Getting granular: is it actually needed?
Let's talk about granularity.
Not the obsessive, hermit-mode, track-every-breath version of it. The smart kind. The kind that actually moves the needle without costing you your relationships, your sanity, or your ability to enjoy life.
Here's where I stand: getting granular is one of the most underrated things you can do, in fitness, in nutrition, and in building something. But only when applied correctly.
What it looks like in practice
I'm currently 8 weeks into a cut (I intend on running this until the end of June 2026). Here's what granular looks like for me day to day:
Training days: 2,050-2,100 calories, 170-190g of protein. Rest days: ~1,900 calories, closer to maintenance. 10-12K steps per day. 7-8 hours of sleep per night. WHOOP tracking recovery, HRV, sleep debt, strain, and stress levels daily.
I've cut out alcohol completely. I've reduced news consumption and any unnecessary external triggers that elevate my stress levels. Non-activity stress sits at low to medium consistently.
That's not obsession. That's precision. And the result is 13lbs down at 8 weeks with strength staying steady. The data doesn't lie and it removes the guesswork entirely. You stop wondering why things are or aren't working and start knowing.
Left to Right
Early April 2026, Early May 2026, End of May 2026
Getting granular and consistent allowed the body to rapidly shape up, trim down the fat, and tighten up from all the right areas without losing strength with still a full month or so to go.
Food tracking was never something I actively did prior to this cut. Getting a bit more granular and bringing it into the routine has helped stay on top of my results a lot. The upside totally outweighs the downside of not doing it.
The same principle applied to building Aura
When developing the product, I had to get extremely granular on things I had no prior background in.
Hitting the maximum achievable protein percentage from the sources we’ve selected was the starting point. From there it was about finding the exact fat and sugar ratio to achieve the desired mouthfeel and sweetness. Getting the coffee punchiness right. Replicating a specific medium and dark roast latte taste and texture, the right amount of creaminess, no grainy or clumpy texture, and critically, no lingering bitter or metallic aftertaste that plagues most protein-based drinks.
That took 3 rounds of sampling. Variables tweaked across every attempt: homogenization pressure, pH levels, mixability, ingredient choice and quality. I had to learn food science well beyond my background, have intelligent conversations with the manufacturer’s R&D team, ask the right questions of my samplers, and make sense of the data coming back each time.
Getting granular there wasn't optional. It was the only path to a product worth putting out.
V3 Sampling (March 2026)
Building up to this stage took ~6 months of testing, reiterating, reformulating, sensory sampling, gathering feedback, competitor and baseline taste & texture tests, and more.
It’s a process that looks simple yet is tremendously tedious. Knowing the ins and outs of what you want to create and being able to convey it with conviction and confidence is key.
V3 Sampling (March 2026)
Balancing a demanding day job, fitness goals, and prod dev isn’t easy. Effective time management and calendar blocks go incredibly far in being able to deliver on your own goals and keep your say/do ratio high during the process.
Where people get it wrong
The downside of granularity isn't the detail itself. It's when the detail becomes the entire personality.
I've seen people take it too far, fully isolating themselves, becoming hermits, cutting out every social occasion, putting every relationship on hold in pursuit of a goal. That's not discipline. That's a different kind of imbalance and it's not sustainable.
The 80/20 approach is what actually works long term. 80% locked in, tracking, dialled in on the inputs that matter. 20% living, a dinner out, an occasion with friends, a rest day where you don't overthink every macro. Your soul needs to breathe too. Starving it of lived experience is its own kind of deficit.
Don't swing to the other extreme either. Fully letting loose undoes the work. The goal is a well-balanced, disciplined life that's holistic enough to be resilient through whatever life throws at you.
Remember, you’re playing the long game when you’re doing this. No one wants to do once, rebound, and then have to re-do it all over again. To avoid it, you might as well do it the right way without triggering any rebound and allow yourself to hold onto your leanness, strength and body composition for as long as possible.
Went over the required daily caloric goal on Sunday, May 31st, 2026 but simply treated it as a refeed day. Performance in the gym the following day was spot on and the leanness still continued. As they say, 80/20 is the key.
Progress tracking rigorously via the WHOOP 5.0 has been incredible in visualizing the daily habits. Whether you like it or not, it helps you face your reality and pace yourself accordingly.
I’ve always disliked running historically but I’m starting to come to terms with the upside it brings and starting to finally appreciate it’s value. P.s. the post runner high also tremendously helps ;)
The bottom line
The upside of getting granular far outweighs the downside. The cost is time and mental energy. The payoff is knowing exactly why you're getting results and being able to replicate and improve them. That's compounding in action.
Get granular on the things that move the needle. Stay loose on the things that don't. Know the difference.
Stay locked in.
— Nik