Whit King is a philanthropic advisor, yoga instructor, and insatiable bibliophile based in Austin, helping small nonprofits grow with clarity and purpose. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

PHYSICAL

• Kindle Scribe – Instant access meets intentional reading—because sometimes I need the book now, not next week. I highlight, annotate, and move through ideas at the pace they arrive.
• Blackwing Pencils – For when my hands need to move slower than my thoughts. Tactile, grounding, quietly nostalgic. Blackwings have been my go-to for writing anything that matters. I choose pencil over pen because you can erase and begin again—a quiet reminder that most things in life aren’t permanent.
• LEUCHTTURM1917 Hardcover Notebook (Blank, B5) – Where the noise clears. A place for first drafts, bold starts, the patterns I notice over time—and anything else I want to give shape to. I’ve used these notebooks for years—always blank, always B5, always in color. I’ve collected them in every shade, and when I line them up, they form a vivid rainbow—a visual archive of my thinking across seasons. Each one holds its own chapter. I build an index in the back of every notebook and log it into a master index organized by keyword—so if a thought needs to be retrieved, I know where to look. I know digital would be faster—and I use iNotes and Google Docs, too—but my best thinking still happens on paper. Seeing how I’ve spent my days in physical pages just feels right.

DIGITAL

• AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, Canva Magic) – I use AI the way I use my notebooks: to clarify, refine, and sort through layered thinking. It helps me develop my own thinking while expanding the frame with perspectives I hadn’t yet considered. From there, I can test assumptions, spot gaps, and check for coherence. Part research assistant, part sparring partner, part mirror—it complements my thinking by showing me what’s missing, not just what’s already there.
• Goodreads – There are more books on my TBR than I have shelf space, free weekends, or lifetimes. But I’ve made peace with that. Reading is the one habit I never have to schedule. Goodreads is where I track what I’ve read, what I’m reading, and what’s still lingering in the digital pile—organized by theme, year, and a tagging system that occasionally only makes sense to me.

INVISIBLE

“If while washing dishes, we think only of the cup of tea that awaits us, thus hurrying to get the dishes out of the way as if they were a nuisance, then we are not ‘washing the dishes to wash the dishes.’ What’s more, we are not alive during the time we are washing the dishes. In fact we are completely incapable of realizing the miracle of life while standing at the sink. If we can’t wash the dishes, the chances are we won’t be able to drink our tea either. While drinking the cup of tea, we will only be thinking of other things, barely aware of the cup in our hands. Thus we are sucked away into the future—and we are incapable of actually living one minute of life.” —Thich Nhat Hanh, The Miracle of Mindfulness

This quote strikes me because it reveals a simple truth: presence isn't about the task—it's about showing up fully. Some of my most memorable moments occurred when I was completely present—and they're proof of what Thich Nhat Hanh means by being truly alive. When I'm mentally racing toward the next thing, I miss both experiences. I'm not fully engaged with what's happening now—I'm distracted, going through the motions. And when that next moment arrives, I'll still be somewhere else mentally, already chasing what comes after.

The power lies in the doing itself. One action. One breath. One moment. Not the endless chain of what's next.

It's the difference between living and surviving. When I stay present with what's in front of me—really stay—something miraculous happens. The ordinary becomes alive. The mundane transforms.

Presence is a practice.

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