The habits that have influenced my life the most, and why.
Daily Exercise
What: Engage in a daily exercise routine, start your day off with something physically demanding
Why: Health benefits, enforces discipline, impact reduction of other stress-inducing situations throughout the day
Strict Calendar Use
What: Always set important and meaningful calendar events, stick to them
Why: Enforces discipline, adds structure
Consistent Reading
What: Read every day
Why: Consistent flow of insights
Limited Phone Time
What: Set a time rule for daily phone usage, do not use it during the first hour after waking up
Why: More conscious phone usage, reinstates it as simply a tool
No Social Media Apps
What: Delete all social media applications from your devices, regulated access only via the browser, if viable, delete social media in its entirety
Why: Clarity of mind
No Sugar
What: Reduce sugar intake, don’t eat added sugars
Why: Potential health benefits, clarity of mind
Measure Everything
What: Actually measure what you want to improve
Why: You cannot improve what you do not measure [1]
Journaling
What: Journal daily, use The Five Minute Journal, [2] set daily goals and engage in evening reflection
Why: More awareness, increased productivity
RSS Reader
What: Get all news or feeds via an RSS aggregator
Why: Control over information input
Stoic Mindset
What: Differentiate between what you can and cannot change, do not dwell on the latter [3]
Why: A more stable and happier state of mind
Cold Showers
What: Take a daily cold shower
Why: Potential health benefits, demands leaving your comfort zone, enforces discipline for times of despair
Meditation
What: Engage in a mindfulness practice
Why: Increased awareness (of thoughts, emotions, and experience)
1. Jacob Drucker, You Are What You Measure, Forbes, 2018
2. Veronica Joce, How Tim Ferriss Uses The Five Minute Journal – 6 Tips For New Journalers, Intelligent Change
3. What Is Stoicism? A Definition & 9 Stoic Exercises To Get You Started, Daily Stoic (a highly recommended read (and topic) that will most likely be life-changing)