wait so i'm downstairs throughout the day whatever oh this needs to go upstairs instead of taking it upstairs and then starting to install shelves up there or something put it in the basket in the basket labeled the Take it up? Yeah. Pretty incredible. You know what else I did? Socks. Downstairs by the door in a drawer. Oh, so when you're leaving the house.

17:51Kate Berlant:I don't put my socks on upstairs in the closet and then walk socked down to the shoe area. That's like I always grab my socks and take them to where the shoes are.

18:04Kate Berlant:We had this thing at my father's house. My father's house. Leaving the father's house, okay? My parents' house. this light strip, I mean, this, this, this power strip that was going to be what all the tree lights plugged into. Look at this thing. It looks so industrial. It looks like the most trustworthy overkill thing for, for tiny, you know, okay. And I look it up because I start looking up, I worry, you know, parents. Okay. I just worry for them. So, so I start looking up like, you know, Ken, whatever. And it's like, I see these things and it's like, there have been changes. And they're like, you know, like pre 2010 lighting strips don't have the same safety features, blah, blah, blah, blah.

18:43Kate Berlant:I go, this could have killed us in the night. Oh God. That's scary. I went out, I got new, all the, whatever, all the, whatever new. And then, and then I also got them a label maker. One of my favorite things to do ever. Okay. It's a label maker. And I'm going to label it and say bought in 2025, right on the strip. That's smart. So that in

19:05Jacqueline Novak:2032 you go let's take a look let's take take another look it's like a carabiner you know

19:10Kate Berlant:that concept of how you don't know if it's shattered internally oh no basically like if you don't know where a carabiner came from you can't trust it to hang from a mountain

19:22Jacqueline Novak:you need it fresh i won't be hanging from any mountain it's like bonks that kill

19:31Jacqueline Novak:it is the season for spring cleaning and i've been doing a closet reset quality over quantity really is the theme of the springtime wardrobe reset i've been building a wardrobe of pieces that are well made versatile and easy to reach for every day that's why i keep coming back to

19:47Kate Berlant:quince the fabrics feel well they feel good and the fits they're thoughtful and the pricing yeah

19:52Jacqueline Novak:Yeah, it makes sense. Quince makes beautiful everyday pieces using premium materials like 100 % European linen, organic cotton, and super soft denim.

20:01Kate Berlant:All with styles that start around$50. Yep, their spring pieces are lightweight, breathable, and effortless. The kind of things you throw on and, well, instantly look put together.

20:12Jacqueline Novak:And that same focus on materials carries over into their accessories, like their leather bags, which are made from 100 % hand-woven Italian leather and honestly look way more expensive than they are.

20:22Kate Berlant:Quince works directly with ethical factories and cuts out the middlemen, so you're paying for quality here, not brand markup.

20:29Jacqueline Novak:I love the Quince Italian leather. It's beautiful, it's elegant, and it's so much more reasonably priced than big designer brands.

20:40Kate Berlant:What can I say? I'm a cashmere girl and having a little cashmere crew casual sort of sweatshirt piece. I like to have a few different sizes for different moods, throw them on, feel cozy. That's a Quince classic if I ever heard one.

20:54Jacqueline Novak:I love linen in the summer as it starts to get more warm. And their linen tops are so easy to wear and throw on. And again, affordable. Refresh your spring wardrobe with Quince. Go to quince.com slash hags for free shipping and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. Go to quince, Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash hags for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince dot com slash hags.

21:22Kate Berlant:Quince dot com slash hags.

21:27Kate Berlant:Eavesdroppers know I drink a lot of Element. We've been talking about Element a long time. We've begged for pallets of Element and they have been sent.

21:36Jacqueline Novak:Element helps anyone stay hydrated without the sugar and other dodgy ingredients found in popular electrolyte and sports drinks.

21:42Kate Berlant:I dump my little powder in. Watermelon's a favorite in the home. Shake it up. And boy, does it feel good drinking that when I am sweating up a storm.

21:50Jacqueline Novak:Electrolyte deficiency or imbalance can cause headaches, cramps, fatigue, brain fog, and weakness. I know what you're thinking.

21:57Kate Berlant:What are electrolytes? Well, they're charged minerals that conduct electricity to power your nervous system. They also regulate hydration status by balancing fluids inside and outside your cells.

22:08Jacqueline Novak:Element is a zero sugar electrolyte drink mix and sparkling electrolyte drink born from the growing body of research revealing the optimal health outcome occur at sodium levels two to three times the government recommendations. Each serving delivers a meaningful dose of electrolytes. Element is formulated for anyone on a mission to restore health through hydration and is perfectly suited for athletes, folks who are fasting, or even those

22:31Kate Berlant:following a keto, low-carb, whole food, or paleo diet.

22:35Jacqueline Novak:Everyone from Stanford neuroscientists to functional nutritionists believe an element. Hydration is foundational for energy, clarity, mood, all of it. It shouldn't feel like a chore to check off or a privilege to earn. That's where 12 ounces sparkling comes in. There are four refreshing flavors, pineapple salt, lemon salt, black cherry salt, and orange salt built for the workday, the weekend, and every sip in between. Formulated for a 12 ounce serving, these tasty slim cans deliver 500 milligrams sodium, 100 milligrams potassium, and 30 milligrams of magnesium.

23:04Kate Berlant:We do have a partner exclusive offer. We're excited to share with the Hags. You can get a free sample pack of Element's most popular drink flavors

23:13Jacqueline Novak:with any purchase at drinkelement.com slash hags.

23:16Kate Berlant:That's L-M-N-T dot com slash hags.

23:20Jacqueline Novak:Find your favorite Element flavor or share with a friend.

23:22Kate Berlant:What I recommend is you go on there. Maybe you get the watermelon. Okay, you get a box of watermelon as your base. But you get the free sample pack. You get to try the other flavors and decide how you want to mix it up next week. The flavors includes citrus salt, raspberry salt, watermelon salt, and orange salt.

23:39Jacqueline Novak:Try Element and see how you feel. Element has a world-class customer service team. If for any reason you're not satisfied, they'll take care of you.

23:46Kate Berlant:This offer is available exclusively through Element Partners. That's us. You won't find this offer elsewhere. It's for new and returning customers who click on our link. Do you follow, folks? So, drinkelement.com slash hags. It's getting you that sweet sample pack. When you visit our link, it adds the sample pack right to your cart. So yeah, when they say you have nothing to lose, this is the kind of deal they're talking about. I may sound like I'm joking around, but I really do love Element. See you on their website. DrinkElement.com slash hags. That's L-M-N-T dot com slash hags.

24:28Jacqueline Novak:I've reached another critical point. Just bottom, rock bottom of phone addiction and scrolling. And I'm going to take a break in August, and I'm going to do a light phone in August. So everyone stay tuned for my light phone. We all remember when we were staying tuned for when you got home.

24:50Kate Berlant:You were going to start your light phone. I know.

24:55Jacqueline Novak:But here's the thing. It really has been hard because I've been having to peddle these tickets. But starting to starting, I mean, tonight, I don't have any more tickets to pedal. Oh, I know.

25:03Kate Berlant:When you when you got to pedal the tickets, it's this is the whole thing. We're we're salesmen. So it's like that's why, you know, we got we got to get to the next level, Kate, where we got people doing it for us because we can't. It's not safe out there for our minds. OK, we got to protect our minds.

25:18Jacqueline Novak:We have to protect the minds, the soul and the spirit. And it's so, yeah, I'm going I'm going life.

25:23Kate Berlant:I'm just looking up because I thought this might stick in your head. that was pretty interesting, which was in your brain's not broken. It's like there's a quadrant she's got, okay, of red, yellow, green, and blue. And she's talking about big emotions, ADD, people like high emotional stimulation, good or bad, they don't fucking care, okay? They have big emotions, and so I guess they're drawn to them or whatever. And then fun, not fun, okay? So there's something fun, there's something not fun, there's something high emotional stimulation, low. and so that's the quadrant and it's like not fun high emotional stimulation we will fucking go for it oh wow we'll take it okay over not fun low emotional stimulation like boring task okay so then you go oh damn right yeah and then it's like okay what about low emotional stimulation fun it's kind of like okay that sounds kind of like a mildly nice thing and a lot of people don't do enough of that but you know point is you can get trapped in red okay you get trapped in red okay and so she's like it's all this stuff but it's like and then it's like all this stuff about how we use big emotions to motivate ourselves due to lack of short-term memory and it's like so like shame it's like you have to use these big and shame anxiety anger like we have to use these big emotions to like motivate yeah that sounds right motivate action because we can't get it the other way and and then i realized i'm in fucking scotland for that very reason yeah i come to this festival like as a as an enforced you know shame uh stress things like it's like yeah let me go where where those anyway it's just um but i'm lying there and i'm like i'm in another country doing the exact strategy i'm reading about like this is why i'm here yeah yeah but i'm always you know re-diagnosed by every book but but i i did find it interesting well i got

27:25Jacqueline Novak:really sad because i was scrolling and it was talking about because i ruminate who doesn't i guess people fucking don't like that's just the goddamn truth yeah they just straight up don't it's wild we're talking about rumination and overthinking as like and like it's actual like physical effects on the brain is being detrimental. Oh, I knew you were going to, the hypothalamus like shrinking. Yeah. So sad. Yeah. I was like, oh, I know. But I got to get off the phone.

27:55Kate Berlant:I'm in a new world with the phone stuff, right? I have, you know, two phones now because I got a new phone. So the old one has become the correspondence phone and it stays downstairs. Oh, I didn't know you were doing my, my, my old system, my bad phone system. You know, I lost my bad phone. I don't know where it is. Except I can't, I don't like the naughty stigmatization. It can't be bad phone for me. Like, so it's a little different. Work phone? Kind of. It's actually more like communication. Well, I call it correspondence. So I have a correspondence center, which was a chair with my old phone plugged into it, hooked up only to Wi-Fi.

28:29I'm not getting text messages from non-iPhone users there.

28:35Kate Berlant:So now I've moved it to a little desk. It's not a desk. It's a bulletin board resting across two things. That's another story. DIY desk making. Big for me. Always has been. Ikea Carl B. Butcher Block countertop. People put a top two other things and they have a Butcher Block desk. Huge trend. Anyway, the phone stays down there. It's only on Wi-Fi. I have to walk my ass over to that desk to do any texting. And then I have my old computer there, which I'm a hacker for figuring out a way to work with despite half the keyboard being gone. And the point is, like, Chris caught me and he's like, what do you mean you're sending an email?

29:09Kate Berlant:You're not at your correspondence desk.

29:11Jacqueline Novak:Interesting.

29:12Kate Berlant:I go over there. It's like it's 1910. I have the law office. And that's where, you know, the calls come in. And I write my letters back to the people. And out they go. Huge.

29:30Kate Berlant:Well, my morning module, which is on a little green index card. What's your morning module? Have I told you about my morning tray yet? No. So I have a tray, okay? It's mint green, and I think I got it at Ikea, but, you know. I have labeled it with my label maker, my P-Touch, my brother P-Touch. Mm-hmm. It says morning. Okay. Okay, it's sitting near the foot of my bed on a little mini dresser. What's on it? Meds, okay? The med that I take every morning. Usually this is chaos that happens sometimes in the morning, okay? I'm like, I do it instinctually and then I forget if I've done it. And I say, Chris, did I just take my Wellbutrin?

30:09Kate Berlant:And he goes, I don't know, because it's so familiar.

30:11Jacqueline Novak:I thought you had the little timer thing on it.

30:13Kate Berlant:I do, but I forget about the timer. So the pill gets taken before I leave my room, before I even leave my bed. Got it. I've got a B12, whatever, I forget. Spritz, spritz. I've got a D supplement, spritz, spritz. I've got a few other supplements on the tray. And then what else do I have? Oh, and my journal sits there. And my second journal, the dream journal. Oh, and now I got a new thing. Are you ready? So.

30:39Jacqueline Novak:And are you writing in it first thing? Well, I've been a little sloppy with that.

30:45Kate Berlant:Okay. I mean, the dream journal, yes. I mean, if I have it, I remember. Okay. But my upgrade, I have a full bottle of Mountain Valley. Okay. You know, I don't drink a lot of water. Okay. I've got Mountain Valley spring water. It sits on the tray and a glass. I go people have been doing this for ages a glass and a carafe you can even buy one if you want to be one of those women okay so to take the various supplements I have water ready to go right there and I pour it into a glass so I'm not chugging from yesterday's mountain valley like a piece of shit so that's morning module trying to think if there's anything oh and then it's like you know meditate you know spiritual whatever you know question mark I think I have morning pages on there right now it's oh sunshine 15 in the eyeballs sunshine in the eyes 15 minutes that's a fucking lot i think you're joking me 15 minutes try to get 15 so got to stack that and i've got an evening module sometimes they're a little overly ambitious includes tidying up do you ever do this at night specifically like tidy up from the day Yeah.

32:00Jacqueline Novak:Well, I found my partner's extremely neat. Wow. Yeah, which is huge. It was mine, actually. And I found that, you know, all the cliches are true, right? Waking up in the kitchen is spotless. Unreal. Changes your life.

32:15Kate Berlant:Unbelievable. I mean, I'm so fixated on these new improvements. So I've got morning tray, I've got evening tray, I've got out the door tray. I think I told you about all this, but it didn't stick the first time, I guess. So fuck it. So yeah, so I've got one that says out the door. And it's all the shit that I need to take with me when I leave. Includes SPF. It's like I'm not going out that door without putting on some SPF.

32:46Kate Berlant:So should I give, because this is like, this is like, I think pretty huge. Okay, this is like a new invention, ADD invention of mine. What? So I started doing it. Let me see if there's anyone's living here. so i have downloaded i decided i came up with a concept so like i saw this woman on on instagram okay her technique like oh i'm going downstairs to you know get the coffee whatever and then getting distracted so she's like puts her hand up in the air and that's like like i'm getting coffee and then she goes downstairs she keeps her hand up and that's right yeah okay because i was experimenting with like okay i'm gonna do that i'm like okay i'm going downstairs to empty the trash and I'll get distracted.

33:23Kate Berlant:So it's like, I'm like, you know, trash, trash, trash, trash, trash, trash, trash, right? Trash, trash, trash. So then of course I had an idea I could do better than that. Right. What if I downloaded like a Reggie Watts, like, like a looper? Yeah. Trash, trash, trash. And had my own thoughts reflected back to me in this way. So let me see, like, okay. So I was like, making it possible to work in this office, making it possible to work okay what is so i'm going making it possible to work in this office that was my goal i go because the office was chaos okay so i'm gonna play making it possible to work in this office this is truly like just for me right yeah obviously it sounds psychotic right so i'm like that's the goal okay i'm like that's let's start with the goal okay right so i'm like okay what's the first thing i gotta do trash okay and then i go wait let's see what i did next what I decided on next.

34:18Okay.

34:19Kate Berlant:So I decided to pick everything up off the floor. Okay.

34:25Kate Berlant:And then. That'll drive you. No, it didn't. It worked. It was heaven on earth. Okay. Okay. But then I can go. Okay. And then I can add something. Right. So I'd be like, you know, I'd be like, bring the donation items downstairs. Like bring the donation. And then I can pop in there. Okay. And I, I edit it. Okay. And then I can have the other one lowered down. So I just trimmed it. Okay. I can have the other one lowered down so I could a step at a time. Okay. I could just have that on repeat. donation okay i did this okay i completely like transformed my office okay and then the really wacko one sorry i do that but i just want to show something like so then like okay you ready yeah like hold on like okay so so it was like i wanted to like change it up a little bit

35:29Kate Berlant:no no no

35:34Kate Berlant:so then i was like bring the donation bring the donation okay i did this it rocked okay but i can get rid of that sometimes i need the original goal to be reminding me bring the donation and then i can bring in a new thing so I did this and then the other morning I did it like a crazy okay okay I know this is a lot okay but wait okay this one I went really far because this is my original experiment remember roles and goals I said I was committed to it yeah and then I'm like I'm an artist I'm uh okay I did and then I was like goals and rules I also have a body I'm going on a walk because my body makes the art

36:40Kate Berlant:because I was listening to my whoop deciding that I would go to the workout but you know I'd be mindful of my effort this is my whole new thing mindful of my effort during the workout out i could still go i can bring it down i could do 70 percent right right right yeah you don't have to go full you don't have to go for me it helps because routine the routine of like you know not resisting the going you know the the whole like the routine is putting your pants on and getting a car the routine isn't working out because like a lot of times the rest will happen naturally now i am someone that will drive to studio city and you know decide it ain't happening and you know go to the hardware store so that's turn away

37:24Kate Berlant:but i put it in the nasal i put it in the nasal cavity i go oh yeah and and you're asking is it the kind of thing you feel immediately whatever and i was like yeah and then i looked at the thing it's at four to six weeks okay now that's tough of everyday 20 minutes well that ain't ever happening fuck so i go at that point too i think my you and like it's like the stackables i was

37:45Jacqueline Novak:like when i was laying there doing getting the endospheres i was like okay i'm gonna do this plus i'm gonna you know plus the probiotic plus the meditation plus the the walking even you know

37:56Kate Berlant:it's like it's just fucking impossible and i keep going cut me no i know i know i know i know i know i mean the stacking can be satisfying and it's like well for me there are certain things that I've decided certain devices are, and this is why I think you need to incorporate more nightly television into your routine. Okay. That is standardized. Oh, what are we watching tonight? Not should we watch a movie? Okay. Because that's where the device work happens. Right. Right. Right. You're sitting there, you pop it on, you grab the Lima Lima. Okay. So I was thinking, but I do always have the fantasy of, um, I mean, for a while I had the higher dose on our couch, but And, you know, the couch at this point is a medical center.

38:39Yeah.

38:41Kate Berlant:Higher notes, the chief idolizer machine on top of it, a bunch of plugs hanging over the side. And then my, my basin of supplements on the table.

38:53Jacqueline Novak:Yeah.

38:53Kate Berlant:And it's like, it's funny. It's like the center. Yeah. This is how, yeah. But yeah, it really, it requires the baseline stack. It is the base of the stack is television. if I think if you want to do any of the other things

39:13Kate Berlant:no but shank so shank was like you know reduce options and he's like I know you're thinking like whatever because add like we like we like things okay we like he's like reduce options where like they're where they don't you know actually matter to you you know classic like he's like if I go to my closet and there's you know vests and jackets and and okay and i've i've essentially already done this in my life which is like i wear jeans and a t-shirt regularly and when i dress up i and actually no i need the when i dress up here's what i wear he has that like he's like when i speak i wear a button-down shirt and that's fucking it and that's not where his creativity goes you know

39:52Jacqueline Novak:what i mean i mean i'll say this my dad growing up and it's no exaggeration he had 10 of the exact same shirt it was a blue pad gap shirt and he wore it every single day and then at one point it was hawaiian he had he had 10 hawaiian shirts i'm not kidding yeah the blue plaid shirt yeah and we we found a photo of him when he's like 10 years old he's wearing the same shirt like it's like the same shirt so it's like and so you know he devoted his life to other things exactly

40:30Kate Berlant:oh by the way by the way huge news guess who's not drinking water in the way one normally would think about it but i read this in shankman add book chugging water okay quick okay just chugging some water and then like doing like you know five push-ups or whatever i don't do push-ups but the equivalent okay dopamine boost and back to back to focus it actually is a recharge wow so that's helped me and i've been doing like some water chugging oh my partner got me the hobonichi last year well here we go so i'm going it maybe three times so i'm going so i have a few ideas for this and some of our punishment yeah so i'm going guess what i'm buying us again yeah for 80 or whatever okay and yeah we're getting the dated one like that i mean you get japanese tomo river paper you got you know there's a lot there's a lot to it so so i go now we're getting it again and i'm gonna buy it every goddamn year until until we get you know what i mean like no no one's off the hook and then second i'm going an interesting idea and i'm scared and I go all right I flip back through it I see I go okay there's a lot of blank here would it be interesting to do a debrief of the year and go in poke around look at the calendar look at my calendar my digital calendar look at look at the past year and fill in things that happened and make a few notes of it now I've done the end of the year go back in and go oh what was July about can't remember like almost treat it a little bit more like a scrapbook because totally because the gcal i'm forgetting because i write everything in my gcal yeah so yeah talk about sexless i know well that's why sometimes i take this is my life paper yeah so i filled it in but but i have a new

42:24Jacqueline Novak:notebook my old notebook same i'm forgetting forgetting the brand it's not expensive it's some American brand. And for years I would write, it was very diligent everyday writing what happened for years.