Are We Tired of "Maxxing" Everything Yet? Here's Why It Might Be Time to Do Less

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It looks like 2026 will be the Year of the Maxx, with everyone seeking to give 110% on every aspect of their lives. (And yes, I'll admit to jumping on the bandwagon with bookmaxxing, my attempt to read or listen to more than 100 books this year—in addition to all the health and fitness stuff that everyone else seems to be stacking into their schedules.)

1. Start small

That means dialing it waaaaay back down from 11. "Pick one or two areas that genuinely matter to you and pour your energy there, rather than trying to overhaul everything at once," Hafeez says. "Small, consistent changes beat dramatic overhauls every time. A 1% improvement daily is sustainable; a complete lifestyle reinvention usually isn't."

One new habit is much easier to follow successfully than a half dozen, so once you have that first one (like a morning walk) ingrained in your schedule, you can add one more habit to your routine.

2. Make sure these new habits are really working for you

It may sound like a great idea to wake up at 5 a.m. for sunrise yoga, but pretty quickly, the bloom could be off that rose. Check in with yourself every month or so to make sure the new habits are doing what you'd intended and actually making your life better. "The goal should be to feel good in your body and your life, not to hit some perfect standard that keeps shifting every time you get close," Hafeez says. If it isn't improving your life in some way, it may be time to let it go. (And yes, quitting can be healthy!)

3. Give yourself a break

As someone who feels the pressure to "close the rings" and meet all my fitness goals every day, this can be a hard sell, but Hafeez says it's key to keeping up with your routine. "Schedule off time where self-improvement is completely off the table, whether that's a Sunday, an evening, or even just an hour," she says. Planning a day off into your schedule gives you some breathing room and makes you feel less guilty when you bag the workout on a busy day.

4. Work in a "fun" maxx

My morning routine definitely makes me feel virtuous (and well-moisturized!), but it's not exactly bringing that joie de vivre. If your routine doesn't spark joy, it may be time to delve down the rabbit hole of fun maxxes, like cozymaxxing (which features happiness-inducing activities like potato bedding and eating chocolate), or Nonnamaxxing (aka living like an Italian grandmother), which seems to involve overindulging in time with loved ones and pasta, both of which I'm definitely down for. 

5. Curate your social media feed

Maxxing culture is getting pretty wild out there. "The more extreme content is, the more likely it is to get hits, so it’s not enough to just eat more lean protein, for example—you have to 'protein-maxx,'" Hall says. "Social media creators use filters and lighting to manipulate their appearance, but when you’re constantly subjected to these images, it can be hard to remember just how removed from reality they actually are. And now we have AI-generated 'influencers'—80-year-old women with six-pack abs!—further testing the limits of our critical thinking skills. Don’t believe everything that you see!"