Finally Getting Back Into A Regular Groove

The first quarter of the year is almost always a busy time for me. It usually starts around Thanksgiving in late November and carries through the first week of March.

Holidays, birthdays, colder weather, filing taxes, and celebrating my own birthday. In February alone there are 5 birthdays in my family/friend group, including my mother’s, my grandfather’s, and my step father’s.

With all that said, I’m grateful to finally be getting back into a regular groove. However, this actually extends past just the short term schedule changes listed above.

Last week, I bought a vehicle after nearly two years of relying primarily on an electric bike. In this article, I’d like to reflect on some of the positives that came from taking that unique approach, as well as share a few things I’m excited about as I move forward.

Getting More Focused

Over the past two years, I became much more focused and productive than I had been in previous years.

Not having a vehicle limited my day-to-day options to just a handful of places and activities. If I wasn’t at the gym, I was at the golf course working on my swing. If I wasn’t at the golf course, I was at the library checking out a book or getting work done on the computer. If it was raining and I couldn’t take the bike out, I stayed home and got things cleaned up around the house. And when it was sunny out, I would ride over to the community pool to catch a tan.

Taking things down to the bare essentials like that actually simplified my life in a way. In the years prior, it wasn’t uncommon for me to feel some indecisiveness about how to spend my free-time. Some days I would drive 20-30 minutes out of town just to make a 10 minute stop, only to turn around and come home.

However, now I can say it’s much easier to get myself into gear and start working on something productive. Since I didn’t have as many options for things to do, it gave me more incentive to become more organized with my time and focus on things that will have a meaningful impact.

Saving Money

Over the past two years I did the best financially that I had ever done. Since I didn’t have a vehicle, I also didn’t have to pay for gas, maintenance fees, or car insurance. My job was only a 5 minute bike ride down the road, and for a lot of days I would get up in the morning, head to work, and then head back home in the evening, having made money for a day’s work and spent practically nothing.

As a result, it made it easy for me to accumulate money. By the end of 2024 my savings was the highest it had ever been. Through the first 5 months of 2025 I basically just worked 2-3 days per week. Enough to cover my expenses without touching my savings. And then when I left the job on June 1st I continued to support myself from then to this day without taking on any debt.

Because my expenses were so low, it gave me a lot of flexibility to enjoy the money I was earning while still saving. I ordered delivery meals. Went in for massages. Made purchases on things that I wanted for around the house. Bought nice food, health products, and supplements. I upgraded my cell phone. Bought new clothes, glasses, and shoes. I stayed in nice Airbnbs. If I wanted to go somewhere and it was too far to bike I ordered an Uber or called a private driver.

Because I was living so frugally in other areas, it meant I had more flexibility to enjoy my earnings in other ways. Again, this was an adjustment from years prior. It made it to where despite not having the same mobility on a day to day basis, I was still able to put together a nice lifestyle.

Getting More Involved With The Community

Over the past two years, I’m fortunate to say that I’ve gotten to know many people in my community. Between working at a local business and biking through the streets each day, I now come across a lot of familiar faces on a daily basis.

While working at the hardware store, I had the opportunity to serve many of the same people I encounter while moving through the neighborhood each day. I helped customers find parts, offered discounts, greeted people as they came in, and so on.

Over the course of the year and a half that I worked there, many of our customers would be back sometimes as many as 3 times in the same day if they had a big project on their hands.

This gave me the chance to get to know people on a more cordial level than just the standard “hellos” and “goodbyes” you would typically see in most service roles.

This is on top of already living in this area for 25+ years. Now as a result, I see people I know almost every time I step out, and it’s not uncommon at all for me to stop and have a 10-12 minute conversation one or more times in a day.

The Direction I’m Moving In

At this point, I feel it’s time to start applying the habits I’ve built over the past two years to help myself reach new heights.

I’ve become more organized with how I manage my time. I’ve gotten better about waking up early, improved my fitness, and developed my skills as both a writer and a recording artist. I’ve also become more disciplined when it comes to managing my finances.

Now that I’m 29, I feel like I’m in the right place to start putting things together so that I can enter my 30s in great shape.

Thank You For Reading

As always, I want to give a big thank you for reading this article. I hope that you have enjoyed, and I look forward to seeing you on the next one!