Reset and Rebalance
The February Digest: Addiction, fear, and the art of stripping things down.
TL;DR:
Writing is about enjoyment, not stress.
Reading addiction is real (and I might need help).
Running is about time, not speed.
What are you focusing on this month? Hit reply and let me know.
Cheers,
Zane
Well hello there,
I hope January treated you well and that the resolutions worth keeping have stuck—evolving into something meaningful rather than another failed promise to yourself.
Let’s be honest, though: January is a ridiculous month for grand ambitions. But there’s something about a tabula rasa that makes optimism irresistible.
Edit: Wait, it’s the end of February?
One of my promises this year? No stressing about writing. I do it for fun. Sure, I’ve got pro aspirations, but right now, the goal is enjoyment.
Optimising for Joy.
So often I optimise for some productivity metric, like speed or output. But one thing the trails have taught me, is that if you enjoy something you’ll do it more.
You’ll learn and grow and have fun doing it.
That means ditching the pressure of unsustainable schedules.
This past month, my wife and I planned our 40th birthday party—an amazing night (pics below). Between that and training, writing just wasn’t happening.
No running.
No writing.
Just party planning.
And reading. Too much reading.
So, I let it go. No guilt. No unrealistic expectations. I told myself I’d get back to writing after the party. Simple. No stress. Just realistic goals and a bit of self-forgiveness.
Maybe turning 40 is making me wiser.
But About That “Too Much Reading” Thing...
Is that even possible?
📖 Read
I've been on a reading binge lately, and it’s got me thinking—how much is too much?
There’s nothing like getting lost in a good book, but when you start reaching for your Kindle at red lights (hypothetically, of course), it might be time for a reality check.
Lately, I’ve been deep in The Stormlight Archive, prepping for Wind and Truth. Somewhere along the way, I realized I wasn’t just reading for fun—I was chasing the next hit.
Huh.
I might be addicted to Sanderson.
Worth Reading
1️⃣ Finished writing your addictive novel? Check out Ream’s Launch Plan, a solid guide for getting your book in front of readers. 🚀
2️⃣ Want to level up your storytelling? If you somehow missed the Sanderson lectures online, then here is his world-famous fiction writing series. 🤯
✍️ Write
This year, I’m simplifying my writing process to make it smoother, not trendier.
• One tool, used well.
• Binge writing & batching.
• One damn thing at a time.
• Killing perfectionism.
Look for new chapters?
They’re now in The Djinn Protocol.
🏃Run
My 2025 running calendar is taking shape, and it’s looking brutal.
I’ve realized I’m more drawn to going long than going fast. Speed is nice, but I love the feeling of more time out there.
A marathon isn’t just an event for me—it’s a place in my mind. A memory I can step into. It expands time in a way nothing else does.
And I want to go back.
Hey Zane, occasionally I have reading obsessions, like binging Pokemon fanfic at one point. It is goot to think about what your exact goals are when it comes to output. If you can meet those goals, that's great! If you can't meet those goals, then you might have to readjust the goals, or readjust your approach if you want to keep the same goals.
Thanks to my book coach, I've been steadily writing two chapters a month for my Anastasia the Nonbinary Dragon serial. I was writing my pokemon fanfic once a week, then biweekly, and now about monthly lol. For my blogging, I did biweekly, then monthly, then weekly, and it seems I'm back to biweekly. I'd prefer weekly blogging, though. But I've been going through a rough time with my crush thing. So I will be kind to myself.