August 16, 2026

How do you know what you like?

There’s a great line in Atomic Habits where James Clear says something like:

“Every action you take is vote for the type of person you will become.”

I have a similar philosophy that revolves around my reminders/to-do list (I’m not sure what to call it, actually).

I don’t put to-dos on my list for everything I need to do.

I only put reminders on for things that I want to be reminded about.

There’s a big difference.

For example:

I don’t have a to-do on my list to take a shower. Or to feed the dogs. Or to spend time with my kids.

Why? Because I don’t need to be reminded of these activities.

There is an interesting side effect of this approach:

When I read a reminder on my list, I know I don’t HAVE to do it.

Since I don’t have to do it, I viscerally experience how I feel about doing it in the moment.

I might feel excitement.

I might feel drained.

I might feel meh.

It could be any number of feelings.

Based on how I feel about the reminder, I might do the thing right then, I might snooze it to a future date, I might “put it in the attic” where I’m unlikely to ever see it again, or I might delete it if the pain of doing it is greater than the consequences of not doing it.

When I consistently notice that I feel excited by certain types of reminders, I’ll add it to my LOVE list.

When I consistently notice that I feel drained by certain types of reminders, I’ll add it to my HATE list.

This reveals with extreme honesty what I actually love doing and what I actually hate doing.

As a soloist who can design their business around their personal preferences, this is very useful data.

So to (perhaps badly) paraphrase Atomic Habits:

Every time I do something I love or don’t do something I hate, it is a vote for building a life I love living.

Yours,

—J

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