Welcome to The Quiet Rich, your weekly email for a quiet mind and a rich life.
There are 4 months left in 2026. And most people will spend them on autopilot, stuck in the same patterns, then wonder where all the time went.
But you’re not most people. What if you spent 20 minutes today making them the best months of your entire year?
Think about it. Your past 8 months have left helpful clues about what your best days looked like. You've experienced joy, breakthroughs, (and setbacks). And if you listen to those clues, you’ll learn exactly what you can do (and what not do) to make the rest of 2026 remarkable.
The problem is… so many of us never pause to notice the lessons. We just keep moving forward, repeating the same things that brought us stress while missing chances to create more joy.
Here's my 3-step method to make the rest of the year remarkable. (Your future self on December 31st will be so grateful you did this today.)
THE METHOD
Step 1: Mine Your Memories
Open your calendar and your camera roll. You're going on a treasure hunt through the past 8 months (January-August).
Write down:
- Your 5 most wonderful moments!
- Your 5 most stressful moments
Be specific. Don't just write "vacation." Write "That afternoon in Italy when I went for a long swim with my mom.” Your camera roll is really helpful here. A quick scroll through your photos will jog so many wonderful memories that you’ve already forgotten.
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Step 2: Find the Patterns
Now comes the magic of 80/20. (Btw, I love Mark Manson’s explanation of the 80/20 rule. It was invented by an Italian gardener and economist named Vilfredo Pareto.)
Look for the patterns. 20% your moments created 80% of your joy—and 80% of your stress.
For your BEST moments, ask:
- Was I with a particular person?
- Was I away from work/screens?
- Was I being spontaneous or was it planned?
For your WORST moments, ask:
- Was I saying "yes" when my gut said "no"?
- Was I burned out from overcommitting?
- Was I avoiding a difficult conversation?
The patterns will surprise you. Maybe your top 20% of moments all involved being outdoors. Maybe your bottom 20% all happened when you ignored your boundaries.
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Step 3: Design Your Next Four Months
This is where you become the architect of your life.
First, schedule more joy. Open your calendar right now and block off time for whatever brought you those 5 best moments. If travel sparked joy, book a weekend trip with loved ones. If deep conversations with your brother made the list, plan a long video call every month. Schedule your fun first.
Second, create your "To Don’t" list. Write down the specific patterns that led to your worst moments. A few things on my list:
- “I don’t compare myself to strangers on social media.”
- “I don’t beat myself up for decisions I made with the information I had.”
- "I don’t say yes to shiny new projects when I'm already overcommitted."
Print the list out. Always keep it somewhere visible. In tough moments, this list reminds you of the person you wish to become. It will also help you avoid making decisions out of obligation, guilt, FOMO, or other nonsense. In the words of Derek Sivers, “If it’s not a ‘hell yeah,’ it’s a no.”
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Four months is still a third of the year! And the last third doesn't have to be the leftovers. It can be the highlight.
Your future self is already thanking you. Because four months from now, when you're looking back on New Year’s Eve, you'll realize how many good things happened because you spent 20 minutes reflecting today. Cheers to creating more moments that matter and eliminating what doesn't.
All my love,
❤️ Jade
P.S. Forward this to someone you want to do the exercise with.
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