Take It or Leave It
Like many during this time, I’ve been reflecting on the past year and considering how I want my 2026 to look.
The beginning of the year always seems to move so slowly before speeding up until December passes by in the blink of an eye. The holidays can be a tricky time too.
I’ve greatly enjoyed the time spent with friends and family these past couple weeks, but it’s also been hard to hold onto certain habits. I have to remind myself that periods like this are ok. Habits can be restarted just as they can be stopped.
While I’m on a break from some of my habits, I figured it might be a good time to evaluate which things I want to carry over with me into 2026.
Take It: Planning and Reviewing
For a while, I’ve done a practice called Morning Pages, which essentially involves writing a stream of consciousness in the morning. The creator recommends writing for three pages, but I normally found myself doing about one full page.
Recently, I felt like the practice was a bit stale to me. I put it on pause to try a much shorter morning journaling practice.
The journaling practice I’ve been doing involves answering the following prompts:
- 3 things I’m grateful for
- 3 things that would make today great
- 3 daily affirmations
- 3 great things from the day before (3 “wins”)
- 3 ways I could’ve made the day before better
I’ve really enjoyed this structure.
When writing what would make today great, I’m often surprised by how low the bar can be. Sometimes just getting to the gym and writing for a little bit can contribute to a great day.
This structure helps me escape the mindset of “I’m not doing enough” to focus on a couple impactful things that can set me in the right direction.
Leave It: Reading Streaks
I talked about my Kindle reading streak in a recent blog post.
I can happily share that I’ve (finally!) let go of my Kindle reading streak.
The Kindle reading streak was benefiting Amazon way more than it was benefitting me. I was focused too much on checking off the day instead of spending quality time reading.
Plus, I really enjoy physical books from time to time, and the Kindle streak discouraged me from picking up a paperback.
My Kindle reading streak is something I’m leaving in 2025.
Take It: Making Before I Manage
The podcaster Tim Ferris has a phrase that’s stuck with me: make before you manage.
Essentially, try to do creative work before getting into the minutiae of the day. If you’re like me, this means taking a stab at writing before getting distracted by email or similar tasks.
There might be some science backing this idea up.
Recently, I listened to an episode of Mike Birbiglia’s Working It Out that featured Arthur Brooks. Mike is someone who writes in the morning. Upon learning this, Arthur told Mike he was doing it the right way and shared that our dopamine stores are highest in the morning, making it the best time to do focused (and creative) work.
Maybe this is just anecdotal, but it’s something that works for me, which is why I’m going to try to get back into the habit in the New Year.
Leave It: Over-Documenting
I like the feeling of marking something complete when I do it. This leads me to creating more trackers or tasks than I often need. I create admin for my personal life.
Trackers and tasks are great when they’re truly necessary. A running tracker might make sense when you’re trying to increase mileage by 10% each week, but if I’m just trying to run for 30 mins three times a week, I don’t need to document that in Excel.
I’ve tried to evaluate whether or not the metric I’m tracking really needs to be measured. If it does, that’s fine. I’ll keep doing it. However, if I’m just documenting for the sake of checking a box, that’s something I plan to leave behind this year.
Take It: The Two-Minute Rule
I can build up tasks in my head to be way more complicated than they really are.
For example, writing a blog post each week can feel super daunting even though I’ve done it 40+ times so far. There’s something about transferring the chaotic thoughts in my head to the page that seems impossible each week. I guess this phenomenon is the infamous writer’s block.
A tool I’ve used recently that has helped a lot is the two-minute rule. It’s really simple. Just do something for two minutes. If you want to stop after the time is up, you can, but more often than not, I find I want to keep going. It’s like inertia for my internal motivation.
The other day, I didn’t want to go on a long run, so I told myself to just start. I could stop after a few minutes if I really wanted. Instead, I finished the long run I had planned and felt better than if I had just stayed at home.
For someone who can get in my own way at times, the two-minute rule helps me get out of my head and into the task at hand.
Getting Back on Track
This week’s post might be shorter than average. Honestly, I’ve been having trouble getting in the habit of writing with the unpredictable nature of the holidays. That happens from time to time (as I’ve been trying to remind myself).
The good news is that I know what I need to do. I’ve discovered some great habits and practices this year that I can start working back into my daily routine. I’ve also realized some things that just weren’t working.
Trying new things is only helpful if I’m honest with myself. Not everything will be relevant to the life I’m trying to lead. It’s a good reminder that sometimes knowing when to stop something is just as important as trying something new.
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