1 Year of Developing a Foundation for a Good Life

[bazera]

For the past few years, I’ve been struggling to stay consistent with myself — with the promises I make to myself, with integrity, and with discipline. I’ve examined this many times and identified some fundamental issues that I’m working to fix.

This journal will serve as public accountability while I build the foundation for the next phase of my life. I’ve just turned 30, and I now realize how little time I have and how easy it is to waste most of it. I need to take much more action than I did in my 20s.

Currently, I’m struggling with addiction, I’m overweight, I do the bare minimum at my job as a software developer, I don’t exercise much, and I deal with some anxiety. I know how to fix all of it — and more. I know what to do to make my life unrecognizably better (at least to try my best), and inaction only makes me resent myself more.

I know what to do. I just have to do it. This thread will help me stay accountable.

I’ll be posting every Saturday with a report on the previous week. This is how it will go.

Phase 1: 3 Months

• I’ve been overconsuming pornography and engaging in compulsive masturbation. Since I’m single and somewhat isolated, I need to control this habit. I will abstain from both to reset my dopamine reward cycle.
• I’ve been slacking off at work, so I need to refocus and concentrate more. I currently work in 45-minute blocks, then rest for a few minutes, repeating this 2–3 times a day. I want to increase this to at least 6 blocks.
• Work inconsistency has caused me to sleep very late or work late into the night. As I fix my work habits, my sleep habits should improve as well. My goal is to sleep at least 7 hours, from 12:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m.
• I’ve gained a lot of weight. I’m currently around 105 kg and eat a lot of junk food. The plan is to build muscle and lose fat simultaneously until I reach 72–75 kg.
  • Eat 1,800–2,000 calories with at least 160 g of protein
  • Weight train at least 3 times per week
  • Jog for 30 minutes at least 3 times per week
  • Cut out junk food at least 90% of the time
• I work as a software developer, and the industry is changing rapidly. I need to keep up. I will invest at least 1–2 hours per day in studying, building side projects, or diving deeper into AI.
• Read books for at least 1 hour per day.

Summary of Phase 1

• No porn or masturbation
• No social media
• Limited YouTube/Reddit for recreation
• 6–8 daily 45-minute work blocks
• 1–2 hours of study
• 1 hour of reading
• Fixing sleep routine
• Weight loss:
  • 1,800–2,000 calories
  • 3x weightlifting, 3x cardio weekly
  • Cut out junk food

Phase 2: 3 Months

On top of the foundation built in Phase 1:

• Add spiritual practices: Mindfulness meditation (breath-focused) and Kriya Yoga pranayama
• Add therapeutic practices such as shamanic breathwork, TRE (Trauma Release Exercises), and self-therapy journaling to work through unresolved trauma and issues from the past few years
• Continue weight loss and exercise — likely reaching target weight by the end of Phase 2
• Continue reading and studying
• Allow masturbation at most once per week after the first 90 days, since more than that negatively affects my life

Phases 3 and 4

I can’t say much about these yet. I imagine strengthening spiritual practices, making them more focused and prioritized, socializing more, and possibly starting to date — though dating may be too distracting at the moment, and I don't want it honestly since I've recently got out of a LTR.

Phases 4+

• Getting involved with psychedelics
• More socializing
• More dating experience
• Starting to work on additional income streams aside from my job
• Working on creative projects
• Traveling
• Meeting new people

Exciting things — but first, the foundation.

That’s the plan.

I won’t plan further than this because planning is a trap for me. Planning gives me a false sense of accomplishment, but it isn’t real progress. Real accomplishment comes from daily execution — day in and day out. It’s that simple.

I’ll update every Saturday. 52 updates total.

Let’s see how far I go.

See you next week.