Category: Human Behavior (Page 1 of 5)

The Only Three Things I’m Trying to Master

February 15, 2026 / Andy

Most people know the Serenity Prayer. It shows up in AA meetings, on coffee mugs, in treatment centers, and taped to refrigerators.

For those of you who don’t know it, here is a refresher:

God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.

It’s a genius prayer because of its simplicity. It doesn’t ask for wealth, success, influence, or even happiness. Just three traits: serenity, courage, wisdom.

Celebrating With A Million Friends

February 13, 2026 / Andy

Getting 1 million people to do a single thing is no easy task. Getting 1 million people to do an extremely inconvenient thing that disrupts an entire day of their lives is even harder. But that equation changes if 1 million people want to be part of something that happens only once every 10 to 20 years and they want to be part of a group of 1 million people. And that’s what happened with the Seahawks parade this week.

30 Day Results of the Caffeine Purge

August 7, 2025 / Andy

About a month ago, I started dialing caffeine back to almost nothing.

I’m not going to lie, the 1st week was brutal. Even though I warned everyone, “Hey, I’m going to be cranky,” I seemed to exceed their expectations and still annoyed them.

But then it passed and now that I’m on the other side of it, here’s the quick report:

Sleep: The first week was amazing. Now it’s just… better. Not perfect, but steadier.
Focus: On the softball field I noticed a real difference. My reaction time was noticeably improved. I felt sharper, like my brain wasn’t juggling 34 distractions at once.
Mood: Less up-and-down. Easier to slow down and pause before responding. (That topic is probably worth a post or two of its own.)
Energy: No dramatic crashes at night, just a gradual wind-down. But also no huge daytime surges.
Weight: No big changes, other than a little natural water loss.

I still enjoy a cup of coffee here and there, and I’ll grab an iced tea at a restaurant if I’m out or in a coffee shop if I’m working. But the dependence is gone. And we’re measuring in cups, not pots.

Overall: Let’s call it a meaningful success with no downside. Not life-changing, not a miracle cure. Just a steady improvement that makes me feel pretty good about the choice.

When You Have Too Much to Do, Stop and Do Less

July 13, 2025 / Andy

Eventually, the list gets away from you.

You sit down ready to work, but nothing moves. Your brain stalls. You’re not even procrastinating. You’re just stuck. The list looks like a mountain, and instead of climbing it, you stare at it, waiting for something to change.

The anxiety and stress don’t come from the list itself. They come from the pressure we put on ourselves to catch up. That pressure builds, and the spiral begins.

The Caffeine Purge Begins

July 6, 2025 / Andy

I drink a lot of coffee. Usually a full pot by the end of the day, and sometimes I throw in three or four Cascade Ice caffeine drinks just to round things out. It’s not that I think I need that much. It’s just what I do. Part habit, part coping mechanism.

But I’ve been feeling the effects lately and I don’t like them. Anxiety, restless sleep, a sense that my nervous system is running slightly off the rails even when nothing’s happening. So I’ve decided to do something about it. Not some dramatic life overhaul. Just one thing: cut back on caffeine with the goal of a total abstinence. Seven to ten days of tapering. Let’s see what happens.

The plan is to mix decaf into my coffee grounds, tart with half and half, then taper it down. That will remove about 1/3 and gives me a few days to fool myself before things get more difficult. Next, drop the Cascade Ice drinks and try to replace them with pure water and electrolytes. That’s 1/2 of the current state so 2/3 total.

Then, it’ll just be cutting down the pot to 1/2, then one cup, then none at all. Sounds easy. I mean, I’ve done much harder things.

Why now? Because I want better sleep. Less edge. More clarity. And I want to see what my face and gut look like without all the hidden water retention and stimulant drag. Ten days without caffeine should be enough to know whether any of that’s real or just a theory I invented while over-caffeinated.

So this is Day 1. No big declarations. Just an experiment. I’ll check back in if things get interesting.

Baseball and Presence

June 29, 2025 / Andy

An old lecture from Father Hobbs:

“Baseball is a metaphor for how to practice restraint.You can’t out-hustle the pitcher. You can’t rush the at-bat. You have to wait for the game to come to you. And in that waiting, everything gets quieter.”

Entrepreneurship, marketing, the tech world – they all teach us how to sprint, to go chase the game. But baseball taught me to stop swinging at bad pitches.

Now I use that same mindset to handle distractions, deadlines, and overthinking.

Stay in the box. Watch the ball. Swing when it matters.

Your 2% Battery: When Real Work Starts

May 18, 2025 / Andy

I’ve noticed something. Most of the real progress in life doesn’t happen when you’re rested, focused, and firing on all cylinders. It usually shows up when you’re barely hanging on. When your brain is foggy, your patience is shot, and everything on your to-do list sounds equally annoying. At least that’s how it is for me.

It’s when the old stories come in. The ones that say, “Screw it, let’s just do this tomorrow” or “This probably isn’t worth it anyway.” And if I can manage to ignore that voice for five minutes and just do the thing, even halfway, it changes something deeper than the task itself.

I’ve also seen this in fellow friends, athletes, and especially parents. We’re not struggling because we don’t know what to do. We’re struggling because we’ve convinced ourselves that it only counts if it’s done perfectly, at the perfect time, with perfect energy. That’s garbage.

Sometimes being a dad means cleaning up a mess you already cleaned yesterday. Or setting up an obstacle course in the yard after a long day when you’d rather just lie down, stare at the ceiling and hand parenthood over to the TV. But we do it anyway, because consistency matters more than inspiration.

Lately I’ve been thinking about that in terms of performance. Not just fitness or business, but the mental side. The part where we’re in the batter’s box and don’t swing, because it’s not the right pitch yet. The discipline isn’t in the swing. It’s in the stillness. It’s in trusting that the next one might be the right one.

So as I was thinking about what to do with this site as I bring it back to life in a world where no one blogs anymore, I think I’ll use it as an excuse to keep leaning into that space. How to stay focused when my brain wants a nap.

I might talk about AI. Or parenting. Or playing softball on a sore calf because it feels good to compete again. It’s all part of the same thread. Eventually, it might have an actual point, but for now, this is just about building the muscle to keep going when the battery light comes on.

Imagery for Focus

January 24, 2025 / Andy

Research in psychology and psychiatry suggests that certain types of images or visual stimuli can help individuals improve focus and reduce distractions. These images often leverage principles of attention regulation, mindfulness, and environmental design. Here are a few scientifically-backed approaches:

1. Nature Scenes

Why it works: Studies show that exposure to nature or even viewing images of natural environments can restore attention and reduce mental fatigue. This is based on the concept of Attention Restoration Theory (ART), which suggests that natural environments engage our attention in a gentle, involuntary way, allowing the directed attention system to rest.
Example Images: Forests, flowing water, mountains, and greenery.
Best Use: Displaying posters, screensavers, or paintings with calming natural scenes.

2. Abstract Art with Low Complexity

Why it works: Complex or cluttered images can overstimulate individuals with ADHD, while simple, abstract designs or patterns can create a calming effect and reduce distractions.
Example Images: Geometric patterns, smooth color gradients, or minimalist art with soft tones.
Best Use: Use as background art in workspaces or as phone wallpapers.

3. Mandala Patterns

Why it works: Mandalas and other symmetrical designs can promote mindfulness and focus through their repetitive and orderly structure. Some ADHD therapies include coloring mandalas to improve focus and reduce hyperactivity.
Best Use: Use as interactive exercises (e.g., coloring apps) or as visual elements for meditation breaks.

4. Images with Blue and Green Hues

Why it works: Blue and green are associated with calmness and focus. Research has shown that these colors can help regulate mood and improve attention span.
Example Images: Ocean waves, clear skies, green fields.
Best Use: Backgrounds for work environments or calming breaks.

5. Goal-Oriented Visuals

Why it works: Visuals that represent goals, steps of a task, or progress can help individuals with ADHD stay task-oriented. Seeing a visual roadmap of their objectives can reduce the cognitive load and prevent distractions.
Example Images: Infographics, step-by-step diagrams, or progress trackers.
Best Use: Incorporate into task planning or to-do lists.

6. Soft Animated Visuals

Why it works: Slow, non-distracting animations (like a gentle ocean wave or a flame flickering) can serve as a grounding point for focus. These animations are particularly useful for reducing anxiety and helping individuals stay engaged without overstimulation.
Best Use: Display on digital devices or monitors as a background focus tool.

7. Visual Reminders of Break Spaces

Why it works: Seeing a calming visual associated with a planned break (e.g., a peaceful garden or quiet reading corner) can create a mental cue for focused work until the break arrives.
Example Images: Personalized images of a favorite relaxation spot or a digital timer with an image of the break area.
Best Use: Use as desktop backgrounds or on task management tools.

Some sunsets

September 22, 2024 / Andy

Sometimes on a gray Seattle day, you need to look back at your photos to get some sunshine.

A Modified Pomodoro Hack for Procrastination

June 4, 2024 / Andy

I hate stressing about the easy things I haven’t done because I “don’t have the time.” I know that’s nonsense. I have the 10-20 minutes it will take. I need to momentum and confidence that I can get in and out in those 20 minutes, and not go to bed 2 hours later instead. So I’ve been trying this.

I took the standard Pomodoro technique which is 25 minutes on, 5 minutes off.

My version for the short sprint:

20-minute timer, but I’m usually done faster,.
Something random from Spotify Music I’ve never heard before (no lyrics).
One task. One browser tab, no email, no pretending.

At the end, I don’t just take a break. I’ll do one physical movement. Walk in the yard, do a few pushups, stretch, whatever. It breaks the trance and resets the brain. Plus, my mind is focused now that one middling thing is done.