What I Didn't Expect

Eight days in, and I'm noticing things I completely missed the first few times I tried something like this.

Two immediate observations: first, the sugar cravings showed up exactly when my wife Leah, boss of ‘the thrive practice’ said they would. And second, my Sunday evening planning became my anchor, just like I hoped. What surprised me was how much clearer my thinking has become.

This metabolic balance reset has been challenging in a number of ways, but I have found that the hard part has been paying attention and remaining intentional. These are the things that slip with me when I'm running on autopilot.

A little more about my habits… I've been reaching for something sweet at 3pm for at least a decade. If you have ever tasted Yum Yums from Greggs, you may understand why. I never really stopped to ask why. Turns out it's pure habit, a pattern I built years ago and then stopped questioning it. The thing about these patterns is, once you see them clearly, you can do something about it, and transformation starts with awareness.

I think it's the same with planning meals in advance, and for me flexibility sounds good until I find it increases my chances of grabbing whatever's easiest rather than what I'd actually chosen.

Im also planning my working week. I've been talking with some folks at Kraken recently, and what struck me is they're solving the exact same problem at scale in the energy industry. They've designed their entire platform to remove friction points in older systems. Same principle, different scale.

So it’s Sunday again, and I’m reminded that one decision can decide the success of the week. I know exactly what I'm eating and when, so when 3pm arrives, I execute automatically and correctly. How do I know this? It's because I already decided.

What intention have you set when you were clear headed that evaporates the moment it requires effort? What's your 3pm? What's the action at work or home do you keep making when you're tired, distracted, or and haven't pre-decided?

The difference between people who transform and people who try is simple: one decided who they're becoming, the other is still negotiating.

I'm becoming someone who sees patterns and designs around them. Someone who protects clear intention from tired negotiation. Not just about meal planning, this is how I approach client delivery. I spot where projects stall, where teams drift off the course, where good strategy gets lost in operational chaos. Then I design systems that make the right outcome automatic.

This week, pay attention to your one priority. Notice what's making it harder than it needs to be. Then ask yourself: what one decision could I make now that handles this better? Design that. Build that. Make it simple enough that your clear intention wins over your tired negotiation.

Hit reply and tell me your one priority for this week, just one sentence is fine. What's the thing that would genuinely move your work or goals forward?

And if you want help spotting the friction point and designing a cleaner system around it, let's talk.

The awareness comes first. The system comes second. The results become inevitable.