Happy New Year!

I’ve seen this trend a couple of times and what better time to hop on board than the start of a new year?

This is the 63rd newsletter I’ve written so, as you can imagine, I’ve picked up a few things. These are lessons I’ve learned, so not all will apply to everyone else, but hopefully there’s something useful for everyone.

Shall we?

1. The grass is always greener on the other side… or wherever you decide to water it

2. Less physical clutter = less mental clutter

3. Instead of recommending a book time and time again, just buy it for them (h/t struthless)

4. If you think New Year’s Eve is overrated, you’re in the wrong place with the wrong people

5. It’s okay to put a book down if you’re not enjoying it. I use the 100 page rule but sometimes I know way earlier than that if I’m going to enjoy it

6. Turn off motion blur on your smart TV (and don’t forget your parent’s TV!) to avoid the Soap Opera Effect. LG calls it TruMotion, Samsung calls it Auto Motion Plus, Sony calls it MotionFlow

7. Soda and lime looks a lot like a gin and tonic when required

8. The primary benefit of cardio exercise is to get fitter, not to burn calories. To lose weight, you need to eat less (think about the amount of effort to burn 100 calories vs eat 100 calories less). (h/t @fitfounder)

9. Journalling does actually work. Writing out your thoughts will surprise you

10. Chances are you don’t get enough sleep (7-9 hours), drink enough water (2L minimum) and/or do enough exercise. Focus on these first - everything else is the cherry on the top

11. Cookbooks will never be replaced by online recipes

12. Before you pay £50 for a portable charger and new wire because your phone’s battery is rubbish, think whether you could sell your phone and upgrade for a small amount more (~£100)

13. Over planning is just another form of procrastination - only action brings around actual change. (Also apparently ‘over planning’ is 2 words. Who’d have thought?)

14. Banning something from your diet only makes it come back even harder, I’ve tried it many times with 🍫. Think of a pendulum that has been pulled too far one way - it’s going to swing just as far the other way once you let go

15. It’s hard to buy happiness but a dog comes close

16. You can quit your job. Right now. There are better jobs out there

17. In my experience, an Apple Watch has definitely helped me get fitter, stronger and more healthy

18. Polaroid photos are great

19. If you can’t think of a gift for someone, a gift card really isn’t that bad. In fact, it’s much better than something they didn’t want in the first place

20. If a person is overwhelmed, instead of asking them ‘How can I help?’ and adding to their list of things to think about, offer to take a specific job / task off them

21. We all tend to believe we are being judged more than we really are. The truth is, everyone is too busy worrying about their own lives to notice other people. In fact, they probably envy the fact you’ve done the thing you think they are judging you for (switched jobs, started a blog, went vegan)

22. Napping is a superpower. 2023 is the year I conquer napping

23. Competitive sport is the best way to get fit without realising you’re doing any exercise. You play football and play tennis but you don’t play on the treadmill or play HIIT in your bedroom. The clue is in the verb

23 lessons for 2023. Let me know which ones stood out to you the most!

I’m sure I’ll have plenty of these popping into my head over the next few days, as I did last night while trying to fall asleep. I’ll share any good ones in next week’s email.

This week I'm: ⬇️

• 📖 Reading The Kite Runner - can’t put this down despite how sad the story is. Great gift, thanks Tom

• 📺 Watching The Traitors (BBC) - best reality show since I’m a Celeb and The Circle

• 🏋🏻‍♂️ Returning to the gym after a several weeks away...

• 🍺 On day 5 of dry Jan. So far, so good after avoiding a few drinks on New Year’s day

• 📧 Resharing last week’s Best of 2022 email - a round up of my favourite books, TV, online articles, newsletters/blogs, places visited, music, tech and purchases of 2022. Plenty in there for everyone and I was really happy with how it turned out - lots of great comments

💬 And finally, a quote

In the final 3 months before I left my 9-5 office job, I started to simply not join meetings I knew I would not benefit either myself or anyone else on. Did I get sacked? No, of course not. Nobody noticed, and I saved a few hours a day.

Thanks!

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