Creativity

Not all habits are created equal

Some habits will have a disproportionately positive (or negative) impact than others.

If you do a high-impact habit consistently for years then it will bring about a massive change in your life.

Here are 4 high-impact routines that have created a disproportionately positive impact on my life over the years:

  • I have automated my savings, giving, and investing so that I never have to think about when or how much I should be putting into those accounts. It happens on autopilot and I reap the benefits.
  • My wife and I have a date night every week (even if it is merely at home on the back porch).
  • I set aside at least one hour every work day for undistracted time to do focused, deep work.
  • Every day I do at least a 15-minute workout.

Put another way, the whole ****point in having a routine is to make your life better. And, if you’re going to have a routine, you might as well have one that is high-impact.

Not all habits are created equal

Counterfeit Rest vs True Rest

Whenever you set out to make change or embark on a bold venture, there will be resistance.

One area of resistance that comes against our efforts to live a focused life is what I call “Counterfeit Rest”.

When you have rested, you ought to be recharged and have more energy.

Thus, try to find restful activities that give you energy rather than things that drain your energy.

When I teach about this in The Focus Course, we make note of the fact that true rest usually requires a little bit of effort (i.e. reading a book, cooking a meal, taking a walk…)

Counterfeit Rest vs True Rest

DND until Lunch

Between 6am and noon is arguably my most precious / important / valuable time of the day for getting things done.

That’s why I keep all of my devices in Do Not Disturb until noon.

This way I am free from any and all notifications, pings, buzzes, until the morning is over and it’s time for a lunch break.

DND until Lunch

Experiment with new extremes for a short amount of time

From time to time it can be empowering to try something new for a short amount of time.

Try something and recognize that it’s not the new normal forever. Let it be a short-term action which will bring about an agent of change into your life and give you fresh perspective and clarity.

Not everything needs to be a long-term commitment. It’s okay to go extreme for a bit and see what comes of it.

Experiment with new extremes for a short amount of time

Repetition Matters More Than Perfection

For those with routines, habits, and lifestyle practices — there will always be the next time you do an action.

This is liberating because it allows you to focus on repetition rather than perfection. You no longer need to have the “perfect date” or the “perfect family dinner” or the “best possible workout” … you simply need to focus on having consistent repetitions of those things.

Perfectionism is based on scarcity. Repetition is based on abundance.

Repetition Matters More Than Perfection

Alternative Ways to Spend 5 Minutes of Awkward Downtime

Many times, when met with small windows of “awkward downtime”, we decide to just pull out our smart phone and scroll.

Here are a few ways alternative ways you can spend those 5 – 10 minutes…

  • If you Use Day One, scroll through your Day One timeline and read a previous journal entry.
  • Browse some old photos and memories.
  • Launch Day One (or any other journal you have) and log how you’ve spent your time so far for the day. Doing this for a few weeks can also be super helpful for getting a perspective of where your time and energy are being spent.
  • Write down 3 new ideas. These could be articles you want to write, business ideas, places you want to visit or photograph, topics you want to research, date ideas for you and your spouse, gift ideas for a friend, etc. These ideas never have to to be acted on — the point isn’t to generate a to-do list, but rather to exercise your mind. Ideation and creativity are muscles, and the more we exercise them the stronger they get.
  • Send a text message to a friend or family member to tell them how awesome they are.
  • Stand up and do some stretching / body movement.

Have some ideas of your own? Send them my way on Twitter (@shawnblanc)

Alternative Ways to Spend 5 Minutes of Awkward Downtime

On The Point of Reading  →

“Alex & Books” on Twitter:

The point of reading is not to memorize every word… It’s to introduce yourself to new ideas, new information, and new ways of thinking.

In this exploding information economy of personal knowledge management and building your second brain, it can seem stressful (if not wasteful) if you’re not taking 100% advantage of every little sliver of information and inspiration that you come across.

But that doesn’t have to be the goal all the time. In fact, that cannot be the goal.

Sometimes it’s good enough to simply be introduced to a new idea or a new way of thinking.

That’s why I buy WAY more books that In read. And I will continue to do so.

Here are my four rules of book buying:

  • Don’t be a wimp about it.
  • Don’t stress about reading them cover to cover.
  • Make notes and mark up the margins.
  • Share what you learn.
On The Point of Reading