One Thing at a Time
The Quest of Life
Weekly Newsletter by Quest Taylor
Read Time: ~6 minutes
Today at a Glance
This week’s newsletter is all about reclaiming your energy and sharpening your focus—especially when life feels heavy.
You’ll hear about:
How to navigate mental overwhelm without spiraling
A simple weekend shift that’s helped me actually enjoy my time again
My most passionate gym advice: get off your damn phone
Let’s get into it.
1. Feeling Overwhelmed? Start Small—and Finish It.
I’m going to be vulnerable with you—on Monday, I woke up in full dread.
Here’s what was on my plate:
Taxes due (I have no idea how to file business taxes)
Dozens of work projects I felt behind on
Conversations I didn’t want to have
Cross-country move logistics I hadn’t started, even though I am supposed to move in 10 days
Airbnb issues
A backlog of little things I hadn’t taken care of
I was one small inconvenience away from spiraling.
I snoozed my alarm again and again until the only thing that finally got me out of bed was my first meeting.
But then something small shifted everything:
I finally mailed a set of gloves back to a friend that had been sitting on my counter for months. One small thing, checked off the list.
That loop closed. And in that moment, my brain let out a tiny exhale.
Later that day, I knocked out a procurement project I’d been avoiding for weeks. And suddenly—I had momentum.
That’s when it hit me (again):
Overwhelm isn’t just about how much you have to do.
It’s about how many open loops you’re carrying.
So here’s the move:
Pick one thing
Do it to completion
Then pick the next
No hacks. No productivity stack. No five-step framework.
Just pick something—and finish it.
🧼 Clean your kitchen.
📩 Write the email.
📦 Mail the damn gloves.
Clear the clutter in your mind by closing the loops. You’ll feel lighter every time.
2. A Weekend Shift That Changed Everything
For most of my 20s, Friday nights meant going out.
Bars. Friends. Drinks. Repeat.
And while I was still productive in pockets, I started to notice something:
I was spending every Saturday drained, behind on my goals, and guilty about how I was spending my time.
And the worst part? I’d go out again Saturday night just to avoid dealing with the dread.
So I made a change:
Now I only go out on Saturdays.
What happened?
Fridays became sacred.
I decompress from the week.
Sometimes I chill, sometimes I create.
No pressure. No guilt. Just space.
Saturdays became energizing.
I wake up clear.
I read, lift, journal, explore.
Sometimes I even edit videos or work on my app. Just because I have the time.
So when I do go out on Saturday night, I feel good about it.
I’ve lived a day worth sharing—not just another blurry bar story.
To be clear:
This isn’t about giving up going out.
I love a drunken bar night till 3 AM coming back and ordering Taco Bell as much as anyone else.
It’s not about becoming a monk. It’s about making space for the life you actually want to live.
Try it.
You might realize your weekends need a remix too.
3. Get Off Your F*cking Phone at the Gym
Okay, this one’s gonna be blunt.
If you’re scrolling on the bench press, we can’t be friends.
Here’s why this drives me crazy:
The gym is supposed to be the place where you show up for yourself.
Not TikTok. Not group chats. Not dating apps. Just you.
When you check your phone between sets, you’re doing two things:
Killing your focus
Training your brain to seek dopamine after doing something hard
Which means?
You’re literally sabotaging your workout—and your results.
I’m not saying your lack of gains is only because of your phone…
…but I’m also not not saying that either.
And if you’re hogging a machine while texting your ex?
Someone’s silently plotting your downfall.
Here’s the fix:
Put your phone on Do Not Disturb
Use it only for music
Bring a notebook to track your workouts
Leave the scrolling for later
This is your time. Protect it.
My rule: If it’s not changing the song —it can wait.
Need a good workout journal?
Here’s the one I use: 👉 Lifting Journal on Amazon
Parting Thought: One Thing at a Time
Life doesn’t slow down. But you don’t have to let it flatten you.
Pick one thing.
Finish it.
And then move to the next.
Restructure your weekends.
Reclaim your energy.
And for the love of gains—get off your damn phone at the gym.
See you next week,
– Quest