Some days my head is clear and the work goes smoothly. Some days it’s all fog and rereading the same sentence five times.
The difference is not random. Clarity comes from what you do every day.
5 habits I keep for life. Boring, cheap, and they work. Especially after work.
1. Reading
I made it a habit to read before going to sleep. It’s like supper for the mind.
I have the 2 books I am currently reading on my nightstand. Right before sleep, I turn on a warm light in the small lamp clipped to my bed frame and read for at least 18 minutes.
I recommend physical books, it’s easier to grab a physical object, more satisfying to turn pages and see how far you’ve read and how much is left.
No such thing as too much knowledge.
2. Writing
There were months I didn’t publish here, but I never stopped writing.
I have a journal that I try to fill daily. Again, at least 18 minutes a day.
Even when my head is empty, I start the timer and by minute 18 I have something.
And by journaling, I don’t mean writing:
“Dear journal, today was a good day because I jerked off and ate a banana”.
I mean a tool for unraveling problems and framing your current struggles and uncertainties into something at least a bit more digestible.
Something to make current problems clearer, something that gives foggy plans structure.
New here? AchievR is one post a week for people with a real job and a project they refuse to give up on.
Identity, systems, consistency, output, money: things you can use the same night.
The welcome email comes with the Pathfinder Template: a free starting point for picking a project worth your hours.
3. Working out
I prefer lifting weights, but any form of physical activity will do.
Apart from health benefits and all that good stuff we already know, it’s surprisingly easy to get hooked.
Necessity that is also enjoyable. Gym, swim, play.
4. Meditation
This one is the hardest to start but the cheapest to run.
No equipment, no membership, not even a lamp.
Sit, set a timer for 5 minutes, count your breaths. You’ll lose count, your mind will wander. Come back and count again.
That’s the rep, every comeback is one. Start with 5 minutes, not 18. This one scales later.
More here:
& here:
5. 5 Things you’re grateful for today
Before sleep, list 5 things from today.
Not “family, health” on autopilot, today’s specifics:
the neighbor who held the door
the idea that finally clicked after a long time
This trains your filter. You spend the day half-hunting for entries, so you start noticing good things while they happen.
Write them in the same journal from habit 2. Habits that share a page survive longer.
Start with one today. Supper for the mind. Serve it daily.
Bonus!
Every time I write about focus, someone asks what I take.
I’ve tested most of what gets sold as a focus supplement. Most of it did nothing for me, and I wrote that down instead of pretending otherwise.
Below: what I take, what the research says, what it did for me, and when to take it. Plus the ones I won't touch, and why.
Two things worth saying before you read it:
Nothing here beats sleep.
I’m not a doctor, this is my own log.