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The Negative Space Win
Find one object in your room and focus on the empty space around it for 60 seconds. This exercise in noticing negative space trains your brain to see the world differently, appreciate simplicity, and find calm in the unoccupied areas of your life.
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The Creative Constraint Win
Choose a creative project and give it a time limit of just 15 minutes. The severe time constraint forces you to abandon perfectionism and make bold, intuitive choices. You’ll be amazed at what you can create when you don’t have time to overthink it.
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The Stair Challenge Win
If you encounter an escalator or an elevator next to a flight of stairs, take the stairs. Every time. Your win is choosing the option that builds physical resilience. It’s a small, consistent vote for long-term health over short-term convenience.
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The Mercury Mindfulness Win
During your commute or a short trip, your win is to practice “Mercury mindfulness.” Pay hyper-attention to the signs, the signals, the flow of traffic, and the logic of the route. It’s a way to honor the planet of communication and travel by being fully present during the journey.
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The Praise in Public Win
When you see a coworker or friend do something well, praise them publicly. Mention their great work in a group chat, a team meeting, or a social media post (if appropriate). Your win is amplifying their positive contribution and making them feel seen by the group, not just by you.
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The Hesitation Elimination Win
Notice the moment you hesitate to start a small task. In that instant, count down from 5-4-3-2-1 and then immediately begin the task. This technique, popularized by Mel Robbins, is a pattern interrupt that bypasses your brain’s excuse-making and launches you into action.
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The One-Click Password Win
Your win is to go to your password manager and change the password for one non-essential account to a newly generated, secure password. This is a small, 2-minute step that improves your overall digital hygiene without the stress of a major security overhaul.
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The Sensory Memory Win
Think of a happy memory. Now, instead of just remembering it, try to recall the specific sensory details: what did it smell like? What texture were you touching? What was the quiet background sound? This exercise grounds the memory in your body, making it more powerful and present.
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The Question Journal Win
t the end of the day, instead of writing about what you did, write down three questions you have. They can be about anything. “Why do we dream?” “How could I make this system more efficient?” Your win is ending the day in a state of curiosity, which is the fuel for all learning and creativity.
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The Metaphor Hunt Win
Think of a complex problem you’re facing. Your win is to create a metaphor for it. “This project is like trying to assemble furniture with no instructions.” Metaphors clarify your thinking and can reveal unexpected solutions.
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The Bad First Draft Win
Give yourself permission to create something that is intentionally “bad.” Write a terrible poem, draw a lousy picture, record a song with mistakes. The goal is to silence your perfectionist inner critic and just get the raw material out. You can’t edit a blank page.
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The Cross Pollination Win
Read an article or watch a video about a topic completely outside your field of interest. If you’re in finance, read about biology. If you’re an artist, read about physics. Your win is to find one idea from that unrelated field you can apply to your own work.
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The Constraint Creation Win
Give yourself a silly constraint for a creative task. Write a sentence without using the letter ‘e’. Design a logo using only straight lines. Constraints are not the enemy of creativity; they are its best friend. They force you to be more resourceful.
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The What If Scenario Win
Take a current event or a story from your day and ask “What if…?” “What if gravity was 10% weaker for a day?” “What if that meeting had been held outside?” Your win is to follow one of these threads for five minutes and explore the possibilities.
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The Reverse Engineering Win
Find a piece of creative work you admire—a short story, a logo, a photo. Your win is to break it down. Identify the three core elements that make it work. Is it the color, the composition, the word choice? Deconstructing greatness is how you learn to create it.
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The Object Story Win
Pick a random object on your desk or in your room. Your win is to create a 60-second backstory for it. Where did it come from? Who else might have owned it? This simple storytelling exercise builds your creative muscles.
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The Failure Resume Win
Write down three things you tried and failed at recently. Next to each one, write down the one specific thing you learned from the failure. This reframes failure not as an endpoint, but as a crucial part of the learning and creative process.
“Winning on the Daily” to improve your life.