At the beginning of each year, I choose a single keyword to guide my mindset and direction for the year.

• 2021 was about Balance
• 2022 was about Flexibility
• 2023 was about Health
• 2024 is about Clarity

This year, my keyword is: Progression.

Progression is an attitude of steady and mindful living. As I’ve mentioned before, our lives are not shaped by a few big decisions but rather by the small, repeated actions we take every day.

Who you become is not just about the goals you set, but about how you live each ordinary day—using the power of habits to inch closer, step by step, to the person you want to be.

Live as the person you aspire to be, until one day, you truly become them.

So today, I want to share six simple yet powerful habits. They’re easy to start, and with consistency, they can make you more composed, determined, and strong.

Let’s take one step closer to the life we desire in this new year.

1. Consume More Meaningful Information

People often ask me: What’s the simplest way to become smarter?

My answer is always: Change your reading habits—start consuming content that requires thought and engagement.

Why? Because your brain adapts to how you use it. If you train yourself to think critically every day, your brain will naturally sharpen itself—it won’t need extra effort to process complex problems.

Many people spend idle moments scrolling through short videos and low-value content—it seems harmless, but over time, it weakens their ability for deep thinking.

Similarly, indulging in emotionally charged but low-density content might feel relaxing in the moment, but it gradually diminishes your ability to process high-quality, intellectually demanding information.

So as this new year begins, consider developing this small but impactful habit: Be mindful of your information diet—consume more enriching and meaningful content.

Start with These Simple Steps

1. Be mindful of "effortless" reading
   If a piece of content feels too easy, too smooth, or seems to perfectly align with your existing thoughts, be cautious—there's a chance it's been designed to cater to you. Ask yourself: Is this content challenging me, or just reinforcing my current beliefs? If it’s the latter, consider reducing your intake of such material.
2. Seek out intellectually stimulating content
   If you come across challenging, thought-provoking material, trace it back to its source. Find the original, in-depth version instead of settling for summaries or secondhand interpretations. Incorporate these high-quality sources into your regular reading routine.
3. Shift from passive to active reading
   Instead of consuming whatever content is pushed to you (via algorithms, social media shares, etc.), take control of your information intake. Curate your own reading list—follow insightful bloggers, reliable websites, and thought leaders.
• Create a simple schedule based on content type, your availability, and your interests.
• Example:
• News & updates → Quick scan during lunch
• Opinion & analysis → Short reads between work breaks
• Deep-dive learning → Reserved for weekend nights

Gradually, this structured approach will become second nature. You’ll train your brain to handle complex thoughts, and over time, problem-solving and critical thinking will feel effortless.

2. Practice a Relaxed Physical State

At first glance, this might sound strange—isn’t relaxation supposed to be natural? Why does it need practice?

Actually, many people struggle with chronic tension—they rarely experience true relaxation.

Try this quick self-check:

✅ Do you often feel tired, even without staying up late?
✅ After working for a while, does your body feel stiff, sore, or tense?
✅ Is your mind frequently cluttered with thoughts, making it hard to focus?

If you relate to any of these, you may be experiencing chronic stress—and your body is signaling that it needs restoration.

The problem? Many people overestimate potential threats, leading to excessive stress responses. If this heightened state persists, the body operates on overdrive, gradually wearing itself down.

The solution? Practicing intentional relaxation. This helps:

• Break the stress cycle
• Activate the parasympathetic nervous system (which promotes recovery)
• Allow the body to self-heal and regain balance

Making relaxation a habit will help you feel lighter, calmer, and more energized—ultimately improving both mental clarity and resilience.

How Can You Practice Effective Relaxation?

1. Avoid staying in the same posture for too long
   Whether you're standing, sitting, walking, or stretching, keep switching positions frequently. Remember, our bodies aren’t designed to stay still for long periods. The best form of rest isn't sitting still but rather alternating between movement and rest.
2. Control your breathing consciously
   One of the simplest relaxation techniques is mindful breathing. Try nasal breathing and diaphragmatic breathing, taking slow, deep breaths at a pace of 6–10 breaths per minute. This activates the parasympathetic nervous system, helping you feel calm and centered.
3. Progressive muscle relaxation
• Tense a muscle group for about 5 seconds.
• Slowly relax it over the next 30 seconds.
• Start from head to toe: head, neck, shoulders, arms, torso, legs, and finally, toes.
  This helps your body recognize the contrast between tension and relaxation, easing stress and fatigue.
4. Engage your sense of smell
• Smell different foods, beverages, or essential oils.
• Use fresh fruits or calming scents to improve sleep.
• Be mindful of familiar scents from your belongings.
• Experiment with aromatherapy to relieve stress.
  Activating your sense of smell stimulates the brain's internal perception system, helping reduce stress and improve mood.

3. Allow Yourself to Slow Down

We constantly race against time, obsessed with efficiency, afraid of wasting time, and always pushing to be faster and better.

How many times have you asked yourself:
"Am I wasting time?"
"Should I be doing something more productive?"

This mindset often robs us of happiness. We ignore the present, endlessly chasing a future that, once reached, loses its value—only for us to move on to the next pursuit.

So, in this new year, try cultivating a new mindset: slow down and allow yourself to take your time.

• Life isn't just about reaching future milestones; it exists in each moment you can see, feel, and experience right now.
• When you focus on the present, that’s when you truly take control of your life.

Try this:
✅ Give yourself permission to "do nothing." Sit in silence, let your thoughts drift, and observe them without judgment.
✅ Take a purposeless walk. Feel the sunlight, the breeze, the sounds, and your connection with the world.
✅ Listen more, talk less. Engage in deep, mindful conversations without the urge to interrupt, judge, or respond immediately.
✅ Find balance in work and play. Take intentional breaks—switch gears with recreation and rest to refresh your mind.

🌿 When you open your arms to embrace life, life will embrace you back.

4. Develop the Habit of Moving Anytime, Anywhere

Many people say, "I'm too busy and tired to exercise." But this is exactly why you need exercise.

Why?

• Exercise is the only proven way to increase your energy capacity.
• It doesn’t drain energy; instead, it builds stamina, making you less prone to fatigue.
• To fight exhaustion, you don’t need to "rest more"—you need to be more energized.

Scientific studies show:

• Exercise increases serotonin levels in the brain, improving mood and cognitive function.
• A 2016 meta-analysis found that exercise is as effective as antidepressants in treating depression—with fewer side effects.
• Prolonged sitting can cause short-term oxygen deprivation in parts of the brain, potentially leading to irreversible neural damage over time.

Solution? Move more! Even brief movements can prevent this issue. Studies show that mice who exercised had 52% fewer oxygen-deprived brain regions than those who remained still.

🌟 The best part? You don’t need long workout sessions—just frequent, short bursts of movement.

✅ How long should each movement session be? Just 1 minute is enough to start making a difference.

This means:

• You don’t need long, structured workouts.
• Instead, scatter small bursts of activity throughout your day.
• Even short movements can improve mood, reduce stress, and increase energy levels.

💡 Examples of "Micro Workouts":

• Jogging in place
• Climbing stairs
• Short sprint bursts
• Simple stretching exercises

🚀 Make this year the starting point for integrating exercise into your daily routine. You may be surprised by how much energy, focus, and well-being it brings into your life!

 

5. Try Different Ways of Thinking

Each of us has a habitual way of thinking. While it serves as a shortcut in decision-making, it can also trap us when solving problems.

Why? Because our default thinking patterns create mental “frames”—they shape how we analyze situations, make decisions, and take action. While this framework helps in familiar situations, it also limits our ability to see beyond it when facing challenges.

If everything goes smoothly, that’s great. But when we encounter obstacles, we often find ourselves stuck inside our own mental box, trying different paths within it—rather than looking outside for a completely new approach.

💡 But what if the best solution doesn’t exist within the framework at all? What if it’s outside of it?

That’s why I encourage you to intentionally adopt different ways of thinking in your daily life and work. This helps you recognize the boundaries of your mental framework and step beyond them.

How to Break Your Thinking Patterns?

Here are some simple exercises:

✅ If you always overanalyze before acting, try this: Stop overthinking—just start, and adjust as you go.
✅ If you always prioritize others' needs first, try this: Put yourself first. Honor your own feelings and ideas.
✅ If you rely heavily on logic and rationality, try this: Follow your emotions and intuition. Focus on your experiences.

By training cognitive flexibility, you’ll become more adaptable in an uncertain future.

6. Set Aside Daily Time for Long-Term Growth

No matter how busy you are, try to dedicate 30 minutes each day to something that benefits you in the long run.

It’s a simple yet powerful habit.

This could include:
✅ Tasks you’ve procrastinated on for months
✅ Projects that require slow, consistent effort
✅ One-time actions that yield long-term benefits

How to Use These 30 Minutes?

🔹 Clear out your long-overdue to-do list
We all have unfinished projects—things we thought were useful but weren’t urgent, so we kept postponing them. Use this time to tackle them one by one.

🔹 Make slow progress on long-term goals
Maybe you want to write a guide, learn a skill, or get a certification, but haven’t started because it doesn’t feel urgent. Instead of waiting, commit to small daily progress—a little today, a little tomorrow—and before you know it, you’ll have made huge strides.

🔹 Invest in improvements that make life easier
For example:

• Organizing a cluttered space at home
• Researching a purchase you’ve been putting off
• Automating repetitive tasks at work
• Learning shortcuts and efficiency hacks for daily software tools

Why This Works

These actions pay off immediately and continue delivering benefits over time. They improve efficiency, reduce stress, and make life more convenient.

Most of the time, we aren’t actually “lazy.” Many of these tasks don’t even require much effort—we just tend to ignore them because they don’t seem urgent. The key is to raise their priority and overcome our brain’s natural resistance.

At its core, this is about continuously optimizing your "life system"—tweaking and improving your habits and environment to work better for you.

🚀 Remember: Systems aren’t designed—they are refined.

So why not use the new year as an opportunity to fine-tune your life system? You might be surprised at how much smoother and more efficient your daily life becomes.

🎉 Welcome to 2025!

I hope that in this new year, every one of you gets one step closer to becoming the person you want to be. 💫