📢 Big Updates + 5 Things I Remind Myself Every Day

3 things I want to share with you today.

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🤖 AI use transparency: This entire post was written by me, Simon D. No part was elaborated with a generative prompt. ChatGPT 4o was however used for editing purposes; see here for the entire interaction.

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1️⃣ The Habit Reframe Method is going Live.

Time to bring back this treasured GIF.

It just speaks to me.

Because, yeah, I did it again. I spent months in my metaphorical basement, reworking my method like a witch over a cauldron—rethinking, refining, and obsessing. Not just the structure of the method, but how to deliver it: book vs. web app vs. video series.

I’m not even mad. At this point, it’s just what I do, and I’ve made peace with it. But still—time to step outside, touch some grass¹, and actually launch something.

Because as productive as I am when I’m in that mode, I’m not actually growing a business (more on that in #2).

And that’s a problem because the Habit Reframe Method works.

After nearly four years of obsessively refining it, and seeing its impact, I know it works. And the longer this newer, better version stays locked in my brain, the longer people like you stay stuck.

So we’re doing it.

And my method works. After nearly four years of endlessly refining it, the Habit Reframe Method just works. And the longer this new, better version stays locked in my brain, the longer you—and people like you—stay stuck.

So, we’re doing it.

I’m delivering the Habit Reframe Method live, in webinar form.

And I’m going to keep doing it. Over and over. Until… I don’t know… until I’ve incorporated all the feedback I can get. Until it’s refined and optimized for a mass audience. Until I feel zero need to tweak it anymore, and I’m finally ready to commit to its final, locked-in form—whatever that ends up being.

So… if you’re still struggling with motivation and energy…

If you still waste time and procrastinate…

If you still find yourself stuck in the cycle of starting a habit, creative pursuit, or business idea, only for it to fizzle out…

You definitely need to join.

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2️⃣ - The Habit Reframe Method **as a business** will be my sole focus.

Going forward, I have one priority: getting people to hear about the Live Sessions.

So they sign up. So they show up. So they get massive, mindset-bending value and decide to apply the method. So they see tangible, permanent results—enough to leave a review, tell their friends… who then benefit, spread the word, and so on.

My efforts—to be chronicled in a new weekly vlog series available to paid subscribers of this Substack starting tomorrow—will focus on three key areas:

• Content Creation – I’m recommitting to weekly posts: articles, Q&As, or some other form of value. And I’ll fight through the resistance when it comes to promoting my paid offerings 👀.

• Affiliate Outreach – There are tons of small, niche YouTubers, TikTokers, and Substackers with audiences that trust them. I’ll be pitching them 50/50 partnerships—not just a win-win for us, but a win for their audience too.

• Word-of-Mouth Growth – A huge portion of my readership has come from recommendations (shoutout to those of you who’ve shared the method with friends or online communities 🤝). But I can do even better—whether through direct encouragements and calls to action or just by keeping fresh, high-quality content flowing and ensuring that every paid product is worth its cost x100.

In short, it’s time to treat this project as a business—and to stop feeling shy or uncomfortable about it. It’s not about the money. It’s about what money enables—keeping the lights on, keeping me out of a 9-5, and reinvesting my time into all of the above.

So if you want a behind-the-scenes look at how I’m growing this in real time, be sure to check out (with a free trial) the new paid tier. First post drops tomorrow.

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3️⃣ My Top 5 Insights

Things are going well these days.

Externally, I’m incredibly fortunate. My wife’s pregnant—about halfway there now—and everything’s going smoothly, which is beyond awesome. I’m healthy (mostly), comfortable, and surrounded by amazing friends, family, and pets (can’t forget the pets).

But it’s more than that.

Like I mentioned above, I’ve spent years optimizing my method. And, honestly? It wasn’t out of some higher calling to make it ready for mass consumption. It was because there were holes in it. Inefficiencies. Entire areas that needed to be expanded, detailed, and reinforced—not just to be foolproof, but real-life-hitting-you-hard-proof.

And I feel like I’ve finally gotten there.

Actually, it’s more than a feeling. The way I’ve been living—my dramatically reduced vice consumption, my daily productivity, my ability to focus—has been objectively better.

And it’s made me reflect: What is it? What’s finally gotten me to this point?

I’ve realized it comes down to five things.

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1. Recalling (again and again) Emotional State Impermanence

This concept deserves a full article, but here’s the gist:

No matter your current emotional state—whether you’re riding high, feeling motivated and unstoppable… or… sinking into lethargy, apathy, depression, and straight-up despair—it’s never permanent.

But it always feels permanent.

When you’re up, you can’t imagine ever losing momentum. You can’t picture yourself bingeing on vices, doomscrolling, or spiraling into self-reprimand and hopelessness.

The flip side is just as true: when you’re in a rut, the idea of one day finding your way out feels utterly impossible.

Remembering this—that no matter how permanent it feels, your emotional state will always shift—has kept me grounded.

Especially during the low moments.

And those hit hard at the beginning of each iteration of the Habit Reframe Method.

This has been key: reminding myself that, yes, what I’m feeling right now is painful, frustrating, and discouraging. But despite everything in my brain telling me otherwise, it will not last.

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2. The key to a good life is WINS

Like, yes—do the basics: W.orkout, I.mage, N.utrition. That’s essential.

But don’t forget the most important thing:

Telling your brain to S.TFU when it starts spouting its constant stream of unsolicited opinions, forecasts, doubts, regrets, and other noise.²

Seriously. Everything your brain tells you? It’s probably wrong. And at some point, it’ll be proven false. All of it.

So the next time you catch yourself spinning elaborate mental stories—how it’s all hopeless, how you wasted X years, how you’re not [whatever] enough—just tell it to STFU.

Obligatory Millennial-relevant GIF

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3. Maintaining the Balance Between *Unconditional Self-Compassion* and *Giving Yourself a Free Pass*

I get this question a lot:

If I fully embrace self-compassion and forgiveness, aren’t I just excusing time-wasting and coasting through life?

The answer is no—obviously. But really internalizing that and living it out is a challenge. For me, it comes down to expectations.

You need hard rules. You need boundaries. You need to commit to not crossing them.

At the same time, you can’t expect yourself to follow them 100% of the time without ever slipping.

The best analogy? Meditation (which I’ve written about before). In meditation, the rule is simple: you focus on your breath—nothing else. Yet, it’s entirely expected that your mind will wander. In fact, meditation itself is the practice of gently bringing your focus back—without beating yourself up over it.

Applying this mindset to everything has been a game-changer for me.

4. Finding Your Way to Accidental Moderation Is Super Clutch

When it comes to vices, there’s endless debate:

Should you go all-in on abstinence? Or aim for controlled moderation?

What I’ve realized is that even asking this question sets you up to lose.

The alternative? Accidental moderation.

Not something you plan, force, or obsess over—just a natural state you fall into. You avoid certain vices because you genuinely see no value in them. You moderate others because you do see value but naturally stop when it’s time—because you have other, more meaningful things to do.

Getting to that point isn’t easy—I’ll give you that. But it has to be the focus of self-improvement early on. And that’s why it’s the core of the Habit Reframe Method, especially as things kick off with each iteration.

And the best part?

Once you start living this way, life gets so much easier.

No tracking, no forcing yourself to quit things you viscerally want to keep consuming. No white-knuckling through willpower. Just a looser, more effortless way to live.

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5. Fine-Tuning Your Web Blockers Is Also Super Clutch

Over the years, my philosophy on website blockers has swung between two extremes:

• I need absolute, ironclad, tamper-proof blockers because I just can’t trust myself.

• The real problem is my lack of self-trust, and these blockers are only making it worse—so I need to remove them entirely and prove I can control myself.

Of course, and this is probably obvious to you (but wasn’t to me), the ideal is somewhere in the middle.

And that’s what’s made all the difference.

Through a lot of trial and error, I’ve dialed in my web blocker settings to a Goldilocks zone—one that works specifically for me.

• It’s flexible enough to let me slowly cultivate self-trust (and use sites like Reddit and YouTube for legitimate reasons, without overdoing it).

• It has just enough friction to stop me from mindlessly indulging in vices on autopilot—especially in those moments when I’m triggered and armed with a neat little rationalization.

And that balance? It’s been a game-changer.

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That’s it for now.

Be well,

Simon ㋛

Footnotes

1. Which is hard considering I live in Eastern Canada where, in just 3 days, it snowed 74 friggen cm. For reference, here’s a picture of my dog in the poop-pit I had to dig out for him.

2. Credit for the WINS acronym goes to YouTuber Owen Cook.