Foundations Project

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 ^[1] which goes into more depth teaching the foundations and guiding students through making their own foundations stronger.

Foundations Explained: An Ten-Part Essay Series

Foundations are universal practices that help support a good life. They apply to everyone, unlike your career or hobby which may be unique to you. They can’t be delegated or ignored, and as such, it tends to be more important to be good enough than to be the best. Finally, because they are usually in the background of our lives they are frequently neglected. Despite this, they determine, to a large extent, the quality of life we experience—health, wealth, relationships, productivity, and happiness are all built on foundations.

Below is a ten-part essay series I have exploring the concept of foundations in more depth.

1. The Universal Foundations for a Good Life ^[2] – What is a foundation? Why does it matter?
2. The Twelve Foundations for a Good Life ^[3] – An essay outlining my project, and which foundations I chose to work on, along with my tentative plan for each month.
3. The Sweet Spot: Why More Effort Isn’t Always Better ^[4] – Why mediocrity beats mastery when it comes to your foundations
4. The Three Gaps ^[5] – 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.
5. A Solid Foundation is More than Just Habits ^[4] – Why building strong foundations depends on more than just having “good habits.”
6. The Foundations for Success and Happiness Are the Same ^[6] – The road to happiness and achievement are the same path.
7. 12 Obvious (and 12 Not-So-Obvious) Tips for Living Better ^[7] – Sharing some obvious, and not-so-obvious advice about each foundation.
8. Where’s Your Blindspot ^[8] – 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.
9. How to Be Well-Rounded ^[9] – In terms of Foundations, it’s all about balance, not extremes.
10. What Could you Change in a Year? ^[10] – Take up the challenge for yourself!

My 12 One-Month Challenges