Here’s How I’m Actually Doing It.
A few days ago, I wrote a post called Make 2026 Your B*tch.
It wasn’t subtle.
It wasn’t gentle.
And it definitely wasn’t for everyone.
That post was about deciding—deciding that this year wouldn’t just happen to you. That you wouldn’t drift, doomscroll, overcommit, or wake up in December wondering where the hell the year went.
A bunch of people reached out after reading it.
Some said, “Hell yes.”
Some said, “That lit a fire under my ass.”
And a few asked an honest question:
“Okay… but how do you actually do that without burning out?”
Fair question.
So this post is the follow-up I promised myself I’d write if the first one resonated.
This is how I’m operating in 2026—not perfectly, not rigidly, and definitely not like some Instagram productivity monk.
I call it the Evan Daily Operating System (v1.0).
P.S. There’s a longer story for how the Evan OS came to be, but I’ll spare you (for now)
This Is Not a Schedule. It’s a System.
Let’s get one thing out of the way:
If you’re looking for a color-coded, 15-minute-increment, “wake up at 4:17am and cold plunge” plan…
This ain’t that.
I don’t need more discipline.
I need less friction, fewer decisions, and less guilt.
So instead of trying to “be better,” I built a system that works with who I am:
- Faith-first
- Family-first
- ADHD-brain
- Big projects
- Real life
- Puerto Vallarta energy (aka: shit happens)
The full framework lives in The Evan Daily Operating System (v1.0), but here are the parts that matter most.
Non-Negotiable Daily Anchors (I Win the Day Early)
Every single day has two anchors.
They don’t move. They don’t negotiate.
Morning Anchor (5:00–8:00am)
This is my power window:
- Devotional
- Learn Spanish
- Dog Time (walk, play, feed, etc.)
- Piano Practice
If the rest of the day goes sideways—and it often does—I’ve already done the things that matter most.
This alone should eliminate about 80% of my guilt.
Evening Anchor (5:00–9:30pm)
- Dogs
- Dinner with my wife
- Family calls or quiet time
- Wind down
No pretending I’ll “catch up later.”
No lying to myself about “just one more thing.”
Deep Work Tokens (This Changed Everything)
Instead of pretending I can do deep work all day, every day (spoiler: I can’t), I use tokens.
- 1 token = 90 minutes
- No meetings
- No Slack
- No email
- No news
- No multitasking
Each week, I get:
- 4 tokens for Project Broken Mirror
- 4 tokens for UNSECURITY 2.0
That’s it.
When the tokens are gone, I’m done.
No heroic last-minute pushes.
No pretending exhaustion equals virtue.
Progress without burnout is the whole point.
Weekly Themes > Rigid Schedules
Each day has a role, not a prison sentence.
- Monday: Reset & light lift
- Tuesday: People day (no tokens, by design)
- Wednesday: Builder day
- Thursday: Creator day
- Friday: Flex + community
If visitors show up (as the often do during “busy season”)?
Wednesday is the first thing sacrificed—on purpose.
Which brings me to…
Visitor Mode (Because Life Is the Point)
When people are in town, I flip a mental switch:
Visitor Mode.
Rules:
- Morning anchor stays
- Max 1 token per day
- No guilt for unused tokens
- Experiences > productivity
This one rule will probably do more for my mental health than anything else.
Interruptions aren’t failures.
They’re choices—when you design for them.
Low-Energy Days Are Part of the System
Some days my brain just says, “Nope.”
The old me would spiral.
The new system expects this.
Low-energy days:
- Do anchors
- Walk dogs
- Eat
- Connect
- Pick one light thing
- Don’t create
- Don’t beat myself up
Low energy isn’t weakness.
It’s data.
Why I’m Sharing This
I’m not sharing this because I think everyone should copy it.
I’m sharing it because most people don’t fail due to laziness.
They fail because:
- They design systems for someone they’re not
- They confuse pressure with progress
- They punish themselves instead of adjusting
This system keeps my two biggest projects (Project Broken Mirror and UNSECURITY 2.0) moving every single week—without hating my life or ignoring the people I love.
That’s the win.
If 2026 Is Going to Be Your Year…
Don’t just get motivated.
Get intentional.
Build a system that:
- Respects who you are
- Protects what matters
- Makes progress inevitable—even on imperfect days
That’s how you not only start strong.
That’s how you also finish strong.
Now, seriously, go make 2026 your b*tch!
