39 habits you can start today (that will teach you more tha…

Brain dumping

A pen and a paper will change your life.

Each day, take 5 minutes to write down everything on your mind.

This helps you process what's on your mind so you can think clearer.

Focusing on one thing at a time

Multitasking reduces your productivity.

Your brain can't productively focus on more than one thing at a time.

Trying to multitask is why you have those "busy" days where you're exhausted but got nothing done.

Meditating

Regular meditation can:

• strengthen your focus
• increase self-awareness
• improve impulse control
• make you more creative
• reduce your stress response reactivity

Shutting off your screens 60 minutes before bed

The blue light from screens disrupts melatonin production.

(Melatonin is the hormone that makes you feel sleepy.)

Staring at a screen up until you go to bed will make it hard to fall asleep.

Try reading by lamplight before bed.

Taking a hot shower/bath before bed

Hot water relaxes your mind and your muscles.

This relaxation helps you fall asleep.

Using some eucalyptus or lavender oil in the shower also helps you relax.

Charging your phone as far away from you as possible

This keeps you from snoozing your alarm and scrolling in bed.

It also makes you have to get up out of bed to shut off your alarm.

Better yet, get a basic alarm clock and charge your phone in another room.

Getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night

Consistently sleeping less causes:

• slower reaction time
• low impulse control
• difficulty learning
• low motivation
• poor judgment
• mood swings
• brain fog

If you're not getting enough rest, you aren't doing your best.

Waking up at a consistent time every day of the week

This will help "train" your circadian rhythm.

It'll be easier to maintain a consistent sleep schedule.

Do this even on the weekends - sleeping in on weekend mornings is a big reason why people hate Mondays.

Getting out of bed without snoozing your alarm

Snoozing your alarm confuses your circadian rhythm.

That makes it harder to wake up and fall asleep at a consistent time.

Also, that "5 more minutes" of sleep isn't actually restorative sleep.

Getting 15 minutes of direct sunlight each morning

Light isthe main signal to your circadian rhythm.

Direct sunlight right after waking up will "anchor" that rhythm.

This will make it easier for you to wake up and fall asleep at a consistent time.

Limiting early day carbohydrates

Stay away from the breakfast time donuts.

Large amounts of simple carbs cause a blood sugar crash later.

That's why you feel a huge energy crash in the middle of the day.

Watching your caffeine intake

Too much caffeine makes you feel jittery, tired, and stressed.

Having it too late in the day makes it hard for you to fall asleep.

Stay within 200mg-400mg a day and stop consuming it around 12pm.

Using L-Theanine with your coffee

L-Theanine is a compound extracted from certain teas.

It's an anxiolytic, which means it can help calm your system down.

Having some with your morning coffee offsets the jittery side effects of caffeine.

Drinking more water

Your brain is 80% water.

Even slight dehydration causes huge performance impacts.

Fill up a large water bottle and keep it near you to stay hydrated all day.

If you're this far into the thread and you're thinking:

"I don't have time for all this"

That's all the more reason why you should be doing these things.

These habits make you more efficient.

And you especially need this next one:

Not making excuses

You either want to improve, or you don't.

You either want to achieve your goals, or you don't.

Choose your path.

Stop making excuses.

Start making progress.

Setting goals

Goals are like directions.

You'll get lost if you wander through life aimlessly.

Create your own map for the journey of life by setting goals.

Awareness of what you want to achieve helps you take actions aligned with those aspirations (s/o @thedankoe).

@thedankoe Breaking those goals down into tasks

For each goal, ask yourself:

What actions do you need to take to achieve it?

Don't know what those steps are?

Google "how do I do " or ask someone.

Don't let a lack of information result in a lack of action.

@thedankoe Keeping track of your to-dos

Don't try to keep track of your to-dos in your head.

You'll forget stuff.

You'll constantly feel overwhelmed.

You'll be distracted while you're working.

Use Notion, Todoist, or a notebook to keep track of everything.

Don't forget to categorize!

@thedankoe Picking 3-5 priority tasks to focus on each week

From the above "long list", create a short list of your top priorities.

Write these down on paper and keep them close to your workspace.

Make those your main focus. As you finish them, pull more from your longer list of to-dos.

@thedankoe Using a calendar every day

Google Calendar is an underrated tool.

Create a "baseline schedule" for yourself and put it on your calendar.

Here's a thread I wrote about how to do that:

https://t.co/XtRYGU2efi

Would you spend 1 hour to save yourself from wasting dozens of hours throughout the week?

A simple 7 step strategy you can use to easily structure your days:
— Joey Justice (@heyjoeyjustice) March 16, 2022

@thedankoe Reviewing the past week on the weekend

Each weekend, ask yourself:

• What went well this week?

• What could have gone better this week?

• What can I do to make next week better?

@thedankoe Planing the next week on the weekend

After reviewing the past week, ask yourself:

• What are my main priorities this week?

• What challenges could stop me from completing those priorities?

• What can I do to overcome those challenges so they don't stop me?

@thedankoe Reviewing your day in the afternoon

Each afternoon, ask yourself:

• What went well today?

• What could have gone better?

• Did I make progress on my priorities? Why or why not?

This combines awareness, gratitude, and progress tracking.

@thedankoe Planning (updating) your next day in the afternoon

After revewing your day, look at your calendar.

See if any of your blocks need to be moved around.

Make sure you have a clear idea of how the next day will go.

@thedankoe Setting boundaries between work time and you time

If you're like most people...

You can't relax when it's time to rest.

This is because you don't have boundaries.

Block off some dedicated "you time" to do whatever you want each day.

This helps prevent burnout.

@thedankoe Saying "no" more often

Our default response to requests is "yes."

But when we say "yes" to one thing, we're saying "no" to other things.

Every action has an opportunity cost.

Here's a rule to make this simpler:

If it's not a "hell yes", it's a "no".

Do this to help with...

@thedankoe Protecting your time, energy, and focus

These resources are limited.

The returns you get on them depend on how you invest them.

Your life is determined by what you put these resources into.

@thedankoe Eliminating, Automating, Delegating, Procrastinating

If your to-do list is too big, see what tasks you can:

• Eliminate by deleting (or archiving) it
• Automate with Zapier
• Delegate by having someone else do it
• Procrastinate by scheduling a time to do it later

@thedankoe Doing your first work block before checking your phone

Your phone is your biggest distraction.

Try working for 30-90 minutes before catching up on notifications.

You'll notice it's easier to keep yourself focused on your work.

39 habits you can start today (that will teach you more than a 231 page self help book):

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