Protect What Compounds
Read on kevferrell.com
Welcome to Rewire | Reboot, a weekly newsletter where I share reflections from my ongoing personal growth journey and provide tested ideas, frameworks, tools and practices to help you create the life you want.
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Mindset - Idea I'm Exploring
Start. Stop. Continue.
A simple, but powerful exercise I return to each year as part of my personal annual review of the past year and setting of intentions (not resolutions) for the coming year is the Start, Stop, Continue Framework.
It involves asking three straightforward questions:
What are the things I'm doing now that I should stop doing (or try to minimize)?
I explored the idea of subtracting and eliminating in the last issue: Add AND Subtract for Growth
What are the things I'm not doing now that I should start doing?
That was the focus of the very first issue of this newsletter: Just Get Started.
What are the things I'm already doing that I should keep doing?
This last question is often the most overlooked, but arguably the most important.
The “continue” phase is about identifying what’s already working and being intentional about maintaining and reinforcing it. In many cases, continuing what matters requires creating space, which often brings us right back to identifying what needs to stop.
I’ve used the following version of this framework for many years as an annual assessment tool and when helping others shape their roles, careers and priorities:
- My description of my current role and responsibilities
- What I would like to continue doing
- What I would like to stop doing
- What I would like to start doing, where I can add value, where I would like to contribute more
- My description of my ideal role and responsibilities
It’s easily adapted to life:
My description of my current life (how I actually spend my time and energy):
How my days look in reality. Where my time, attention and effort go right now.
What I want to continue doing:
The habits, routines, relationships and behaviors that are working and worth protecting.
What I want to stop doing:
Activities, commitments, patterns, thoughts or relationships that drain energy, create friction or no longer serve me.
What I want to start doing:
New habits, pursuits or ways of showing up that would add meaning, improve health, allow me to grow.
My description of my ideal life (how I want to spend my time and energy):
If my days were aligned with my values, what would be different and what would stay the same?
This exercise isn’t about reinventing your life overnight. It’s about removing friction, protecting what works and creating more time for the things that already compound.
There’s nothing complex or novel about the concept. But sitting down and answering these questions can reveal things that should feel obvious - yet weren’t - and provide clarity on the changes worth making.
“Growth isn’t always about doing more (or less). It’s also about protecting what already works.”
Don’t disrupt what’s working. Defend it. Strengthen it. Let it compound.
Body - Health & Longevity
Light it Up
I’ve previously covered exercise as the #1 tool in my opinion at our disposal for improving health and longevity. Followed by nutrition, specifically getting more protein and avoiding sugar. This week, the focus is on another powerful lever: light. More specifically, early morning sunlight exposure for supporting mental and physical health.
Light exposure is one of the most important drivers of circadian rhythm, which in turn affects:
- Sleep quality and duration
- Energy levels and focus
- Mood and mental health
- Hormonal regulation (cortisol, melatonin)
- Long-term metabolic and cardiovascular health
Why Morning Light Matters
Early-day light exposure:
- Anchors your circadian clock
- Supports the natural cortisol awakening response that promotes alertness (cortisol isn’t by nature bad or only in response to stress - it’s about timing)
- Starts the countdown timer for melatonin release later that night
- Improves sleep onset and sleep depth later that night (typically 12-14 hours later)
What Forms of Light Work?
1. Direct Outdoor Sunlight (Best Option)
Whenever possible, getting outside for exposure to early morning sunlight is the gold standard.Tips:
- Being outside matters - regardless of brightness
- Even on cloudy days, outdoor light is 10-50x brighter than indoor lighting
- Avoid sunglasses during exposure (unless medically required) - the light needs to get into your eyes
- You do not need to (and should not) stare at the sun - simply being outside with light hitting the eyes is sufficient
Timing: Ideally within 30-60 minutes of waking. Earlier is better, but consistency matters most.
Duration: On sunny days, as little as 5-10 minutes is sufficient. On cloudy days you might strive for 10-20 minutes. Heavy overcast or winter conditions - up to 30 minutes.
2. Light Through Windows
When you can’t get outside right away, sunlight through a window is better than nothing. While it is far less effective than outdoor light since the glass reduces intensity and filters UV and wavelengths, it is better than artificial light and still supports circadian signaling and can be a solid backup.
3. Artificial Light
This includes overhead lights, lamps, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) lamps and light boxes. These methods still help, especially but don’t fully replicate natural sunlight.
If you can’t get outside, the weather isn’t cooperating or you’re up well before sunrise so that getting direct sunlight shortly after waking isn’t possible, artificial light is a good backup. Ideally followed up by some outdoor exposure later in the morning.
Here is a comparison of light intensity across sources:
- Outdoor light: 10,000-100,000 lux - early morning 10,000-30,000
- Sunlight through windows: 500-5,000 lux
- Indoor light: 100-500 lux
- SAD lamps: up to 10,000 lux
Evening & Late-Day Light Exposure
Light exposure later in the day also plays a role in helping reinforce circadian rhythm. It signals the body that daylight is ending, which helps support smoother melatonin onset at night.
Takeaways:
- Get outside every morning, even briefly, if you can
- View sunlight as early as possible after waking
- Use bright indoor lighting or a SAD lamp immediately upon waking when sunlight isn’t an option
- Combine light exposure with movement for even greater impact
Prioritize consistency over perfection - missing occasional mornings isn’t a problem, but missing most days is.
Toolkit - Something I'm Using
TUO Circadian Light
One tool I’ve been experimenting with recently is the TUO Circadian Light.
When I’m up before sunrise (all winter) or I can’t get outside into natural sunlight, the first thing I do is turn on all the lights as soon as I wake. Then I use the TUO light.
As part of my morning routine - after hydration and while enjoying my coffee - I sit with this light in my kitchen while doing 30 minutes of reading.
I also like to use it in the evening sometimes. The warmer, dimmer light later in the day makes it easier to wind down instead of relying on harsh overhead lighting.
What is TUO?
TUO is a circadian-aligned lighting system designed to automatically adjust brightness and color temperature throughout the day to better match natural light patterns.
Instead of static indoor lighting that stays the same from morning to night, TUO aims to:
- Provide brighter, cooler light earlier in the day
- Gradually transition to warmer, dimmer light later in the evening
- Reduce circadian disruption caused by harsh or mistimed artificial light
It’s controlled by a phone app on which you can set up a customized circadian plan - a schedule that has settings for waking up, active (throughout the day) and calm (for winding down at night).
It’s small and portable so you can put it anywhere.
Where can you get it?
If you’re in the US you can buy it directly from TUO. They don’t currently ship to Canada, but it’s available on Amazon, which is where I bought it (although it appears to be currently out of stock).
Note: TUO is a product I use personally. I am not affiliated with TUO in any way and this is not a paid endorsement. I will not ever recommend a product I have not used and found beneficial myself.
Recommended - Listen and Read
More About Light
Dr. Andrew Huberman, a Stanford neuroscientist and host of the Huberman Lab Podcast, is one of the strongest advocates for morning sunlight exposure and consistently emphasizes it as one of the highest-leverage actions we can take to support mental and physical health.
For a deeper dive into how light affects circadian rhythm, sleep, mood and overall health, here are two resources - a podcast and an article - directly from the expert himself:
Huberman Lab Podcast Episode #68 - Using Light (Sunlight, Blue Light & Red Light) to Optimize Health
Dr. Andrew Huberman - Article - Using Light for Health
Inspiration - Quote
“What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while.”
- Gretchen Rubin
Weekly Challenge
Continue
Add to your list of things to start and stop the things you also want to continue. Identify what's working for you and how you can shift more time to those things.
Let me know how it goes - just reply to this email.
Reader's Corner
Ask Me Anything
Have a question about something in this issue? An experience you'd like to share? A topic you'd like me to cover or dive deeper into in a future newsletter or article? Reply to this email and let me know.
Reader Feedback
Last week, I wrote about eliminating things that are no longer serving you. It was timely for this reader, Peter (shared with permission):
I swear that you are in my mind right now with these newsletters, or have a listening device in my house. It is remarkably uncanny how much what you are saying are things I am toiling with in my mind. My struggles have been how to get started. You talk about clutter. I literally just listed and sold a few items on marketplace that were taking up space.
I also had to ditch a very toxic relationship - which was very upsetting but ended up being the best move for me.
I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes in 2021, and I am active. I don’t drink a ton, but I have been debating cutting out most if not all booze from my life. I have been struggling with inflammation in various parts of my body for some time and after reading your newsletter I am really starting to link it to alcohol. I have cut out most, if not all sugar, but there is still more I can do.
Another letter that was very beneficial, Kevin.
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Until next time,
Kevin
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