All Writing by Jamie Miles
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Trues Stories & Reflections
#10: Fixing Your Forgetting & Brighton Improv
‘I have a terrible memory. What’s wrong with me?’ is the next addition in my series on memory. Instead of giving you more memory tools, I wanted to share how to diagnose why you forgot and how to fix it.
Why You Keep Forgetting (and How To Fix It)
Our memories are not ‘good’ or ‘bad’ in any meaningful general sense. Instead, they are specifically fallible. They fail in particular ways, under particular conditions, for particular reasons. And these reasons are largely diagnosable.
The Foggy City: Part One
‘You’ve been here a while now. Do you prefer San Francisco or London?’ Fran, Britney, and I were having lunch in the canteen. I finished my bite and answered without hesitation. Souring my colleagues’ excitement wasn’t my intention, but I can’t deny that seeing their…
#9: Magnetic Conversation & Writing Satire With The Onion
You might remember what to say, but struggle to express it. So while I continue to chip away at the next memory-focused article, ‘Why We Forget and How To Fix It’, I wanted to share the recipe for having magnetic conversations I learned from my improv practice.
The Art of Magnetic Conversation: Build Up, Not Out
Learning to bring a conversation to life turned out to be simpler than I expected, and the insight came from an unlikely place: improv.
Specifically, from realising I’d been misreading its foundational principle, ‘Yes and…’. Once I corrected my understanding, I started noticing it everywhere, especially in the people I find the most magnetic to talk to.
Creative Company
I found Vincent the way you find most good things: in a bookshop. We were both attending a signing event by one of our favourite authors and happened to be neighbours in the queue. As seems to be custom for my best friends, Vincent promptly left the country.
#8: Muscle Memory & Dark Chocolate
I’ve turned to one of the forgotten cousins of memory: the comeback. This week is about the power and consolations of muscle memory, repairing my broken body, and the strange way I’ve been eating dark chocolate.
The Oil Layer
This week, I figured out that the entire wellness supplement industry was, for most practical purposes, a very attractive wall of nothing. I did this while trying to fix my eyes. Nobody was particularly interested.
The Comforts of Muscle Memory and The Man Who Came Back For His Son
Your past effort is never wasted. Even after injury, illness, or years of neglect, your body and brain retain far more of what you built than feels possible and, when you return, you recover it far faster than the first time you built it. So let’s get into the consoling truth and change how you approach your next comeback.
#7: The Actor’s Memory Trick
I’ve gained weight!
Why that’s wonderful will make more sense once you read this week’s story… which is, unfortunately, nowhere to be found.
The Actor’s Memory Trick: The First-letter Technique
Actors don’t memorise lines through repetition, they make lines memorable by understanding the intention and meaning behind the words. That’s the engine behind their incredible feats of memory.
#6: My New Unaddictive iPhone
This week’s story is a reflection on what I’ve realised after re-entering the world of writing in public. It turns out, my model for life has changed, which was a surprise to me.
Escaping Your Phone’s Gravity: Part 2
A few of my friends saw my new habit and followed suit, so I thought you’d also enjoy my trick for being less of a doomscrolling phone-zombie.
The trick is well-known: turn your phone screen black and white. But how I do it is different.
Snakes and Ladders
At the start of this year, my main ambition was to not fall apart.
After what grief did to me when Mum passed, I knew better than to rush into chaining myself to a strict writing schedule in 2025. I wrote and worked, but it was flexible and forgiving. I took things one day at a time and retreated back to being a sobbing mess whenever I got stuck in a grief spiral.
#5: The Oldest Memory Trick & Getting Hacked
I did something brave last week. I’ve also written up the story of when my website got taken over by Russian hackers. It was bizarre, infuriating, and promptly got turned into a stage production.
Russian Hackers
My freshly launched website got taken over by Russian hackers. What followed was bizarre, infuriating, and promptly got turned into a stage show.
The Oldest Memory Trick: Acronyms and Acrostics
Acronyms and acrostics are the oldest memory tricks in the book for creating and recalling long lists of information. While they are powerful, creating them is tedious; with the AI workflow I teach, you’ll be able to take advantage of their power without the tedium, and create enduring mnemonics that make new lists of information unforgettable.
Vegan, But Bacon: How To ‘Cheat’ Your Way Forward
50% is better than 0, especially when 100% isn’t possible. Embracing this attitude is one of the most useful tricks for “cheating” your way towards your goals, building new habits, and ditching old ones.
#4: Vegan, but Bacon
It’s Mother’s Day in the UK, so I wanted to share a special and sweet recipe to honour my mum. I’ve also written up a trick for “cheating” your way to better habits and shared a story that was previously a secret bonus read.
#3: Pancakes & Open Loops
With another year under my belt, I’ve been reflecting on which parts of my past I don’t want to drag into my next solar orbit. The shift in perspective has been so liberating and energising that I’ve made it the star of this week’s article.
Radiohead vs The Preacher
‘Accept our Lord and saviour, Jesus Christ!’
Ugh. This guy again.
Ever since I got burgled, I’ve become more defensive when it comes to protecting my home. I haven’t told you about the burglary yet. It happened in May 2025. I’m still dealing with the fallout.
Closing loops, re-energising your life
With no other obvious culprit, we blame our exhaustion on our modestly packed schedule. Yet, when we check our maths, the numbers don’t quite add up. There’s another factor at play. We have too many open loops.
The unanswered message.
The unfolded clothes.
The unframed art.
The unwanted, still‑uncancelled toothbrush subscription.
This family of unfinished business beeps away in the background, like a ceiling full of smoke alarms with low batteries. Every loop demands a slice of attention, a sliver of guilt, and carries a haunting worry that we’re falling behind.
#2: Malala & Poisoned Chores
This week, I saw Malala. Yes, Nobel Peace Prize winning Malala. I also looked at my dad’s search history after he died. What I found shook me.
Capacity, Not Character: Rethinking ‘Domestic Failure’
There’s a mean story many of us carry around: if you can’t keep up with the dishes, the laundry, the bathroom, there is something wrong with you. Not with what you’ve been through. With you.
Of course, that’s not true. You’re suffering because you’re moralising your domestic chores. You believe that your self‑worth is tied to the crumbs on the kitchen counter. You believe that whether you are good or bad, a success or a failure, is informed by your performance at completing your chores.














