Mentally Stronger with Therapist Amy Morin 287 — Why Consistency Might Be Holding You Back: The Truth About Habits with Coach Jonathan Goodman
Feb 2, 2026
Jonathan Goodman, fitness veteran and author of Unhinged Habits, shares a seasonal approach to habits. He argues for short bursts of intensity followed by rest. Topics include focusing on one life priority at a time, why tiny daily tweaks can fail, the Hats vs. Tattoos decision rule, friendship depth over breadth, and how to run 30-day micro-seasons with off-season checklists.
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Life Priorities Are A Three Point Triangle
- Life priorities reduce to a triangle of money, health, and relationships as the core trade-offs.
- Jonathan Goodman says focus on thickening one arm at a time while keeping the others on an off-season checklist to avoid guilt and collapse.
Use Seasons Of Intensity To Reset Your Baseline
- Use seasons of intensity rather than only aiming for 1% daily improvements to reset your baseline quickly.
- Jonathan Goodman recommends deliberate on/off seasons with intense focus then recovery, modeled on hunter-gatherer rhythms.
Amy's 30 Day Fitness Microseason
- Amy Morin describes a 30-day fitness challenge that produced visible results and raised her baseline.
- She prioritized health for 30 days without extreme measures and found maintenance afterward much easier.
