I’ve been thinking about what to focus on in 2025 to be more productive and happier. I developed a short checklist that captures five key questions I’m exploring to get there. These are heuristics, not absolute truths, and they’ll evolve over time. I hope you find them helpful as well.

1. Is my own narcissism getting in my way?

Narcissism is often associated with obvious self-importance, but for me, it can be more subtle. I see it in two main areas: emotional fragility, where I feel hurt when my self-image is challenged, leading to shame, insecurity, or lack of motivation; and poor conflict resolution, which involves avoiding difficult conversations and not setting boundaries. Develop an awareness for how these areas unconsciously impact my actions.

2. Am I living a doctrine of luck?

Virginia Heffernan wrote a piece on ‘Luck’ in Wired (Sept 2022) that I think about daily. She argues for a view of life that acknowledges skepticism about meritocracy, recognizing the contingency of one’s own advantages, and embracing spontaneity, serendipity, and life’s unpredictability. Above all, it involves practicing gratitude: realizing that life is okay, and it could easily have been otherwise. Find ways to make more luck in your life!

3. Am I living a zero-based life?

“Zero-based” here means not letting things build up—bills, emails, errands, jobs, or emotional baggage. By ending each day on a clean slate, avoid building up debts that soon start compounding. It will probably be the hardest habit to maintain because it means saying no to my own habit to postpone.

4. Am I building systems instead of just striving for goals?

Inspired by Atomic Habits (James Clear) and the daily discipline of Stoic philosophy, I try not to obsess over big goals. Instead, focus on developing effective systems and routines, placing my attention on daily inputs rather than worrying about long-term outcomes.

5. Do I have an optimistic explanatory style?

I first encountered Martin Seligman’s work on happiness in 2024. As a moderate pessimist, my tendency is to interpret setbacks as universal, permanent, and my own fault. My goal is to shift seeing them as specific, temporary, and largely external – so that I recover faster and maintain a healthier outlook. Use rumination to act vs. falling into leaned helplessness.

Wishing you a happy and fulfilling new year! May we all find ways to be more productive, more at peace, and more open to life’s serendipities.