What Is The Foundations Project?
Beginning in 2024, I embarked on a year-long project to improve my foundations in life. Each month I chose a different foundation, worked on establishing a new keystone habit and read copiously from the best experts about how to improve that area of my life.
Below is a list of all the public essays and videos I wrote about the project. In addition to this, however, I also have a companion course which goes into more depth teaching the foundations and guiding students through making their own foundations stronger.
Foundations Explained: An Ten-Part Essay Series

- The Universal Foundations for a Good Life – What is a foundation? Why does it matter?
- The Twelve Foundations for a Good Life – An essay outlining my project, and which foundations I chose to work on, along with my tentative plan for each month.
- The Sweet Spot: Why More Effort Isn’t Always Better – Why mediocrity beats mastery when it comes to your foundations
- The Three Gaps – Three gaps define the difference between how we would live ideally and how we actually do in practice, and of those gaps, one is the most important.
- A Solid Foundation is More than Just Habits – Why building strong foundations depends on more than just having “good habits.”
- The Foundations for Success and Happiness Are the Same – The road to happiness and achievement are the same path.
- 12 Obvious (and 12 Not-So-Obvious) Tips for Living Better – Sharing some obvious, and not-so-obvious advice about each foundation.
- Where’s Your Blindspot – In the end, it’s not the problems you know you have, but the problems you don’t even realize you have that get you.
- How to Be Well-Rounded – In terms of Foundations, it’s all about balance, not extremes.
- What Could you Change in a Year? – Take up the challenge for yourself!