I don’t know what your Twitter feed is currently like and, to be honest, I don’t want to know. I only mention it because mine has recently become something of a guidance counsellor.
I’ve always been rather game for a handy tip, but Elon’s algorithm has wholly pounced on that fact of late, ditching football and music from my feed in favour of self-help bon mots and skills I ‘had to understand’. Rather than fight it, I decided to acquiesce to its demands. For one month, I would mine threads for wisdom, adopting any pearls I found into my life.
The first thing to understand is that not all Twitter advice is created equally. I mean, you’ve seen Twitter, right? It’s a misinformation hellscape out there. Threads range from the bizarre to the downright misogynistic (25 Reasons that Women Love Playboys, anybody?). Some are just plain baffling. One of them, featuring good communication hacks but, for some reason, two pictures of the actor Peter Dinklage (yet zero Dinklage-specific advice) still wakes me at night in a sweaty fug of confusion.
I decide if my algorithm is pushing me to be better it may consider me somewhat idle, so start with a thread on Japanese techniques to avoid laziness. It’s surprisingly enlightening. Terms such as Ikigai (find your purpose), kaizen (aim for small daily improvements) and shoshin (don’t worry about perfection) feel manageable and motivating. I also adopt the Pomodoro technique to my WFH lifestyle—where you work for 25 minutes, break for five, then repeat—with a surprising boost in concentration levels.
It then hits me: maybe Twitter doesn’t see me as lazy, more just a floundering idiot? So, next up is 10 ways to succeed with zero talent. The title is misleading, it’s actually good advice. Things like show up on time and do the work, have an attitude of gratitude, and seek solutions over problems. It’s basic, sure, but you realise it can be easy to lose sight of core principles. I realign my plan to seek advice offering foundational blocks to success.
I opt for threads on bodyweight exercises that strengthen the core and reset the mind. The simple addition of bridge pose, plank, child’s pose, and a figure-four stretch to my day helps open my tight hips—trophies from sitting at a desk all day—making general movement easier. Half a week later, the pain in my knee goes. I use advice on concentration and focus—the main take-home being to put your phone in the drawer for a few hours each day.
I also realise that just the fact I’m trying to improve any of this actually makes me feel good.
“The mere act of seeking techniques shows a desire to improve and grow,” explains corporate coach and NLP-certified trainer Noona Nafousi. “This mindset alone can increase your confidence, motivation, and how you view yourself and your future. It’s so important to remember that changing our lives for the better is a journey, not a destination. It’s the effort that you put into it that matters, and each step forward counts towards improving your life.”
By the final week my feed is literally flooded with self-help threads; to the point where you think Twitter might actually just call an ambulance. But while there are certainly threads to avoid, many include nuggets worth adding to your routine on a daily basis. The key, truthfully, is to just keep on trying to learn new skills.
However, as I do have a habit of overanalysing things, I seek out one last thread for some sort of reassurance. Thankfully, a thread by Twitter user @PowerLiving gives it to me straight—if you’re overthinking things: write.
Finally, I have become one with my algorithm.