Mastering 2025
Discover the power of reflection, goal-setting, and building habits that align with your core values for a balanced and fulfilling year ahead (plus some unsolicited advices).
The second half of January is my favorite time to plan for the year ahead. I’ve never been a big fan of New Year’s resolutions. The enthusiasm that comes with the start of a new year can often be misleading: it drives us to set goals or commitments fueled by a sense of renewal, only to see them quickly falter—due to overly ambitious expectations, a misalignment with our guiding principles, or various psychological dynamics. While it’s not essential to plan in January, the sense of "renewal" and "freshness" that accompanies the start of the year holds significant power in motivating us to reflect and define our goals for the next 12 months. There are countless frameworks available to structure the year, but it’s not my aim to dissect them here in detail.
Over time, I’ve learned a few lessons that I try to remind myself of each year. The most important one? You can’t plan effectively without a clear sense of your guiding star. By "guiding star," I mean those whys that drive us to take action: the reasons that get us out of bed in the morning, help us make tough decisions, and form the foundation of how we navigate life. These can be core values, fundamental principles, or a grand objective that inspires and guides us. The guiding star is not something you can achieve in the short term—it’s not an annual goal, but rather a direction that will guide us for many years (or for the whole life). To be truly effective, it must remain as constant as possible. This means it shouldn’t be overly specific or rational. On a philosophical level, a true guiding star is unattainable, much like a company’s vision statement. A prime example is Nike’s: “To do everything possible to expand human potential.” That level of abstraction is what we should aim for with our own whys. From there, these whys will be translated into concrete goals, intermediate milestones, and annual plans—or whatever timeframe works best for you.
Starting with our whys is the key to maintaining a clear direction while also enjoying the journey. Defining those whys, however, is a long and demanding process: an introspective, complex, and at times uncomfortable task, but one that’s essential for building an authentic life path. This is the foundation for any lasting change or meaningful resolution. Once the whys are clear, the strategic work begins. Our whys transform into long-term goals: concrete, ambitious, but also flexible, because life, by its very nature, is unpredictable. This is where values come into play, serving as a compass to navigate through uncertainties. Values help us know when to persevere in the face of challenges and when it’s time to let go and choose a different path. If values are the archetype of our inner guidance, then long-term goals represent one of our identities. And we should not fear having multiple identities or letting go of one in order to embrace another. This shift is part of our evolutionary journey (which I discussed in detail here).
Long-term goals materialize into short-term challenges: small milestones designed to generate value through the principle of compound interest. Every step, even the smallest, contributes to the larger outcome we aspire to (I’ve discussed this in more detail here: Relativistic Performance). This is the type of reasoning to apply at the start of the year when setting effective and lasting New Year’s resolutions. The fundamental question to answer is: “What actions can I take this year that, when added to the ones I’ve already taken, will bring me closer to my long-term goals?” Answering this question fully, honestly, and realistically is enough to create a solid action plan that is focused on progress.
Returning to the beginning of this article, we mentioned that the first part of the year is often accompanied by a sense of renewal that, unfortunately, tends to fade quickly. For this reason, I use the early weeks to pause and listen to myself: I reflect on my long-term goals, return to my whys, and assess whether I’ve stayed true to them or if, instead, I’ve fallen short. Additionally, I try to observe how my life is structured in the absence of constraints, seeking out natural hooks that I might otherwise overlook. The key to staying true to the annual plan is breaking down resolutions into measurable sub-goals, such as quarterly milestones. This approach allows for progress tracking, periodic reflection, evaluation of whether we're on the right path, and, most importantly, an opportunity for a retrospective to integrate the lessons learned (for more on this, read here: The Power of Feedbacks). Building the journey one interval at a time—say, three months at a time—creates a cycle of continuous improvement. However, each person should adjust this cadence to their own style and goals.
Personally, I find it useful and effective to break down my annual goals into categories: values, finance, education, sports, work, side-hustle, travel, network and relationships, hobbies, and passions. These are just examples; anyone can create a structure that better reflects their priorities, or even choose not to have any segmentation at all. However, these categories shouldn’t all carry the same weight: it's crucial to assign them a level of priority in order to focus energy and resources on what truly matters. A year may seem like a long period, but in reality, it’s not that much time, especially considering that, in addition to goals, there’s the everyday life to manage. For instance, if my goal for the year were to build an entrepreneurial project from the ground up, it’s clear that a large portion of my time and resources would be devoted to this endeavor, creating an inevitable imbalance compared to other areas.
In this context, assuming I consider sports essential for my health, I might choose not to set overly ambitious goals in this area. Instead of focusing on performance, I could prioritize consistency and enjoyment, consciously deciding to allocate fewer resources to sports in favor of my entrepreneurial project. This choice is not a compromise, but a way to maintain balance and stay aligned with what I consider most important over these 12 months. It will be in the monthly or weekly planning that I’ll decide, based on the resources dedicated to my main goal, how much time to allocate to sports and other areas. This approach allows me to stay flexible, dynamically adapting to the needs and rhythms of life.
This planning work is also crucial to avoid losing confidence throughout the year and to prevent being overwhelmed by guilt. Returning to the example of the entrepreneurial project: it might happen that, in such an unbalanced year, I’m unable to train for entire weeks, resulting in a decline in my athletic performance. In another context, this situation could lead to frustration or a sense of failure. However, if I frame these events within the broader context of my annual choices, I can understand them as side effects of a conscious decision, made in alignment with my priorities (see Mental Accounting).
Having a clear and well-structured guide helps better manage the emotional impact of these situations. I can accept moments of difficulty or regression without judging myself, knowing that they are part of a bigger picture, aligned with my goals (I’ll be publishing a note on choice bracketing shortly). This approach strengthens my confidence and allows me to navigate the year with greater balance and serenity, even in the face of inevitable challenges.
Once this planning is complete, the next step is to create a system that ensures these decisions are integrated into daily life without having to negotiate priorities every day. This means building habits, routines, and decision-making structures that eliminate the cognitive load of constantly deciding what to do. Willpower alone has limited power and rarely sustains long-term change. Only through solid systems can we remain true to our goals.
This is not the place to explore the topic in detail, but there are many excellent resources to delve deeper. One of the most useful is definitely the book Atomic Habits by James Clear, which offers a practical and concrete approach to building effective and sustainable habits.
This year, I’ve decided to introduce a new phase of initial reflection. I realized that in particularly demanding situations, such as periods filled with commitments or high stress, it’s easy to lose one’s compass. Looking back at those moments, I noticed how valuable small fragments of wisdom can be, which, if kept firmly in mind, help navigate even the most overwhelming situations. I use the term "overwhelming" in its broadest sense: a period can be overwhelming not only because of the drama or effort it entails but also due to the intensity of stimuli, responsibilities, or emotions that characterize it.
Examples of these fragments of wisdom abound; one of the most well-known is Kevin Kelly’s list. However, I believe that these “advices” should be personal, the result of lessons learned during the previous year, and enriched by pieces of wisdom from others that particularly resonate with our way of being.
Aware of the power of this method, I’ve made it my intention to turn it into a habit: at the beginning of each year, I will define a set of “advices” to keep in mind and, throughout the year, I will strive to learn enough to enrich them and make them increasingly my own. Below, I share my advices to myself for the coming year.
The creations of our intellect are unique and unrepeatable. When an idea seeks to surface, it’s always worth investing the time to bring it to life—be it through writing, drawing, or any other form of expression.
Brushing your teeth three times a day costs nothing.
Everything is a distraction unless it’s intentional.
Avoid coffee within the first hour of waking and after 11 a.m.
The quality of your outcomes depends entirely on the quality of your input. Paying meticulous attention to what you consume—information, entertainment, food, relationships, conversations—is the best investment you can make.
Learning from what happens to us is the greatest service we can render to the time we’ve lived.
Time is relentless—it can either slip away or be invested.
Time is invested when used intentionally to enrich life. Reflection, observation, and stillness can be as valuable as productivity—balance is everything.
Not everything must always be balanced. The wise create intentional asymmetries to achieve their goals.
Guilt almost always leads to wrong choices. There are no obligations, only the duty to ourselves—to do what brings us peace and well-being. When there's no choice, minimize the time spent and fortify your emotional and cognitive defenses.
It’s rare to accomplish everything—that’s why ruthless prioritization is essential.
You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. (James Clear)
Intelligence is expressed when we act to maximize our future choices and remain aware of the process that led us to make a decision.
Things can be consumed or savored. Consumption depletes, while savoring enriches. To savor, ask: What does this teach me? How does it connect to what I know, my projects, and how it makes me feel? Like a lingering scent, savoring leaves you enriched.
Cognitive abilities are limited, and everything erodes them. To ensure we have enough mental capacity for what truly matters and enriches us, we must be vigilant about what drains it—whether it’s unintentional or not directed toward something enriching. Arguments, worries, scrolling, overthinking, judgment, distractions, notifications, and the like all chip away at our cognitive resources.
You should give others even less attention than they give you—meaning, very little.
It’s not so much what you own, but the value of what you own. When you possess something of no value, its worth is, in a sense, consumed. This applies to your physical, mental, and digital life alike.
How you do things is more important than how many things you do.
It’s the quantity that turns things into poison.
If it’s not a “fuck yes,” then it’s a “no” (Mark Manson)—but only for negotiables. When it comes to living your life, even a light “yes” can be enough to start the journey (the path appears as you walk).
It’s better to know why you do what you do than to not know at all.
Multitasking is bullshit
Always listen to your biorhythms and mental states—they allow you to make better decisions, faster.
Backward? Not even to get a running start!
If you don’t know what to do, returning to your "whys" can help you gain perspective.
Without a "why" and a system, you’ll rarely achieve what you set out to accomplish.
Enthusiasm is miraculous, but it only takes you so far. Strategy, purpose, incremental progress, consistency, and perseverance are what truly lead to achievement.
Always keep the concept of compound interest in mind.
Know yourself.
Simplicity is always the winning choice.
You owe nothing to the past.
If you're not rested or in the right mental state, you won’t get anything done.
Complaining has never solved anything. A moment of self-pity can be allowed, preferably in solitude, but then it’s time to take action.
Always remember your sphere of influence.
Data → Information → Knowledge → Intelligent behavior
Everything has its own life cycle; forcing things isn’t always the right choice.
Doing things well or poorly takes the same amount of time; quality is a state of being, not a result.
You only regret what you didn’t do.
There is no failure if the decision-making process behind it is solid and intentional. You can succeed and learn, or fail and learn. In the latter case, it’s just an experiment.
Everything changes.
Dare!
Planning is sometimes necessary, and if done well, it’s useful, but it’s action that brings results. Take action.
To marvel is marvelous.
Focus!
You are not the author of your life, it happens, but you are its protagonist. Live and learn.
A well-posed question contains at least half of the solution and allows you to find the other half by enabling serendipitous encounters (selective attention).
It’s practically impossible for answers to extend beyond the boundaries set by the questions.
Better sooner than later. Unless later is better, in which case, better later than sooner.
Be aware of your biases.
The present is a gift. Create in the present, and you’ll have created memories. Waste the present, and you’ll have created regrets.
Be aware of the cathedral, but focus only on the next brick.
Embrace doubt.
It’s okay to say “I don’t know.”
Life is more beautiful when shared.
Mire invades everything where neglect takes over. (Riccardo Dal Ferro)
Everything beautiful is a state of excited reality; it takes energy to sustain it.
When you know what's coming, prepare. When you don't know what's coming, position. (Shane Parrish)
You grow through what you go through.
You’ll die.
You are infinitely improbable, make the most of this gift, celebrate life.
No one can tell you who you must be.
Emotions are waves in the ocean; you are the ocean. They can only exist with a medium. The wave does not define the ocean.
The perspective of trusted people is priceless.
Read!
Everyone is fighting their own battles, be kind.
Sometimes leaving the umbrella at home and getting wet is beautiful. It's something that can be applied to many areas of life.
Not always wearing armor is convenient. When you dive deep, you go faster.
Meditation is pissing when you piss and shitting when you shit. (Emmanuel Carrère)
The mind is not so different from the body. Just because its states aren't as explicit doesn't mean they're any less real. What happens if you eat spoiled food? The same happens if you clog your mind with cognitive poison.
If it be in thy power, redress what is amiss; if it be not, to what end is it to complain? For nothing should be done but to some certain end. (Marcus Aurelius)
The drop, by continually falling, bores its passage through the hardest rock. The hasty torrent rushes over it with hideous uproar, and leaves no trace behind. (Thomas Carlyle)
Be capable of all ideas.
Perfection does not exist.
Change your mind as quickly as possible if the evidence contradicts your beliefs.
Owning our choices is a privilege that we can learn to dance with. (Seth Godin)
With a bit of effort, any data can be twisted to support your worldview. Strive to ensure this doesn’t happen.
Love is the act of giving yourself, not of expecting something in return. (Riccardo Dal Ferro)
The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary. (Vidal Sassoon)
Be mindful of the words you use, as they shape your personal narrative of the world.
What you do should be rewarding in and of itself.
Leave everything in a better state than you found it.
Show up!
Speak only if you have something to say; otherwise, remain silent.
Stay true to your values.
Happiness lies in bearing the fruits you are meant to bear at a given time. An apple tree is happy when it brings many apples to life.
Hone your craft.
Be like a treasure hunter, capable of patrolling far and wide, but also diving deep when you believe there’s wealth to be found.
No one can outdo you at being yourself. Know your worth, discover what you can do, and the world will be yours.
Many of the most important things in the world are free: a smile, kindness, love, interest.
Boring activities become, perversely, much less boring if you concentrate intently on them. (David Foster Wallace)
You cannot know your luck unless you first take the chance to test it.
A point of view is inherently limited; only a multitude of perspectives builds a truthful image of the world through complementarity.
Contraria sunt complementa.
Everything happens in the present; if you're not there, you're left behind.
If we take eternity to mean not infinite temporal duration but timelessness, then eternal life belongs to those who live in the present. (Ludwig Wittgenstein)
Be grateful!
More rarely means more, less is always better than more, but it's the right amount that is always right.
Embrace your curiosity.
What makes you unique is your way of being imperfect. (Neil Gaiman)
Be aware of who can help you in every circumstance.
Your mind can be the most exceptional tool at your disposal or the worst of your enemies.
The secret to a rich life is to have more beginnings than endings. (David Weinbaum)
The world is more complex than you can think.
Map and territory are two different things.
The person who carefully designs their daily routine goes further than the person who negotiates with themselves every day. (Shane Parrish)
Adventure is allowing the unexpected to happen to you. Exploration is experiencing what you have not experienced before. (Richard Aldington)
Don't argue with a fool; from a distance, you can't tell who is who.
Where pleasure leads, discipline naturally follows. (Ozan Varol)
Control is elusive; it's better to focus only on the elements you can influence or leverage.
Don't be someone else's bad weather.
An extraordinary majority of things can wait, or not be done at all.
Simple and simplistic are two very different things. Strive for simplicity, avoid simplism.
How you do anything is how you do everything.
If the trophies mock you, toss them. (Arthur C. Brooks)
Everything has its function, don’t mix them.
Strive for a system enabling fast decision making and learning cycles.
Buy only what you can afford.
Save and invest to secure your financial independence in the future, but don't forget that you need to live.
Make the fewest decisions possible, especially in the morning.
Embrace a growth mindset.
Think outside the box.
Stay hungry, stay foolish (Steve Jobs)
Be agile.
Someday this pain will be useful to you (Peter Cameron)
As you start to walk on the path, the path appears. (Rumi)
Boring isn’t boring. If you are immune to boredom, there is literally nothing you cannot accomplish. (David Foster Wallace)
The only point of discontinuity in your narrative is now. Act, and you will open horizons; remain, and you will obtain continuity.
Give yourself concreteness.
You want something… behave as if.
When you’re happy, notice it. (Kurt Vonnegut)
Nurture the lush leaves, cut the dry ones.
In practice, practice makes perfect. (Mick Odelli)
Be humble."
There is no limit to pivots, especially when it comes to ideas.
Dream, and live up to your dreams. Think big, because there’s no other way to do it.
You can have opinions, but not your own facts. (Ricky Gervais)
Recognize where to be minimalist and where to embrace abundance.
Only engage with those for whom silence is not uncomfortable.
Nothing from the material world can fill an inner void.
There is no favorable wind for a sailor who does not know where to go. (Seneca)
Integrating is better than dividing.
If you think you’ve understood everything, reconsider.
Your unconscious has to be well informed, or your idea will be irrelevant. (David Ogilvy)
You can achieve the result only through a combination of skill, effort, interest, and luck. Never neglect any of these elements.
Wake up with a goal for the first hour of the day.
Show your vulnerability to those who deserve it.
You don't gain anything by forgetting yourself. (Emmanuel Carrère)
Train both the body and the mind.
Fortune favors the bold.
No compromise!
Living is moving from not knowing to knowing, little by little and with few means. This should not stop you.
Always start from abundance.
Listen more than you speak.
Treat everything the same regardless of its cost.
There are four things that cannot be undone: the spoken word, the arrow shot, the past life, and the missed opportunity.
These fragments act as anchors—simple yet powerful reminders of what truly matters and how to stay grounded amid chaos.
As I embark on this journey of reflection, my goal is not just to plan the year but to build a toolkit of wisdom that grows richer with time. If there's one lesson I've learned, it's that progress is less about sweeping resolutions and more about small, deliberate steps taken consistently.
So, as you step into the year ahead, ask yourself: What kind of life am I building? And what small actions today will compound into something extraordinary tomorrow? Because the real magic lies not in the plan itself, but in the journey it sets into motion.
This exercise has been profoundly meaningful for me, and in that light, I wholeheartedly encourage you to embark on a similar endeavor. After all, the process of reflection and intentional planning isn't just about setting goals—it’s about creating a life that aligns with your values and aspirations. So take the time, lean in, and see where it takes you. The journey is worth it.
Make the most of it! Until next time, S.
