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Hello all,

We’re about 48 days away from January 1, 2026.
Which means soon your feed will start to be filled with planners, aggressive goal setting, and “new year, new me & hustle more" energy. (Yay <-- heavy sarcasm)

As a therapist, I see this every year people trying to add more to their lives in the name of “productivity.” We buy new journals, download new apps, and tell themselves, “This year I’ll finally get it together and get that 6 pack by spring break.”

Deep down, I appreciate the optimism... But here’s what I think gets missed: People need less emphasis on organization and new goals, and more emphasis on carrying less.

The Rory Vaden Focus Funnel: (Aka "Productivity for Real People")

Rory Vaden, author of Procrastinate on Purpose, developed a tool called the Focus Funnel (click here for more in depth summary).

Here’s the gist: every task you face should go through this sequence of rigorous questioning:

1. Can this task be eliminated? If not necessary, it’s gone.
2. If not, can I automate it? If it happens often, let a system do it.
3. If not, can I delegate it? If someone else can do it 80% as well, hand it off. (Craig Groeschel is a master of this one)
4. If not, do it now... or it gets scheduled.

Most people never make it past step one. They just do, do, do. and eventually get tired, then get burned out in Q2 or Q3.

But the secret to multiplying your time isn’t in doing more… it’s in compounding the time you save by eliminating and automating.

Compounding Interest...for Your Time (and maybe your peace):

Think of automation your time like financial investing. A small deposit (lets say: 5 to ten minutes saved) compounds over time into something massive.

Here’s how everyday examples stack up:

Total saved if you implemented Vaden's tool for just ONLY 15 minutes you would save:

• 1 year: ~91 hours (that’s a little over 2 work weeks)
• 3 years: ~274 hours (that’s nearly 7 work weeks)
• 5 years: ~457 hours (that’s roughly 11 work weeks)

That’s time you could be sleeping, training, or playing with your kids.

IMO The #1 Reason Resolutions Fail year after year is not because they're lazy... its because they're too busy, too overcommitted, too full.

Most people make new goals without first making space.
They try to cram fresh habits/routines into a cluttered life.

People have limits, and for some reason January makes people think they can blow by those limits out of willpower/white knuckling.

How to Apply This Before 2026

Think of November and December as your “decluttering months.”

1. Eliminate the obvious.
   • What are you doing weekly that nobody actually asked for?
   • What meetings, commitments, or habits are not adding value?
   • Cancel, unsubscribe, and say no now so January starts lighter.
2. Automate the boring.
   • Bills, grocery lists, calendar invites, recurring emails, workouts.
   • Set it once, let the machine handle it (come on, isn't this the reason we were excited about AI?).
3. Delegate the repeatable.
   • Hire help for small stuff (yard, laundry, errands) or trade responsibilities with your partner.
   • Free time buys peace of mind.

Your Weekly Challenge To start today:

Pick one recurring task that eats 10–20 minutes of your week.
Ask yourself:

• Can I eliminate it entirely?
• Can I automate it using an app, shortcut, or system?
• Can I delegate it?

Implement it before Sunday and earn your time back.
One small system you set up today might buy you entire days of down the road.

Stay Connected,

— Zach

Mental Health for Men Founder, Clinical therapist
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