Loop 002 · about 2 minutes
Some weeks, something has to give.
The only question is whether you pick it, or it picks itself.
A couple of weeks ago, I launched a book. I also have a full-time job. So for a while, my evenings belonged to the launch: LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, ads, review sites, and this newsletter.
Going in, I did one thing right. I admitted what season I was in.
This wasn't a normal month. It was launch season. And in launch season, I wasn't going to keep up my usual workouts. So I scaled them back on purpose.
Not quit. Scaled back.
That one decision changed how it felt. When you choose the smaller version ahead of time, a short workout isn't you failing. It's the plan.
Sleep was a different story. I never decided anything about sleep. It just took the hit.
Last week, once things calmed down, I did what engineers do after a big release. You sit down and look back. No blame. Just what worked, what didn't, and what changes next time.
What worked for the launch
Scaling back workouts on purpose.
Reaching out to friends directly. That did more for the book than anything I posted.
Bargain book newsletters, the emails that tell readers about discounted books.
What didn't
Sleep. Not because I was busy, but because I never made a call on it.
What I'm keeping
All three social platforms. The launch pace was temporary. Showing up there isn't.
Here's what stuck with me. It was the same busy stretch and two habits. One I scaled back on purpose, and it was fine. One slipped on its own, and it cost me.
The difference wasn't discipline. It was whether I decided ahead of time.
Next busy season, sleep gets a decision too.
The bad-week version
Next time you can see a heavy stretch coming (a deadline, a move, exams, a launch of your own), take two minutes before it starts.
Name the season. "This is ___ season, until ___."
Pick one thing to scale back on purpose. Say how small it gets.
Pick one thing you protect no matter what.
Write it down where you'll see it.
Now when the workout shrinks or the reading stops, you didn't fall off. You're following the plan. And when the season ends, you know exactly what to turn back up.
One question
What season are you in right now, and what are you scaling back on purpose?
Hit reply. I read every one.
Mahmoud
P.S. This newsletter comes from my book, Better With Every Loop. It is on Kindle and in paperback.