Last month, we set out to reduce our phone screen time and be more present.
Simple in theory. Brutal in reality.

The first few days felt easy — almost too easy. But soon the itch to check my phone crept in. By mid-month, my willpower tanked, and I was somehow using my phone more than before. I wasn’t mad—I was surprised. I thought I could “just be disciplined.”

Turns out, discipline without a system is basically hope.
And hope is not a strategy.

Everything changed when I watched a YouTube video by theMITmonk: “Success Is Hard Until You Build Systems Like This.”

The first principle hit me hard:

Like Hernán Cortés, sink your ships. No retreat. No excuses.
Success becomes inevitable when it’s the only option.

Then came the next principles: Stop relying on willpower and craft your mental algorithm.
Willpower drains fast. Routines don’t.

So with these principles I created my plan for my phone

I created an If–Then rule to remove all friction.

Every day If it’s 8 PM → Then I turn on airplane mode.
No notifications. No negotiations. No escape hatch.

If it’s 12 pm or 5 pm → Then I can check and respond to messages for 1 hr max.

By the end of the month, I had cut my screen time by over 90 minutes per day.
I felt more present, more productive, and more grounded.

We’ve reached the final stretch of the year — the season of slowing down, reconnecting, and preparing for what comes next.

This month’s challenge is simple, but powerful:

Compile your biggest lessons, travel takeaways, and fitness milestones from the entire year.

Life tends to slip by when we live it passively.
But when we move with intention — when we actually process what we lived through — a single year can shape the rest of our lives.

This is your moment to:

Reflection is not a soft skill.
Reflection is survival.
Reflection is momentum.

At the end of the day, we make time for what truly matters:

Being around people who light us up.
Slowing down long enough to see the good in our lives.
Returning to our roots so we remember who we are and what we’ve overcome.

This month is the final phase — the inner work.
The strengthening of your spirit, your will, your inner fire.

Because when your soul cracks, the mind follows.
And when the mind falls, the body collapses.
Your soul — your drive, your curiosity, your desire to explore and evolve — is the engine of everything you do.

Keep it alive.
Feed it.
Learn from it.
Grow through it.

If you’ve been following we have now trained our bodies in October, we focused our minds in November and this December we will hone our spirits.

A strong life starts with a strong inner world.
With a strong inner world your become unbreakable.
You build confidence and faith in your own path — you start following the beat of your own drum.

The beginning of the end. Your final push for your winter arc begins now!

Let’s move with thoughtful intention.

Bernie
— Made to Move Collective, Founder

Until next time,