A week with Marsh
A week of one conversation. The texts are made up. The rules in the margin are the real ones, and every text Marsh starts here follows them.
Mon 10:12 pm
I keep saying I'll start running and then I don'tWhy does running matter to you right now?i get winded on the stairs at work. i'm 31That's a good reason to be annoyedWhen would you really do it, mornings or after work?not mornings. i hit snoozeThen we don't do morningsWhat about straight after work, before you sit down?ok yeah. Tues and ThursWant a text Tuesday around 6 to see if you're heading out?yesWhat timezone are you in, so 6 means your 6?torontoDone, i'll check in Tuesday around 6Runninggetmarsh.app/t/…Marsh asks what you want, then why, then when, one question at a time. It only texts first once you've said yes, and it asks your timezone before it sets a time. The tracker link arrives on its own.
Tue 6:04 pm
Shoes on yet?just got back. 2.4kLogged 2.4 km in RunningFirst one's the hardestHow did the last ten minutes feel?bad. but doneThis is the reminder you agreed to on Monday. You log by saying what you did, in your own words, and the receipt shows where it went.
Wed 2:15 pm
how's running going?legs are sore lolSore means Tuesday countedStill on for Thursday after work?yeahYou'd been quiet for 20 hours, so Marsh checked in. It does that at most once a day, only between 9am and 8pm your time, and it's always a question.
Thu 10:30 am
still on running, or did life get in the way?No reply. Marsh leaves it for the day.
No answer, so nothing else from Marsh today. One check-in a day is the ceiling, answered or not.
Fri 9:00 am
been a minute — where are you at with running?Fri 12:30 pm
skipped yesterday. felt grossOne missed Thursday doesn't undo TuesdayWant Thursdays to be a 10 minute version so it's harder to skip?ok that i can doThe second check-in in a row. If this one had gone unanswered too, Marsh would have stopped texting until you came back. It doesn't make you feel bad about Thursday. It makes Thursday smaller.
Sat 9:00 am
how's running going?Sat 10:40 am
did the 10 min version just now. 1.1kLogged 1.1 km in RunningThe short one still goes in the logHow did it feel next to Tuesday's?easier honestlyA short run is a run. The tracker counts the day, not the distance.
Sun 9:00 am
still on running, or did life get in the way?Sun 5:00 pm
still on. how did i do this weekTwo runs, 3.5 kmRunninggetmarsh.app/t/…Same two days next week, or add a third?Every tracker has a link. Anyone you send it to sees the numbers and nothing about you.
Mon 9:40 pm
finals in two weeks and i haven't opened my stats notesWhy does this one worry you more than the others?it's 40% of the grade and i bombed the midtermThen stats gets your first hour, not the leftoversWhen in your day could you give it an hour before you're tired?after lunch. like 1 to 2Want a text tomorrow at 1 to get you started?yes. i'm in vancouverDone, i'll text you at 1Stats revisiongetmarsh.app/t/…What, why, when. The why is the question people skip, so Marsh asks it in those words. It won't set a reminder until it knows your timezone.
Tue 1:00 pm
Notes open?opening them nowTue 2:10 pm
did the hour. chapter 4 and half of 5Logged 1 hr in Stats revisionThat's more than you'd done all termWhat tripped you up in chapter 5?confidence intervalsWant tomorrow's hour to be only confidence intervals?yesThe reminder is two words because that's all it needs to be. The log comes from what you report.
Wed 10:30 am
how's stats revision going?Wed 2:25 pm
done. confidence intervals make sense nowLogged 1 hr in Stats revisionTwo hours in two daysWhat's the next weak spot?hypothesis testingTwenty quiet hours had passed, so this is the daily check-in. You answered when the hour was done, which is fine. Marsh doesn't chase a check-in.
Thu 10:30 am
still on stats revision, or did life get in the way?Thu 11:40 pm
didn't study. went out instead and now i feel awfulOne night out two weeks before an exam isn't the problemIs tomorrow's hour still 1 to 2?yeah11:40pm. Marsh answers whenever you text. Quiet hours only limit the texts it starts.
Fri 7:45 pm
how's stats revision going?did 90 min today to make up for itLogged 1.5 hr in Stats revisionYou don't owe yesterday anything, but that's a solid sessionWhat's left before you'd feel okay walking in?two past papersThe check-in came late because you'd texted late the night before. It always waits 20 hours after your last message.
Sat 4:00 pm
been a minute — where are you at with stats revision?No reply. Marsh leaves it for the day.
A Saturday off. One unanswered check-in changes nothing.
Sun 9:00 am
how's stats revision going?Sun 3:15 pm
first past paper done. 71%Logged 2 hr in Stats revision71 on a paper you couldn't have started last MondayWhen's the second one?Marsh ties what you just did to where you started, then asks for the next date.
Mon 11:52 pm
i keep checking if my ex has seen my storyThat's a rough loop to be stuck inWhat do you want instead of the checking?to stop looking her up. and sleepWhy does stopping matter to you right now?every time i look i feel worse for hoursThen not looking is the whole goal this weekCan i text you once a day to ask how it went?yesDays without lookinggetmarsh.app/t/…A bad night gets one line of sympathy, then a question about what to do. Marsh is a coach, not a therapist. If a text ever mentions self-harm it stops coaching and shares 9-8-8.
Wed 1:12 am
i looked. she's with someoneThat hurts, and 1am makes it louderIs your phone within reach of the bed right now?yesCan it charge across the room tonight, starting now?fine. ok1:12am. Marsh always answers. There was no check-in on Tuesday or Wednesday because 20 hours after each of these texts landed outside 9am to 8pm.
Thu 9:00 am
how's not looking her up going?didn't look yesterdayLogged a day in Days without lookingOne full dayWhat helped?phone across the roomThe first check-in of the week, and it's a question about the goal. It never opens with a pitch or a statement.
Fri 9:00 am
still on not looking her up, or did life get in the way?No reply. Marsh leaves it for the day.
No answer. Marsh doesn't ask twice in a day.
Sat 9:00 am
been a minute — where are you at with not looking her up?Sat 2:30 pm
i looked last night. two days down the drainTwo days still happenedWhat was going on right before you looked?couldn't sleep. boredThen the fix is for 11pm boredom, not for herWhat could be on the nightstand instead of the phone?A slip is information. Marsh asks what came right before it, then changes that.
Sun 10:45 am
how's not looking her up going?didn't look. read like 30 pages insteadLogged a day in Days without lookingTwo days in the tracker nowDays without lookinggetmarsh.app/t/…Same plan tonight?The tracker only counts what you report. A day you don't mention stays empty, and it takes nothing away from the days you did.
