On Doordash, AI, and Holiday Decor

The online world is overflowing with advice on how to improve every aspect of your life: your home, your diet, your personal style, your relationships, you name it. Sometimes you know you’re in a rut, but there’s so much information and so many people telling you what and how to change that it’s overwhelming to even figure out where to start. 

I’ve found the easiest way to make progress is to implement small, approachable changes one at a time until you start to feel a little more in control of your days. Today I’m sharing three of the small changes I made to feel a little more human in our increasingly tech-addled world. Depending on where you’re coming from, they may be difficult to implement but in addition to saving you money, they’ll bring some joy and peace back to your days that you may not even know you were missing. 

Cut Back on DoorDash

I recently came across a post online describing Doordash (and other similar delivery platforms) as “ordering a private taxi for your burrito”. I sat there for a moment considering the absurd imagery of doing such a thing, and realized this person was exactly correct. Immediately I was inspired to cut off (or at least dramatically reduce) my use of takeout delivery apps. 

There are obvious financial perks associated with this decision; takeout delivery apps include ridiculous upcharges and fees that turn a $10 order into a $25 ordeal. The restaurant offerings are rarely health-conscious, and while my husband and I love to indulge in the occasional fast food treat, it’s common sense that relying on McDonald’s or Chik-Fil-A to prepare your dinner multiple times a week is going to make you feel pretty gross. 

If you’re currently an avid delivery app user, this change is likely to have a pretty big impact on the way you structure your days. Some people rely on delivery in large part because home cooking is a daunting skill to develop; it can appear time-intensive, costly, and overstimulating for those just starting out (and honestly, even for those with a bit more experience in the kitchen). I assure you that learning is easier than you think, and the cost, which you will find is already much cheaper than delivery, comes down significantly when you learn a little bit more about how to cook and what you like.

It’s possible that the most convincing argument for learning to cook at home, however, is the sense of accomplishment you’ll feel in preparing meals you love in your own home. I have found cooking to be an incredible outlet for creativity, and it’s a very empowering feeling to know that I can create exactly what I’m craving from a few simple grocery store ingredients.

Unplug the Robots

I’m not talking about your Roomba, or the smart thermostat that helps you save money. I’m talking about reducing the touchpoints in your daily life that you have with artificial intelligence. AI has a time and place. It can be an excellent tool to proofread a paper you wrote or to help you envision what your living room would look like with a different paint color. This is not an argument about the ethics of AI use; you’ll find plenty of those already online in other places.

What I’m arguing for is the maintenance of little everyday acts that make us human. AI was pitched to us as a tool that would help take care of the work we didn’t want to do, so we would be free to spend time thinking and creating. Instead, we got AI slop masquerading as art, literature, and media, all while people lose their livelihoods to automation. 

Try taking a trip to the farmer’s market instead of asking Alexa to handle your grocery restock. Develop your own painting skills so you can create that birthday party banner yourself instead of ordering an AI slop version online. Don’t ask ChatGPT to summarize a reading assignment for you; light a candle, grab a blanket, and do the reading yourself. You’ll be surprised at how much you enjoy managing the little daily tasks that could otherwise be outsourced to unfeeling devices. 

Delay Your Holiday Decor

I want to say that this change is the easiest one on the list, but the influence of social media is strong and the stores are playing Christmas music before Halloween. Stay strong! Overcoming the urge to move up the holiday timeline will make for a much more magical experience for everyone involved. I’m going to sound like I’m nagging on this one, but trust me, it’s worth it.

I probably don’t need to extol the virtues of delayed gratification here, but I can promise you that waiting for each holiday to have its turn will allow you to be fully present for the season and make the changes even more exciting when they arrive. Put out the fall decor when it actually cools down in your area (July 5th is not fall). Halloween can make its appearance in mid-October. Please don’t skip over Thanksgiving! Make November about leaning into cozy fires, thick blankets, and warm candle scents until the fourth Thursday passes and then, THEN, start to put out Christmas. 

If you struggle with the anticipation, try using this as an opportunity to start new traditions with your family. My husband and I decided last year that we won’t put up our Christmas tree until a week before the 25th so we have something big to look forward to for most of the month. We make a day out of it by picking up festive coffees on the way to the tree farm. This way, by the time Christmas Day rolls around, we still have the novelty of the tree to enjoy and our excitement lasts nearly into January. 

These changes aren’t about being counter-cultural, they are about taking back the enjoyment of little daily activities like cooking, allowing yourself to express creativity in your craft, and living in tune with the changing seasons. There seems to be a feeling of burnout for many people who find themselves suddenly living much of their life on autopilot, over-relying on technology to handle daily tasks that could otherwise be an opportunity for joy and accomplishment. I hope you find yourself inspired to try out some of these ideas, and that they have the same impact for you that they’ve had for me!