Back in high school, my sister and I had the same teacher for a class.
I remember my mom laughing at the teacher’s remarks when she came back from my sister’s parent-teacher night.
“She’s so organized, like everything on her desk arranged perfectly…which is funny, because when I had John, it was just…blaaaahh! (apparently she threw her arms outward to symbolize a mess).
😕
Ms. L. was right though.
I was largely a chaotic mess.
Been that way.
Made my peace with it.
Oh look at me, I’m so whimsical and artsy and creative and I’m a people person so I don’t have to be a crossed t’s dotted i’s type!
Bullshit.
Recently, that’s been changing…and it feels awesome.
Having an Epiphany on the Metro North
I spent a recent Friday night when I was on the Island trekking up to visit my guy Elevator Charles.
Chatting internet biz, AI, creator economy, all that jazz.
What struck me (though I had been there before), was the sheer organization of his office.
LED lights, laptop stands, AI phone farms, mounted monitors, the list goes on.
(The Whispr Flow pedal 🤯)
Meanwhile, had you seen my old office in my Long Island apartment or my current setup in FL, you’d think I was designing some sort of avant-garde shrine to empty Zyn cans and smelly shaker bottles, with a motif of cable mismanagement that’s a “symbol of modern society”.
My Metro North train back to Grand Central got stopped for a track issue.
Idling somewhere between Darien and Stamford, I couldn’t shake the images of the ultra-modern productivity/recording/AI paradise I had spent the last 6 hours ranting and raving (and crushing a few Miller Lites) in.
I had decided enough was enough.
I was going to become organized.
Cute Excuses = Ego Protection
The hardest part of doing this was taking a good hard look in the mirror.
Obviously, this can be extrapolated to whatever it is you currently suck at.
It was a brutal realization, but I’ve noticed that I romanticized being disorganized in a lot of ways.
The reason?
Well, here’s my take:
We turn what we suck at into part of our identity because it excuses something we’re not naturally good at.
It’s easier to dismiss something than take an ego hit.
But now look at my life once I took the bitter pill of realizing there was a serious hole in my game.
Since I’ve gotten back to Florida:
My meals (with calculated macros) are consistent each day.
There’s actually visible clear space on my desk.
I’m getting acquainted with Notion Calendar
“I should do mobility tonight” has turned into a set time with a saved “Yoga with Adriene” (the goat) video I adhere to religiously
Time-blocking has led to more tasks getting done.
It’s all coming together.
Like Riding a Bike for the First Time
That’s exactly how I’d describe it.
“Wow, I’m actually doing this.”
Look, what we suck at 99% of the time correlates with what we’re not naturally good at.
(Although I was pretty good at flying around on my bike as a kid..)
That’s where the pride comes from.
It’s why you see elation when people lose a lot of weight and get fit for the first time, or learn public speaking, etc.
All of a sudden, a negative identity trait they’ve embedded into their wiring gets challenged, and what comes out the back end is an improved sense of self.
I had a great chat with an old friend yesterday.
That happened because I plugged chatting time into Notion.
The super lax, yeah bro call whenever, man! sounds great, but then the phone buzzes during writing time (sacred), I ignore it, the convo doesn’t happen, we both get busy, so on and so forth.
Organization has started compounding the things that matter to me.
Of course, there is a caveat.
You’ll Probably Never Be Elite
I remember seeing an article a while back about athleticism.
We naturally, unknowingly self-select for what we’re good at as very little kids.
Through that lens, it’s no wonder I never signed up for a marathon.
Life skills are largely the same.
Kids crushing math class became accountants.
The ones who loved presenting went into sales and client-facing roles.
Our animal brains avoid the pain of what makes us vulnerable, or so it seems.
If the aptitude was there, we’d have delved into it.
Running, cooking, speaking, doesn’t matter.
You and I both have natural ceilings, which is totally fine.
That’s not the goal.
The goal isn't to turn weaknesses into superpowers.
It's to turn liabilities into competence.
The Baltimore Orioles Can’t Do Yoga
When I first got down to Florida, I signed up for a yoga class.
I grinded through the 90 minutes somehow, and chatted with the instructor after.
Told her thanks for being patient, I knew I was brutal, I did the best I could.
She was super kind.
“You did fine. It’s harder for the guys your size, I do spring training yoga for the Orioles, trust me I know”
I was like…ok?
But they’re professional athletes.
“Yeah but they’re probably awesome at it”
She laughed in my face and told me how bad most of them were.
That’s a pretty good way to look at this.
Addressing what you suck at removes the constraints on your low end, so your natural aptitude can shine.
Gulf Coast yoga struggle seshes become summertime 450ft home runs on Statcast.
Carving out time for long walks becomes noticeable weight loss.
Notion Calendar adoption becomes dedicated writing time and published articles.
All the while, it feels great.
Trust me on that.
Alright, enough for tonight- I have email responses at 7:30.
(Who even am I anymore?!)
-John Abbate
8.11.2026
Wispr Flow + pedal >>>>>>>>>>
Maybe I gotta give the yoga a try??
🫶🏻 Another amazing Substack. So proud of you John!