Give up. Not completely. But mostly. Just stop trying so hard. Here’s my recipe: Make a list of all the things you love doing or things that intrigue you that you’d like to try doing. This is brainstorming, so don’t limit the list or judge it; write down everything you can think of. Separate the activities you do with people from the activities you

what people really regret isn’t simply working so hard, it’s working so hard on things that simply don’t matter to them. If our work feels like it matters to us, if it represents a life true to us, then we would die without the main regrets that haunt the dying. We would live more fully.

There’s no formula for deciding how to prioritize within the five. But when a conflict arises, think about it, and most of the time you’ll know what to do. If you don’t, here’s a way to decide: Think about where you’ve been spending most of your time lately. If one of the five has been getting the short end of the stick, then choose in favor of tha

The first element is your strengths. Over the coming year, play the game that is perfectly

If we’re good at the challenge of initiative, it means we’re good at applying ourselves, at focusing, at breaking through resistance using sheer willpower. In other words, we’re good at avoiding distraction. Which, as the experiments show, is exactly what leads us to fail in the challenge of restraint. Focusing on resisting the temptation only make

Here’s the more subtle reason this works: People want to hire energized people who are passionate and excited about what they’re doing. Jobs come from being engaged in the world and building human connections. And an even more subtle reason: If you’re passionate about what you’re doing, and you’re doing it with other people who are passionate about

Which means you shouldn’t create these lists once and then put them in a drawer. These two lists are your map for each day. Review them each morning, along with your calendar, and ask: What’s the plan for today? Where will I spend my time? How will it further my focus? How might I get distracted? Then find the courage to follow

Your year will be best spent doing work that you enjoy so much, it feels effortless. You’ll always work tirelessly at your passions—hard work will feel easier.

Focus your year on the five areas that will make the most difference in your life.