Most people operate as if their outcomes are determined by their events. Something happens, and that something causes the result. E+R=O says something different: your response is the variable that matters. Always.
What E+R=O actually means
E+R=O is a behavioural framework that describes the relationship between three things: an event (anything that happens to you or around you), your response to that event (the only variable you control), and the outcome (what results from the combination of the two).
You don't control the event. A client cancels. A deal falls through. You wake up exhausted. A conversation goes wrong. Life keeps throwing events at you regardless of what you want. That's never going to change. What you control — entirely, at all times — is your response. And it's your response that determines your outcome.
This sounds simple. It's not easy. Most people live their lives in reactive mode — letting events determine their responses without ever pausing to choose. E+R=O breaks that pattern by making the response a deliberate, daily, conscious choice.
"Your response determines your outcome. Always. The reset builds the habit of choosing your response — before life decides for you." — Mike Bell
E+R=O in practice
Here's the same event, two different responses, two completely different outcomes:
A key client meeting is cancelled last minute
Same event. Same information. Everything else is a choice.
Frustration takes over. The rest of the morning is written off. Energy drops. You complain about it. The afternoon suffers. The outcome: a lost day, compounded stress, no progress.
You pause. You apply E+R=O. The slot is now free — what's the most valuable thing you can do with it? You move forward. The outcome: unexpected progress on a high-priority task.
Same event. Opposite outcomes. The only difference is the response. That's E+R=O in action — and The Reset Journal builds the habit of choosing the second response, every day, through deliberate daily practice.
How to apply E+R=O daily
The principle is straightforward. The application is what takes practice. Here's how The Reset Journal builds the E+R=O habit into your daily structure:
Identify the likely events
Each morning, think about what's on your plate. What's likely to challenge you today? A difficult conversation? An uncertain outcome? A high-pressure task? Name it. The pause starts with awareness.
Pre-load your response
Before the event arrives, choose your response. Write it down. "If X happens, I will respond with Y." This pre-loading means the choice is already made — you're not scrambling in the moment.
Review in your evening reflection
At the end of the day, close the loop. Did the event happen? Did you respond as you intended? If not, what's the honest adjustment for tomorrow? This is how the habit deepens — through feedback, not just intention.
Repeat for 90 days
One application of E+R=O changes a single day. Ninety days of daily application builds a new default. The pause between event and response stops being effortful and becomes automatic. That's the goal.
Where E+R=O comes from
The E+R=O framework draws on a long lineage of thinking — Stoic philosophy, cognitive behavioural psychology, and Viktor Frankl's observation that between stimulus and response there is a space, and in that space lies our freedom. It's not a new idea. What The Reset Journal does is make it a daily, practised habit rather than a concept you read once and forget.
Mike Bell built the E+R=O application into every page of The Reset Journal because he'd experienced first-hand what happens when you stop applying it — and what changes when you start. It's not theoretical. It's operational.
Apply E+R=O every day for 90 days
From £13.99 · 8 colour editions · Free returns · Dispatched by Amazon globally
Shop on Amazon