It started with building a simple spreadsheet. It wasn’t fancy or complicated (ok, that’s not entirely true. But it doesn’t need to be… I just had fun building it that way). Truly I just wanted a way to gamify my way out of depression.

What I discovered was that I almost always reported feeling great on the days I’d expect to feel terrible—huh?

And the thing that surprised me most?

I actually became three times happier.

We also talk about:

Why consistency is kinder than intensity.

Why visibility matters when your energy is low.

How I built a system that helped me feel like myself again.

What “cognitive idling” is and why it drains your motivation.

***

The Unobstructed Podcast: Listen in on big thoughts and small steps for navigating agency, grief, and creativity in daily life. New episodes every month.

About the hosts:

Derek MacDonald — writer, thinker, coffee drinker. Started Becoming Unobstructed after 15+ years in marketing, software systems, outdoor education, and leadership development to share what he's learned with others.

Rachael Sink — owner and business consultant at Rachael's Ink, LLC, a HubSpot Gold Solutions Partner agency.

Visit Derek’s website: theunobstructed.com

Visit Rachael’s website: rachaelsink.com

Get full access to Becoming Unobstructed at explore.theunobstructed.com/subscribe