Dear Reader,

Is it too late to wish someone Happy New Year? Regardless, Happy New Year! I'm so glad you're here with me in 2026 🥳

I had a very restful break surrounded by loved ones, great food, and experiences that helped remind me what I really value in life (which are often simple things).

But now I'm getting back into it!

20 minutes a day for a more well-rounded me

I ended my last newsletter lightly touching on goal-setting and how I was starting my new year with clarity. My first quarterly project of the year was to read more, specifically 20 minutes a day. I dusted off my old Kindle, redownloaded Libby (a free app that allows you to read library books on your Kindle - if you're U.S.-based I highly recommend!)

And here I am, just 18 days into January with 2 books finished and halfway through my 3rd 😊

I don't share this to brag (although I am proud) but considering I only read 3-4 books total last year, this is a tremendous improvement for me.

To be honest, some days I only read for 5-10 minutes before getting bored or distracted. But other days I'd find myself engrossed and reading for hours.

But the amount of time I read didn't really matter. What matters is that I did.

Start with the smallest amount you know you can stick to

We all know that Rome wasn't built in a day, but it really can't be overstated how the smallest, tiniest, daily habits add up.

This time can be transformative to nearly all aspects of our life - whether that be health, money/career, or just something we want to accomplish.

1. Doing something is infinitely better than not doing it

Like most things that are good for us, our good habits lies on a utility curve with diminishing returns. Meaning, something is much better than nothing.

For example, the benefit you get from running 0 min/day to running 20 min/day will be life-changing. Running 20 min/day to 40 min/day may help more, but it's not as important as those first 20 minutes.

Starting is the most important!

2. Small steps lead to consistency

Using the exercise example again, it is much more beneficial to us to work out 10 minutes every day, than a single 70 minute session once a week.

It may be the same amount of time per week, but a little bit a day is more effective than trying to accomplish everything at once. It helps us stay consistent, motivated, and importantly, when you feel good, you find yourself feeling confident to do more.

The intense workout that puts us over the edge of exhaustion won't do the same.

Just a little bit a day.

3. Keep expectations casual and playful

I'm a perfectionist. I love the idea of doing things right the first time. But the best things in life are rarely accomplished in such a manner - it's messy, trial-and-error, and full of lessons.

When you have high expectations for how you want something to go, it's very easy to feel overwhelmed by the prospect of failure. Consequently, this anxiety makes us want to procrastinate or avoid said thing.

But 20 minutes has helped me keep expectations of myself pretty low. It's not a lot of time, which allows me to stay playful around how much I should expect myself to accomplish. If I do more than I intended, or if it goes exceptionally well, great!

But if not, well, that's better than nothing right? See point 1.

Small steps to a more well-rounded version of me

I've been reminding myself that it's the little steps that we decide to take every day that actually count towards becoming a more well-rounded version of ourselves - whether that be improving our health, learning skills, healing, or something else.

And we can treat these habits like self-care, not discipline. 20 minutes a day for myself, to care for a part of myself that needs a little attention. Something to look forward to, and be proud of.

Because reading 20 books a year is daunting, but reading for 20 minutes a day?

I think that's something I can do.

Is there a self-care habit you'd like to start?

Warmly,

Kaki

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