Appendix
The appendix serves two distinct purposes: to situate the framework within a broader body of knowledge, and to provide a compressed operational view of how it is applied.
Mitchel Lensink
Photographer and writer working on long-term projects that uncover the overlooked beauty and quiet goodness in the world, shared in my monthly newsletter Dialogue.
Making closure a practice
Understanding the Advance Filter is one thing. Keeping it alive in real situations is another. Closing a loop once is not that difficult, especially now that you have this framework. Keeping your system stable over time is where the real work begins.
Building community is overrated
Community isn’t something you declare into existence. It forms over time, through shared identity and enough structure to sustain itself. Anything before that is branding.
The Advance Filter
Going from chaos to clarity in a few simple steps. That's what we'll do here. Don't expect any growth or productivity hacks. These are simple, scientifically-grounded, concrete, applicable things you can do today to get unstuck and start advancing in life again.
Knowing what to stop
So far, we've been talking a lot about the way open loops accumulate, how they become an issue, and what you can do to solve those issues. But a large part of tackling those problems is also defined by what you decide to stop doing.
Define the shape of your work
If you can imagine the final form your work should take, you can determine how much time and effort you should invest right now. Projects should be smaller before they become bigger. Loops should be shorter before they become longer.
Do not 'keep your options open'
Keeping your options open is useful when starting something new. But when you're stuck, it becomes your biggest enemy. Commit, follow through, learn from the outcome, and adjust from there. Repeat this until direction becomes clear. Prefer finished over perfect; that’s where you actually learn.
You're too competent to finish things
If you’re reading this and you feel stuck, there’s a good chance you already know something important: the problem isn’t that you can’t do the work. It's something much more profound and therefore difficult to spot.
Why this framework exists
You have ideas. Probably a lot of them. But if they stay in your head, they don’t really mean anything. At some point, it’s on you to turn them into something real. You do that by finishing things, even if they’re rough. That’s how you build proof, figure out what works, and achieve your goals.
Introduction
Before we start, let's make sure that what you're about to read and (hopefully) learn, is in line with your expectations. If you are a creative person with a myriad of ideas that don't seem to fully come to life the way they're supposed to, this framework should help you break through that cycle.
March 20th, 2026
I've recently become unemployed, and it's fine. I enjoy it, actually. It took a month-long trip
How to tell stories online
For years I thought I was simply exploring and taking photos. Only later did I realize I was repeating a pattern: go out, collect, return, interpret, publish, repeat. This issue maps the loop that turns wandering into a creative practice.
Mexico, a retrospective
A look at a country I like a lot, but no longer love. And "it's not you, it's me" I want to tell it, if countries had ears to hear it. Because it really is me and who I am today. But, who knows, another 10 years might do wonders.
Playa del Carmen (yes, I am sorry)
Hey man, let's be real: Playa del Carmen is a tourist hub. It's fake in all
Mérida, Yucatán
Oh wonderfully interesting but, apparently, forgettable Mérida. Forgettable for me, specifically, I must say.
Puerto Escondido
Or Punta de Zicatela, more specifically. Because that's definitely the place you want to be right now if you come here.
Spanish
Just enough to keep us afloat. That's my level of Spanish. At least it was during our first few days in Mexico. Some skills acquired about ten years ago and slowly eroded since, now carefully getting its dust wiped off.
Monologues are back
The briefest of entries so far.