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What I'm writing

• ​Getting back to basics — After a tough year, it’s tempting to reinvent everything. But recovering from a rough patch starts with getting back to basics.
• ​2025 annual reflection and my plans for 2026 — I took some time to polish and publish notes from my annual reflection and planning.
• ​Notes on Neil Pasricha: Happy Habits — I updated my notes from this great podcast.

What I'm learning

Complaining and pushing back are not the same thing. Inspiration: James Clear​

Personal agency is often the difference between success and failure. People with high agency feel in control over their lives. People with low agency feel powerless to change the direction of their lives. When you’re told something is impossible, do you give up? Or do you start thinking about how to make it possible? High agency is about finding a way to get what you want without waiting for permission or the perfect conditions. Inspiration: George Mack​

The best managers are great individual contributors who become managers only because no one else can do as good a job as they can. Inspiration: Steve Jobs​

Start every day by clarifying your must-dos. Then complete those before spending any time on your should-dos and could-dos. Inspiration: Sam Parr​

What I’m working on

• I’ve been reflecting on 2025. It was a crazy, reactive year. Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. For 2026, I settled on three core annual themes to drive my prioritization across personal life, relationships, and work:
  • Getting back to basics
  • Going from reactive to proactive (and surviving to thriving)
  • Shifting from a strategy of playing it safe and reducing risk to taking smart risk and being ok looking a little foolish
• Tyler and I recorded our 2025 recap episode at Startup to Last.
• I continue to invest every week into exploring new AI use cases while also deepening my understanding of how it all works. (I’ll be sharing my journey here via this Artificial Intelligence (AI) Handbook if you’re interested in following along.)

What I'm thinking about

Getting back to the basics is not a step backwards. It’s about catching your balance so you can take another leap forward.

Connect with me on X or LinkedIn.

-Rick Lindquist

P.S. One of the best parts of this newsletter is discussing ideas with readers. Let me know what you think. I read every reply.