Episode 9

Live Slow, Die Cozy - November 09, 2026

“Live slow, die cozy.” I heard that on a stationery podcast and immediately thought, yes. I used to rush from my desk to the kitchen like somebody was chasing me. Now I’m thinking about what it feels like to slow down, and how the things we keep around us can help.

If you wanna spend some time with your own artifacts, come hang with me at My Kaigi this Saturday, November 14. Bring your pens, your papers, your phone, whatever helps you remember your year.

And Danny Brown and I are doing Office Hours on Wednesday, November 11, at 11:30 a.m. Eastern to talk through some new things from Captivate (aff).

I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, favorite stationery podcasts, and they were having a discussion about, it’s kaigi time, which is my favorite time of year. It’s the stationery community’s time when they all start to create content around what planner system they’re going to be using next year. And there’s a lot of reminiscing about what happened in the year and all the stuff.

So they were having a conversation about it, and one of the cohosts said that she has a sticker, a bumper sticker on her car, that says, “Live slow, die cozy.”

Oh my gosh. That is my life. Like, that’s such a great little saying. I immediately was like, yes. Live slow, die cozy. I wanna die cozy. Just cozy, cozy.

I mean, it’s things like this that I’m living for right now, people. The delight in finding out some of this stuff.

And then I was thinking, like, I want that sticker. I wanna have a sticker too that says “Live slow, die cozy.” And then I started to look at the stuff and I thought, I don’t like those designs. I would definitely have a T-shirt that says “Live slow, die cozy” on it, but not with those designs. It’s a little too, like… it’s just not my vibe.

I might consider creating some kind of merch around that, you know? But then is there, like, a legality? Who said that? Can I just use it? Because how cute, right? Live slow, die cozy.

And part of the reason that this was brought up is because everybody’s thinking back about their year and planning and what their intention is for that coming year. And this cohost was talking about how that is part of the vibe she wants to move forward into 2027 with.

And it’s never about just coziness. And I think that’s a part that a lot of people miss about the planner community, especially the real… not hardcore, that’s not the word. The roots. The roots of the stationery community. The ones that are the salt of the earth.

There is a level of wisdom from that community and the way that they use their artifacts, which is a word that I really started to use also for my things. They’re my artifacts.

And there’s something incredibly transcendent about the way that we use our physical tools and the artifacts that we surround ourselves with that have a greater meaning. And they are a conduit, possibly even a container, for us to choose a life that best reflects who we are.

And oh, that was the context in which this cohost was talking about it. She had been feeling a level of stress, as we all feel, right? Life is moving so fast. Things are moving so fast. Everything’s coming at us from every which way, and all of us are yearning for a more grounded experience of our lives, I feel. Maybe some of us. Maybe that’s not the language. That’s what she was looking for.

And so the “live slow, die cozy” is everything about that. Take the time to do things. Don’t feel like you have to very quickly cram everything in. And death overall, I mean, I couldn’t think about anything more than just dying cozy, surrounded by warm, fuzzy things, clothing, and comfortable in my bed. It’s just… I don’t know. It’s just everything.

And so I totally felt that so deeply. Last year… not last year. This year has been a year of this, of living slow. Because prior to being fired about a year ago, I was, I was doing everything I possibly could to live to work. Not consciously. I’m not sure if that’s even clear, but I was rushing through everything. Everything was rushing. Everything was eating fast. I forgot to eat, in fact, many different times.

I was completely disconnected from my body. And anytime that I moved from, let’s say, my desk into the kitchen, I was rushing like somebody was chasing me. Anytime I had to walk anywhere, I was rushing. Everything had to be rushed. I had to go fast, fast, fast.

It felt like if I slowed down… I can’t even put words to it. It’s like there wasn’t enough time. It was like I was being pressured. I think everything around me felt like pressure. And that pressure got me into not the best places in my health, in my actual physical body. I was burnt out. Like, legit burnt out.

So when I see this type of a saying, a saying that moves forth from a place of living slowly and dying cozy, I think that I’m meant for that. Yeah, totally.

And today I didn’t freak out too much. I was doing show notes for the In & Around Podcasting episode that’s dropping tomorrow, and I was doing my last listen, right? So I listen to the podcast episode, I put chapter marks in the file itself, and just give it a quality listen.

And as I was listening, I started to hear a crackle, like a real subtle crackling sound in the back of the file itself. And I freaked out a little because I thought that something was wrong with the file. But after restarting my computer, I realized that there was something wrong with the actual audio whatever from my computer, which made me realize, okay, everything is all right. The file is fine. I get to listen to this episode and get the show notes ready.

So it is a very, it’s a very good show. It’s a very good episode that comes out tomorrow, so keep an eye out for that. Link to In & Around Podcasting in the show notes.

And also, hey, Danny Brown and I are doing our Office Hours this Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, and we are covering some lovely new things that Captivate (aff) has just released.

You guys, come and hang out. Like, come and hang out and be amongst community and look at tools. And even if you don’t, like, participate, just put it on. Just hang out with us. It’s gonna be so fun. Again, link in the show notes.

And lastly, My Kaigi is this Saturday. I would love to have y’all there, any of you who are interested in actually living slow and dying cozy. Come and hang with me.

We’re gonna look at what happened in 2026. We’ll do a little bit of a ritual, looking back at all the things that are you. There’s plenty of time for you to sit with your artifacts. If you have your own special artifacts that you like, that make you feel cozy, pens and papers and notepads and fountain pens and digital systems, anything that makes you feel like you’re doing your thing, bring it.

And also your phones, because there’s a lot inside of, I think, phones for me in terms of memory keeping, without me even knowing that those memories are there. And so bring the phones as well.

And we’ll just look back, plan for the rest of the year, because it’s coming. It is so… it’s coming to an end. Like, it is going to be over sooner than you think. Already it’s gonna be Thanksgiving in a blink. So this is a really good time for you to do the work of planning prior to that rush at the end of the year where you’re gonna blink and it’s gonna be… all right.

So we have how many more days? What is today? Five. Five more days. Five more days until your kaigi. Show notes.

That is all, my friends, today. You can send me some feedback on SpeakPipe or email me at hello@elsieescobar.com.

Big love to y’all.

Links mentioned

Recording notes

Recorded on my iPhone 13 mini and processed with Auphonic.

Sticker image credit

Image from The Funkie Moon’s listing for the “Live Slow, Die Cozy” bumper sticker by Kaeraz.

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