The Most Popular Every Intention Articles in 2025

It’s time for my annual roundup of my most popular articles of the past year!

Each year, I look back at the articles that resonated the most and provide a brief overview so you can check out any you missed or revisit ones that might be helpful again.

Even just looking at the titles of these articles, I can see that so many of you were looking for ways to set boundaries and slow down. I don’t know about you, but the chaos of the world, coupled with the chaos in my corner of it, made that a challenge.😅 

If you are looking for some practical ideas to try in 2026, check out a few of these!

My 10 Most Popular Articles in 2025

1. How to Motivate Yourself To Do A Thing You Don't Want to Do

This was by far my most viewed article, helped by making it to the front page of Hacker News. 

One of the most important things in this article is the reminder of just how many factors impact motivation. This article touches on some of those factors and lays out strategies to help encourage action when all you want to do is procrastinate!

I had several people send me notes about my opening anecdote about motivating myself to ride our air bike. Anyone who has ever ridden one knows exactly how terrible they are. 😂

2. What if Being Lazy Was a Good Thing?

This is one of my favourite articles of the year because I love words and how we use them. The language laziness and the way it’s been almost weaponized are worth examining. The article asks you to think about what it really means to be lazy, the benefits of laziness, and how tactical laziness can be a powerful productivity tool.

The most important point: we could all benefit from being a bit lazier!

3. How to Develop the Skill of Asking for Help

Asking for help is really, really hard. I know it’s something I struggle with. It was actually a good one for me to reread while I was writing this!

This article digs in a bit into why asking for help is so hard, offers some ways to shift how you think about asking for help, and even includes templates to get you started. 

4. 8 Signs You Are A People Pleaser (And How To Stop!)

I had so many people message me about this one, with variations of, “I felt like you were speaking directly about me.”😆

People-pleasing is common and often a deeply ingrained impulse. I wrote this article because it’s also usually a primary contributor to out-of-control schedules. Most people know they are people-pleasers (at least on some level), but it’s a hard habit to stop. This piece offers practical tactics to help you become more aware of where the people-pleasing instinct comes from and when it arises, and to be more thoughtful in how you respond to it.

5. 11 Ideas To Shift How You Think About Productivity

I enjoyed collecting these ideas since they are the ones that I repeat most often in my consulting sessions. A lot of productivity culture is centred around optimization, which is not necessarily bad, but it misses the other side of the coin: removing, reducing, and relaxing. Instead of trying to jam in more and more, there are more intentional ways to think about your priorities and how you fit them into your life. This article gives you 11!

6. 7 Questions To Help You Prepare For A Big Change

I wrote and published the original version of this article way back in 2021, when I decided to go full-time in my consulting practice. Managing change and all the challenges that come with it was a recurring theme for many of my consulting clients, so I decided this was a good one to resurface for everyone.

If you have a big change on the horizon in 2026 and are feeling a little (or a lot!) overwhelmed, this article is a good starting point for some self-reflection and self-discovery.

7. When You Do Things Matters

A key part of productivity is intentional energy management. Understanding your natural energy rhythms and the other factors that affect them is one of the most important ways for you to tackle your tasks and commitments effectively. As much as possible, you can decide when you do different things based on the type of mental energy they require and when your natural energy cycles cater to it. This article explains the typical chronotypes (your body’s natural preferences for sleep and wake times) and how to use that information to better plan how you spend your time.

8.  Preparing For The Long Winter Ahead

We are well into winter in my corner of the world, but regardless of where you live and what the season is, winter is always coming in some shape or form. Whether it’s the weather turning or a challenging season of life ahead, this article is a good reminder to turn your attention to the things that bring you comfort and joy, and foster connection and creativity. 

9. Obligation Elimination And The Power Of Saying No

This article shares one of the foundational ideas of my entire productivity consulting practice: no matter how many tactics, tools, and productivity hacks you do, the most effective way to claw back your time is to say no. If you want to claw back your time, the best thing to do is take some time to evaluate your obligations and set stronger boundaries (say no!) to things that don’t clearly fit with your priorities. This piece shares strategies to help you determine which obligations to eliminate and how to say no more often.

10. 4 Tactics To Help You Check Your Email Less Often

Email! We all have it… and we all wish we didn’t! But since we do, this article offers a few practical ways to rethink your email habits and be more intentional about how often it interrupts your day. There are even a few phrases you can copy to set yourself a good out-of-office for the holiday! 

Check it out if you feel email is taking up too much space in your days.

Thanks for being here!

Every year, I am amazed that when I publish these articles, there are people from all over the world who read them! 

To all of you who share your precious time in reading or sending the occasional note, thank you! I read and respond to every one and appreciate your kindness and feedback.

I wish you all a year full of the people and things that bring you joy. 

Happy holidays and all the best in 2026!

If you are looking for some help calming your chaos in the new year, don't hesitate to reach out!