VALUES NOT VALUE

WHAT IF OUTPUT ISN'T THE POINT?

Germany was cold.

I don’t mean in the cooler colloquial way, I mean cold in the most literal chapped lip, minus nine degrees, dark at 4pm way.

Deciding to start my year in Berlin was both a gift and a curse. It made the first quarter of 2026 largely spent inside due to the weather, but it also forced a shift in my relationship with output. And pyjamas.

A new year can mean so many things. A refresh, a blank page, a long list of pressure created by and specifically for you. This year I decided it would be my first exploration of a challenge to work less and live more, mostly explored through Kevin’s rule.

Kevin’s Rule, created by American entrepreneur, author, endurance athlete Jesse Itzler, comes from his friend Kevin, who planned quarterly excursions to break routine. Every three months, they organise something deliberate and memorable, like camping trips with their kids, outdoor challenges, or unfamiliar experiences.

Itzler adopted the rule to stop life blurring into repetition, creating clear markers in time and ensuring each quarter includes something meaningful, chosen with intention rather than left to chance.

Berlin was my first attempt at first Kevin’s rule, spending six weeks working and living in the city. With morning light going hand in hand with snowfall, every day meant a real decision about what leaving the apartment actually delivered. Experience, sustenance, fitness? Every outing needed to be intentional, as did every day largely spent in the cosy confines of underfloor heating and a comfy ass couch.

I quickly came to realise that when you sit your ass still, the little things take on greater importance… With that, every day had its soundtrack and a specific playlist built for each month. Music became a way of marking the day. A small act of intention that stopped time from flattening.

Each day deserved its own marker in the sand, and this single purchase has fast become one of my favourite daily practices…

Deciding to commit to both the one word a day diary and Kevin’s rule, led me to the Itzler wormhole. His popularisation of the Japanese practice of Misogi left me no choice but to further drop another pin in my diary that led to a huge commitment I’m proud to be knee deep in.

Misogi is the Japanese practice of deliberately placing yourself in a challenging or uncomfortable situation, often once a year, to test your limits, build resilience, and create a defining memory through effort and discipline. My 2026 Misogi? The London Marathon.

I wrote about my ‘why’ HERE and I’d be eternally grateful if you could donate to the charity I’m running on behalf of HERE.

Between training and delivering my first novel, it’s been a busy first quarter as there is A LOT more to share, but more on all that jazz another time. For now, the biggest take away in a lot of ways has been not just what I work on, give my energy and time away from my family to, but why.

I recently spent a few hours with an actor I’ve admired my entire professional life. We barely spoke about work. Instead, we spoke about family, perspective, and values. I left feeling excited not just about the work, but about the time I’ll spend with someone I admire creatively and now, more importantly, as a man.

How he chooses projects and largely who he chooses to let in based on values, not value. In the end, it is not about what you choose to do, but the standard you use to choose it.