“Victory awaits him who has everything in order, luck some people call it. Defeat is certain for him who has neglected to take necessary precautions in time; this is called bad luck.” – Roald Amundsen
I’ve always been concerned with making myself more productive and healthy. When I was 13, I had already tried fasting, cold showers, meditation and lots of other popular self-improvement advice. But due to my grindset, I haven’t milked this knowledge enough. I could improve.
So I’ve made a list of some healthy habits I’d like to implement. I’ll put some effort into them and see what sticks.
List
Dual N-Back
A way to train your working memory. Gwern explains it quite well here. It might not work. But if it does, the benefits are huge. For example, I could do math faster and practice the piano much more efficiently.
Cold Showers
I used to take cold showers on a daily basis. And I still often take them after workouts. Cold showers are obviously extremely beneficial, so I’ll try to get back into the habit.
Sleep
I noticed that if I don’t sleep 8 hours at least, it affects me personally quite a lot. Also, healthy sleep habits have just unreal benefits (read Why We Sleep). This is probably the most important habit because my sleep has been bad lately.
Waking Up Before 6:00
I just don’t want to be in a hurry every morning. Maybe I’ll discover more benefits along the way.
Meditation
Okay, I’ve tried meditating regularly for a few weeks several times. It was calming, but I didn’t notice any substantial benefits. So I think I might finally learn the Rosary instead of trying meditation once again.
Intermittent Fasting
I tried fasting, but I stopped because I found it too risky to be playing with my diet like that. Now I feel it’s okay and I’m thinking of getting into the 16:8 intermittent fasting. It’s supposed to make me more concentrated, and it’ll also force me to plan my meals in advance. So as a byproduct of IF, I might eat healthier.
I’ll see where the positive feedback loops lead me.