In this episode, we get painfully transparent about our own struggles with depression. We talk about how depression manifests itself in our own lives and some of the ways we’ve been able to manage it and even shorten its stay. Some of the questions we talk through: What does depression feel like to you? Do the circumstances cause depression, or does the depression just cause you to notice all of these things that feel like they’re to blame? How do you want people to approach you when you’re feeling depressed? What helps you escape? ? We’re not therapists, but we’d love it if you’d be willing to share your experiences. What does depression look like in your life? How do you want people to approach you when you’re feeling depressed? How have you managed or found your way out?

Three Time Zones

How We Handle Depression

Drew claims he can find the perfect cereal match for your mental and emotional state. Jesse is skeptical, but he’s hungry, so he goes along with it. The cereals up for consideration: Corn Flakes (corn) Life (multigrain) Grape Nuts (wheat/barley) Honeycomb (corn) Rice Chex (rice) Lucky Charms (oat) ? Looking for your perfect cereal match? Tell us a little bit about yourself and Drew will do his magic!

Cereal Therapy

What’s the last thing you quit? Whether it’s a job, a relationship, or a worldview — making the decision to quit can be difficult. Jesse and Drew talk about things they’ve quit, when they knew it was time to quit, and what made the decision so difficult. Why is quitting difficult? For starters, all change is difficult, and it’s made even more difficult because we often don’t know what the “next” looks like; but change won’t happen until the pain of the same is greater than the pain of the change. We also struggle with loss aversion — the idea that the time we spent in any part of our lives is wasted. (“I’ve invested so much time, I just need to keep going.”) Sometimes that pressure keeps us going. Considering goals (why are you doing what you’re doing?) is an important first step to figuring out whether or not you should quit. We use Three Time Zones as a case study. What’s the purpose of the channel? Do we feel like its meeting that goal? What would it take for us to decide to call it quits? ? What’s something you’ve quit. How did you know it was the right time?

Should We Quit Making Videos?

Drew and Jesse talk about a novel idea: creating your own holidays to celebrate and commemorate the things that are important in your life.

Choose Your Own Holidays!

Who is more opinionated, Drew or Jesse? To find out, we came up with a game where we take turns hitting each other with topics — some controversial, some silly — and giving our opinion in 5 seconds or less. Who won? Let us know! We give our 5-second opinion on all sorts of things: pennies, Marvel movies, recycling, bacon, existentialism, pet names, Baby Yoda, the McRib, national parks, Taco Bell, drone warfare, Christopher Nolan movies, parades, socialism, the 2020 Election, celebrity crushes, C.S. Lewis, onion rings, trophy hunting, sea lions, kombucha, ice cream flavors, American exceptionalism, snakes, Kirk vs. Picard, the best season, college, Edward Snowden, Minnesota, 90’s sitcoms, business casual, escape rooms, pet peeves, the lottery, Brexit, Area 51, flossing, dieting, executive privilege, dubstep, universal basic income, plastic bag bans, Girl Scout cookies, pot, essential oils, shaving, and neckbeards.

5-Second Opinions

Jesse and Drew talk through the ethical implications of bringing children into the world, some of the drivers behind family size, and the impact having kids has on being a creative professional.

Being Creative... With and Without Kids

Drew and Jesse weigh in on the new Star Wars. Did you find it satisfying or infuriating? (Warning: This episode does contain some spoilers.)

Rise of Skywalker: Epic or Epic Fail?

For better or worse, the new year is a time for starting things. Jesse and Drew talk about goals for 2020, whether or not resolutions are a good idea, and some practical apps and services they use to help make their own goals a reality.

Productivity Hacks for 2020

Drew and Jesse weigh in on their most/least loved Christmas songs, and take a look back at the most memorable places, memories, and lessons learned from 2019.

Looking Back on 2019

This week, we talk about the recent death of Drew’s grandfather and work through some larger questions about death, like how people experience and process it and how we remember those we’ve loved and lost. From the episode: 01:00 : Jesse talks about his grandparents and how difficult it is to process seeing loved ones on a decline, especially when you’re younger. 02:50 : Drew talks about his great grandparents, sharing some of his memories of them and talking about their deaths. 06:25 : The conversation shifts to what impact their deaths had. Jesse talks about how death impacted him and how he wondered if his response was “inadequate” compared to others. 07:40 : Drew talks about the death of his grandfather Aron and how people in his small town contributed to his memory by sharing what he meant to them. 08:50 : Is a person is really just a collection of what people remember about them? 09:30 : Drew talks about how the memories and traditions you carry about a person feel a lot like ghosts. Losing parts of the memories of a person feels like losing them over again. 11:00 : Discussion about the “second death,” the thought that you really die when the last person on earth remembers who you are. That’s why so many people set up remembrances to keep the memory of a person alive. 12:00 : Are you really the same person day-to-day? 13:00 : We often craft the narrative about a person, especially when the real narrative is harder to live with, and those stories that we tell ourselves about a person are usually the ones that linger. 14:00 : It’s difficult enough for living individuals to summarize who we are… it’s no wonder it’s so difficult trying to capture the essence of a loved one who has died. 15:00 : There’s a “be with” factor, a quantitative measurement, that helps to build and to amplify those memories. 15:40 : Drew talks about finding his grandfather the morning that he died. He talks about how he processed his grandfather’s passing — the thoughts, the emotions, the shape of his grief. 17:55 : Drew talks about being in the room when his first grandfather passed away, the sacredness of the moment. 18:30 : The discussion shifts to “transition moments” when a person is born or dies, moments that are hidden to the living behind a veil. 19:15 : Jesse talks about his mother-in-law passing away and the beauty of expressing love by being as present as possible with someone on their deathbed as they slip away. 20:15 : People tend to turn their face away from the reality of death, but that does a disservice to those who are in the throes of it. 20:45 : Drew talks about how different people process death differently, based on their worldview and what they’re expecting and hoping to see. Jesse mentions that humans are drawn to finding patterns, so looking for patterns isn’t surprising, especially on a loved one’s deathbed when people are feeling a sense of powerlessness. 22:20 : “Tell me I’m a good person.” Being faced with our own mortality is a lot to process. 22:50 : How do you remember the people that you love? 24:05 : Jesse talks about how practically to remember those who have died. 25:00 : Drew talks about triggers that bring remembrance. Holidays are full of memories. Objects can be too, Drew talks about a pocket watch that belonged to his great grandfather. 25:30 : Jesse shows so artwork from his Uncle Edward as a way of remembrance, as if he was telling him something about his life. 27:40 : Drew talks about how the living are the lucky ones. A good reminder to go out and live. 

How Do You Process the Death of a Loved One?

Social media is a way for people to craft a persona, but it doesn’t seem conducive to creating longer-form content… unless, of course, that long-form content is the story of your life.

Social Media — Is It Worth It? (Part 2)

After Jesse’s month off of Facebook, we discuss the pros and cons and whether it’s worth it. (Spoiler alert: it’s complicated.)

Social Media — Is It Worth It? (Part 1)

We celebrate Thanksgiving with a little friend-to-friend competition! Here are the categories for anyone playing along: Words associated with a turkey Something at the Thanksgiving table Something at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Words associated with harvest Thanksgiving songs Thanksgiving history Something at a Football game Things you do right after dinner Words related to our families Something you’re thankful for Who do you think will win, Jesse or Drew? More importantly, who do you think performed the best rendition of their favorite Thanksgiving song? Oh, and feel free to pass this PSA around while it’s still “Thanksgiving-time”: http://www.isittooearlytolistentochristmasmusic.com/

Thanksgiving "Grati-Gories!!"

In 2009, Drew had a big idea: 48 weeks of volunteering in 48 US states. So the 48x48 project was born. But where does an idea like that come from and how do even start something that ambitious? How do you turn the desire to volunteer into the act of volunteering? The yearlong project was challenging. It was physically exhausting, and moving from place to place, meeting people but being alone a lot — it was emotionally exhausting. Following your passion is great, but the contours of the pursuit can often be more than you bargained for. But the amount of good he was able to do made it worth it: the people and organizations he was able to help, the number of people he was able to encourage to start volunteering, and the amazing people that encouraged him. The key takeaway? JUST DO IT. The hardest part of volunteering is getting started. Don’t get bogged down in the practicality. Once you get over the hump of STARTING, then you can figure out the details as you go ? Got some creative volunteering ideas? Let us know!

Volunteering Challenge: 48 States in 48 Weeks!

“What brings you the most joy in life right now?” One of the hardest parts of talking with strangers is the opening question. We talk about our favorite “openers” and how the framing of that first question can help shape the conversation. Jesse also shares about what he loves: hearing other people’s stories. He talks about “Troy Stories,” a project he started in 2016 as a response to the poisonous online climate ahead of the 2016 election and as a way to get away from the screen, listen to voices he hadn’t normally heard, and help cultivate empathy in the community. He talks about how and why he started it, the struggles he had to overcome, what he gained from the project, and the future of the project. Oh, and Drew is really into dogs right now (then again, who isn’t?) ? What’s your favorite question to spark a conversation with a stranger? Let us know!

Why Talk to Strangers?

Three Time Zones is Jesse Gardner and Drew Johnson, prattling on about everything from philosophy to pet peeves. Join us every Tuesday as we span three time zones to talk life, design, philosophy, personal stories, and general miscellany…

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Three Time Zones

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