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Matt Hogan's Blog Posts

Let It Linger

Published on December 2, 2025

As an extension off yesterday’s post, not only do I think it’s better to read several pages from one author versus one page from several different authors (emails and blogs included)… I also think it’s better to read one page from one author and really think about what it said (and do inner work with what thoughts it evoked) versus reading a bunch of pages from one author filled with bunches and bunches of what they think with no time to think about any of it.

Inbox zero is tempting. Getting the book checked off your list is appealing. Sucking up every idea and insight available to you in every moment of every day can feel deceptively productive.

But the reality is, as I was alluding to yesterday, tons of insight plus zero processing space pushes those insights out of your brain just as fast as they’re getting sucked in—because our short term memories can only store so much… which is why we (I) can spend an hour watching short videos, feel good about them while I’m doing it, and finish feeling like I took nothing away.

The key takeaway from this is that insight isn’t instantly integrated. Insight needs processing space—inner work time—where it can simmer, settle, and melt into your being.

Otherwise, it’s in one ear and out the other… in one eye and out the other… in one side of your brain and forced out the other… letting it linger is what allows it to stay within. And lingering happens only when there’s nothing else pushing it around and out of the way.

Books And Blogs

Published on December 1, 2025

On weekday afternoons, as I’m sipping my coffee, I’ll read some insightful content from books and blogs.

Three of the books I’ll check out are page-a-days that feature one focused idea for each day of the year and there are maybe 5-10 blogs I’ll digest in the same way—a short insight sent out either daily or weekly.

What I’ve been feeling lately, however, is that it’s too much jumping around.

…I’ll read maybe 5-10 pages of content in total, but it’s like each page is authored by another person… and I’m noticing that I’m not retaining the ideas as well because I have to context switch so frequently.

What I want to shift to is 5-10 pages from a single content source/person and then rotate who I read from daily. This allows me to keep the context straight and read more seamlessly one idea to the next.

I feel similarly with social media.

I’ll watch video shorts for an hour and feel like some of the stuff is really great—but can’t remember any of it when I’m done. When I watch long-form videos, however, I usually leave with at least a few take-aways.

This is a shift that more of us need to make in our lives.

…Away from shorter, shorter, shorter… and find ways to move towards the opposite. Because one minute of math, one minute of social studies, and one minute of science taught in rotation for 60 rotations is NOT the same as 60 minutes of math, 60 minutes of social studies, and 60 minutes of science taught straight up.

…When do you feel like you retain what you consume the best?

“Please, Help Yourself”

Published on December 1, 2025

While dropping off flyers at houses for the door-to-door food drive, one house had a box of snacks on the porch with a sign that read, “Please, help yourself :)”

This came in stark contrast to just about every other house that had “Beware of Dog” posters, “You’re Being Recorded” warnings, “No Soliciting” notices, “Protected by Whatever Security System” signs, bolt locked storm doors, barking dogs, extra fences, etc.

It was a brief window into the life of a mail/delivery person and how cold and hostile it can feel going onto people’s property… not that there’s anything wrong with anything listed above… but what a nice gesture at one of the busiest, most stressful times of the year for their line of work.

Human-ify-ing Outreach

Published on November 30, 2025

Every year, my martial arts team and I do a food drive to support our local food shelter.

One of the most effective initiatives is going door-to-door in our local neighborhoods, dropping off flyers that ask neighbors to leave a bag of food on their porch that Sunday at noon, and then go back and pick up whatever is donated.

The dropping off the flyers door-to-door part can be tedious. Especially in a world where so many of us are used to reaching thousands and thousands with just the push of a button. Going door-to-door lets you reach about one family per minute—and that’s if the flyer even makes it into their hand(s). So after two hours of walking around in the cold, maybe 120ish families will have been reached out to—a number many people would consider inefficient given the digital alternatives.

But I think in a lot of ways, it’s a refreshing perspective resetter.

On social media, people aren’t people—not really at least—they’re numbers, they’re analytics, they’re a part of a glorified game.

When walking house to house—they’re very much people. And the scale of what 100 people really looks like and feels like burns slowly back into perspective. Especially when it involves a lot of walking, in the cold, up and down stairs, one house to the next, one conversation at a time, over the duration of few hours…

I share this in hope that we all—myself included—can continue human-ify our outreach/connection efforts. Pushing a button to reach thousands can certainly work… but face-to-face and in-person might be more of what we need.

Flashing Your Life Before Your Eyes

Published on November 26, 2025

The benefit to having your life “flash before your eyes” is that you get it back… after those terrifying moments of feeling like it was lost.

…And the gratitude that comes with it is unmatched.

I had my life flash before my eyes recently and unmatched gratitude was slapped into my perspective in a way that’s hard to achieve through gratitude journaling.

And what came from it wasn’t just a few moments of contentment, but an overall slower pace… a more undivided attention throughout the day… more carefully placed actions and words with each interaction…

I hope you don’t experience a terrifying moment. But, I do hope you’re able to flash your life before your eyes and really elicit the power of the unmatched gratitude that accompanies it.

It really is unbelievable that we’re here…

Willingness To Be Inconvenienced

Published on November 25, 2025

Maybe one way to measure relationship importance is to measure it against willingness to be inconvenienced.

In other words: who are you willing to bend over backwards for when you’re busy? Who are you changing plans for in a moment’s notice because they asked? Who are you going out of your way for even when you’re exhausted and don’t feel like it?

The more inconveniences you’re willing to bear for a person, the greater the relationship’s importance. And vice versa.

Does this mean we live our life on another person’s schedule? Or obey another person’s every command like a servant? Or give somebody full access to our energy?

No.

It simply means that certain people have earned time into your schedule—even when it’s packed… that they have earned the right to be served your attention—even when it’s being pulled in a million directions… that they have earned energy access—even when you’re low on stores.

And maybe remembering this can help when people are “inconveniencing you” and you are “inconveniencing” other people.

Avoiding Fear Is Avoiding Your Potential

Published on November 24, 2025

This past weekend, the martial arts association I’m a part of hosted a tournament for 500+ local and out of state competitors.

…And I don’t think a single one of them wasn’t nervous about competing.

From the outside looking in, as a spectator, it might seem as though many of the people who stepped into the ring were, in fact, without nerves… but, I can assure you, it’s almost never the case.

What happens is the competitors feel the nerves… and then get into the ring anyway.

Which is precisely what courage is: feeling fear and doing the thing anyway.

And it’s so important to remember this—especially when we’re confronted with a fear-inducing opportunity in our lives. Because while choosing to be a spectator will dissipate the fear… it also dissipates the courage you stand to build.

See what happens when you choose to step into the fear is you challenge and flex your courage muscle which, by and by, increases your fear tolerance and ability to manage your physiological response.

…Something that’s undoubtedly correlated to what’s required for you—us—to live and lead your—our—best lives.