Skip to content

Matt Hogan's Blog Posts

The Simple Addition Of Good

Published on October 27, 2025

There are opportunities for good in everything we do.

  • We could go for a walk. Or we could go for a walk with a trash bag and pick up street garbage along the way.
  • We could post a selfie. Or we could comment thoughtful and kind things on other people’s selfies/posts.
  • We could make dinner for ourselves. Or we could make a little extra for our neighbors.
  • We could do our job and leave. Or we could do a little extra and help another employee out.
  • We could have a party and spoil ourselves. Or we could have a party with a purpose and point resources/efforts towards a charity or cause.
  • We could read a book. Or we could read a book and start a conversation, share our favorite insights/quotes throughout, or lend it to someone who you think would really benefit from reading it.

This isn’t to say you should always do things in this way.

…Sometimes, you just need to go for a damn walk or read the damn book.

But other times… what you might really be missing, that you might not even realize, is this simple addition of good in these tasks you’re already doing daily.

…The opportunity is already there. All it takes is a pinch of added intention.

Befriend Feeling Bad

Published on October 27, 2025

It’s good to feel bad, without it, there would be no cause for you to push back for good.

I felt unhealthy this week, for example, and it made me feel bad. But it made me push back and I had an extra healthy grocery shopping trip for this upcoming week.

I’ve been missing my evening reading time because I’ve been going to bed so late and I’ve felt bad about it. But I can feel the push to get back on track with it as the book I’m reading stares me down each night I climb into bed without giving it any attention.

I felt bad about judging a homeless person in a restaurant. But, after listening to how a mother spoke to him and listened to him and helped him, it gave me cause to push back on that reflex and do better.

The point is, don’t excuse/ suppress/ or ignore feeling bad about things—befriend that feeling. Use it to magnify the energy and effort you’ll devote towards pushing back for the good.

Like Pavlov’s Dogs

Published on October 26, 2025

Years ago I read Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants To Be by Steven Pressfield.

Today, I was reminded that when I sit in my work chair, my mind modes to work; when I sit on my couch, my mind modes to relax and unwind; and when I sit on my home office chair, my mind modes to reading, writing, and meditating.

The premise of the above mentioned book is exactly this: create a sacred space where only one type of task or theme of tasks happens. Then, like Pavlov’s dogs, all you need to do is sit your ass in that space and your mind will mode accordingly.

…An excellent strategy if you are hours deep into a mindless couch slump and you need to get some work done. Just tell your mind you’re just going to sit in a different space and see what happens. And if you’ve done your conditioning correct, the rest will take care of itself.

P.s. Here are 10 of my favorite quotes from Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants To Be.

The Same Tasks Done At Different Times Does Not Produce The Same Results

Published on October 25, 2025

Reading books calms my mind and tires my eyes—that’s why I read at night. Scrolling through my phone stimulates my mind and wakes my eyes—that’s why I use it in the morning.

I tend to be more introverted in the morning—that’s when I do most of my class planning, writing, curriculum designing, event planning, and strategizing. I tend to be more extroverted in the afternoon and evening—that’s when I do most of my teaching, phone calling, hanging out, communicating, and interacting.

Recording notes on my phone can be done quickly, hands-free, and copy/pasted/shared seamlessly—that’s why I do it when I’m on the move or at a business conference. Recording notes on paper with a pen/pencil elicits zero distractions or stimulation—that’s why I do it when I’m meditating and am trying to clear my mind.

If I did all of these things the opposite way (i.e. read books in the morning and used my phone at night or did my extroverted tasks in the morning and introverted tasks at night) the results would NOT be the same—they would be negatively affected—even though the time allotted would be equal.

This is the power of alignment. And this is a power you should consider and seriously consider yielding to in your own life.

Gigantic Intention

Published on October 23, 2025

Do you know what’s better than cursing the litter? …Picking up even just one piece of trash.

Do you know what’s better than judging those who are out of shape? …Going on even just one walk with one of them.

Do you know what’s better than watching algorithmic content that triggers you? …Deliberately watching even just one piece of content that inspires you.

Do you know what’s better than being endlessly too busy? …Reprioritizing and making even just one block of time work in your favor.

Do you know what’s better than being a perfect role model who falls short sometimes? …Being an imperfect role model who continuously seeks improvement and shares lessons learned along the way.

Do you know what’s better than gigantic intention? …Even just one small action completed.

Take Care Of Your Pennies

Published on October 21, 2025

I don’t know about you, but I like my water carrying buckets hole-free. And while you might agree, you might be surprised at how many holes are in your money-carrying buckets that you’re either consciously ignoring or blind to see.

Things like delivery fees for food you could’ve gotten for a fraction of the cost at the store or picked up yourself… credit card charges for goods and services you should’ve paid off right away or could’ve done without… subscription services for entertainment apps you haven’t used in months… high utility bills because you’re careless and use way more than what you really need… insurance on your house or car that’s jacked up in price because you haven’t shopped around or have been too lazy to participate in rate reduction programs or courses…

See what most people don’t understand… or maybe just want to be too bougie to have to worry about… is that patching leaks is an excellent strategy for keeping more water in your bucket. And while, yes, putting more water in your bucket can also result in you having more water in your bucket… it can also lead to bigger and more exacerbated leaks. Especially if you never pay any mind to them and let them deteriorate, rust, and crack unchecked and freely.

The mindset is this: take care of your pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.

IRL Video Games

Published on October 20, 2025

I was reminded yesterday of where all the time came from that was required to build my quote website…

…And it came from all of the time I might’ve otherwise played video games.

See, I had two experiences with video games that essentially made me quit cold turkey. One was from an inception-like experience where I played for 16+ hours straight and got stuck in a nightmare that night for what felt like a year. The second was when I saw a stat tracker that said I had been playing this other game for 13+ days in total time.

After that, I recommitted this freshly available time into the creative act of building MoveMe Quotes.

“…And so you worked full time and then came home and kept working some more, huh?” …Is what this person asked.

But, that’s not how it felt at all.

Building this website was like a video game in itself. I was trying to create this beautiful user experience that felt like I was building a home on SIMS or an amusement park on Roller Coaster Tycoon.

I was trying to maximize my organic marketing and SEO exposure to build an army of dedicated followers—like if I was playing Dynasty Warriors or Age Of Empires.

I was selling digital products and even built a merch store to offset the costs of running this popular website and maybe even make a profit—like if I was playing any business oriented game like Lemonade Tycoon.

The point is, I wasn’t working: I was just playing a different game—one that was IRL oriented.

…And maybe there’s a similar perspective you can adopt, too?