I was cooking dinner last night (no-bean chili, check it out) and Denee snuck up behind me and asserted, “I’ve figured out my 7 non-negotiables.” As usual, I didn’t really know what we were talking about so I led with a vague “that’s awesome!” and then followed up with “what?” She explained that a non-negotiable is a commitment that you make when planning out your day, month, or year, and you’re not going to waiver from it. It’s the first thing you put on the schedule, and the last thing that would ever get moved.
One of Denee’s non-negotiables when looking at the entire 2026 calendar, for example, is for us not to be away from home for more than two weekends in a row. 2025 felt so busy, and there were a few months where it felt like we had a trip to visit friends or family every weekend. So this travel-limiting non-negotiable is now in place to protect our weekends, our wallets, and our sanity!
Another example that I really latched onto is that her and I will go on a date every month. She’ll schedule it (she’s good at that, I’m not) and I’ll plan out what we’re going to do (we’re both equally good at this part but I have to do something, right?)
I really like this idea, and I’m now in the process of using the non-negotiable model to plan out my year. I started by revisiting what my non-negotiable daily priorities are – things that I know are important to me because it’s easy to not do them but when I do let them go I feel out of balance. So these are my “me time” daily grounding activities which then help me be more productive with all the other roles and tasks I need to take on.
- My morning practice – first thing in the morning (after making coffee) – gratitude, box breathing, review of my passions/principles/purpose, visualization of today’s plan
- Physical training – 5 days a week it will usually be in the gym, but on Wednesdays, Sundays, and travel days it most likely is outside
- ROMWOD – alright now the app is called Pliability – a 20 minute stretching routine, call it yoga for CrossFitters. My new commitment here is that this needs to happen directly after my workout or else it usually doesn’t happen, and then my tight hips become a tight back and then I can’t sleep. Non-negotiable!
- Mental training – currently doing a deeper dive into some concepts through Unbeatable Mind, an integrated training method that I’ve been a student and coach of for years
- Evening practice – reading/breathing to calm down my mind, then a daily review of what went right, what went wrong, lessons learned, then a review of tomorrow’s schedule
January 2026 is almost over, but it’s not yet. We have a few more days – and maybe some snow-related downtime? – to contemplate the question, what are my non-negotiables? What can I commit to this year on a daily basis, and then looking more into the near future, on a weekly or monthly basis that will add significant value to my life? What is one non-negotiable goal that I will achieve this year?
Let me know what you come up with! I might want to steal it for myself too…
Ryan