5 Habits that Changed My Life

Summary

The speaker shares five life-changing habits that enhance productivity and well-being with minimal effort. These include avoiding technology first thing in the morning, reducing caffeine intake, pacing to refresh the mind, allocating time for contemplation, and shifting from passive consumption to active production. The talk emphasizes the importance of understanding and implementing these habits to achieve a balanced and successful life.

Takeaways

• 🌅 Start the day without technology for the first 30 to 60 minutes to avoid feeling overwhelmed by tasks and to maintain a clear headspace for work.
• ☕ Recognize caffeine's deceptive effects; it numbs tiredness rather than providing energy, leading to increased fatigue over time.
• 🚫 Delay caffeine intake and ensure sufficient sleep to mitigate the addictive cycle and crash associated with its use.
• 🚶 Implement pacing to counteract the tendency to engage with technology when feeling distracted or fatigued, promoting mental decompression and physical movement.
• 🤔 Prioritize giving yourself time to think, which is essential for processing thoughts and ideas, often lost in our overstimulated modern lives.
• 🛠 Shift from being a passive consumer to an active producer, creating value by producing content instead of just consuming it.
• 📚 Understand that consumption, such as reading or listening to books, is not inherently productive; it's the production that delivers value.
• 🎯 Disconnect the creative process from the pressure of creating a finished product, focusing on the act of creating itself.
• 🔄 Replace some consumption time with production, suggesting a balance of around 10-20% of time spent creating.
• 💡 The speaker emphasizes the importance of building habits that lead to substantial life changes with minimal effort, focusing on easy-to-implement practices.
• 🌱 The five habits shared are designed to enhance productivity, wellness, and success by making small but impactful adjustments to daily routines.

Q & A

What are the five habits mentioned in the transcript that the speaker believes have drastically improved their productivity and wellness?

The five habits are: 1) Avoiding technology for the first 30 to 60 minutes after waking up. 2) Cutting back on or eliminating caffeine consumption. 3) Pacing, which involves walking back and forth to take breaks. 4) Giving oneself time to think. 5) Shifting from being a consumer to a producer.

Why does the speaker suggest avoiding technology for the first part of the day?

The speaker suggests avoiding technology to prevent feeling overwhelmed by the day's tasks and to avoid getting stuck in a cycle of using technology for distraction, which can deplete willpower and negatively affect the mindset for work.

How does the speaker describe the effect of caffeine on the body and mind?

The speaker explains that caffeine blocks adenosine receptors, which are responsible for the signal of tiredness. It doesn't provide energy but rather masks the feeling of fatigue, leading to a buildup of fatigue over time and potential addiction due to its rapid effect on focus and energy.

What is the speaker's personal experience with caffeine withdrawal that led to a change in their habits?

The speaker experienced food poisoning, which led to abstaining from caffeine. They noticed increased mental alertness in the afternoons and evenings without caffeine, which made them realize the impact of caffeine on their energy levels.

What is 'pacing' and how does the speaker use it to improve their work habits?

Pacing involves walking back and forth to take breaks from work. The speaker uses it to avoid falling into the trap of technology distractions and to decompress their mental state, making it easier to return to work with a clearer mind.

How does the speaker suggest using the time gained from cutting back on caffeine and pacing?

The speaker suggests using the time to think, allowing the mind to process thoughts and ideas without the constant input from technology and distractions, which can lead to more innovative and productive work.

What is the problem the speaker identifies with being a passive consumer according to the transcript?

The speaker identifies that being a passive consumer can lead to a lack of value delivery to the world. They argue that success comes from production, not just consumption, and that one should shift their focus to creating rather than just consuming content.

How does the speaker address the issue of perfectionism when transitioning from a consumer to a producer?

The speaker advises to focus on the process of production rather than tying it to the end product. They suggest writing or creating without the pressure of publishing or achieving success, which can alleviate perfectionism and writer's block.

What does the speaker mean by 'giving yourself time to think' and why is it important?

The speaker means allowing the mind to process and decompress information without immediate distractions or the need for productivity. It is important because it can lead to better insights, creativity, and mental well-being.

What is the speaker's view on the relationship between consumption and production?

The speaker believes that while consumption can be beneficial, it should not be the primary focus. They advocate for a balance where a portion of the time spent consuming is shifted towards production, as this is where true value and success come from.

How does the speaker recommend someone to start implementing these habits?

The speaker recommends starting with the five habits they outlined: avoiding technology in the morning, cutting back on caffeine, pacing, giving oneself time to think, and shifting from consumption to production. They suggest beginning with these habits if one struggles with building new habits.

Outlines

00:00

🌅 Morning Tech-Free Routine

The speaker introduces the concept of establishing new habits to improve productivity and wellness. The first habit discussed is avoiding technology for the first 30 to 60 minutes after waking up. This practice is aimed at preventing the immediate engagement with digital devices, which can lead to feelings of being overwhelmed by the day's tasks. The speaker shares personal experiences, including time spent in an ashram, to illustrate the benefits of a tech-free morning, suggesting that it sets a positive tone for the day and helps maintain mental clarity and willpower.

05:01

☕️ Caffeine Dependency and Its Effects

The second habit revolves around reducing or eliminating caffeine intake. The speaker explains the neurobiological effects of caffeine, highlighting that it does not provide energy but instead blocks the tiredness signal, leading to increased fatigue over time. They discuss the addictive nature of caffeine, how it can lead to a cycle of dependency, and the impact on daily productivity. Suggestions for cutting back include delaying the first caffeine intake of the day and ensuring adequate sleep to ease the transition off caffeine.

10:02

🚶‍♂️ The Power of Pacing for Mental Breaks

The third habit introduced is pacing, which involves walking back and forth to take mental breaks from work. The speaker contrasts this with the common alternative of seeking distractions through technology, which can lead to prolonged periods of unproductivity. Pacing is presented as a way to decompress the mind, allowing thoughts to wander and emotions to settle, which can ultimately improve focus and productivity when returning to work.

15:03

🤔 The Importance of Time for Reflection

The fourth habit is giving oneself time to think, a concept that the speaker argues has been lost in modern society due to constant stimulation and busyness. The speaker reflects on the historical context of having time to think and the current societal pressures that discourage it. They suggest that making time for reflection can lead to innovative thoughts and a better mental state, drawing parallels to the clarity often experienced during shower moments.

📚 Shifting from Consumption to Production

The final habit discussed is the shift from being a consumer to a producer. The speaker criticizes the modern tendency to equate consumption with success and emphasizes the importance of creating original work. They share their personal journey of writing extensively without the pressure of publishing, suggesting that the act of production itself is valuable, regardless of external validation or success. The speaker encourages others to allocate a portion of their time to productive activities that can offer value to the world.

Keywords

💡Habits

Habits refer to regular practices or behaviors that are performed automatically. In the video's context, habits are presented as crucial for personal development, with the speaker sharing specific habits that have positively impacted their productivity and wellness. The speaker's journey with building habits is relatable, as they acknowledge the struggle with consistency, making 'habits' a central theme in the narrative.

💡Productivity

Productivity is the efficiency of an individual's work or the rate at which tasks are completed. The video emphasizes the role of certain habits in drastically altering the speaker's productivity. For instance, avoiding technology first thing in the morning is suggested as a habit that sets a more productive tone for the day.

💡Wellness

Wellness encompasses an individual's overall health and well-being, including mental and physical health. The script discusses how the implementation of certain habits has not only improved the speaker's productivity but also their wellness, indicating a holistic approach to life improvement.

💡Technology

Technology, in this video, is portrayed as a potential obstacle to starting the day right. The speaker suggests avoiding technology for the first 30 to 60 minutes after waking up to prevent the addictive cycle of checking emails and social media, which can lead to feeling overwhelmed and unprepared to work.

💡Caffeine

Caffeine is highlighted as a stimulant that can have negative effects on the speaker's energy levels and productivity in the long run. The explanation of caffeine's mechanism shows that it doesn't provide energy but rather masks tiredness, leading to increased fatigue over time. Reducing caffeine intake is one of the habits recommended for better mental alertness.

💡Pacing

Pacing is a habit of walking back and forth to take breaks from work without resorting to technology. It serves as a healthier alternative to digital distractions and helps in decompressing the mind, as explained in the script. Pacing is presented as a simple yet effective way to maintain focus and mental clarity throughout the day.

💡Consumption

Consumption in the video refers to the act of passively engaging with content such as books, audiobooks, and social media. The speaker argues that overconsumption can lead to a lack of productive output and suggests shifting some of this time to production instead.

💡Production

Production is the act of creating something, as opposed to merely consuming. The video encourages viewers to become producers by creating content, such as writing or making music, which can offer value to the world beyond mere consumption. The speaker emphasizes the importance of separating the creative process from the pressure of creating a finished product.

💡Willpower

Willpower is the ability to control one's impulses and make decisions that align with long-term goals. In the context of the video, the speaker discusses how certain habits can preserve willpower by avoiding the need to overcome the addictive nature of technology or the crash after caffeine consumption.

💡Addiction

Addiction is a compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli, despite adverse consequences. The script explains how quickly a substance like caffeine provides a benefit, making it highly addictive. The speaker's personal experience with caffeine withdrawal and the neurobiological effects of caffeine underscore the habit-forming nature of such substances.

💡Mental Alertness

Mental alertness refers to a state of being awake, aware, and able to think clearly. The video script describes how the absence of caffeine during a period of illness led to an unexpected realization of increased mental alertness, suggesting that reliance on caffeine might be masking underlying fatigue.

Highlights

The speaker shares five habits that have substantially improved their life with minimal effort.

The first habit is avoiding technology for 30 to 60 minutes after waking up to start the day without digital distractions.

Technology can be addictive and lead to emotional overwhelm, which hinders productivity.

Cutting back on caffeine can lead to increased mental alertness and reduce dependency on its temporary boost.

Caffeine blocks adenosine receptors, numbing the tiredness signal rather than providing energy.

Delaying caffeine intake and ensuring sufficient sleep can help in reducing its consumption.

Pacing, or walking back and forth, is a simple habit that can replace technology use and reduce mental fatigue.

Pacing helps in decompressing the mind and improving focus after periods of work.

The importance of giving oneself time to think and process thoughts is emphasized as a lost human ability.

Turning some consumption into production can lead to more value delivery and personal success.

The speaker discourages the idea that production is only valuable if it leads to a finished product like a published book.

Becoming a producer involves creating without the pressure of perfectionism or the need for external validation.

The habit of production can help overcome problems associated with being a passive consumer.

A recommendation to shift 10-20% of consumption time to production for a balanced approach to personal growth.

The speaker reflects on their personal struggle with building habits and the realization of the importance of consistency.

The benefits of starting the day without technology include a better headspace and preserved willpower for the day's tasks.

The speaker's personal experience with food poisoning led to the realization of caffeine's impact on mental alertness.

The societal pressure to constantly consume information and entertainment is critiqued as detrimental to deep thinking.

Transcripts

with these five habits i actually was

able to make a substantial change in my

life with kind of like a minimal effort

investment so one of the things that i

want to talk to you all about today are

habits so i'm gonna share with you all

five habits that i've kind of

implemented over the last couple of

years that have drastically altered my

productivity and my wellness and success

and all that kind of stuff i think these

habits may apply to you this may be

useful for you if you're kind of like me

and what i actually struggled with a lot

was building new habits so what i sort

of found for myself is that first of all

i thought hat building habits was

important right so i recognized that

every day that i'm using like willpower

to overcome particular shortcomings of

mine like it was a slog the second thing

is that i'm also someone who really

really struggles to build habits because

i i struggle with consistency and things

like that it was just really hard you

know i try to exercise i try to eat

healthy i try to do all this stuff and

it was just like hard for me and so the

the habits that i want to share with you

all today are five things that i would

call easy with these five habits i

actually was able to make a substantial

change in my life with kind of like a

minimal effort investment so the first

habit that i want to share with you all

is

not using technology for like 30 to 60

minutes when you wake up in the morning

so for the first half hour to hour of my

day i do my level best to not use any

kind of technology you know we've grown

up in such a technological society where

we feel like we have to use technology

or technology is always at our

fingertips or there's like so much value

from technology and i didn't really

realize how little value technology

offers until like i started really

paying attention to things like when i

would go to an ashram right so i'd go to

a monastery and i'd study yoga for a

while right so i'm meditating and stuff

like that and there's very little

technology footprint then and that's

when i really realized oh i actually

like don't need technology now it's fine

for me to say okay so start off your day

without using technology for 30 to 60

minutes but the truth is that's

hard why is it hard because technology

is addictive so instead of trying to

change anything i just paid attention to

what happened when i started using

technology so when you wake up first in

the morn first thing in the morning

you're kind of sluggish you don't really

feel like working but you need to work

today so what i sort of noticed was that

the first reason that i would use

technology was not out of any

recreational stuff it was actually like

due to like legitimate reasons so the

first thing that i would do is like

check my email or look at my calendar

and try to figure out okay what do i

have to do today and that sounds like

pretty productive right you have to

figure out okay during the day like do i

need do i have an hour to shower do i

have half an hour to shower like what do

i need to do today but then what i sort

of found is as i looked at my day when i

first wake up in the morning how do you

think that makes me feel so when you

wake up first thing in the morning and

you open up your calendar and you open

up your email and there are all these

tasks you have to do and like you've got

all these meetings and oh yeah i have to

do this today and oh i have to do this

today and i don't do this today and then

i started to feel emotionally

overwhelmed because i'm not actually

doing it right all i'm seeing is like

the gigantic mountain that i have to

climb and so then once i start to feel

emotionally overwhelmed mentally i'm not

in a frame of mind to work so what do i

end up doing how do i manage those

emotions i move over to a different app

let's open up reddit let's look at what

happened on a live stream fail and so

then what we do is we we shift from our

kind of like work related legitimate

reason to kind of an emotionally numbing

dopaminergic kind of thing and then

you're stuck in that cycle and then i

have to start the day by digging in

using willpower to overcome that and

like drag myself to start working and

what i actually found is that when i

avoid technology for the first 30 to 60

minutes of the day you know i kind of do

my thing i take a shower i have a cup of

tea i'll read something i'll chat i'll

go outside for a little bit then when i

sit down to work i'm in a far better

headspace and my my willpower battery is

still fully charged because i haven't

had to overcome the addictive technology

first thing in the morning habit number

two as i started cutting back on

caffeine or even cutting it out entirely

so i learned this lesson in a kind of

bizarre way so a couple years ago i got

food poisoning and when i got food

poisoning you know like i couldn't eat

anything so i certainly wasn't having

any caffeine and what i found is like

three or four days after when i started

to feel a little bit better despite the

fact that i had been sick i was really

surprised by how mentally alert i was in

the afternoons and evenings the more i

kind of dug into it i realized this is

the effect of caffeine and there are a

couple of important things to understand

about caffeine the first is that

caffeine doesn't actually give us energy

the neurobiological mechanism of

caffeine is that it blocks adenosine

receptors and so adenosine so we have

the the fundamental energy molecule in

our cells is something called atp when

we burn an atp we're sort of left with

adenosine and the more adenosine we have

that sort of that's our brain signal

that okay like we're tired like we've

burnt up a lot of energy and when i go

to sleep i'm going to clear out all that

adenosine i'm going to remake atp and so

the interesting thing about caffeine is

that it doesn't give you energy it numbs

the tiredness signal so this is really

important because the more that you use

caffeine you're actually like building

up more fatigue more fatigue more

fatigue you're just numbing yourself to

that signal so it doesn't actually give

you energy all it does is create more

fatigue down the road for a temporary

boost right now so let's try to

understand what happens when we use

caffeine and why it's so hard to give up

it turns out that the way that our

brain's reinforcement mechanisms are

wired make it very easy to get addicted

to caffeine so there's a really simple

principle when it comes to addictions

the more rapid the effect of the benefit

the more addictive it is so the faster

that the benefit hits the more likely we

are to be addicted so when we use

caffeine what happens is we get this

burst of focus and i've got a bunch of

stuff to do today so i can't afford to

be sluggish so i'm gonna drink caffeine

and for a couple of hours man i can do

anything like i'm grinding i'm doing

this task i'm doing that task i'm on i'm

streaming i'm riding whatever it is and

then as time goes on and as the caffeine

wears off we get sluggish and sluggish

and sluggish and by the time that the

evening rolls around we're really tired

we really can't do anything and the more

that we feel like oh my god i can't do

anything the more dependent we become

with caffeine so if you look at like

your productivity over the course of a

day let's say it's really stable when

you use caffeine what it basically does

is shifts a period into high

productivity followed by a period of low

productivity so when i use caffeine i

feel that burst of energy and i'm like

wow caffeine is really amazing and then

i crash afterward and so the more that

my brain sort of learns okay like i need

caffeine i need caffeine i need caffeine

i'm so productive with it the more we

start to use it and then we kind of fall

into this cycle that ends up actually

like negatively impacting us so in terms

of how to cut back on caffeine so i

think the first thing is to recognize

once again use understanding right so

actually pay attention to your

productivity over the course of a day

and how you kind of feel another thing

that you can do in terms of getting off

of caffeine is delaying when you start

it okay this is really important because

a lot of times we're like zombies until

we have caffeine so i know it's kind of

weird but just wait half an hour do

other stuff take a shower like you can

still take a shower without caffeine

it's like not that hard and then the

last thing that's really really

important for coming off of caffeine i

know it's gonna sound kind of like a

no-brainer but getting enough sleep

caffeine is way harder to get rid of

when you are not sufficiently rested so

when i get off of caffeine now what i'll

try to do is plan actually a nap during

the day so i recognize that i'm gonna

crash and i'm gonna just lay down for a

little while oftentimes i won't sleep

i'll just close my eyes but it really

helps and then you kind of acknowledge

that for a three or four day period like

it's going to be a little bit tricky but

a big part is getting enough sleep at

night the next habit that i want to

share with you all that i think is

actually really really has

revolutionized my life and is so easy is

pacing so what i do now several times

throughout the day is get up and walk

back and forth and i will demonstrate

for those of you who don't know what

pacing is this is what it looks like

i'll get up and i'll go like this

and people are like

what the hell how is that how does that

help anything i pace

his revolutionized my life how the hell

does that help anyone great question so

let's understand why we pace and what it

replaces so when i'm working sometimes i

get tired of work and i get distracted

and what do we do when we get tired of

work and we get distracted we usually do

something with a technological device so

i'm fatigued feel distracted and then

what i'm gonna do is as i engage with

something let's say i open up like

reddit or twitter or whatever i get

bombarded with information so the first

thing is that all of these activities

are designed to increase engagement

right so like when you watch one youtube

video it's not like that's the only

video there's a bunch of suggestions the

suggestions on the right for the next

video there are cards at the end of the

video that directing you to additional

videos one distraction becomes a second

distraction third distraction fourth

distraction fifth of distraction so the

price of opening up some kind of

technological thing is like a five

minute distraction becomes an hour long

the second thing is that when we engage

in those kinds of things it tends to

ramp up our mind more so as i open up

twitter and i see everything that is

wrong with the world do you think that

that helps me get back to work and

generally speaking if you pay attention

to the cycle what happens is once you

like log on to twitter we get so

fatigued from our distraction that we

eventually get bored of it and we go

back to work but when you're going back

to work you're kind of exhausted and

like mentally so how does pacing help

pacing helps in two ways the first is

that it allows me to take a break from

work without slipping into something

that's gonna cost me an hour the second

thing that's really cool about pacing is

that it actually decompresses my mental

state so when i engage with something

some inflammatory content on the

internet it activates my emotions and

makes it like harder for me to focus

whereas when i pace like i just let my

mind kind of wander and like it kind of

thinks through stuff and i don't know

how to describe it but like basically

like when you use the internet you get

ramped up right when you pace like you

kind of get like decompressed you kind

of chill out you're thinking about this

stuff thinking about that stuff you kind

of just like

and eventually you can sit down and work

again pacing is completely op you just

get up step away from the computer

get the blood flowing right so improve

your venous return by walking back and

forth use your muscles a little bit

relieve some of that back pain from

sitting and all that kind of good stuff

so this kind of segues into the next

thing that i really noticed

which is the next habit that i built was

giving myself time to think this is kind

of interesting because i think one of

the things that we've lost

as humanity is time to think so like 10

000 years ago we had a lot of time to

think even if i'm a farmer working in a

field like i may be doing some kind of

monotonous activity or if i'm milking a

cow i still have time to think so i

think one of the things that we really

like lost sight of is that the human

brain evolved to have like this low kind

of like mental activity processing kind

of state and now what happens is we get

ramped up so much by everything going on

so much stimuli that we actually don't

have time to like process any of that

stuff why can it be hard to give

yourself time to think because you're

not being productive oh my god so i

think if we kind of think a little bit

about optimal productivity we have to

recognize that societally our brains

don't have time to decompress anymore

and so now what we're sort of seeing is

intensive decompression people are going

on meditation retreats they're going to

say therapists they have to squeeze in

all of their mental decompression into a

highly efficient little bundle and we

see the value of this if you all have

ever heard of shower thoughts and look

at what your mind is like in the shower

so many good thoughts man feels so good

it's like invigorating so give yourself

time to think it will transform your

life one thing that kind of came out

when i started giving myself time to

think and this is the last habit

arguably the most important is i started

turning some consumption into production

so increasingly what we've become as

humans is consumers books audiobooks

youtube videos twitter social media

video games so i i've even heard of like

you know people who play games like i

used to do this too like i would play

wow i would grind wow and listen to an

audiobook at the same time so i could be

productive while i'm playing wow makes

sense sort of right because if i have to

grind this stupid crap i might as well

like listen to a good book like listen

to stephen hawking and learn something

so like what the hell is going on here

so we've become consumers we think that

consumption is like laudable right so if

i read one book every day and i read 300

books a week and i read this many many

books and i listen to this podcast and

do this and do this like this is a badge

of honor and what i realized i was just

consuming consuming consuming and that

if i really want to be like be

successful

what i need to do is not consume like

sure reading can be helpful don't get me

wrong what i mean is if i want to

deliver value to the world if i want to

offer value as a human being that

doesn't come through consumption it

comes through production so i started

creating stuff so in my case i did a lot

of writing now here's the problem with

becoming a producer so as you start

producing

all kinds of problems arise

and the number one problem that arises

from being a producer

is wanting to make a product we've

associated writing

with publishing so like there's no point

in writing unless you become an author

there's no point in making music unless

you're going to become an artist so what

we've started to do is we've tangled

together the creative process with the

creation once you tangle these two

things together it makes things so

difficult because if my goal is to write

a book then the second i start writing i

get into problems with perfectionism is

it good enough is it not good enough

strategically am i doing this do i need

to find a publisher are people gonna

like it are they not gonna like it and

then you get into writer's block you get

paralyzed it's not good enough i need to

prepare more i need to go do this

workshop i need to learn more about this

because the goal is to publish something

the goal is to be successful the habit

that i learned

was just to become a producer

instead of a consumer to date i've never

published a book have i written books

100 haven't published one don't care but

the key thing is to stop being a passive

consumer and to recognize that once you

engage in that productive process you

will like shed a lot of the problems

that we face right now you're just

creating stuff so shift from consumption

to production why is that hard because

we assume production with the finished

product we want to be successful there's

no point in writing a book that no one

else will read i completely disagree i'm

not saying that you stop consumption i'd

say somewhere around 10 to 20 percent of

your consumption time should be turned

into production so

if you're like me and you think habits

are important but you struggle to

actually implement them then i'd start

with these five habits number one avoid

technology usage for the first 30 to 60

minutes of the day number two cut back

on your caffeine it's a scam number

three pace literally just walk back and

forth easiest thing in the world in the

world to do leading from pacing is to

give yourself time to think and as you

give yourself time to think

put that thought into the world in some

way start to become a producer instead

of a consumer so those are the five

habits i'd recommend you all start with

you