Back in your inbox after a few weeks off! I’ll do a better job in the future by letting you know when I’ll be missing entries. This time, life started lifin’ and time flew by like a Shibuya bullet train. Luckily, we’re back in motion with some strong momentum heading into 2026. Per usual, here are the wins and wobbles as of late!
Weekly Wins
I couldn’t be more excited for 2026. Things of note will be a more stable knee, a surgeon-like approach to my new market verticals for OS, and more time doing things with the people I love in other countries and cities.
While on my own journey this year, I also had the pleasure of watching some of you accomplish your biggest goals. The best part? It seemingly made y’all hungrier for bigger and better things in 2026. I LOVE THIS ENERGY. It’s the only thing we have in a world that seems to be shrinking in sanity every passing day. We will continue to thrive and lean on each other.
Weekly Wobbles
I had to come to a hard truth this week with my business. I’ve spent months building something I thought would be a huge success. Once I began the outreach, my LinkedIn connection acceptance rate (not even response rate) was like 7%. Long story short, I walked a long way… but in the wrong direction. Since false progress is the bane of my existence, I was devastated for a couple of days. Yet, after I scratched the entire project, I found clarity on WHO I’d like to actually work with, not just picking the biggest name for my portfolio.
Look up sometimes, you may miss something important.
Alright, now it’s time to lock in on this week’s focus: Setting yourself up for success.
O.T.E. What do those letters mean to you?
Over Time Exempt?
Over Time Elite?
On-Target Earnings?
Depending on which industry you’re in, you’ve likely heard of these. But here at The Eversley Edge, we like creating our own acronyms and frameworks. So, OTE to me means:
Optimize
The
Environment
Whether it’s your desk at the office, your space at the gym, or the layout in your home, there is a way to make your life a lot easier when the schedule gets busy. Let’s discuss.
OTE on 3.
Scenario 1: Foot Drop vs Carpets/Rugs - Optimize For Safety
As you all know by now, I have foot drop. The nerve damage from my injury prevents me from lifting my foot up (dorsiflexing) when I walk. With that being said, I trip from time to time on flat surfaces. However, my worst enemies at the moment are carpet and area rugs.
I’ve actually always enjoyed the feeling of carpet against my feet at home, but now it’s become a hazard. Consequently, I had to remove all the area rugs from my apartment to prevent me from falling and causing even more damage. A sacrifice I didn’t want to make, but had to in order to prevent another ER visit.
Scenario 2: Morning Lean-In vs Night Avoidance - Optimize For Self
I’ve mentioned before how daylight savings time makes my daily routine rough. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been getting hit harder than usual with “fatigue” as soon as the sun drops. I found myself working all day and saying “I’ll go to the gym tonight.” I probably actually made it to the gym 33% of the time.
At 34, I’m a morning person who gets the best bursts of energy before noon. Instead of me repeatedly saying, “I’ll just go tomorrow instead of doing a half-ass workout tonight”, I blocked out an hour in the morning for movement. Whether that’s a 1-2 mile walk outside or a round of 30/12/3 on the treadmill, the day starts with movement.
I can already tell you after only a week that my productivity and mood throughout the day has increased significantly by making this adjustment. Find your window, feed the best version of yourself, and watch the magic unfold.
Making morning moves!
Scenario 3: Tidied Surroundings vs Unorganized Chaos - Optimize For Sanity
Not reinventing the wheel here, but sometimes that’s good. Borrowing from a proven practice can provide a quick win. The first thing I do every morning is make my bed. There was a video I came across years ago that stuck with me. Making my bed before I do anything else allows me to start the day with a win. I can’t start the rest of my morning routine until the bed is made. After years of practice, it’s become a habit.
There are days when I either oversleep or have something that immediately requires my attention upon waking up, though. On those days where I can’t make my bed, I usually feel or “more susceptible to L’s” as I like to phrase it.
Finding a routine that allows you to start the day on a high note is one of the best life hack tips I can give you. Why? Because as soon as you step outside your bedroom, there are plenty of things just waiting to annoy and drain you… trust me. Put simply, water your grass first before you start working on the neighbor’s.
Optimizing your environment is the key to making sure you stay on top of your game. I have friends who have various “warmup” or “shutdown” routines at the bookends of their day who could vouch for the OTE process, too. A proven practice regardless of job type, industry, life phase, age, etc. To summarize this week, just remember:
Optimizing your environment = optimizing your success
The most successful version of you deserves to start every day with a win. Make it simple, make it repeatable, make it YOU.
You've got 3 weeks until 2026. Don't wait for New Year's to optimize your environment. Start now. By January 1st, you'll already have the infrastructure for success while everyone else is still making resolutions. If you’d like, share it with me so I can support you accomplishing it!
Have a great week and I’ll talk to you soon 🏁