Category: Habits

Posted on

Update on Fixing my Sleep Schedule – It’s Working?

I finally have some good news about my sleep schedule. I’m doing it!

I can’t remember exactly when I most recently decided, for the nth time, to try and fix my sleep schedule, but my gut says that’s been something like 4 months, maybe more. (Update: it was September 21st, so less than 3 months ago as outlined in this post)

My main enemy is the snooze button. And in that time, I think I’ve only gone back to sleep after my alarm went off a single time, and that was because I was sick and made a conscious choice to sleep more.

I’ve been consistently getting up early, often before the alarm goes off. I’m far more productive and things are going well.

I’ve found, though, that it’s very closely related to how much I drink, which has also been much lower in that same time frame. Making sure to avoid heavy drinking days entirely seems to be fairly important to the success of this effort.

But it’s been good. In total, I’m spending way less time in bed, which gives me an extra hour or more each day to be productive.

But I also have way more energy and am just generally more productive in every way.

I’m hoping I can just keep this up and never have to go back to the way things were. I sort of feel like this has been my biggest obstacle for a long time and now I’m finally making good progress on it.

Posted on

I Need to be Mindful of What Activities I Truly Value

This thought crossed my mind and it was a bit shocking to me that I had never really considered it before.

What activities do I actually value? How do I want to spend my time?

It’s easy to just assume that you are always considering this and that the manner in which you spend your time always reflects what you value.

But the more I think about it, the more I think that’s a foolish assumption that also happens to be incorrect.

It’s easy to get stuck in the same old routine and do things simply because it’s what you have done.

Without a plan in place and some conscious effort, you’re also way more likely to simply choose easy things versus good things. You may even subconsciously justify it by convincing yourself that the easier thing is what you really wanted.

In my own life, I think there are obvious examples of things that I do that I don’t actually value that much. While I’m certainly not bad at all compared to the average American, I still spend a fair amount of time watching movies and TV shows.

And I really don’t find any of that time fulfilling. Even simply reading a book is virtually always a better use of my time. So in most cases, I feel that I should be doing that.

I’ve had the thought lately, too, that something like disc golf is actually surprisingly rewarding, and something that I value a great deal. It’s outdoors, it’s active, it’s social, it’s fun, and I really enjoy an activity that I’m always trying to improve at.

I think it’s really important to be aware of things like that and to plan accordingly.

I think it’s also important to be mindful of specifically what it is about an activity that I enjoy, so I can focus on what’s important.

For example, as a 30-something that spends time with lots of other 30-somethings, activities like going to breweries are quite common.

But what is it I value about those activities? Is it trying new beer?

No.

While that can be mildly enjoyable, what I value is spending time with my friends. That’s it.

If I keep that in mind, I think I can focus a lot more on what’s important and simply enjoy that.

But also knowing that the brewery part of things simply isn’t important to me, I can suggest other social activities that I do find more rewarding.

Going on hikes, kayaking, and doing other outdoor group activities have always been great experiences for me, and I should continue to try to emphasize those and try to plan plenty of events to do those things with my friends.

As I’m writing this, I can’t help but feel like everything I’m saying is common sense and it should always be in the back of everyone’s mind at all times.

But I’m not sure that it actually is.

In this case, I think it’s far better to state these things explicitly and make a conscious effort to determine what’s important and then focus on that.

Posted on

Neuroticism is an Expensive and Severely Limiting Trait

I think that Neuroticism is an expensive and severely limiting trait.

I feel blessed to be less neurotic than average. Probably considerably so. And only recently have I started to realize just how freeing that is.

Having traveled with others and just generally worked with others on various tasks and towards various goals, I’ve seen it all in terms of different personality types and styles.

Particularly with traveling, I’ve realized that few could do what I’m doing, and surprisingly, it has little to do with their financial state, flexibility with work, or even personal relationships.

It’s their neuroticism.

They can’t deal with minor changes in a plan, and everything has to be planned. They worry about every possible outcome and it cripples them.

It’s like life is an opportunity to accumulate a list of all the possible dangers and pitfalls available so that you can successfully avoid them.

This, of course, results in doing nothing but staying home where it’s comfortable and safe.

Which happens to be exactly what most people eventually do.

It’s almost funny, by far the #1 question I’ve ever gotten regarding my travels is, “was it safe?”

Or variations on that, such as, “weren’t you worried about getting murdered?”

People don’t ask about the culture, they don’t ask about the cool places I’ve seen, or friends I’ve made. When they think of Latin America, they only think of danger. They know they couldn’t go, because they would be too afraid.

You can chalk a lot of that up to straight up ignorance. Danger is relative. If you’ve been to Chicago, Detroit, or St. Louis, you’ve probably been to places far more dangerous than almost anywhere I’ve been.

But that’s not even the point.

Their neuroticism forces them to focus only on what could go wrong, never on what could go right. 

Still along the lines of traveling, I almost always use Airbnbs or similar rentals. Many people couldn’t do it. They’d worry that the host won’t show up on time, or that it won’t be as nice as the photos, or that the owner will rob them.

So instead, they would only ever rent a hotel in a nice tourist area.

But whereas I typically don’t spend any more than $50-70 per night to live in nice apartments, they are likely to spend $400+ per night at high-end hotels, because those are the only places they are comfortable with.

Just one example of how expensive it is to be neurotic.

Cars are another great example. For most people, the idea of their car breaking down on them while they are out is one of the most horrifying thoughts imaginable. So they only buy new or almost new, high-end cars.

Now, if you are driving reliable brands like Honda or Toyota, the difference in reliability between a car with 0 miles and one with 100,000 miles is probably fairly minimal.

But more than likely the new car will cost 3-4 times more. That’s an expensive difference, especially if they are constantly trading their car in for a newer one.

They simply cannot risk the minor inconvenience of their care ever breaking down.

I may take this to the opposite extreme of only buying high-mileage cars, and I have the privilege of having the knowledge of how to maintain them and fix them.

But a really neurotic person wouldn’t have that option even if they had the same knowledge as me.

It’s true professionally, as well. In a lot of ways.

First, a neurotic person is less likely to venture into the unknown. They are going to be less likely to try new things and learn more. They may get great at something specific, but may not advance beyond that which will hurt their career.

But I see something perhaps even worse with business owners. Often, they’ve had one bad experience or one particular fear and it’s all they can think about. When building the site, they don’t ask things like,

“How can we increase sales?”

or,

“How can we make sure that the checkout process is streamlined?”

Instead, they spend 90% of their time and focus with the site on one tiny little issue. They had one bad experience on a website that wasn’t built well, and they spend countless hours refining a part of the website that’s always worked just fine.

It’s a waste of time, but because they are paying me, it’s a waste of money, too.

Of course, there are times when it makes sense to work hard in a specific area. But people often go well beyond that and hyper-focus on something that I’ve told them, as the expert, really doesn’t need any attention.

Some of this may be getting beyond neuroticism, I suppose, but I still think it’s important to highlight.

The fact that I’m comfortable going to other countries without much of a plan and without knowing anyone, and just figure it out, is quite freeing for me. I feel like anything is possible and I enjoy that I don’t know what’s coming.

I guess I just feel sad that not everyone can experience that, and it’s often just because they are too neurotic.

That’s not a moral judgement. I think it’s just a facet of personality that I’m not sure can be changed. And obviously is associated with anxiety and mental disorders.

I just genuinely feel bad that not everyone has that freedom.

Posted on

Finally Making Changes to Sleep Pattern

First of all, it is depressing to me that I haven’t posted since April 20th. A ton has happened since then and I’m a little sad that I haven’t had time to talk about any of it.

Anyway, I do have good news. I’ve made more progress in the last week to my sleep than I had in years.

Basically I started listening to the Huberman Lab podcast, and it has some excellent information and recommendations for improving sleep.

I’ve been getting up without my alarm the last few days and starting to sleep better. I’ve been up generally early and have been much more productive overall.

The key is to just tie in to a lot more physiological processes than I have been to help me develop a proper rhythm. Brute-forcing a habit hasn’t worked for me in the past and I think it’s mostly just because I didn’t understand the physiological processes that control a circadian rhythm.

So I started getting up early and actually going outside and exposing my self to the morning light, which helps set your clock for the day. Specifically, I haven’t been using my phone at all, and I’ve gone outside and hot tubbed for a bit first thing in the morning.

In addition to being great for the light reasons, it’s also just easier for me to get up and do something I enjoy vs. say, a strenuous run or something.

And then I’ve also made an effort to be outside for a bit around sunset, which also helps regulate your internal clock and circadian rhythm.

And then of course, I’m trying not to stay up too late. Falling asleep has still been a challenge but I feel like it’s getting easier every day as I fall into this new rhythm.

I’ve also been just generally much more productive, though that may literally be just because I’m getting up earlier.

I also have avoided news and entertainment sites (aren’t they the same thing at this point?) almost completely, which in turn has also made me much more calm and focused, and generally improved my mood.

All good things!

I’m really hoping I can continue all of this and just keep improving. The more I learn, the more I realize that my terrible sleep habits are likely causing lots of other problems in my life, or at the very least: preventing me from performing optimally.

So this is just one thing that’s going well, but I hope to continue improvement from here.

Posted on

Got up Early, Was Super Productive, Didn’t Regret it

I was hoping I’d be able to get up early this morning to do a quick hike up to the Puerto Vallarta Mirador, but I was worried about being able to get up anywhere near sunrise.

Part of what is difficult for me is that I can’t normally go to bed “early”. I have to go to bed after it’s already late, or I won’t be able to fall asleep. However, last night I was feeling weirdly tired at 10:30pm and decided to just sleep, and succeeded!

I was able to wake up early (for me), get my morning activities done, do my hike, work, and proceed to complete a whole bunch of other things, too, with time to spare.

In short: I was incredibly productive.

It’s obviously no shock to me that waking up early leads to productivity, but I guess I just needed a concrete reminder. I probably have literally not gotten up that early in… Months. Many months.

And my alarm was only at 7:30am, isn’t that depressing?

So I think I really need to work on making a change and making this more my normal routine. I’ve got a lot to do, especially once I get home, and I’d like to be efficient with it.

Also, it just felt good to be up early in the cool air and to be productive. There were way fewer people out and it was just nice. I’ll bet I could get up and do photography, too, and it would be better on account of there being way fewer people around.

 

Posted on

I Don’t Necessarily Have to be Profound and Deeply Introspective All the Time

Today’s topic really applies just to this blog, though I suppose it applies elsewhere in life, too.

Whenever I sit down to write, I feel great pressure for it to be very meaningful and likely to positively affect change in major way in my life.

But it doesn’t have to!

One of the stated purposes of this blog when I first started was to simply practice writing. I’m pretty sure I had read a book that said the best way to improve your writing skills was simply to practice every single day, for at least 10 minutes or so.

So to that end: it doesn’t really matter what I write!

I do, of course, want to entertain and help my future reader (me). But who’s to say it won’t be entertaining without a major purpose?

I think that simply chronicling how I feeling and some general thoughts at that time is both beneficial and entertaining. So why not do it?

Okay, this didn’t take me 10 minute to write, but at least it’s something, which is the point. Just write!

Posted on

I Need to Eliminate or Heavily Throttle Harmful Distractions

I’ve decided that I need to completely eliminate harmful distractions like Imgur, aimless news scrolling, and mindless YouTubing.

When I engage in these activities, I just turn into a zombie. I keep going and going and it sucks all of my energy out, preventing me from getting anything else done.

I think this is what happens to most people when they use Instagram, TikTok, and other similar apps.

It just constantly hits you with dopamine until you’re completely immune to it. You can’t muster the energy to get anything useful done.

And for what? Is there any real value?

For the most part, I’d argue, “no”. It’s just a huge waste of time and life.

On days when I’ve done a lot of it, I get nothing done. On days when I don’t, I get a lot done and also feel much better.

That’s really all there is to it!

So as of now, I want to severely limit all of it, especially during the work day. I can still look at the news but I need to limit it to once or twice per day.

With that, I should be much more productive and happier.

Posted on

Lots of Things are Easy to Do After Sufficient Time is Spent on Them – But It’s Still Impressive that Someone Did It

I’m not sure how I can express that any more succinctly in the title, but here is what I mean.

For a long time, I always sort of wrote off certain video games because, “all you have to do is spend a bunch of time on it and you’ll beat everyone else”.

Generally, I was referring to MMORPGs where you literally just spend time and level-up. Once you’re at a sufficient level, you’ll be unstoppable except by others of a similar level.

Instead, I preferred games that reset every time. Where your past progress didn’t matter: only your current skill.

But what’s the difference?

If you spend time on anything, you’ll get better. Sure, some people might have pre-existing skills, or a better mindset that allows them to advance faster, but at the end of the day: the more time you spend on something, the better you get.

Period.

Not only that, but there are lots of things that essentially anyone can achieve, if they only spend the requisite time.

For example, learning a language. There’s really no big secret about it. If you spend enough time practicing, you’ll learn how to speak a language.

Again, some people might learn slightly faster, but nobody ever became proficient at a language without putting in a great deal of time.

In the past, maybe I was dismissive of things that simply required time because I believed in the erroneous idea of “innate talent” or simply the superiority of an individual, in all ways. Which are both just stupid.

“Natural talent” has been proven to be almost entirely a myth. Sure, to be a star athlete, you might need to be born with the right body type. But I guarantee you all of those super “athletic” individuals spent a ton of time to become skilled in those areas. Nobody is born knowing how to throw a perfect spiral.

To a large extent, any skill or talent is simply the accumulation of the time put into it.

And it’s only now that I’m realizing: that’s not any reason to dismiss it or to find it any less impressive.

Sure, anyone could achieve advanced proficiency in a language if they spent 1000-2000 hours practicing in it. So what’s the difference between someone who learned another language and someone who didn’t?

They actually did it.

They had the dedication, the perseverance, and the resolve to continue doing something that’s difficult until they mastered it. And that is impressive.

So ultimately, the most impressive thing about a person may not be their abilities or talents at all.

It may simply be their dedication to learning and improvement.

Posted on

I’ve Been Using News as Entertainment

Overall, I’ve been quite successful in wiping out the vast majority of mindless entertainment that I used to consume. And with it, I’ve found that I have much more energy (and time) to be productive and also focus on things that I actually care about.

But one of the remaining forms is maybe a little surprising: the news.

When I’m bored and need a distraction, I just go to Google News and scroll through and pick a couple articles to read. It seems like a good thing, right? Keeping up-to-date on what’s happening in the world.

I think there are two problems with this:

  1. I’m using it just to distract myself and to be entertained (also way too frequently)
  2. I would argue it’s a terrible way to truly learn about the world and current events in a meaningful, impactful way

I could go on about the second point for ages and probably will (or have?) at some point, but the first point is still equally relevant and the moment. I’m not going to the news in order to fulfill a need to be informed: I’m going to be entertained.

And that’s the problem.

I think it’s a huge problem that we all have this need to be constantly entertained now, and I want to be very intentional about how I spend my time and especially how I consume entertainment.

This is not an important one to me, and I need to start taking measures to ensure I don’t do this anymore.

Posted on

Emails Give Me a Nice Hit of Dopamine

I feel like I’ve been talking a lot about dopamine lately, but a thought I recently had was that going through emails seems to give me a nice hit of it.

Or, possibly more accurately: thinking about doing emails gives me the dopamine, and each time I move on to a new one, I get a little more.

And that’s part of why it has been one of the bedrocks of my productivity, I think. It’s not that hard for “going through emails” to compete with “messing around on my phone” because it triggers a similar neural pathway. Or something, I don’t know, I’m not a brain scientist.

I’ve discussed here in the past how my email habits are actually some of the most useful and consistent that I’ve developed. It does wonders for my productivity. I’m able to just blast through all emails without really needing any “willpower,” and it really isn’t very cognitively demanding.

I’m not totally sure why that is. Could it be that all established habits provide these same benefits?

Honestly, a life where I do everything productive with minimal effort and can coast through on “auto-pilot” for the difficult things sounds pretty good.

I guess I need to really start focusing on habits again in order to test this theory.