“New Year, New You”: The traditional slogan encapsulates both the promise and the hopelessness of our annual attempt at personal transformation. On the one hand, January 1 feels pregnant with the potential for a fresh start, a reboot, a decisive repudiation of all the botched efforts and missteps of the past. On the other hand, if any of that... See more

What this means in practical terms (“What’s one thing subscribers to The Imperfectionist could do to put these ideas into practice?”) is grasping that the central moment-to-moment challenge isn’t one of building habits, modifying your personality, or realising your potential. Instead it’s a matter of coming back and back and back to the question of... See more