January reflection

Is this genuine reflection, or just a cheap way to meet a goal I set in my 2026 plan? Who knows. Either way, January was less about big wins and more about rebuilding daily habits.

Turning of the year

2025 rolling into 2026 felt good for me. The latter half of 2025 wasn’t great, and for some reason, a new day, a new week, a new month and especially a new year, always feels like a good time to start something - a diet, a work out routine, a project, whatever. Starting it “next X” is better than starting now.

For me, it was conveniently timed. I wasn’t starting anything new, but I was trying to reclaim my old routines and habits. I was getting back into work, started physio, and began short rides on Zwift, and we had a trip planned to go back home given we had to cancel our annual Christmas trip due to my surgery.

Sobriety so far

I’m now approaching 4 months sober and to be honest, it’s been a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, the absence of hangovers and hangxiety is very nice, but on the other hand, I just don’t notice any positive differences.

I’ve read books, listened to podcasts, watched a lot of YouTube videos, and according to all sources, sobriety comes with a lot of rewards. Things like “sober sleep”, more energy, ability to focus, deeper connections, etc. - yet for me, nothing obvious day to day.

I’ve found myself having conversations like “Is it really worth missing out on all of these potentially great times whilst I’m still young-ish, fit-ish and healthy-ish? What am I gaining by not drinking? 2 extra years of life when I’m 80 and in a care home?!”

Despite a lot of these conversations, I ultimately land back at the same place - it’s the right thing for me, at least for now, and at least for another 3 months.

Reading & writing

For January, I finished reading “The Sobriety Secret: Why Quitting Drinking Is Easier Than You Think” by Craig Beck. This felt more like a ruthless assault on alcohol and the alcohol industry compared to all of the other books I’ve read, but it was enjoyable.

For February, I have 2 books on the go that I hope to finish:

• “Artificial Truth”: a book about a tech genius who, in his final months of life, developed some very sophisticated AI that in essence, allows him to live on
• “Seven Myths About Money: And the Truth About Finding Financial Freedom”: bit of a rogue choice - picked it up in the air port, got half way through it on the flight home, and so far, finding it interesting!

AI fatigue

AI is very cool, and I have no doubt it’s here to stay, but I’m just getting sick of it. It’s everywhere. I use it every day of the week at work, I see it on every platform, my physiotherapist speaks to me about it, my family speaks to me about it - I’m just so sick of it.

It feels like every single day there’s something new - a new model, a new plugin, a new application, and it feels like unless you spend every waking moment catching up, you’re going to fall behind. For me, working in tech, I don’t want to fall behind, but it’s evolving so fast that burn out risk is real. I see LinkedInfluencers posting what they are using OpenClaw to do, and although it’s cool, I question if they really use it in these ways exhaustively, or is it mostly theoretical clout chasing?

One of my plans this year was to visit a Scottish Isle, and if I achieve it, it’s going to be a complete technology detox - I never thought I’d be desperate for a tech detox, but well, here I am.

Wrap up

If I had to sum up January in one line: I trusted consistency more than motivation.

For February, the goal is simple: keep the routines boring and consistent. Keep reading, keep writing, keep riding, and keep giving sobriety a fair shot.

Until next time…