1) Instagram and WhatsApp on 2 Minute Per Day Limit
I go on Instagram to post occasional Stories on BFU and check my personal DMs. If I need to add a bit more, I do. But no more newsfeed scrolling.
NOTE: May be bad advice if you need to master the platform. But I don’t personally handle this for BFU.
2) Email Diet
I took 2 of my email accounts off my phone app. So I can’t even check some of my email accounts unless I’m at my computer.
I still check — and respond — more than ideal. But doing way better.
3) ChatGPT App with Voice Texts
This is my new Google.
I’ve been using ChatGPT for a while on my computer. But just talking into the app has made it integrate into my life a lot more seamlessly.
Bonus Pro Tip: Use ChatGPT to get feedback on your writing. You’ll get very good feedback.
4) News Diet
I still skim headlines. But it’s no longer a daily habit.
I mostly consume long form “slow news” via physical magazines and the odd podcast. And even then, only on weekends.
Breathless-of-the-moment stuff is designed to make you anxious and keep reading. Longer form stuff is less crazy-making.
There’s a big difference between “breaking news” and a 20-page piece in The Atlantic.
5) Limiting Coffee
No coffee most days after 10am. And almost never after 12p.
I used to drink up to 1p or even 2p. I still sometimes have a cup at 2 after a Sat nap. In this situation I’m choosing an afternoon kick over optimal sleep and feel great about the trade.
6) Refreshing My Meditation Practice
For years I practiced a variation of Transcendental Meditation, but had fallen off doing so consistently.
I finally took the plunge and signed up for Sam Harris’s Waking Up app. This is my first return to mindfulness meditation since my mid-20’s when I was a serious student of Buddhism.
Great to be back in the habit.
7) Minimal Drinking
Every year I take January, February, and August “off.” I guess technically it’s more “dry” than “damp” as I had a couple of drinks over the first few months of the year.
But even though I’ll never be a tee-totaler, my body now keeps me accountable by bitch-slapping me the next day if I have more than 1 or 2 cocktails.
People sometimes ask what I would do differently if I could go back in time.
I say “More binge drinking in my 20’s and early 30’s!”
(I’m kidding, I’m kidding!)
8) More Cardio
I’ve been experimenting with pushing my Zone 2 volume from a 90-100 min weekly average to closer to 3 to 3.5 hours.
My lifting has remained consistent at 3-4 days per week, plus an additional high intensity Zone 5 cardio session 1-2x per week. It’s early innings with this experiment. But I’m interested to see how improving my aerobic capacity will impact my energy levels and blood work.
9) Catching Up on the X-Men
You’ll note most of the above is about editing. Even with a small daughter, between the above tweaks and selling MFF, I have more free time.
I was a HYOOGE X-Men comics fan from the ages of 9-11. Turns out a lot of stuff happened in the last 35 years!
Been very fun to catch-up, as it feels both wholesome AND indulgent.
What about you?
Any new additions or subtractions working for you in 2025?
Mark
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