Habits to do EVERYDAY

[IJB063]

"We are what we repeatedly do, excellence then, is not an act, its a habit".- Aristotle

"Well-Being is realized in small steps. But it is no small thing" - Zeno

So given the Corona Virus, college has closed, I can't work and can't go out, so basically I am completely fucking bored and starting to get cabin fever. This time in isolation has really proven to me how lazy I really am. So I've been meaning to make a schedule for a while, planning to add some habits to do everyday. I'm gonna use google calendar and a habit tracker app. Found one called HabitHub which is bout a £1 (cheapest one I found) which track/checklists and sends you a notification on your habits, if anyone is interested.

So I want to know what habits do you do, and any ideas to productively pass the corona time?

Thanks for anyone who reads and gives their ideas

Below are some simple ideas for habits I've already noted

Anyone who has any notes to add do so

The more novel the habit the better e.g. Its easy to just say "read more", but add something to it like "read 10 pages before sleep every night" to avoid screen use and get better sleep etc...

I read a website on habits which said to ask questions at the end of the day

Did you wake up on time?

Did you eat a healthy breakfast?

Did you read today?

Did you avoid TV and internet?

Did you meditate?

Etc...

So here are my habits

 

#1 Healthy Sleeping Schedule

So waking up at the right time and going to sleep at the right time. My sleeping schedule is warped right now, been going to sleep at about 1am and waking up at about 11am, during isolation because I have been doing anything during the day stimulate me. This is priority #1 for me right now, here's a video TED talk by Matthew Walker a sleep specialist I found on the JRE podcast which talks about the importance of sleep. (Note - Going to look into lucid dreaming - anyone who has any info on how to do it, add it, cheers)

 

#2 Reading

So I've been aiming to read a book every week since the start of the year and I've so far only missed two weeks. I get most of reading done on my commutes but since the corona virus I've been finding it hard to read the same amount. I'm going to start reading right before I sleep at least 10 pages, so I'm not on my phone so I can get to sleep easier. Particularly been reading the classics, there are millions of shitty books out there to read and I only have so much time and will power, in my day to be bothered reading. We read to think others thoughts and you want the highest quality thought as possible. Reading though also means getting up to date with current events etc...

"As the biggest library if it is in disorder is not as useful as a small but well-arranged one, so you may accumulate a vast amount of knowledge but it will be of far less value to a much smaller amount if you have not thought it over for yourself: because only through ordering what you know by comparing every truth with every other truth can you take complete possession of your knowledge and get it into your power"

 

#3 Meditation

Been meditating 30 minutes everyday. "Mindfulness meditation". Usually I put on some guided meditation audio in the background so I don't drift and forget what I'm doing, I know there are a lot of resources on this forum on how to meditate better and I've already gotten some sent to me which is greatly appreciated. Any notes to add for a beginner are also appreciated.

https://www.reddit.com/r/streamentry/wiki/beginners-guide

 

#4 Exercise

So can't go to the gym or go running currently with the corona virus, but I have at home a barbell, bench, with some weights (45kg) and some dumbbells. Recently began taking supplements e.g. Whey, fish oil etc... I've been exercising regularly for the past two months now. Been enjoying starting running, was training with my brother to run a half marathon but its been cancelled now. Running anyway has given me a reason to go out in nature more, going through the park and woodland area near my house and also running alongside the beach. So exercising gives you a reason to spend more time in nature, makes you feel better in your body, boosts your immune system (which is needed now), builds discipline and strength, lowers your heart rate, makes you live longer plus you end up looking better - so a must do habit.

 

#5 Music Practice

This can be anything I think that involves creativity and induces a flow state in you, doesn't just have to be learning an instrument. I aim to practice guitar everyday. But it tends to be that I only practice it about three times a week, but when I do I can't put it down and go for hours, its just summoning the will to pick it up and practice. A while back I bought a Yamaha keyboard but I haven't been fucked to practice it, I used it about 4-5 times, and now its dissembled and just gaining dust under my bed. Might start practicing it over this period.

 

#6 Solitude

So this habit of mine is for at least ten minutes I just do nothing. Not meditate but just sit with my thoughts. I don't mean focus on the breath or a object. I just let my head do whatever it wants. Its usually just a reset in my day so I can remember what else I need to do in the day.

 

#7 Healthy Eating

So in honesty I know fuck all about nutrition, if anyone has any advice or info to link on the basics of nutrition and making a good diet thank you. Prior to the corona virus I was starting to eat healthier e.g. Some intermittent fasting, cutting out more sugars, and trying to limit bread etc... Plus making meal plans, ages ago found this youtube video below, which gives a simple meal idea to just throw a bunch of breadless chicken in a slow cooker, season it, and leave it there and whenever your hungry or come from the gym to take some out, cook some rice and add some healthy greens e.g. Green beans, peas, broccoli, asparagus etc... I have that as side meals, and to snack when I'm hungry I just have a bunch of celery sticks or apples with peanut butter. And for breakfast I just have scrambled eggs and a slice of toast.

 

#8 Chores

Simple, just make sure everything is tidy and organised. E.g. do the laundry, sought dishes etc... Just 5 minutes every day is enough to make sure everything is fresh.

 

#9 Cold Showers

So I don't do this everyday because I'm lazy, but I should. For at least three minutes. Cold showers have a bunch of health benefits and de stress you. Also they wake you the fuck up in the mornings - it beats coffee. So when I wake up and actually take a cold shower, I turn off the boiler, do some Wim Hof breath work till I'm light headed, then I get under the shower and turn it straight on. If you focus on the breathwork you can deal with the cold and after a minute it stops being really cold and turns refreshing. Its a good way to start the day.

 

#10 Socialising

Generally if you put no effort into messaging your mates  etc... There never going to come to you, you get what you put into friends, people tend to be way more busy doing their own things to even think about yours. So take some time to message people and check up on them daily and see what their up to etc...

 

#11 Podcasts - Actualised.Org Vids - Lectures - Youtube

Usually if I'm doing something unproductive such as playing videogames or just surfing the web I always have a podcast or informative youtube video in the background. Or if I'm going for a jog etc... I then categorise these into playlists or add them to my OneNote/Journal, if they have anything of interest, where I timestamp and link to the point that's being made in the video or podcast, for the exact same reason as I read. I personally add these videos into playlists and watch later and just listen to them in order as I do what ever it is I'm doing.

 

#12 Grooming

Obvious but a necessary habit, shower daily. Clean teeth twice a day, regular haircuts, deodorant etc... Make yourself look presentable etc...  

 

#13 Dopamine Detox

So basically boring yourself to become resensitised to life again. Links to another post I did linked here, "Boredom is the Solution". Now your not going to do this every day, but more like once every two weeks on a weekend. I have only done this a few times but it works.

 

 

#14 Avoid TV - Videogame - Porn - Phone Use

Limit all of these, they are malignant tumours that eat up your time and suck out your will. I'm sure if you rarely do them they can be okay, but I recommend just avoid them, they're base time wasters. Porn is also something that should be limited, cause it eats away at the male libido, recommend looking into nofap. Limit tv and screen use till a single free day and a few hours on the weekend.

 

#15 Chess

Something I do in the mornings with some coffee as a way to get my mind working for the day. Go on chess.com or watch some chess videos, learn some openers etc... I recommend the same thing, doesn't have to be chess but anything in the morning that can get the mind operating.

 

#16 Holotropic Breathing

Kinda like Wim Hof but just breathing without pause for a prolonged period of time lying down can induce semi psychedelic states. Put on some music in the background, helps to mask your hyperventilation, and just do the breathwork, actually pretty fun, here's the Leo video which is timestamped for the demonstration but you can find other videos which teach similar things but they go under different names. Really meditative and clears the head. Probably going to do it once a week for 30 mins on a weekend.

 

#17 Writing - Journaling - Commonplace Book

Simple, just write for ten minutes. And any of those podcasts, books, websites etc... that are interesting write about them, articulate your own thought process. Make a common place book if you don't have one, mine has been super helpful, if you have one tell me how you organise and categorise it.

 

Curious about making into a habits

? Yoga

? Visualisation

? Boxing - Jiu Jitsu - Wrestling

? Learn New Language

Etc...

 

Leo Video on time management for how to implement these habits

 

Thanks for reading

Share your thoughts

Here's the motivation for this post - hopefully it helps you do the shit you need to do too

Godspeed & Take care with the Virus

Edited March 23, 2020 by IJB063

[GrowthPilgrim]

@IJB063 pheww... that is A LOT of habits. It's obvious, that you are a student ^^ 

My habits during the shutdown:

• Journal / Morning Pages directly after waking 
• Mindfulness Meditation 20min thereafter (Level 1-2 of A Mind Illuminated)
• Healthy breakfast (muesli with oats, nuts, chia, ... )
• Healthy lunch (medium-size salad)
• Cooking 2 huge whole food plant-based meals per week (for many servings of dinner)
• Taking a walk once or twice a day - 10.000 steps (since gym is closed and my doctor says I have to wait before I can go running again)
• Call my girlfriend / parents / grandma / ...
• Checking the Actualized.org forum and answering some questions 
• Mindful winddown ritual incl. stretching, reading (30min)

The rest ist just working (coding) with a lot of short breaks in between ^^

Edited March 23, 2020 by GrowthPilgrim

[IJB063]

@GrowthPilgrim Yeah you're right, I probably listed to many

I haven't yet made my routine second nature but I'm working on it

I think everyone's routines has been messed up with the shutdown

If I was going to summarize my routine for the shutdown

• Morning Schedule - Cold Shower - Some Coffee and Chess
• Some Reading
• Breakfast - Eggs & toast
• Music Practice
• Studying and Writing
• Lunch
• Dinner
• Play some video games - listen to podcasts
• Commonplace book writing
• Exercise for 30 minutes
• Listen to music
• Mindfulness meditation
• Presleep reading and avoiding screens

Currently in Britain all exams are cancelled, and its seem the grade that we're going to given is our estimated grade, meaning the college year has been a complete waste, so I'm struggling to summon any will to even bother with revision, if I was certain that I could actual sit my exams than I'd be studying for the rest of my day

 

[Bill W]

Great thread man. Thanks for taking the time. That's a lot of work you put in to give us this. I've bookmarked to come back to and to think about implementing some of it for myself. The emphasis on breathing and also dopamine is nice. 

I'm in a bit of a rut with this forum at the moment feeling that everything's crap on here and a waste of time to read and i hate feeling like that. So stumbling onto this is great. It's positive and grounds you back to basics. 

Well done for this and thanks! 

[IJB063]

@Bill W No problem buddy

I don't surf this forum, when I come here, its with something in mind

I've been thinking of mkming a habit out of writing one post a week on here as well

Any topic I find interesting and relates to self help, I'll write about and throw on here to get some outside ideas

I recommend you do the same, it seems to me that that's the best way of getting help out of the forum

[Preety_India]

@IJB063 thanks. I'm adding in my journal. 

 

 

[IJB063]

@Preety_India no problem, hope it helps

[Bill W]

9 minutes ago, IJB063 said:

@Bill W No problem buddy

I don't surf this forum, when I come here, its with something in mind

I've been thinking of mkming a habit out of writing one post a week on here as well

Any topic I find interesting and relates to self help, I'll write about and throw on here to get some outside ideas

I recommend you do the same, it seems to me that that's the best way of getting help out of the forum

Too true and well said. It most definitely applies to me what you said.

As for your DoB on your profile. Be careful mate as you are at increased risk re COVID-19 due to your age group    Date of Birth 07/04/1873

[IJB063]

@Bill W Its tough being 147

But I've survived two world wars, I ain't afraid of no pussy bat disease

Edited March 23, 2020 by IJB063

[Bill W]

It's people like you that live too long that is crippling the NHS 

[IJB063]

@Bill W Well I'm pretty sure I'm the oldest person on the planet, so it won't be to long before I bite the dust and the NHS will start walking again

[Villager Albert]

Hi, thabks for sharing!

Couple uncommon ones you might wanna add:

- Self Inquiry

- Tape  your mouth before bed

- No blue light after x pm

- Improve your business/health/whatev by 1%

- Ask for feedback

- Walk (especially after food to lower the insulin response)

- Talk to a stranger (though he probably won't appreciate in this situation)

- Take notes when learning watchingvids / reading books

- For me, the most important habits are evening and morning routine cause once you have these established, it takes no effort to say start meditating, you just add it to your routine.

- Then the inner habits ofc like admit being wrong, don't lie etc. but I found I have to actually be inspired to do these, I can't force myself to be kind and stuff

[IJB063]

Hello,

Today's the 29th March, I'm going to make some posts on habits, goals, journaling etc... today, from what I've been listening to and reading. I've been meaning to write on this topic for my notebook, I am doing so currently, I've jotted some general ideas, I'll put my thoughts on this forum to get some responses & and maybe its of help to some people, I'll link them all back together so it makes sense, which is the purpose of this post - to link the posts together.

I'll put links to other threads below here - The COVID 19 Get Shit Done Collection

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

 

Edited March 29, 2020 by IJB063
Add links

[hyruga]

Coming to Actualized.org

Using the Internet

Facebook

YouTube

Netflix

Gaming

 

[IJB063]

@hyruga Gotta change your habits man

Spend most of your days in front of a screen

It fucks up your head

I recommend making a schedule or some sort of habit tracker and changing your routine

[Villager Albert]

@IJB063 He's just joking man... I hope so

[IJB063]

@Villager Albert I don't know if he is

He didn't leave any clue that hes joking

 

[Villager Albert]

@IJB063 Just the fact that he's on this forum is a clue I think

[Ampresus]

Meditate, meditate, meditate...

[hyruga]

19 hours ago, IJB063 said:

@hyruga Gotta change your habits man

Spend most of your days in front of a screen

It fucks up your head

I recommend making a schedule or some sort of habit tracker and changing your routine

Initially I was joking. 

But on reflection, I still did most of the things like Facebook, YouTube, surfing the net, watching TV and also gaming...all these can add up easily to 10 hours daily esp when there is little work.

Edited April 2, 2020 by hyruga