Read time: 2.9 minutes

Welcome to Better at Life, the weekly newsletter where I share one simple, actionable idea you can put into practice today to build better habits, sharpen your mindset, and live with more intention.

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I wanted to read more, but never had the time,  until I moved my book to the chair where I drink my coffee.

That’s it. No 5 a.m. wake-up. No new habit tracker.
I just put the book where I already sit every morning.

Next thing I knew, I was reading five pages without even trying.
It didn’t take discipline. It took placement.

That’s the power of friction and why this week’s idea is so effective.

This Week’s Action: Do a Friction Audit

You don’t need more motivation. You need fewer obstacles.

A friction audit means looking at one habit you want to build — or break — and changing the environment around it to make that shift easier (or harder).

Try this:

1. Pick one good habit you want to do more of. Ask:
   → How could I make this faster, easier, or more obvious?
2. Pick one unhelpful habit you want to do less of. Ask:
   → How could I make this slower, harder, or less convenient?

Examples:

• Put your running shoes by the door the night before.
• Log out of the social app that eats your evenings.
• Move your meditation cushion into the middle of your living room.
• Unplug your TV during the week (yes, really).

You’re not broken. Your environment just needs a tweak.

Why This Works:

Behavior science shows that convenience beats discipline.

Small shifts in your surroundings either fuel your habits or fight them.

By removing friction from the good stuff and adding friction to the bad, you turn your environment into your accountability partner.on: you don’t need a holiday, fancy stationery, or perfect words. Just attention and intention.

You don’t need to try harder. You need to set up smarter.

Make the good thing easier. That’s how change sticks.

See you next week — a little better at life.

Read time: 4.1 minutes

Welcome to Better at Life, the weekly newsletter where I share one simple, actionable idea you can put into practice today to build better habits, sharpen your mindset, and live with more intention.

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Ever notice how every January feels like a self-improvement group project?

Everyone’s downloading habit apps, color-coding calendars, and pretending kale tastes good.

The problem: we try to do our way into change instead of becoming the person who naturally does the thing.

I’ve done it too.

I’ve tried to fix myself with new routines instead of asking who I actually want to be.

About five years ago, I decided I needed to “get back into shape.” So I joined a gym, bought a fancy water bottle, and spent most of my time pretending to stretch while watching people who actually knew what they were doing.

One day, a trainer asked if I wanted to join a lifting session. Without overthinking, I said, “Sure, I lift.”

That sentence changed everything.

I wasn’t just trying to work out anymore.

I was being the kind of person who lifts weights.

The more I acted like that person, the more it became true.

And now, for the last five years, I’ve lifted 5-6 times a week. I am a weight lifter. 

This Week’s Action: Identity-First Habits

Pick one identity you want to strengthen but make sure it’s something simple and true to your values.

Instead of saying, “I want to read more,” say, “I’m a reader.”

Instead of “I should be healthier,” say, “I’m someone who takes care of my body.”

Then take one small action that proves it today.

Read one page.

Pack one lunch.

Go for one walk.

The action becomes evidence of the identity.

Why This Works

Your brain loves consistency. Once you label yourself, it starts searching for proof to make that label real. It’s why someone who identifies as “a night owl” somehow always finds energy at midnight.

James Clear nailed this in Atomic Habits. The most powerful way to change is to start with identity, not outcomes. He’s right. The label comes first, the habit follows.

Identity-first habits work because they flip the script. You’re not waiting to become a certain kind of person after success. You’re acting like them now, and your habits catch up.ct words. Just attention and intention.

Change isn’t about doing more.

It’s about becoming more you.

The best habits aren’t forced.

They’re expressions of who you already are, or who you’re brave enough to start being.

See you next week — a little better at life.

Read time: 3.2 minutes

Welcome to Better at Life, the weekly newsletter where I share one simple, actionable idea you can put into practice today to build better habits, sharpen your mindset, and live with more intention.

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A few years ago, I realized something slightly horrifying: I was exhausted all the time… but not from doing hard things. From doing stupid things.

Scrolling “just for a minute.” Saying yes to meetings I didn’t need to be in. Checking email like it owed me money. By 2 p.m., my brain felt like an iPhone on 1% battery, and I hadn’t even done the things that actually mattered to me.

So I tried something new: an Energy Audit.

No spreadsheets.

No apps.

Just an honest look at what fuels me and what drains me.

And wow!

Turns out I wasn’t bad at time management.

I was just bad at energy management.

This Week’s Action: The Energy Audit

Here’s the 5-minute version:

1. Draw two columns: one for “+ Energy” and one for “- Energy.”
2. List your usual week. Meetings, habits, people, workouts, meals, whatever.
3. Label each item: Does it give you energy or drain it?

Example:

• + Energy: Morning walk, deep work block, lunch with a friend
• – Energy: Slack pings, doomscrolling, late-night Netflix “just one more”

Now look at your list.

Circle one energy drainer you can cut or shrink this week, and one energy giver you can amplify.

That’s it. That’s the audit.

Why This Works:

Energy, not time, is your real currency. You can’t create more hours, but you can reclaim energy leaks. Research on attention and willpower shows that every small drain, like context switching or unnecessary decision-making, pulls from the same limited pool you need for meaningful work and connection.

Small tweaks compound fast.

Cut one daily drain, add one daily charge, and your week feels 30% lighter.

Being better at life isn’t about doing more.

It’s about feeling more alive while doing it.

Small wins, smart energy, better days.

See you next week — a little better at life.

Read time: 2 minutes

Welcome to Better at Life, the weekly newsletter where I share one simple, actionable idea you can put into practice today to build better habits, sharpen your mindset, and live with more intention.

Yesterday, I stared at my to-do list for 17 minutes…and then closed the tab.

Not because I was lazy, but because everything on it felt enormous.

I’ve learned that most of us don’t need more motivation; we need momentum.

This Week’s Action: The 2-Minute Shift

When a task feels overwhelming, don’t ask, “How do I finish this?”

Ask: “What’s the 2-minute version of this I can start right now?”

Examples:

• Write a book? → Open a doc and type one messy paragraph.
• Get back in shape? → Do 10 jumping jacks right now.
• Inbox overload? → Answer one email.

Starting is the real victory.

And 2 minutes is all it takes to tip the balance.

Mini Challenge:

1. What’s one thing you’ve been avoiding this week?
2. Set a 2-minute timer.
3. Start it.
4. That’s your win for today.

You don’t have to finish everything today.

But you do have to start something.

And starting small is still starting.

See you next week — a little better at life.