Oops, I missed two newsletters.
I missed the first one because I went to see friends in NYC and was out all weekend, and when I sat down on Sunday evening I couldn’t find the motivation to write. And then the next day I worked late. And then the next day I had a late dinner. I just couldn’t find the time. So I decided I would leave it until the next Sunday.
And then the same thing happened again. The weekend came and went and Sunday evening was upon me again, and still no newsletter.
So then, I told myself, I’ll miss a second week, and starting that Monday, I would write a little every day so that I would have a newsletter pre-written on Sunday.
That didn’t happen, so now I am here, again on a Sunday night, but I am actually going to write this newsletter this time.
It’s been a weird three weeks. On one hand, it was very busy and fun. I saw friends that I hadn’t seen since before Covid. I hung out a ton with my girlfriend doing fun summer stuff: swimming, running, etc. But at the same time, I felt down on myself that I wasn’t completing all my goals.
Now, if the only reason I hadn’t written my newsletter was truly that I was busy doing other fun stuff, that would be fine. But that was not the case. I so easily slipped back into my bad habits. I didn’t go back to TikTok, and I didn’t spend much time on my phone, but instead, I watched a lot of youtube on my computer. Watching one video here and there turns into watching many videos back-to-back and then I’m back to my same old shtick. I put off the stuff I should be doing for the immediate reward offered by consuming content.
To solve this new issue, a few days ago I redownloaded the Mac app “Self-Control” that can block certain URLs on your computer for a pre-set period of time. I’ll use it more in the next few weeks to block youtube and see if that has a positive effect.
For now, I’ll just give some quick updates on what happened over the last few weeks. Some exciting stuff!
I got a tattoo
Yes, I got a tattoo! As you know, it had been one of my goals for a few weeks after I broke down the “Be more like Harry Styles” goal I set up at the beginning of the year.
An old friend from high school happened to be spending the summer near me, and she has been tattooing for a few months. I love her style, and I asked her if she could design a tattoo of my home in her style. Here’s the result:
Follow her @bonesattack on Instagram!
I went on my friend’s podcast
While I was in NYC, my friend Cesar from college asked me if I could be the first guest on the podcast he is starting.
It was a super fun experience! We had a great conversation, and the episode will be out soon. I’ll write about it in my newsletter as soon as it’s out!
I signed up for a 5K
I’ll be moving back to NYC in October, and as part of my Marathon journey, I thought I would sign up for an easy race to get in the spirit of things. I’ll be running the “Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K” in NYC. It’s official! Any friends in NYC wanna join?
I think that’s probably all the updates for now. I’ll see you next week (hopefully)!
💪 Goals
Year Progress: 60%
Publish one newsletter a week.
Read 30 minutes a day. (182 hours total)
✅ Work out once a week.
Post 52 videos on TikTok.
Consume less, create more.
Meditate daily.
Paint two paintings.
✅ Get a tattoo.
Make music.
Starting July 18th, work out 4 times a week, including 2 runs.
📥 Input
Newsletters posted: 24 📈 +1
Hours read this year: 110.5 📈 +11 (on schedule)
Workouts this year: 68 📈 +9 (37 ahead of target)
Workouts since July 18th: 9 📈 +9 (3 behind target)
Runs since July 18th: 7 📈 +7 (1 ahead of target)
TikToks posted in 2021: 9 (@maxzechef) + 17 (@maxlascombe) = 28 📈 +6 (3 behind target)
Screen time this week: 12h14
Number of times meditated this week: 1 📉 (6 behind schedule)
📤 Output
Newsletter subscribers: 48 (thank you ❤️)
Books read this year: 17
Number of abs: 1.2
TikTok followers: 126 (@maxzechef) + 49 (@maxlascombe)
📚 Reading
Finished since last newsletter:
“The Hobbit”, J. R. R. Tolkien.
“Animal Farm”, George Orwell.
Currently reading:
“Money Master the Game: 7 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom”, Anthony Robbins.
“Homegoing”, Yaa Gyasi.
“The Tipping Point”, Malcolm Gladwell.
Please leave any book recommendations in the comments and add me on Goodreads.
🗓 Daily Routine
I’m going to try working out first thing in the morning and reading after that. I’ll see how that goes.
Thanks to all my subscribers and readers new and old. Really means a lot that you read this week after week. If you’re not reading from your email inbox, please consider subscribing below:
See you next Sunday ❤️
In the meantime, you can read last week’s newsletter:
Maybe not this 5km, but would love to do an event with you some day