[stranger]

I come to these forums for the discussions on self-improvement more than advice with women. I thought it would be a good idea to get some discussion going on things you can do on a daily basis that will improve your life.

Try to avoid things that are commonly mentioned like working out, reading, approaching, etc. Please also try to avoid going over 20 minutes.

Some ideas:

20 - 30 minutes - Meditation. This can help clear your mind, decrease anxiety, improve moods, and more

5 minutes - Write down a to-do list. I know some people are against to-do lists, but use it as an exercise to get these things out of your head. This can help organize your thoughts and tasks as well as improve sleep as you are not thinking about this as much when its written down somewhere.

5-10 minutes - Memorization. There were some suggestions of memorizing lines of poetry, or some vocabulary of a new language. This can help improve brain function while perhaps gaining a skill. The next one can help with this.

5-10 minutes - Learning app. There are various apps out there that aid in some type of learning. Lumosity, math workouts, language flashcards, etc. A lot of these have daily exercises that take a few minutes to complete each day. For example, Anki is a flashcard program that you can set up to teach you new words as well as test you on old words that you learned previously. If anyone knows of any specific apps, please do share.

Is there anything you guys can think of? Things that can improve some skill like programming, or writing copy, or things that can improve some other aspect of your life.

[LeBeau]

This might sound strange at first, but for a combination of exercise, concentration/meditation, and body awareness, I would recommend developing the ability to do handstands.

The fitness aspects are pretty obvious, but once you start being able to spend dozens of seconds at the "balance point" where you feel almost weightless, it becomes very relaxing/meditative.

Closest thing I can compare it to, is for those who have tried scuba diving, when you get "in the moment" and are able to forget you're breathing underwater, and just naturally enjoy the mind calming itself.

Also very humbling for adults to learn, and will give some fun goals for mastery.

These are some advanced variations, but I can't be the only one who sees how it can be relaxing:

[The Lizard of Oz]

Hang.

I mean literally -- find a bar and hang from it for at least 30 seconds, or longer if you like.

This is a great thing to do at the end of the day to decompress your spine. When you're upright and walking around your spine gets compressed by gravity. When you hang, you decompress it.

[Cyr]

(10-26-2013 08:54 AM)The Lizard of Oz Wrote:  

Hang.

I mean literally -- find a bar and hang from it for at least 30 seconds, or longer if you like.

This is a great thing to do at the end of the day to decompress your spine. When you're upright and walking around your spine gets compressed by gravity. When you hang, you decompress it.

I do this every night for a few minutes. I think that it might make you grow a little taller as well if you're still in your teens (but that's Broscience/ personal experience so don't quote it as gospel).

[Hexgrex]

Some daily things I've incorporated into my life so far are:

1. Meditate
2. Read a chapter a day of any book
3. Yoga
4. Practice learning french 15-30minutes a day
5. Online course on an interesting topic, or relavent to my field of interest (checkout coursera.com)
6. Watch 1 Tedtalk or some sort of informative video
7. Play guitar
8. Workout
9. Spend 15-30minutes trying to solve a hard math problem or philosophical question (This really helps with expanding your brain, and challenges you to think critically)
10. Take a short walk in nature, appreciating the beauty and essence of the moment
11. Create a short list of gratitudes at the end of the day
12. Write in my journal at the end of the day, mostly about thoughts that entered into my head, my interactions with other people, and what I could have done differently or what I did really good.



Then again I am an introvert, so incorporating this stuff is very easy for me, for the most part I save my socializing for Friday and Saturday, and when I eat with other people. I know some people get restless if they haven't talked to anyone in 4 hours but I'm content with being in my own presence.

[pitt]

OP care to tell us the name for the math work out app? I want to download it on my computer.

[Bill]

Nice list Hexgrex. First point: meditate ist probably the best thing the rest will follow.

[stranger]

(10-27-2013 12:46 PM)pitt Wrote:  

OP care to tell us the name for the math work out app? I want to download it on my computer.

I actually got it on my phone. It's an android so I just type "math" or something into google play. If you are interested in solving math problems quickly, Read a book called "Secrets of Mental Math" and look up vedic math.

If anyone has good apps, do let us know.

[Idlenations]

Do an exercise on duolingo. Read a quick summary of something that interests you. Have a laugh.

[Nascimento]

Visualize.

Visualize yourself doing what you want to do most. See yourself achieving things that are difficult. See yourself as you want to be.

Before I ever started approaching I used to visualize approaching girls during the day and being successful. I've also used visualization to help me improve my skill in a sport. I needed more confidence at the time as I was starting to play at a higher level and was constantly nervous.

It's really simple. All it takes is making your environments as real as possible. If you are visualizing yourself approaching a very attractive girl notice things such as her hair colour, skin tone, clothing, voice pitch, facial expressions, the environment around you, if it is a hot or cold day etc.

I used to do this more often in the past, I need to start doing it again. The benefits can be insanely positive.

[Alpha Mind]

I suggest TED talks or any kind of training course (valuable to you) that's broken down into small, easily digested segments.

[Spirited]

Watch some stand-up comedy. So many adults today almost forget the ability to laugh. It relaxes the whole body, releases endorphins and makes your heart and brain happy. Humour yourselves folks!!!

[Montana]

Im going to recommend Brainage or some other mind exercise game.

[We The Real]

(10-26-2013 02:34 AM)LeBeau Wrote:  

This might sound strange at first, but for a combination of exercise, concentration/meditation, and body awareness, I would recommend developing the ability to do handstands.

The fitness aspects are pretty obvious, but once you start being able to spend dozens of seconds at the "balance point" where you feel almost weightless, it becomes very relaxing/meditative.

Closest thing I can compare it to, is for those who have tried scuba diving, when you get "in the moment" and are able to forget you're breathing underwater, and just naturally enjoy the mind calming itself.

Also very humbling for adults to learn, and will give some fun goals for mastery.

These are some advanced variations, but I can't be the only one who sees how it can be relaxing:

This guys level of body and mind awareness is stellar. It takes time to get there. The point is not to just do a handstand and hold it. Every single tissue in his body is in sync AND STILL if you watch the beginning part of him in motion, he has to catch himself fallin of balance. He is very centered thus aligned himself instantly.
I practice body and mind awareness thru physical activity daily, start small.

[trader]

I've got a daily checklist I score on a weekly basis. Used to use the Lift or Chains app on my phone to track it, but I found a simple print out monthly/weekly calendar by my computer works a lot better for me. Simply mark Xs in a table on that day for completions, score at end of week. Below is my checklist. For each I have a weekly min/max

1. Morning lift
2. Afternoon 20 mins in motion (run/kettle bells/sport)
3. Online article publish
4. 30 mins reading
5. CFA Study
6. TSQL Study
7. Vitamins
8. 15 mins cleaning
9. Floss
//// Vice ///
10. Drink
11. Fast food
12. Fap

[Libertas]

I'm a fan of to do lists (though I always make mine for the week).

For people who are naturally somewhat lazy and unfocused like me, they're a good way to keep yourself in check and make sure you achieve your short term and long term priorities.

Keeping creative works of media (in my case, writing and videos) and working on them for 20-30 minutes every day is something I've begun doing. It's a good way to instill discipline.