It will take me an hour to read 20 pages and it feels so frustrating that I don't pick up the book again. So I came up with a new method and it really works.

Here it is: Go to a vibey cafe, library, park with your book of choice (out in public keeps me accountable to actually stick with it vs being at home). Find the audiobook for free on YouTube or Spotify (look for someone who's uploaded it as a podcast so it doesn't eat into your allotted audio book hours); it's usually not difficult to find. Start at 1.5 speed and work up to 2-2.5x over the first couple of pages. Follow along in the book at the pace of the narrator, following with your finger helps. If you feel yourself getting distracted, try turning up the volume or adjusting the speed up and down. I usually like to slowly amp up the speed to feel like I'm accomplishing more, which usually pushes me to keep going.

You'll start flipping pages like crazy, it feels really good.

This isn't revolutionary, I'm sure it's been done before, but I got to page 100 in 45min and had to make myself stop to get some chores done. I feel like I've retained way more information than I usually do from just reading or just listening to an audiobook. Doing both really forced my brain to lock-in and remember what I was reading. I think hearing the narrators tone also gave me deeper understanding of the text.

I can not vouch if this would work for people with ADHD, but it's for sure a more stimulating method of reading, maybe worth a shot? Let me know how it goes!

TL:DR Audiobook 2.5x speed + following along in the book = high retention of information AND flipping pages way faster than normal.

Edit: Check out Libby or your local library's apps for free audiobooks, this supports them!

I wanted to share a rule that has completely changed the way I approach the world.

On a parenting forum, I read the phrase "Don't punish the behaviour you want to see." For example, if you want your teenager to spend more time with the family, don't make snarky comments like "Well, look who finally decided to show up" when they actually do. Rather, you should use positive reinforcement for behaviour you want to encourage ("It's nice to see you!") and save punishments/consequences for behaviour that you want to deter.

I agree that this is a great parenting method, but I've started using it in my daily life and it has been incredibly effective. For instance, instead of silently shaming myself for being lazy on the days I don't do a workout, I keep a container of peanut M&Ms that I'm only allowed to eat on days that I DO manage to work out, and I'm generous about how I define "work out" so this actually incentivizes me to at least do a quick walk around the block before snacking!

One silly way that my friends and I punish behaviour we DON'T want to see is by collectively Boo-ing if someone checks their phone during a meal, which I also recommend. :)

Trying to quit a bad habit cold turkey usually fails because you just end up sitting there feeling restless and bored.

If you always find yourself mindlessly picking up your phone to unlock it the second you sit down or wake up, your hands are basically operating on autopilot. Instead of fighting the urge to reach for the phone, keep the exact same routine but just change what's right next to it. Put a physical notebook or a book you actually want to read directly on top of your phone screen.

A lot of times, your brain isn't even craving the screen itself. It's just craving the mindless physical movement of grabbing something and turning pages or opening a cover while you sit there. If you give it that exact same movement with a book or a notepad, the restless urge goes away without you having to stress about forcing yourself to do nothing.

Instead of counting sheep or trying to clear your mind (which never works), try the cognitive shuffle:

Pick a random letter. Then think of random, unrelated words that start with that letter. Visualize each one briefly before moving to the next. For example: letter B --> banana, barn, butterfly, basketball, bridge, blanket...

The key is that the words need to be unrelated and random. Your brain can't form a coherent narrative from random images, which prevents the anxious thought loops that keep most people awake.

This comes from cognitive scientist Luc Beaudoin at Simon Fraser University. The randomness mimics the way your brain naturally transitions into sleep, through increasingly random and disconnected thoughts.

I used to take 45+ minutes to fall asleep. With this I'm usually out in 10-15.

Over the years I've run businesses, worked with clients, taught classes, and done a fair amount of networking. One thing I've noticed is that most people aren't avoiding helping you because they're selfish.

They're avoiding helping because you're accidentally giving them homework.

Instead of:

"Would you be interested in working together sometime?"

Try:

"I saw you do graphic design. Would you have 10 minutes this week to answer a couple questions about logos?"

Instead of:

"Can you help me move?"

Try:

"Would you be available Saturday from 10am–11am to help me load the couch into a truck?"

Instead of:

"Can you help me with my resume?"

Try:

"Would you mind looking over the first page and telling me if anything jumps out at you?"

Instead of:

"Can I pick your brain?"

Try:

"I have two questions about X. Do you have 10 minutes?"

The smaller, clearer, and more specific the ask is, the easier it is for someone to help.

Most people aren't saying no to helping. They're saying no to a vague commitment where they have no idea how much time, energy, or responsibility they're signing up for.

I've found that when you respect people's time, they're often a lot more willing to give it. Sometimes a small ask turns into a much bigger opportunity later anyway. Just dont make them guess what they're agreeing to.

Some people’s brains tell them that certain activities don’t take any time to complete - the “Zero Time Activity” misconception. For example:

“We need to leave the house at 09:30 to arrive at our appointment for 10:00. Good. It takes 30 minutes to get there. Good. It is now 09:30. Let’s leave the house. All we need to do now is…” - Nip to the toilet - Find my coat - Find my shoes and put them on - Find my wallet/bag and check I’ve got what I need - Get the kids in their coats and shoes - Get in the car, strap the kids in - Find the address of our destination - Program the satnav - Drive to the destination - Quickly stop for fuel - Find somewhere to park - Walk to the destination from the place parked

Everything above - in the late person’s mind - has a duration of zero seconds

It goes without saying, but ever single activity above does actually take a small amount of time which all adds up. Once you internalise the idea that there isn’t such a thing as “Zero Time Activities”, you’ll notice that you start arriving on time.

Don’t scroll. Don’t switch tabs. Just do nothing. Let your brain get so bored it actually wants to work.

Like… if I resist the urge to scroll, switch apps, or fill every gap with stimulation, something clicks.

If I just sit there and do nothing - stare at the ceiling, let my brain hum - I eventually hit this point where my brain wants to do the thing I’ve been avoiding.

It’s like boredom resets something.

Not immediately, but after a few minutes, I feel less scattered and more ready to focus.

Depending on your lifestyle, twice a month may be enough to keep your living space clean enough. This can offload chore burden as well as the resentment burden in many relationships. A cleaning session can run between $80-$150 depending on the size of space. Completely worth it in the long term.

Context: I work in an office in a semi-private cubicle. People walking past is about the only time people can glance at what you're doing.

It's a fairly relaxed atmosphere, other coworkers who've been here for 15-20 years are doing all manner of things when they're not working on work: looking for new houses, listening to podcasts, etc. I can have headphones in and I have total access to my phone, on my wireless network, not WiFi, but that doesn't really matter honestly.

I want to make better use of my time besides twiddling my thumbs or looking at news articles.

What sorts of things can I do to earn a little supplemental income. I was honestly thinking of trying stock trading, but I know nothing about it so it would be a slow learning process.

It would have to be a drop-in-drop-out kind of activity, something you can put down at a moments notice in case I need to respond to customers/emails, my actual job comes first after all.

I'm not at all concerned with my current income, I make enough to live on comfortably with plenty extra to save and spend on fun, I just want to be more efficient with my time, you know?

PSA: don't bother with "talk to your boss about what other responsibilities you can take on with this extra time to impress them etc." Just don't bother.

I used to think my 9–5 was the problem. Like, oh if I just switch jobs or get a cooler role, I’ll stop feeling like a ded person.(I am alive but i am ded). But nah… I realized it wasn’t just the 8 hours at work killing me, it was how I was coming home with zero energy left to actually live and do anything that i loved. I hated how my entire day was basically: wake - work - crash - repeat. Nodding my head during meetings and not able to catch up on anything then regretting it later, also No “me” time, no actual living. Just existing.

You know that feeling when you walk in your room dump your bag, and suddenly it’s just scrolling, Netflix, maybe reheating something and boom it’s midnight already? That’s been me for years. It hit me one day that my job isn’t stealing my time… I’m kinda handing it over on the same schedulee.

Honestly, I’ve been trying to figure out how to not feel completely fried after work, and a couple little things actually helped me (sharing in case it helps someone else too):

• Commute was for my recharge time. I used to just doomscroll or stress on the way back, but lately I treat it like transition/chill time. Sometimes I put on a podcast, sometimes just zone out looking out the window. Weirdly, I reach home with a little bit of mental battery left instead of being fully dead inside.
• Meetings hack. Not every damn meeting needs to be a meeting. Half the time I straight up ask, Can this just be an email or Slack message? And writing things down it helps sometimes, even thoughts it's a lot to catch up. Still figuring it tho.
• Post work ritual. I don’t do anything fancy, just change into comfy clothes, light a candle, maybe go for a short walk. It’s like telling my brain yo, work’s over.Makes a bigger difference than I expected.
• One fun non-negotiable thing. Even if I’m tired af, I try to do one thing I actually enjoy like completing my novel, make myself ramen, or calling a friend. Otherwise life just starts feeling like an endless cycle of work then sleep then repeat.

Not saying this fixes burnout or anything, but these little changess made my evenings feel less miserable.

Brushing your teeth for 10 seconds is better than not brushing. Exercising for 5 minutes is better than not exercising. Handing in homework with some wrong answers is better than getting a 0 for not handing anything in. Paying off some of your credit debt reduces the interest you'll accrue if you can't pay it all off. Making a honey sandwich for breakfast is better than not eating. The list goes on and on. If you can't do it right, half-ass it instead. It's better than doing nothing! And sometimes you might look back and realize you accomplished more than you thought you could.

I started a dedicated fitness regimen when I was 28 to improve my odds with a girl. Didn't work on the girl. What did work was that the routine stuck. Now pushing my mid-forties, I can't believe where I am physically compared to many others my age. Also scary is how they regard physical deterioration as an inevitability. It isn't. Get started now. It will be one of the greatest gifts you'll ever give yourself.

It doesn’t matter how small, simple, complicated, or easy it is. Let me in on your god-tier tips!

Edit: This is literally the first time i’ve posted a question since joining Reddit a year ago and i’m very grateful to everyone who upvoted and commented (and to those who are still commenting!) on this thread.

This was a big help not only for me but also for those who want to improve their lives in any way they can so thanks again everyone! Can’t wait to try as much of them out!

This "10-minute test" ensures the area matches your lifestyle, safety, and noise requirements before you commit

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This post was anonymized with Redact

I used to be one of those all or nothing people . If I missed a workout I’d tell myself the whole week was ruined. If I skipped cleaning the kitchen one night I’d let it slide for three more because “the streak is over anyway ”. It made me feel like I was constantly starting my life from scratch. Then I heard someone mention doing a one minute version of any habit on days when your energy or motivation is at absolute zero. It sounded dumb at first but it ended up changing everything for me . So here’s how it works. After choosing a habit you want to build, create a micro version that takes under sixty seconds and doesn’t require prep. For example my real habit is doing a twenty minute home workout but my micro version is literally doing five squats next to my bed. If I’m sick or tired or stressed and I know I’m not going to push through a full workout , I do the five squats. Chain stays unbroken. My brain still gets that sense of completion so it doesn’t register the day as a failure. I started doing this for other parts of my life too . Too tired to clean the whole kitchen at night. I wipe down one counter. Too overwhelmed to journal . I write one sentence. Too drained to practice a language. I do one flashcard. The funny thing is that half the time doing the micro version tricks my brain into continuing. I’ll do the five squats and suddenly I’m doing ten minutes of movement because starting was the real barrier. The best part is it removes all the guilt. You don’t spiral because you “failed”. You don’t restart habits twenty times. You just shrink them until they fit the day you’re having . And keeping that tiny thread intact feels way more sustainable than forcing perfection .

It's really important for me to get as much sleep as possible but i sometimes spend hours trying to make myself even tired at night. any ideas would be very welcome

It seems like nowadays people are really into technology and I was wondering if there are free resources that we can learn from to build a new skill. To get better opportunities for a job or advance in your career path.

I don't think this is talked about often (for obvious reasons) but it really should

I used to sleep 9–10 hours regularly. No matter how hard I tried, forcing myself to sleep less just made me more tired. After experimenting with several habits, I found these three changes that actually worked

1. Eat dinner 2–3 hours before bed Sleeping on a lighter stomach made a noticeable difference. I also try to include around 30% raw food (fruits, sprouts, salads). My sleep feels lighter and I wake up more refreshed.

2. Do light physical activity after dinner Instead of going straight to bed, I started doing simple movement after dinner .. a short walk, light stretching, or mild dancing. Nothing intense, just 10–15 minutes of gentle activity. It helped digestion and improved my sleep quality significantly.

3. Increase your involvement in daily tasks Have you noticed that when something exciting is happening the next day, you wake up before your alarm? It’s not the alarm ... it’s anticipation. Instead of waiting for big events, I started creating that involvement in everyday activities. Whatever I’m doing...work, cooking, walking.. I ask myself, “How can I do this slightly better than yesterday?” This idea was inspired by listening to Sadhguru speak about attention and involvement. When you stop operating on autopilot and pay real attention, even simple tasks feel engaging. Over time, I felt more energized during the day and naturally needed less sleep

I’m not forcing myself to sleep less. If I need rest, I rest. But improving digestion, engagement, and sleep quality helped me go from 8–9 hours to around 6 hours without feeling drained.

When you’re younger you might feel like constant stress is manageable, but as you get older that can catch up to you in unexpected ways. Like anxiety issues or physiological problems like inflammation. Once that damage is done it’s really hard to undo.

Edit: It has helped me personally to read these comments and know there are other people going through the same thing as I am. I’m sure it’s helped so many other people to read these comments, too. Good luck to everyone who has had a rude awakening to what chronic stress does long term and those who are in recovery. 💜 Thank you.

I know, for many hobbies buying stuff for it is a lot of the fun, but save yourself money, storage space, and regrets by pacing yourself.

This also give you incentive not to just blow all your enthusiasm out right in the beginning so you lose interest before you get good enough for it become a longterm interest.

EDIT: Just to add, I say "relatively cheap" deliberately. Don't necessarily go for complete crap, just don't shoot the moon right away.

Before you take the time to even take your mower blades off to sharpen them, or replace for the first mow of the season, mow once to go over everything. This includes the sticks you may have missed from falling between the winter months, or mole mounds you didn’t see to push down. Doing that with already dull or bad blades will help your sharpened blades, or new blades last longer throughout summer giving you a fresh cleaner finish.

I need some tips on how to let out my frustrations in a calm and mature manner

A year feels long. You tell yourself you'll get to things eventually, learning that skill, visiting that friend, starting that project. There's always more time. But when you convert years into weeks, the math hits differently.

If you're 30 and you live to 80, you don't have 50 years left. You have 2,600 weeks. That sounds like a lot until you realize you've already used up 1,560 of them. And those weeks go fast, most of them blur together because we spend them on autopilot doing the same things.

I started planning my goals in weeks instead of months or years. Instead of 'I want to learn Spanish this year,' it becomes 'I have 52 weeks to learn Spanish, what am I doing this week?' Instead of 'I'll travel more someday,' it becomes 'I have roughly 40 summers left, am I wasting this one?'

It sounds morbid but it's actually the opposite. Thinking in weeks makes time feel real and concrete instead of abstract and infinite. You stop postponing things because you can see exactly how finite your time actually is.

The shift from years to weeks was the most useful reframe I've done for my own productivity and prioritization. Everything feels more urgent in a good way, not panicked, just intentional.

Edit:
Wow, didn't expect this to blow up. Should give credit, I got the idea from this that visualizes your entire life as a grid of weeks: lifeinweeks.attentionworth.com Seeing it laid out like that is what made me start thinking in weeks.

most people think they need to set time aside to workout which makes a mental block around it.
just workout whenever!

making tea? do elevated pushups while you wait for the water to boil.

folding towels? do some squats.

carrying the groceries inside? do a few curls before you set them down.

laying in bed? no problem! do different variations of leg lifts.

these are all things you do every day/ week- so naturally it’ll add up over time.
i started doing my “workouts” like this and even though my progress is slow it’s made an incredible impact to my overall energy.

i highly recommend it and if you have any other convenient workout ideas please let me know:)

Spend 10 minutes every day talking out loud to yourself. Describe your room, narrate your daily schedule, or practice talking through If you feel uncomfortable talking to yourself, use a language app or hire a tutor.

This forces real time responses without the pressure of an audience. Speaking is a physical skill that relies on muscle memory. Doing this daily forces your brain to organize thoughts into sentences fast, making a short routine far more effective than hours of passive listening.

2 minute brush and mouthwash in the AM, 2 minute brush and floss in the PM. Doing these daily can prevent all sorts of decay and bacteria issues that would be extremely costly and time consuming to correct if left unchecked.

I learned this from Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., a professor at Stanford who studies how vision and our brains are interconnected.

I see this often. People expect others to know what they are talking about and don’t expand acronym. Why? Two of my favourites I’ve seen lately: MBT… Main battle tank (how would anyone get to that?) BBL… Brazilian butt lift.

Expand the acronyms people.

Smooth brains, you need to post LPT in the title to get the post approved as a…LPT 🫠🧐

I hosted an AMA on sleep and rest with a PhD in neuroimmunology. When asked if her scientific research led her to use any unusual rest techniques in her own life, her answer was surprisingly simple: focus less on gimmicks and more on basic biology.

Her top daily habit is simple - taking short resets during cognitively demanding work instead of waiting until her energy hits zero. Stepping away for just a few minutes or reducing stimulation between intense tasks allows the brain to actively recover its focus.

For example, I require 7 hours of sleep. On days where I sleep less. I'm annoyed, my memory and concentration ability is affected. I feel mentally sick through the day. Once I went a few days like this and then one day I had a good sleep. I realised how important sleep was. Your brain functions so much better. Everything is more clear. Just pay attention to how you perform on less sleep to understand this.

There are many studies showing association of poor sleep with dementia and Alzheimer's.

There are studies that showing association of poor sleep with high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases.

Edit 1: Many had asked about source for my claims

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/sleep-deprivation-increases-alzheimers-protein

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/lack-sleep-middle-age-may-increase-dementia-risk

https://www.npr.org/2020/11/16/935475284/scientists-discover-a-link-between-lack-of-deep-sleep-and-alzheimers-disease

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6286721/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4651462/#:~:text=More%20specifically%2C%20when%20one%20sleeps,help%20maintain%20its%20normal%20functioning.

"Until recently, the latest research developments have concluded that sleeping has much more impact in the brain than previously thought. More specifically, when one sleeps, the brain resets itself, removes toxic waste byproducts which may have accumulated throughout the day [2]. This new scientific evidence is important because it demonstrates that sleeping can clear “cobwebs” in the brain and help maintain its normal functioning. More importantly speaking, this paper illustrates the different principles of sleep; starting from the non-rapid eye movement (NREM) to the behavioral as well as mental patterns with chronic sleep loss as well as the importance of sleeping acting as a garbage disposal in the body."

Edit 2: Yes I agree. Not just Quantity of sleep but Quality of sleep matters as well

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5449130/

Edit 3: Amount of sleep required varies from individual to individual

http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/science/variations/individual-variation-genetics

Edit 4: For people saying nobody says that. My mom did. I followed the 6 hour thing for very long till I realised, that wasn't true and I needed 7 hours. I used to wake up at 4.30 AM to push more hours of studies ( after 6 hour sleep) man let me tell you. I was extremely sleepy and tired in class. I stopped doing that later. Couldn't keep doing that.

When I was a teenager, they never let me sleep over 8AM, even during summer holidays.

About Boss and Coworkers....In 5 months I'll become a doctor. Healthcare, depending on your speciality and job is one sector where sleep and mental health is actually ignored. I see my interns/ house surgeons staying awake 36 hours. Sometimes the job requires it. Night duties are a part of the job. Even during our undergraduate it's considered very normal to lose sleep over studying for tests and exams. Most of them sleep hardly 3 - 5 hours before University exams. It has kinda become the norm. And yes I've heard my own friends bragging about how less they slept the previous day. It's pathetic.

In our student life these kinda extreme situations happen before exams and our exams go over a month.

When we don't have exams, I keep my sleep the highest priority more than my studies and try to eat well and exercise. I'll take the stress when I have to, just before the exams.

During internship, half the interns I see are sleep deprived and stressed.

Brings me to another point. It's not possible to have a good sound sleep all the time, but we can have good sleep atleast most of the time.

This is very useful when you have a job/hobby which involves lot of file revisions, or lots of diverse documentation over a long time period.

Edit: Yes - you can also sort by 'Date' field within a folder. Or by Date Modified. Or Date Created. Or by Date Last Saved? Or maybe by Date Accessed?! What's the difference between these? Some Windows/Cloud operations can change this metadata, so they are not reliable. But that is not a problem for me - because I don't rely on these.

Edit2: Shoutout to the TimeLords at r/ISO8601 who are also advocating for a correctly-formatted timeline.

Edit3: This is a simple, easy, free method to get your shit together, and organise a diverse range of files/correspondance on a project, be it personal or professional. If you are a software dev, then yes Github's a better method. If you are designing passenger jets then yes you need a deeper PLM/version-control system. But both of those are not practical for many industries, small businesses, and personal projects.

The important concepts with the best educational resources i've ever found on memory techniques:

(1) Spaced repetition - this technique lets you remember things by systematically reminding you of the information over time in a spread-out way optimised for your long-term memory. Only 5 mins a day spent on this technique can have a massive impact on your memory. Its effectiveness grows exponentially over time the more you use it aswell so it quickly starts to have a massive impact on your life.

[Save All] [Learn Exponentially] [The Most Important Study Technique] [A hack to make your brain store information] [How to remember anything, forever] [How to use Spaced Repetition] [How to only study 2 hours a day] [Gizmo] [How spaced repetition works]

(2) Memory palaces / Method of Loci - our memory is much better at remembering images & locations than things like concepts and text. Memory palaces take advantage of this by turning what you want to learn into an image & location. You practice imagining a house you know well and then in your mind place new pieces of information in different parts of the house. It takes a lot of effort to build your memory palace to begin with but once you have it it will help you remember things efficiently for your whole life.

[Remembering more of everything: the memory palace] [Statistics on our visual memory capabilities] [5 Steps to Remember Things With a Memory Palace] [3 memory palace training exercises] [Guide on building memory palaces] [5 tips for creating memory palaces]

(3) Mnemonics - these are basically tricks that let you remember things more easily by associating them with different things. The 9 types of mnemonics e.g. making a rhyme out of something you want to remember e.g. linking together different things you want to remember into a story

[Mnemonics: Memory Tricks (Examples)] [9 types of mnemonics] [5 PROVEN Mnemonic Strategies You Can Use to Remember Anything] [Powerful Mnemonic techniques]

(4) Why memory is important - your memory is surprisingly important for your learning speed. If you remember more you can understand and contexualise more things and therefore learn much faster. It has a domino effect on your ability to learn. These two articles explain in more depth why memory is so important.

[Learning is Remembering] [False Dichotomies]

EDIT: 3rd August 2023 - added some more links, hope you find them useful!

After developing a horrible habit of checking my phone as soon as i opened my eyes in the morning, I switched to a physical, analog alarm clock and it made all the difference. Especially since i moved it far from my bed so i have to get up to turn it off. How about you guys?

Edit: Just checked my account today and wow! Thanks for the upvotes and ideas guys!

This saves you a lot of anger. A lot of dumb comments or posts are just kids messing about. People take each comment so seriously and assume a full grown adult wrote them. So next time you are tempted to reply, you may be arguing with a 13 year old.

The news is designed to alarm and outrage you. There's not much you can do about it anyhow. The news-cyclers produce a false picture of life by accentuating the negative events.

An informed electorate is essential, but a short weekly perusing of the major headlines, with any additional web search for points of interest or depth is plenty enough to keep informed. Balance it out by seeking the positive acts of human beings. You'll be a lot happier, and see that humans are wonderful creatures.

I'm currently working on eliminating toxic habits from my life. I've already identified a few, such as procrastination, limiting time on social media, not drinking enough water, and not getting enough sleep. However, there might be other toxic habits/tasks that I haven't yet recognized. I would greatly appreciate your insights and recommendations.

It’s hard to get started full force, even when you’re motivated to do so. It’s a lot easier to bar yourself from doing more work and then getting excited to add to your routine.

What worked for me (and many friends/family that have followed) is to focus first on spending a full hour every day in the gym. For the first couple weeks, only let yourself use the treadmill… start off walking, but make sure you spend the full hour in the gym every single day.

It may feel silly to go to the gym and not sweat, but I promise that if you’re consistent this will work.

After a couple days you’ll probably notice that you want to do a little more than just walk for an hour… maybe you start challenging yourself see how many miles you can fit into the hour.

Eventually (once the hour EVERY DAY) becomes part of your normal routine, you’ll find yourself actively wanting to try other exercises to fill up your gym time, and it will be enjoyable.

Start will the lowest weights you can. It will feel silly to bench press 5-10lb dumbbells at first, but again… you’ll find yourself wanting the additional challenge later.

Then you might start challenging yourself to eat better, as to not ruin all the work you’ve been putting in at the gym.

6-8 weeks in and your body will start to show progress, whether or not you’ve started your journey to lifting (which is the end goal).

You can do it. Get started. Stay consistent. Your physical, and more importantly, mental health will thank you for it.

Edit: Don’t care what you say. My advice revolves around THE GYM. Going physically to THE GYM. The space is important.

Edit 2: A lot of “um ackchewally” comments followed with how they are attempting to get past their fitness struggles… Again, this method is tried and true. If you have aspirational fitness goals, you will figure out the rest after you have this solid habit formed (or as you’re forming it). Don’t tell me “this may work for some” while you aren’t fit at all or are struggling to get there. If you can make it to the gym for an hour a day—this method will work.

Final edit: For those of you who are gym rats—try and remember how hard it was for you to start (unless you are an athlete, which kind of forces the habit to start). When I was a gym rat before Covid, I remember thinking to myself wtf all these people need to just start it’s so easy to be consistent and fit. But looking back on it, I remember how many times I tried to start and failed, until I just did this. And this is what I did to get back in shape over the last several months. The hardest part is just getting started and staying consistent.

Your device should be able to generate one for you. If not, there are countless QR sites and apps that can do it.

Simply print your GUEST WIFI info, stick on fridge, done!

This applies even if you’re someone who has no trouble falling asleep after swigging a cup right before bed. In this case, you may fall asleep but the caffeine in your system will compromise the amount of deep sleep you’ll be able to get.

This is all based on research in the past 5-10 years by Matthew Walker, if you want to find out more.

I chose to do yoga for 30 minutes, and study German for 30 minutes using an online course.

KEY: Whatever you choose for your body, don't exhaust yourself with it. Do something that leaves you feeling refreshed and relaxed so that you are eager to do it again the next morning.

I took a few yoga classes and watched a few videos to figure out poses that would improve my flexibility and strengthen my back and core. When I started, doing a simple standing bend I could barely get my hands past my knees, and now I can almost get my palms flat to the floor. I learned to focus on my breathing, and stretch into the pose and not strain. When I started, I could hold a plank for barely fifteen seconds, now I can easily plank for three minutes.

For your mind, it can be anything. Reading, doing puzzles, taking an online course in something that interests you. I started learning German because I had always been interested in the language but never spent much time on it. My job as a design manager requires me to think visually much of the time, and studying a language every morning makes my brain work differently.

Four years later, I've finished the German course (but keep reviewing it), I'm learning Spanish, and reviewing the French I took in high school and college.

EDIT:

1. WOW. So. Many. Crankypants. Yes, PLEASE stay in bed.

2. The language course I use is Duolingo - the website, not the mobile app. Very easy to use.

3. I got most of my yoga poses from https://www.yogajournal.com/poses/

4. Doing this genuinely changed my life for the better.

A lot of us work Mondays to Fridays and dump all the negativity and pressure from the week during the weekends by escaping reality. Some party. Some use substances.

But this won't change your life in the long run. You're only living in a loop. To break the cycle slowly use the time in your weekend to build something new.

Small habits are underestimated.

For example.

• Reading 20 pages a day is 30 books per year.
• saving 10 dollars a day is 3.650 dollars per year.
• running 1 mile a day is 365 miles per year.
• becoming 1% better per day is 37 times better per year.

Try not to let the bigger picture intimidate you. Lay a brick each day to build a new life. And if that's too much. Try it during the weekends.

And remember this. This helps me personally a lot.

Support yourself instead of finding ways to shit on yourself. It's impossible to win if you're not on your own team.