5 Habits that Changed My Life

Read time: 4 mins

Life is too short to have bad habits. Or not having any habits at all.

We have about 4000 weeks on average.

Think about it.

It is staggeringly short.

We wake up every day and live like we are immortal.

Become aware of your mortality, and you will turn your life 180.

Yes, I understand that this might create anxiety in life.

But, when I became a follower of Jesus Christ, I started believing in life after death.

So I am aware of my mortality which motivates me to make the best and give the most in this life here.

At the same time, I have an eternal perspective that keeps me grounded and at peace.

But why habits?

As James Clear put it:

Good habits are the foundation of a wholesome life.

I have been building my habits for the past 5 years through trial and error.

So I am putting 5 years of my experience into a couple of paragraphs so you don’t have to spend that much time.

You cannot risk not having clarity. You should start breeding a wholesome life today.

5 Habits That Will Transform Your Life

Every habit that I am going to describe I cultivated to improve certain areas of my life.

I was solving my own problems so I hope these habits help to solve your problems.

Waking up btwn 5-6 am every day

"I don't have time to do XYZ."

"I get distracted easily."

Have you heard these before? I definitely complained like this.

But dreams require sacrifice.

Before you protest, I am not talking about sleep. I go to bed between 9-10 pm.

But I sacrifice video games, TV, and my status as a granny who goes to bed so early.

If you don't make time for your life project, you will spend that time on someone else's project.

Isn't it more fulfilling to start your own thing?

If you adopt this habit, you will have dedicated time for your life project and encounter the most peaceful time of the day.

It feels amazing when you are alone with your thoughts and your work (or whatever you want to do).

You wake up before the world wakes up.

You are already ahead of everyone who is sleeping.

So this habit improves productivity and provides solitude.

Praying and reading the Bible

Have you ever felt like something is missing in your life?

Eleven months ago, I had been feeling a sense of purposelessness and hopelessness.

I was questioning the point of everything we do if we are going into the ground and becoming dust.

Despite all my goals, self-improvement practices, friends, and girlfriend (now my wife), I was still lost.

It was a terrible feeling. It was super discouraging.

But, thank God, I met Him.

Since then I have been praying and reading my Bible every morning. I am not always perfect, but it is okay.

I have started my day with joy, gratitude, hope, and purpose since I cultivated this habit.

And now all the other goals I have are so much more fulfilling.

This habit feeds your soul and enhances the flavor of life.

Going to the gym 3 times a week

There is a saying in Russian which came from Latin:

"A sound mind in a sound body."

Most people don't understand that lack of activity and muscle movement is the reason why they cannot think straight.

They feel tired, depressed, and brain-fogged.

No wonder - they sit in their offices, sit in the car driving home, then choose a couch to watch TV.

If you relate to that scenario, lift your butt and go to the gym or do any sport you would like.

Movement is life.

But I have been neglecting the gym or any sport as well when I started college.

One day I decided to gain some muscle mass to be stronger and look better.

Well, it was the best decision of my life.

I started going to the gym 3 times a week.

My drive to achieve my goals, study, and socialize intensified.

I felt light and energetic.

If you are a creatorpreneur, you must prioritize gym to keep going in the game.

Creatorpreneurs or creators are notorious for spending time in front of a computer. I know from experience.

Creatorpreneurship is a marathon, not a sprint.

Start small at first: schedule going to the gym once a week or for 30 minutes 3x a week.

You will thank me in a couple of months!

So this habit is for your health.

Stop working by 6 pm

In other words, you should adopt fixed-schedule productivity.

When I discovered this concept, it was revolutionary for me.

I read about it in the book "Deep Work" by Cal Newport.

To use fixed-schedule productivity, you set a daily deadline for all your work because as Cal Newport puts it:

You are not missing out on much when you decide not to bring work into your evenings.

Hard work is important but nobody was canceling smart work.

Have you ever watched a cartoon "Mr. Peabody & Sherman?"

Mr. Peabody is a genius dog whose IQ is so high that he is way smarter than any human.

He adopted a kid, Sherman.

But Mr. Peabody was single.

I would argue that he didn't find a wife before adopting Sherman because he didn't use fixed-schedule productivity.

Because he was super successful, spending all his time on inventions and his career.

That being said, I use this concept for productivity and keeping a life/work balance.

I want to spend time with my beautiful wife.

If you want to have family (which you should IMO) and stay sane, create a hard deadline for yourself each day.

I could create an entire newsletter issue on this topic.

So in short by finishing my day at 6 pm, I:

• 2x'ed my productivity

• improved my mental health

• created a happier marriage

Planning the next day the night before

This one will be a short one. I promise.

When I stop working at 6 p.m., I have a shutdown ritual. Another concept I learned from Dr. Newport.

“Merdan, is it even necessary?”

Oh, thank you for asking!

It is necessary because of the Zeigarnik effect.

The Zeigarnik effect is a phenomenon describing the ability of unfinished work to occupy our minds even when we stop working.

We have all experienced that at least once:

You cannot fall asleep because there are lingering thoughts about unfinished work in your mind. Sounds familiar?

So to avoid that, a shutdown ritual is necessary.

Here is what I do (it is part of my COS system):

1) I move all my tasks and other commitments I jotted down from short-term storage to long-term storage space.

For example, if I jotted down on my phone "write one thread on marketing," I transfer that task to my Grand Task List in Notion. Then I delete the note on my phone.

2) I look at all the tasks I got in Notion and schedule them as necessary for the next day.

3) I say the phrase in Russian "Шабаш (Shabash). Shut down complete!"

You need to create your own phrase to give your mind a cue that there is nothing to worry about so you can unwind.

I do these from 6:00-6:30 pm usually.

That way, I can enjoy my evening with peace of mind.

Plan your next day the night before and have a shutdown ritual, you will change your day-to-day.

In short, there are 5 habits that changed my life:

• Waking up between 5-6 am

• Praying and reading the Bible

• Going to the gym 3x a week

• Stop working by 6 pm

• Planning the next day the night before

Steal these habits from me because there is no time for pondering.

Start creating a wholesome life now.

Thank you for reading,

-Merdan

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