The Hardest Year of My Life Forced Me to Stop Writing

I'm back. And better than ever.

The last few months have been difficult.

In truth, with the exception of the year I got sober, 2025 was the hardest year of my life. Toward the end of the year, I had to step away from my daily writing habit. I have not spoken openly about the struggles I faced. I lost many of my closest friends, and I carried a deep sense of sadness that I did not know how to process.

My way to cope with difficulty has always been through writing. Writing has been my outlet, my anchor, and my way forward. But toward the end of last year, I had to stop. I lost that outlet, and the cost of losing it was high.

Today, I want to explain why I had to stop writing, the price I paid for that decision, and how I plan to rebuild from the ground up.

LFG. 🔥

Rebuilding the Foundation

In November, I had a choice to make. I was dealing with real friction in my business, the kind that quietly compounds when you ignore it. I could feel the drag in my day to day work, and it became clear that I needed to do a better job creating SOPs, systems, and internal infrastructure so the business could work for me instead of pulling me into every decision.

It was the right choice. The problem was timing. The only space I had to do this work was in the mornings. So every morning, instead of sitting down for my writing sessions, I opened ClickUp and Loom. I managed tasks, documented processes, reorganized departments, and slowly rebuilt the operational backbone of the business.

It needed to be done.

What I did not fully anticipate was the cost.

The truth is, the last year and a half has been an adjustment for me, both professionally and personally. There is a different kind of weight that comes with rebuilding something you already know how to build, especially when you remember how smooth things once felt.

Starting Over Without the Apparatus

At Stodzy, I had an entire team. I had built a full apparatus that carried much of the load with me. With Quantum, I had to start at the beginning again. New systems, new people, new constraints. There were many moments of frustration as I stumbled forward, trying to maintain momentum while laying new tracks under my feet.

That season stretched longer than I expected.

Things are different now. My team is smaller, the profits are bigger, and the demand for my personal attention is higher. The leverage is there, but it is closer to the ground. It requires more intention, more structure, and more presence from me.

I am not totally out of the woods yet. There are still plenty of opportunities to create better systems and stronger operations. But for the first time in a while, I can feel the rhythm returning. The business is starting to move with me instead of against me.

Along the way, I have met new friends, clients, and colleagues who operate at a high level. Seeing how they think about leverage, delegation, and structure has shown me what is possible in this next phase. Their systems are not magic. They are built. And they can be adapted.

Coming Back to the Page

But there is one thing I have been avoiding.

I need to start writing again.

I have sat down at the keyboard a few times over the last two months. I have typed a few sentences, stared at the screen, and walked away. My writing muscles feel atrophied. The words do not come easily. When I do not know what to say, I default to saying nothing.

There is no way around this problem. The only way to get back into my flow as a writer is to write. Not to wait for clarity. Not to wait for inspiration. Just to show up and put something on the page.

This is not about publishing something great. It is about restarting the habit.

So here I am. Hitting publish. Putting myself back into motion.

Am I proud of this issue? Not particularly. I do not think this will be a piece I look back on as a defining moment or a favorite. But it is proof that I am moving again. And the journey of a thousand miles really does start with the first step.

Onward we go.

Love you guys. Talk to you tomorrow. I’m back.

Tim

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