Finding Rhythm Again: Back-to-School, Back-to-Habits

There’s something about Back to School season that feels like a reset button. The kids are back in classrooms, calendars are suddenly packed with sports and activities, and the pace of life changes overnight. For me, this season has always been an invitation to find rhythm again—to lean back into the power of daily habits.

Because here’s the truth: BIG things don’t just happen. They’re built. Quietly. Repeatedly. Daily.

Over time, these daily actions compound in ways we can’t always see in the moment. It’s the principle Jeff Olson called The Slight Edge: small choices, stacked on top of each other, lead to massive gains. But here’s the catch—those same choices are “easy to do” and just as easy NOT to do.

Skip one workout? No big deal. Eat fast food instead of a healthy meal? Happens all the time. Forget to read or stretch before bed? Who will notice?

The answer is simple: You will.

Because over weeks, months, and years, those little “easy NOT to dos” add up too—and usually not in the direction you want.

That’s why I rely on my Daily Non-Negotiables.
These aren’t goals. They’re not wish lists. They’re commitments—anchors that keep me grounded, productive, and pushing forward regardless of what the calendar throws at me. The outcome is stacking wins. Day after day.

Here’s my list:

• Sweat – Every single day, I move hard enough to sweat. A run, a lift, a Peloton ride, doesn’t matter. Motion creates energy. Some days I knock out two sessions.
• Hydrate – If I’m not putting clean fuel in, I can’t expect peak output.
• Bodyweight lifts – Push-ups, pull-ups, air squats. Simple. Accessible. Zero excuses.
• Eat mostly healthy meals – Food is fuel, and fuel dictates how I show up. Think 80/20…mostly good!
• Daily reading – I crave simplicity and books to build me: The Daily Mission by Tim Tebow and The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday. A mix of faith and philosophy keeps me balanced.
• Meditation & stretch for restful sleep – Recovery is the multiplier. Without rest, none of the other habits matter.

It’s not a sexy list. It’s not complicated. And that’s the point.

When the school year ramps up and life speeds forward, I don’t want to waste energy deciding how I’ll take care of myself. I already know. These habits don’t just protect my time and energy—they multiply them.

And if I keep stacking these wins, day after day? That’s when BIG things happen. Not because of one breakthrough moment, but because I built the momentum brick by brick.

Back to school isn’t just about the kids—it’s about us too. It’s a reminder that structure is powerful. Rhythm is powerful. Habits are powerful.

The question isn’t: Can you do it?
The question is: Will you?

Because it’s easy to do.
And it’s easy NOT to do.

Choose wisely.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit”