This post originally appeared in my weekly newsletter, BL&T (Borrowed, Learned, & Thought). Subscribe
Borrowed
"According to [author Robert Greene], there are two types of time in our lives: dead time, when people are passive and waiting, and alive time, when people are learning and acting and utilizing every second. Every moment of failure, every moment or situation that we did not deliberately choose or control, presents this choice: Alive time. Dead time. Which will it be?"
From "Ego is the Enemy" by Ryan Holiday [Book]
Learned
In 2019, I started paying closer attention to my habits and working to improve them. Getting Things Done by David Allen and Atomic Habits by James Clear were influential books that helped me make positive changes that stuck. I remember reading Barrel Co-Founder Peter Kang's 2019 post on habits around this time and thinking I'd love to write a similar post someday.
In 2021, I started manually tracking certain habits to keep myself accountable and have a more quantifiable way to look at my progress.
With all that said, I’m excited to share my first-ever year-in-review. I admittedly did not give myself enough time to put it together, but at the same time, I appreciated how having a tight deadline made me work more efficiently. Next year, I'll be sure to carve out more time.
I initially planned to focus only on my habits but quickly saw there was more to cover. I did my best to highlight what was most memorable. All in all, I got a lot value from the process of writing this and am happy I made the time.
Here's an overview of what to expect:
- Five Takeaways from 2022
- Highlights
- Progress and habits tracked in: Fitness, Writing, Food & Wellness, Reading, Speaking, Finance, Travel, and Barrel
- Five Themes for 2023
Thought Starter
In what ways will I grow in 2023? What memories do I hope to create?
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The E-Commerce Corner
We saw a greater focus on SEO among e-commerce clients in late 2022 and expect this trend to continue in 2023. For some clients, the decision comes from challenges after Apple's iOS 14 updates. One of our clients (who sees most of their sales from collaborations and drop) plans to move away from paid marketing in 2023 and focus on improving organic SEO.
Monday, January 2, 2023
